Ohio Wesleyan celebrated its 65th year of men’s lacrosse on the weekend of April 26th in the wake of an anticipated matchup against fierce rival Denison the following day. With over 75 alumni in attendance, reminiscence was in the air, and old friends were brought back together.
Along with many former players in the crowd, President Matt Vanderburg recognized the teams from 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1991. In each of those years between 1987 and 1989, the Battling Bishops fell to Hobart in the national championship game. Legendary coach Mike Pressler ran those teams in the late 80s. In 1991, The Bishops fell to the eventual national runner-up, Salisbury State.
I had the honor and pleasure to speak with multiple alumni. Speaking with these men reminded me of the rich history of athletics at Ohio Wesleyan, not only in lacrosse but across all sports. While having these conversations and hearing stories among teammates, I felt fortunate to have had a tremendous chapter of my life at Ohio Wesleyan, meeting my lifelong friends on and off the basketball court.
“I loved it during my time here. It feels great to be back and watch our current program play. During my time, we created a culture of winning for lacrosse where we didn’t lose to Denison in 3 straight years. It was a social buzz throughout campus seeing other athletes and teachers there. On sunny Saturday mornings, it seemed the whole campus was going to our games.” – John Hildebrand ’76: 1x All-America.
“I mean these are my best friends. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Hands down my favorite win was in 2021 against Denison. It was on a Wednesday during the day, the sun was shining, and we beat them by one. Can’t beat that.” – Jack Damon ’22: All-NCAC honorable mention.
“We did everything together. There wasn’t a time when we didn’t know what everyone else was doing. Every weekend we were doing things together. As far as what their grades were! We hadn’t beaten Denison in 16 years when I was a freshman, and we beat ‘em! We beat them 4 years in a row. Senior year, we beat them 24-4!” – Chuck Narwicz ’77: 4-time All-Midwest selection.
“We all lived together. We were very tight with each other. In my freshman year against Hobart, we just lost to them in the national championship the year prior. We beat that 8-7 in overtime at Selby Stadium. Better than that, we beat Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State. We dominated the Midwest and competed against the best.” – Neil Ringers ’91: 1991 NCAA Division III Midfielder of the Year.
“A true band of brothers. Our best games were our practices. It was so highly competitive and there was so much talent on the team. You knew on Saturdays when we went into battle that everyone had each other’s back.” – Bob Betcher ‘87
“Every day we brought out lunch pail to work and competed against one another in practice and made each other better. We were a family, and that was the name of the game. In 1987, we went up to Hobart and were the first team to ever beat them on their field. We beat them 7-4 and it was the most exhilarating win of not only my career but for the program.” – Rob Alvino ’88: 2x first- team All-America.
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