With school ramping back up this fall, so are the Ashland University athletic teams and their preparation for the 2018 fall season. Teams have been working hard all spring and summer to showcase their talent and teamwork this fall on the field and the court.

Team: Cross Country
Head Coach: Jacob Sussman (Second Year)
Last Year’s Record: Men finished fifth in GLIAC, Women finished seventh in GLIAC.
Takeaways from last season: Last season was a transition year for the cross country teams, but they hope to make a larger impact in conference and regionals with a more experienced group after last season’s roster was primarily filled with freshmen and sophomores.
What to Watch for: Junior Kyle Shively is the only returning All-GLIAC performer on both sides but Sussman believes that sophomores Nathaniel Redden, Jake Hall, Connor Ingram and Ian Johnson will make a jump in the fall.
Impact Newcomers: On the women’s side, the Eagles have four strong incoming freshman who are planning to make a difference this fall: Taylor Anderson, Abby Moser, Destini Oler and Cassandra Ponzi.
Meet to Watch: GLIAC Championships (Nov. 3)
First Meet: at Northwood Invitational (Sept. 1)

Team: Men’s Golf
Head Coach: Dennis North (First Year)
Last Year’s Record: Finished tied for fourth at the GLIAC Championships.
Takeaways from last season: In the spring of last season, the team finished first in the Ohio Valley University Spring Championship and the Bill Blazer Memorial Tournament. The team hopes to keep that momentum heading into this fall.
What to Watch for: After finishing tied for third at the conference tournament last season, Austin Kondratick looks to put together a strong senior campaign.
Impact Newcomers: In search for a No. 5 player, look out for sophomore Hunter Lowder and redshirt freshman Luke Tanner.
Match to Watch: at GLIAC North Invitational (Sept. 29-30)
First Tournament: Ohio Dominican (Sept. 5)

Team: Women’s Golf
Head Coach: Audrey Nelson (First Year)
Last Year’s Record: Finished fifth at the NCAA Division II East Regional.
Takeaways from last season: The Eagles made the NCAA Division II playoffs for the 10th consecutive season in a row. They also had no seniors graduate so they are looking to come back in full force this season.
What to Watch For: After getting a year of collegiate golf under them, keep an eye out for sophomores Sophie Hemleben and Hannah Lemons who played in all 11 tournaments last season and averaged scores of 81.74 and 78.26, respectively.
Impact Newcomers: The Eagles have four incoming freshman who are looking to make an impact: Leah Burtscher, Cece Dillon, Sophia Lowe and Virginia Travers.
Match to Watch: Gilda’s Club Laker Fall Invitational (Sept. 29-30)
First Match: Michael Corbett Fall Classic (Sept. 9-10)

Team: Women’s Soccer
Head Coach: Taylor Clarke (Interim Head Coach)
Last Year’s Record: 12-5-2 (Reached GLIAC Semifinals)
Takeaways from last season: The Eagles dominated throughout their non-conference and GLIAC schedule while scoring 35 goals on the season.
What to Watch for: Keep an eye out for senior Deijah Swihart who spent all of last year on the sidelines due to injury. Swihart has 18 goals in her career and was the 2015 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
Impact Newcomers: After graduating nine seniors, the Eagles are looking to have 14 new recruits this fall.
Match to Watch: vs. Grand Valley State (Sept. 16)
First Game: at Lewis (Aug. 30)

Team: Men’s Soccer
Head Coach: Oliver Slawson (Third year)
Last Year’s Record: 7-9-1
Takeaways from last season: The Eagles struggled on the defensive end a year ago by giving up 42 goals on the season, 30 of those coming in the second half and overtime.
What to Watch for: Missing all of last season due to injury was sophomore Kieran Paterson and junior Tomas Cordeiro. Look for these guys to make an impact this fall.
Impact Newcomers: The Eagles added ten players with their 2018 recruiting class. Three of those recruits, Nick Costa, Alex Mapp, and Jackson Crawford, are from the University of Akron, a Division I men’s soccer powerhouse. They also added international players Joseph Renner (U.K.) who played for Rochdale AFC youth team and Haruki Kimura (Japan) from the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Match to Watch: at Davenport (Sept. 21)
First Game: vs. Lake Erie (Aug. 30)

Team: Women’s Tennis
Head Coach: Lexi Bolesky (Third Season)
Last Year’s Record: 8-16 (Made it to the GLIAC tournament)
Takeaways from last season: After going 1-17 in the previous season, the Eagles were able to improve and found themselves winning matches. This season, the team looks to improve in conference matchups.
What to Watch for: Keep an eye on sophomores Anna Hart, 2017-2018 wins leader (16 as a rookie), Hazuki Ogino (13 wins) and Camille Ringot (11 wins).
Impact Newcomers: The Eagles have five incoming freshman this season which brings the roster to a full depth of twelve players from all over the country. Nikhol Pluta, from Apple Valley, Cali., earned a 36-0 career high school record in league play while she won her conference league individually as a freshman.
Match to Watch: vs. Fairmont St. (Sept. 9)
First Match: Oberlin College Invitational (Sept. 7-8)

Team: Volleyball
Head Coach: Kevin Foeman (First Year)
Last Year’s Record: 14-15 (Reached GLIAC Tournament)
Takeaways from last season: The Eagles carried a 23-match home winning streak into late October but held a 5-12 record on the road. Although they made it to the GLIAC tournament, their goal is to win it.
What to Watch for: Watch out for three 2017 All-GLIAC returnees Shelby Woycik, Michaela Ping and Reanne Neal. The duo of middles Ping and Neal can really bring the heat for the Eagles this season.
Impact Newcomers: With a recruiting class of six, the Eagles hope to add depth to their roster and train up the young freshman.
Match to Watch: Midwest Regional Crossover (Oct. 12-13)
First Match: Ashland Invitational (Aug. 24-25)

Team: Football
Head Coach: Lee Owens
Last Year’s Record: 11-2 (Made it to NCAA Super Region 3 Regional Semifinal)
Takeaways from last season: The Eagles won 11 games in a row after losing their first game of the season and made it the farthest in the NCAA playoffs since the 2008 campaign.
What to Watch for: Over the offseason the Eagles gained senior transfer from Division I Miami (Oh.) Billy Bahl at quarterback to replace four-year starter Travis Tarnowski. The Eagles also need to replace their entire kicking game, so keep an eye out for who they will stick with throughout the season as a kicker, punter, field goal kicker, and holder.
Impact Newcomers: Four senior offensive lineman graduated last spring, so the Eagles are looking to replace the big guys up front. Of the 18 offensive lineman heading into the pre-season, three are juniors, two are sophomores, two are redshirt freshman and 11 are true freshman.
Game to Watch: at Grand Valley State (Nov. 3)
First Game: vs. Indiana (Pa.) (Aug. 30)