Oberlin College Women's Track

Ben Wach is in his eighth season with the Oberlin track and field program in 2025-26, officially taking over as head coach in July of 2024. In Wach’s first year as the head coach, the Crimson and Gold produced 14 All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) performances, including eight NCAC titles, seven United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region recipients, four NCAA Championship qualifiers, and three second-team All-Americans. In the classroom, Oberlin earned 28 NCAC All-Academic honorees, ten College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-District recipients, three USTFCCCA All-Academic athletes, two USTFCCCA Team awards, and an Allstate National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Good Works honoree.  Prior to his elevated title, Wach was on staff for an impressive 167 All-NCAC performances, including 60 NCAC individual titles between indoor and outdoor track. Additionally, the Crimson and Gold have registered 49 USTFCCCA All-Region honorees, eight NCAC All-Decade recipients, three NCAA All-Americans, one Second-Team All-American, and four NCAC Team titles. Working hard in the classroom, the Crimson and Gold have recorded 187 NCAC All-Academic honorees, 14 CSC Academic All-District recipients, 30 USTFCCCA All-Academic athletes, and 11 USTFCCCA Team awards. Wach came to Oberlin after a successful two-year stint at SUNY Geneseo. During his tenure with the Knights, the student-athletes Wach instructed broke school records 29 times, won 28 All-SUNYAC honors and 19 conference titles. Nationally, he was instrumental in seeing 16 individuals and five relays qualify for the NCAA meet, with 12 All-American awards being bestowed upon Knight runners. Wach graduated from Geneseo in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in English literature and holds his CSCS, USTFCCCA Level I certification, and has participated in the ALTIS mentorship program studying under Dan Pfaff. BEN WACH CAREER COACHING RECORD Season NCAC Men's Finish (Indoor) NCAC Men's Finish (Outdoor) NCAC Women's Finish (Indoor) NCAC Women's Finish (Outdoor) 2024-25 5th 6th 7th 8th 2025-26 6th 7th

Samuel begins her third season as the men's and women's sprints coach at Oberlin College. In her two years leading the Oberlin sprinters, Samuel has helped elevate an athlete to an All-American perch, and has helped produce seven All-North Coast Athletic Conference titles, which include five relay teams. She also saw multiple sprinters break school records in that span.   The 60-meter dash record fell multiple times in the past two years, with Margaret Miller first breaking it in 2015 -- running it in 8.08 seconds -- before Imani Cook-Gist lowered it further by setting the new standard at 7.91 a year later. Cook-Gist finished fourth in the event at the 2016 All-NCAC Indoor Championships.   Samuel began coaching the 400-meter hurdle event last season and helped Lilah Drafts-Johnson to a seventh-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in that event. Drafts-Johnson lowered her own school record by more than a second during the 16 season.   The Yeowomens 4x400-meter relay team also broke a school record en route to a third-place result at the 2016 All-NCAC Outdoor Championships . Samuel came to Oberlin after having spent the 2013-14 season at William Jewell College, an NCAA Division II institution in Liberty, Missouri. In her lone season at William Jewell, Samuel helped Cardinals' sprinters to many personal bests, including new program records in the 60-, 100- and 200-meter dashes. Additionally, the Cardinals' 4x100-meter relay team bested the previous school record that stood since 1992.   In 2011, Samuel coached jumping events at Platte County High School (Mo.) and led a high jumper to an all-state finish at the Class 3 Missouri State Track and Field Championships.   In 2010, Samuel served as head coach of St. Joseph's Academy, a Class 4 girls' high school in St. Louis, where she coached sprints.   From 2007-09, Samuel worked as a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Northwest Missouri State, presiding over both men's and women's sprint squads. Seven athletes from her tenure at the Maryville, Mo., Division II school still rank among the top 10 in respective sprint events.    During her two seasons there, Northwest Missouri State short-sprints achieved eight all-conference marks, and in 2008 Rachel Lewis earned Freshman of the Year honors at the MIAA Indoor Conference Championships.   A USATF Level 2 certified track and field coach, Samuel was a two-time All-American in the NCAA Division II 60-meter dash, and she made six appearances at NCAA championship meets. She also won five individual conference titles in the 60-, 100- and 200 dashes from 2003-05, earned 17 all-conference distinctions from 2003-06 and was a five-time MIAA Athlete of the Week honoree.    A native of San Juan, Trinidad, Samuel ran the opening leg on the Bearcats' school-record-breaking 4x100 relay team at the 2006 MIAA Outdoor Championships, a mark that still stands today.

