The Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops are the sports and other competitive teams at

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

. The men's and women's Bishops teams are

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

teams that compete in the

North Coast Athletic Conference The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of colleges located in Ohio and Indiana. When founded in 1984, the league was a pioneer in gender equality, offering competition in a then-unprecede ...

and the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference. The university sponsors 25 varsity sports, as well as several intramural and club teams.

History

The first athletic teams of the college date back to 1875, the year of the first organized

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, although fifteen years passed before official colors were selected and the football team started playing its intercollegiate contest. That year the team played three games with

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, losing all three. In 1902, the Ohio Wesleyan team joined Case Tech, Kenyon,

Oberlin Oberlin may refer to: ; Places in the United States * Oberlin Township, Decatur County, Kansas ** Oberlin, Kansas, a city in the township * Oberlin, Louisiana, a town * Oberlin, Ohio, a city * Oberlin, Licking County, Ohio, a ghost town * Oberlin, ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, and Western Reserve in forming the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The first gym of the college, Edwards Gymnasium, was dedicated in February 1906. Ohio Wesleyan's first varsity men's basketball team played its games in the facility the same year. The Ohio Wesleyan teams adopted their official nickname in 1925. During the same year, Ohio Wesleyan's official mascot became a grumpy-looking

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

dressed in a red robe. Ohio Wesleyan's colors, crimson red and black, date back to 1875, the year when the university organized its first official football game. Ohio Wesleyan's

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

team has a historic rivalry with

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

. In 2011, Jay Martin became the all-time college soccer coaching wins leader en route to winning the national championship.Lasting relationships, legendary coach help Ohio Wesleyan defy the odds , Sports News for College Students , USA TODAY College
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Varsity teams

Facilities

The football, lacrosse and field hockey teams play in

Selby Field Selby Field, usually referred to simply as Selby, is the football, field hockey, track & field and lacrosse field at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, where the Battling Bishops play. Selby has a seating capacity of 9,100, with all se ...

, which has a capacity of 9,100. Other campus facilities include a Dornoch Golf Club the Ohio Wesleyan

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

. Branch Rickey Arena houses volleyball and basketball. Baseball & softball teams play at Littick Field. Tennis teams play at the Tennis Center, and the soccer teams play at Roy Rike Field.

Championship wins

* Men's Lacrosse ** 4 Time NCAA Runner Up ** 9 Time NCAA Final Four Participant ** NCAC Champions: '87, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '95, '96, '98 '00, '01, '03, '04, '05, '07, '10, '11, '13 ** NCAA Tournament Appearances: '75, '76, '77, '78, '79, '80, '81, '83, '85, '86 '87, '88, '89, '90, '91, '93, '95, '96, '97, '98 '99, '00, '03, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11 12, '13 * Men's Basketball **NCAA Division III 1988 * Men's Soccer **NCAA Division III 1998, 2011 * Women's Soccer **NCAA Division III 2001, 2002

References

External links