Week 11: Athletics, YeoFit, and Recreation

Issue #11

Athletics, YeoFit, and Recreation

Athletics Offers Excitement at Oberlin

Oberlin College & Conservatory is an NCAA Division III institution and is home to 21 varsity sports. Oberlin belongs to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), which was the first conference to give equal emphasis to men's and women's sports. The "Yeomen" and "Yeowomen" are cheered on by their mascot, "Yeobie".

Oberlin experienced a plethora of successes in competition during the 2024-2025 season. By the numbers, the Crimson and Gold improved in nearly every statistical category since the previous year. Oberlin tallied 21 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Athletes of the Week, 43 All-NCAC Selections, four individual NCAC Champions, one team NCAC Championship, five NCAC Players of the Year, 23 individual Academic Honors, and three team Academic Honors. 

Most notably, Ellie Pollock-Ballard ‘26 and Jonah Barber ‘25 were selected to the prestigious Allstate National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Goodworks Teams for the winter and spring seasons, respectively.

Oberlin Athletics saw a historic year across multiple sports. Under first-year head coach Izzy Alexander, Men’s Cross Country won the NCAC Championship, with Alexander and her staff earning Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Heather Benway ’25 claimed her third-straight NCAC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year award, while Camille Zinaich ’25 joined the 1,000-point club in women’s basketball.

Namu Makatiani ’25 earned Second-Team All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. In swimming, the men’s team posted a program-best fourth-place finish at NCACs, while the women placed fifth, led by Erik Fendorf ’25 with four All-Conference awards. 

Spring highlights included record-setting performances from Kylie Thompson ’28 (women’s lacrosse, single-game points), Evan Sardina ’27 (men’s lacrosse, single-game faceoffs, groundballs), Kyle Baxt ‘27 (baseball, home run record), and Sophie Stone ’28 (softball, single-game strikeout record).

Athletics brings the spirit and pride to the vibrant campus life that Oberlin College & Conservatory offers. Check out the GoYeo Athletics Website to learn more about athletics and to view team schedules. With all games free to Oberlin students, we hope to see you at one soon. Go Yeo!

Fitness Facilities Offer Wellness Opportunities On-Campus

Oberlin boasts amazing facilities for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy. The "Patricia '63 & Merrill '61 Shanks Health and Wellness Center" opened in 2018 and was designed to encourage healthy connections between the body and mind as it features spaces that support both mental and physical activities and programs.

Connected to the Shanks Health and Wellness Center, is the "Jesse Philips Physical Education Center", which is home to two multi-purpose gymnasiums, the Robert Carr Pool, racquetball courts, a climbing wall, and weight rooms.

Oberlin also has a "YeoFit" program, which is a health and wellness program designed to energize, empower, and engage the Oberlin Community. YeoFit consists of a variety of drop-in fitness classes as well as different wellness events and fitness challenges held throughout the year. From Spinning to Yoga to Boxing and more, YeoFit offers something for everyone. Our most popular wellness events in 2024-2025 were our Goat Yoga classes. In Goat Yoga, Obies were led through a casual yoga practice while getting to interact with and pet baby goats. For more information, visit the "YeoFit" website.

Club and Intramural Sports

The rich culture of athletics goes beyond the varsity competition, as Oberlin offers 18 student-run clubs that are open to both newcomers and seasoned competitors. While some clubs are more instructional, others are quite competitive. Having added volleyball this past year, ultimate frisbee, soccer, tennis, rugby, and fencing are all among the club sports Obie students can compete in! For a complete list and more information about club sports, view the club sports website.

In addition, Oberlin has thriving traditions of different intramural sports , including pickleball and bowling. We can’t wait to see you on the court!