Hepp enters his seventh season as the throws coach and recruiting coordinator for the Oberlin Track and Field program. Under Coach Hepp's guidance, Oberlin's throwers have seen unprecedented success over the past six seasons.  The group has combined to garner 33 all-conference awards, win 12 individual conference titles, set 6 conference records, hit 8 NCAA qualifying marks, and earn 4 All-American awards.  They have also set or broken school records in the throwing events 50 times.    2015-16 was the single most successful season by Oberlin throwers in the history of the program.  During the indoor season, not only did Monique Newton break her own school record in the shot put, the NCAC shot put record and win her second indoor conference title in the shot put, but also had the highest ever finish of any Oberlin track athlete at an NCAA meet, finishing second in the country in the shot put.  Ana Richardson emerged as one of the top weight throwers in the country, breaking the school record 4 times, winning her first NCAC title in the event and breaking the conference record three times at the NCAC Indoor Championships.  As a result, Ana became the first Oberlin College athlete to qualify for nationals in the weight throw where she finished 10 th in the country at the NCAA meet.  The outdoor campaign saw Newtons dominance continue as she broke her own school record in the discus 4 times, the hammer record 3 times, and won her second NCAC outdoor shot put title.  She was one of four Division III women in the country to qualify for the national meet in shot put, discus and hammer (the first NCAA qualifier in the hammer in school history), and finished the season with two more All American awards in the shot put (4 th ) and discus (3 rd ).  Richardson punctuated her outdoor season with the schools first ever conference title in the hammer, while also finishing second in the shot put.  Senior captain Dan Bolotsky also earned his first All-NCAC award in the hammer, finishing third.    The 2014-15 season proved to be an historic one for the Oberlin throwing corps, highlighted by freshman phenom Monique Newton.  The group earned All-NCAC recognition in the womens weight, mens hammer, indoor and outdoor womens shot put, and womens discus, with six of those awards being taken by Newton (indoor/outdoor shot, discus) and fellow freshman Ana Richardson (weight, outdoor shot, discus.)  Senior Conor Narovec ended his career emphatically, breaking the school record in the hammer three times over, finishing with a third-place finish in the NCAC.  Along with winning conference titles in both indoor and outdoor shot, as well as discus, Newton was the only freshman qualifier for the indoor national meet in the shot put.  In the outdoor campaign, she became the first female freshman since 2009 to qualify for nationals in both the shot put and discus in Division III, and ended her season with a 4 th place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning Oberlins first All-American award in the shot put in school history.  In doing so, she became the first female freshman All-American in the shot put in Division III since 2010.   In Hepps first four seasons, Oberlins throwers earned a level of success that had never been accomplished in the programs history.  These included:   - Josh Gallagher winning the first conference title for an Oberlin thrower in over 20 years by winning the NCAC discus title in 2011.   - The first four conference titles in any womens throwing events in school history between 2012-14.  These were in the womens indoor and outdoor shot put, discus and weight throw.    - School records being broken over 20 times in the womens indoor and outdoor shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw, and in the mens hammer and weight throws.  Oberlins throwers also won 18 All NCAC honors in that period. "It is an incredible opportunity to return to Oberlin," Hepp said upon his hiring in 2010. "This school and this program made an indelible mark on my life, and my goal is to have the same sort of positive impact on our current and future student-athletes. I firmly believe that there is no other school in the country where a student can thrive and excel at such equally high levels in both their academic and athletic lives than at Oberlin College."   A graduate of Oberlin, Hepp won 12 letters in both football and track and field and was a captain during the 2006-2007 track seasons. He went on to earn his master's degree in sports management from The Ohio State University.  He currently resides in Oberlin.  

