Ohio Wesleyan University junior Trey Theobald won All-America honors during the first day of the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championship meet, hosted by Coastal Carolina University and the Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance on Thursday at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Competing in the first flight of the javelin, Theobald jumped to an early lead with a throw of 213-6 on his first attempt. The mark broke the OWU record of 199-9 that Theobald set at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet on May 3 by nearly 14 feet.
Theobald led the field by more than 15 feet after the first time through the rotation, then added a mark of 202-8 on his second attempt and a throw of 208-8 on his third attempt, giving him two of the top 4 throws in that flight. At the conclusion of the flight, Theobald’s lead was still nearly 7 feet (213-6 to 206-10).
During the second flight, Cody Wheeler of Whitworth, who entered the meet with the No. 1 seed at 223-9, turned in a 215-11 on his first attempt to take the lead in the event.
Heading into the finals, Theobald was in second place, 2 feet behind Wheeler and 3 inches ahead of third-place Damitrius Hester of Rowan, but none of the top 3 throwers improved their marks during the finals and Theobald finished second to become Ohio Wesleyan’s first All-American in the javelin.
Theobald entered the meet as the No. 13 seed with a mark of 199-9.
MEN’S LACROSSE
A total of 5 Ohio Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse players were named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-America teams, it was announced by the USILA.
Freshman attacker Wade Beckstrom, junior long-stick midfielder Anthony Fresolone, junior goalkeeper Nathan George, freshman midfielder Henry Ross, and junior defenseman Wes Silver were honorable mention All-America selections.
Beckstrom led the Bishops with 44 goals and 63 points on the season, with the 44 goals and 63 points ranking fifth and sixth respectively in the North Coast Athletic Conference. He was the NCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first-team All-NCAC choice this season.
Fresolone, George, and Silver were part of a defensive unit that led the NCAC and ranks fourth in NCAA Division III in fewest goals allowed (126), and led the league and ranks 11th in NCAA Division III in goals-against average (7.88) this season.
Individually, George led NCAC starting goalkeepers and ranks 15th in NCAA Division III with an 8.72 goals-against average and ranked second in the conference in saves percentage (.554), while Silver ranked fifth in the league in caused turnovers (46). Fresolone, George, and Silver were first-team all-conference selections this season.
Ross was third on the team and led Bishop midfielders with 23 goals and tied for second on the team with 38 points. Ross was a first-team All-NCAC pick this season.
Ohio Wesleyan finished the season with an 11-5 overall record. The Battling Bishops finished second in the NCAC championship race with a 7-1 mark.
OWU Sports Information contributed to this report.
