The Winds of Change Blowing through Oberlin

by Ian Haynes

Numerous changes will be apparent next year in the athletic department. Along with several coaching changes next season a men’s and women’s golf team will be added to the list of varsity sports.
The addition of golf brings the total number of men’s teams to 11 and the total number of women’s team to 12.
Current men’s soccer coach Blake New will assume the position of head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. New, a former assistant pro at the Oberlin Golf Club, is excited about the formation of the programs. His plans are to use the fall offseason to get ready for the spring season.
“We will hold some kind of tryout in [the fall] to determine what kind of talent we have and will use the fall to prepare for conference play in the spring,” New said.
He also added that, “The fall will be to get used to playing in a competitive environment because this level of golf is a lot different than going out and playing 18 holes with friends.”

Oberlin College owns a portion of the Oberlin Golf Club and the teams will use the course for practice and will host one event a year there.
Athletic Director Michael Muska is confident that a men’s team will be formed for next spring.
“The interests for golf on the men’s side are strong right now,” Muska said, “We know of a couple of incoming [first-years] as well, two in particular that are pretty good golfers who are coming here knowing a team has been formed.”

The men will compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Oberlin is currently the only school in the conference that does not have a men’s golf team. As long as interest remains, the team will be around.
The women’s golf team will be formed next year, but to stick around a considerable amount of interest will need to be shown.
“We will go through the season next year and see what kind of interest we can generate with women,” Muska said.
New feels that, “Even without a full women’s squad, the players could enter into tournaments individually for a couple of years as interest develops.”
With the formation of the women’s golf team, Oberlin becomes the first school in the NCAC to have such a team. As of last year the only other NCAC college investigating a women’s team is Denison.

In an article run in last year’s commencement issue “Golf to be Added to OC Sports,” May 26, 2000 Muska hoped that the establishment of a women’s program would provide the incentive the others schools in the conference needed to do the same.
Bob Dorn, a 1940 graduate of Oberlin College, along with his wife, gave the endowment to start the program. Added New, “We are very thankful of their generosity.”
Men’s golf is not a new sport to Oberlin College. Until the early 1970’s the Yeomen played golf as a varsity sport.
The increased interest among students in recent years and the Dorns’ endowment have led to the re-establishment of the men’s program and the forming of the women’s program.
The addition of two new programs to the athletic department is not the only change that will be noticed next fall.
A number of coaching changes have taken place in the last year, including the hiring of a new coach and a number of new interns. Two coaches that were interns last year have been hired as full time coaches for next season.
Men’s basketball coach Mike Cavey has been hired to a one year contract for the 2001-2002 basketball season. After the season, a search will be conducted for a new coach, with Cavey’s name included in the ones being considered.

“The college policy requires us to have a search,” Muska said, “I think part of our philosophy was to give him a chance to recruit and handle the administrative part of the job because we know he is a good coach on the floor and this experience is beneficial to him.”
The women’s volleyball team will have a new person pulling the strings next season as Kristen Surovjak, a ’97 graduate of Kenyon College, takes over. Surovjak was chosen from a list of candidates produced by the search committee. She will also be the assistant coach of the women’s lacrosse team.
Three new faces will be seen coaching the football team next season. Jason Ziegler, Dennis DiCamillo, and Donavan Wilson have been hired to for the upcoming season. Ziegler has been hired as an intern and DiCamillo and Wilson have been hired part-time.

Head Coach Jeff Ramsey feels good about the additions to his staff for next season, though he was sad to see members of this past year’s staff go.
“Ziegler is the man I have been looking for since I have been here,” Ramsey said, “and they all bring a wealth of knowledge to our program.” Ramsey went on to speak of assistant coach Bobby Erhardt’s departure saying, “[Erhardt] was a good coach, not to mention a great friend, and will be sorely missed. He brought a lot to this program, but I think that is where [DiCamillo] and [Wilson] and Ron [Greer, defensive coordinator] step in.”
Two other changes that have taken place within the football program are the hiring of interim coach Rob Oldham full time and the appointment of linebacker coach Ron Greer as the Defensive Coordinator.
Speaking of Oldham, Ramsey said, “he is my right hand man on offense.”
Paul Pitcher, a 2000 graduate of Oberlin College, has also been hired as an intern for the men’s and women’s swimming teams next season and Sarah Breon, a soon to be 2001 Oberlin graduate will stick around next season to be an intern for the volleyball team.