Alexander is in her third season with the Oberlin College track & field and cross country country programs. A five-time All-American in the 800 meters and 400-meter hurdles as a student-athlete at Bates College (Lewiston, ME), Alexander set 10 school records during her time on campus.   After graduating from Bates in 2009 she served as an assistant coach at Rhodes College (Memphis, TN) from 2009-11. In her two years with the women's cross country program, she helped the team win two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) titles and two South/Southeast NCAA Regional meets en route to making an appearance at the national meet in each season.   In the 2010 both the men's and women's track and field teams claimed the conference title with the women's team repeating again in 2011. While at Rhodes, Alexander helped the team achieve 14 school records. She also mentored two All-Americans and five other national outdoor participants.   After the conclusion of the 2011 season, Alexander left Rhodes to attend graduate school at Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), where she earned her master's degree in Public Health in June of 2013. After graduation she coached the boys & girls cross country teams at The Bromfield School (Harvard, MA), before moving to Long Beach, California, to gain experience in the field of public health and health care.   "It was during my work in California that I came to the realization how much I missed being involved in cross country and track & field, and how much I missed coaching in the unique and special environment of collegiate athletics," Alexander said at the time of her hire. "There are few other professions where one has the ability to not only develop athletes, but where it is possible to watch young individuals grow as students and as people. I am so excited and honored for this opportunity to join such an accomplished coaching staff at Oberlin and to be a part of an institution that has such an outstanding national reputation, both academically and athletically."   "To find someone who has excelled as a student and an athlete like Izzy to be a coach and mentor to our student-athletes is a remarkable thing," Appenheimer said at the time of her hire.  "Our student-athletes are going to immediately benefit from her incredible passion and energy, her knowledge of the sport and her understanding of what it takes to be a top student-athlete at an elite college."   Alexander works alongside Coach Appenheimer during the cross country season and assists with coaching the middle distance and distance runners during the track & field seasons. She also hold duties in Residential Life. She received a USATF Level II Certification in Endurance in July of 2015 and continues being a student of the sport and coaching education by attending clinics and symposiums.

Ray Harris enters his 17th season in 2025-26 after joining the Oberlin College track and field coaching staff in 2009 as an assistant coach overseeing the pole vault, high jump, long jump, and triple jump events. He has helped produce 30 conference champions, 73 all-conference performers, eight NCAA national qualifiers, and three All-Americans. Harris received a full scholarship for track at the University of El Paso where he competed in the high hurdles, long jump, triple jump, and high jump. He competes at the Masters level in the high jump and in 2014 was second at the Masters Outdoor National Championship.

Hepp enters his seventh season as the throws coach and recruiting coordinator for the Oberlin Track and Field program. Under Coach Hepp's guidance, Oberlin's throwers have seen unprecedented success over the past six seasons.  The group has combined to garner 33 all-conference awards, win 12 individual conference titles, set 6 conference records, hit 8 NCAA qualifying marks, and earn 4 All-American awards.  They have also set or broken school records in the throwing events 50 times.    2015-16 was the single most successful season by Oberlin throwers in the history of the program.  During the indoor season, not only did Monique Newton break her own school record in the shot put, the NCAC shot put record and win her second indoor conference title in the shot put, but also had the highest ever finish of any Oberlin track athlete at an NCAA meet, finishing second in the country in the shot put.  Ana Richardson emerged as one of the top weight throwers in the country, breaking the school record 4 times, winning her first NCAC title in the event and breaking the conference record three times at the NCAC Indoor Championships.  As a result, Ana became the first Oberlin College athlete to qualify for nationals in the weight throw where she finished 10 th in the country at the NCAA meet.  The outdoor campaign saw Newtons dominance continue as she broke her own school record in the discus 4 times, the hammer record 3 times, and won her second NCAC outdoor shot put title.  She was one of four Division III women in the country to qualify for the national meet in shot put, discus and hammer (the first NCAA qualifier in the hammer in school history), and finished the season with two more All American awards in the shot put (4 th ) and discus (3 rd ).  Richardson punctuated her outdoor season with the schools first ever conference title in the hammer, while also finishing second in the shot put.  Senior captain Dan Bolotsky also earned his first All-NCAC award in the hammer, finishing third.    The 2014-15 season proved to be an historic one for the Oberlin throwing corps, highlighted by freshman phenom Monique Newton.  The group earned All-NCAC recognition in the womens weight, mens hammer, indoor and outdoor womens shot put, and womens discus, with six of those awards being taken by Newton (indoor/outdoor shot, discus) and fellow freshman Ana Richardson (weight, outdoor shot, discus.)  Senior Conor Narovec ended his career emphatically, breaking the school record in the hammer three times over, finishing with a third-place finish in the NCAC.  Along with winning conference titles in both indoor and outdoor shot, as well as discus, Newton was the only freshman qualifier for the indoor national meet in the shot put.  In the outdoor campaign, she became the first female freshman since 2009 to qualify for nationals in both the shot put and discus in Division III, and ended her season with a 4 th place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning Oberlins first All-American award in the shot put in school history.  In doing so, she became the first female freshman All-American in the shot put in Division III since 2010.   In Hepps first four seasons, Oberlins throwers earned a level of success that had never been accomplished in the programs history.  These included:   - Josh Gallagher winning the first conference title for an Oberlin thrower in over 20 years by winning the NCAC discus title in 2011.   - The first four conference titles in any womens throwing events in school history between 2012-14.  These were in the womens indoor and outdoor shot put, discus and weight throw.    - School records being broken over 20 times in the womens indoor and outdoor shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw, and in the mens hammer and weight throws.  Oberlins throwers also won 18 All NCAC honors in that period. "It is an incredible opportunity to return to Oberlin," Hepp said upon his hiring in 2010. "This school and this program made an indelible mark on my life, and my goal is to have the same sort of positive impact on our current and future student-athletes. I firmly believe that there is no other school in the country where a student can thrive and excel at such equally high levels in both their academic and athletic lives than at Oberlin College."   A graduate of Oberlin, Hepp won 12 letters in both football and track and field and was a captain during the 2006-2007 track seasons. He went on to earn his master's degree in sports management from The Ohio State University.  He currently resides in Oberlin.  

Appenheimer enters his 13th season as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Oberlin College. During his tenure, Appenheimer has built Oberlins track and field and cross country programs into perennial powers in the nation, region and the North Coast Athletic Conference.   The Appenheimer File Cross Country - Led the Yeowomen to six straight NCAC titles and seven overall (2009-14, 2006) - Six consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship meets (2009-2014) - Placed ninth in the nation in 2012, eighth in the nation in 2013 and seventh in 2014, marking the highest finish in school history. The Yeowomen were 15th in 2011, 27th in 2010 and 23rd in 2009. - Coached All-American female runners Joanna Johnson, Molly Martorella, Emma Lehmann and Kyle Neal. Led male runner Geno Arthur to All-America honors in 2014 and 2015, the programs first since 1995. - Three total All-American runners in 2014 (Lehmann, Neal, Arthur) and nine total in his career - NCAC Womens Cross Country Coach of the Year eight times (2009-14, 2005-06) - Set an NCAC Record with nine All-NCAC runners in 2012 Track & Field 2008-09 Womens Indoor Track & Field Championships, the first in program history. Earned NCAC Womens Indoor Coach of the Year honors in 2009 and 2010 - Coached seven All-Americans, including 2016 honoree Lilah Drafts-Johnson (400 hurdles) - Mentored an array of NCAC Athletes of the Year, including 2015-16 NCAC Indoor Male Distance Athlete of the year Geno Arthur - In each year as coach, his teams have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors Combined - 484 All-NCAC Performers - 48 All-Region Performers - 64 Academic All-Americans - 144 Conference Champions - 166 School Records Athletic Career - A six-time all-academic selection and 1994 magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University, Appenheimer earned a bachelors degree in English and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, won the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award twice, and became a semifinalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. He also won five NCAA All-American awards in cross country and track. - Joined the Nike Farm Team in Palo Alto, California. He won the national title at the 1999 United States Cross Country Championships and followed up with a win in the 3,000 meters at the 2000 United States Indoor Track and Field Championships. Appenheimer represented the United States at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships in Belfast and the 1999 World University Games in Majorca, Spain. He qualified for the 2000 United States Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:28.99.