Ohio Wesleyan University Women's Track

Kris Boey returns for his 24th season as men’s and women’s track & field coach at Ohio Wesleyan University having succeeded in returning the Battling Bishops to the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference standings. In June 2010, Boey became director of track & field and cross country at Ohio Wesleyan, adding additional administrative duties to his head coaching positions. During Boey’s first 23 years at Ohio Wesleyan, the Bishops produced 209 NCAA qualifiers, 59 All-Americans, 53 North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year selections, 587 NCAC champions, and 1463 All-NCAC honorees, and have broken 190 school records. The women’s cross country and track & field program has won the University’s Bob Strimer Director of Athletics Cup for academic achievement in 9 of the last 21 academic years. Last year, the Bishop women's team finished third in both the NCAC indoor and outdoor championship meets, while the men's team was sixth indoors and fifth outdoors. Boey is the winningest track & field coach in NCAC history with a total of 32 team championships. He has been recognized by his peers, receiving NCAC Coach of the Year honors for men (indoor and outdoor) and women (indoor and outdoor) a total of 29 times.  He received Regional Coach of the Year honors from the USTFCCCA for women (outdoor) in 2016, marking his 10th regional honor since 2007. "This is a great place for me," Boey said. "Ohio Wesleyan has a great deal to offer both academically and athletically, and that combination was the big draw for me, along with the history of the programs and the ability to be in a place where I can build a program and establish a great tradition for the future." Boey’s philosophy for success stresses the total development of the student-athlete. The first aspect allows each student-athlete to receive the attention and quality coaching that he or she needs to improve throughout his or her career. Boey and his staff believe in putting student-athletes in a position to be successful. The quality of the Ohio Wesleyan track and field schedule is a key to the program’s success. Student-athletes in the Battling Bishop track and field program travel to numerous invitationals providing a challenging mix of Division I, II and III competition, allowing each member the opportunity to participate, learn, and improve. The core of Boey’s agenda is building a program that fosters a family atmosphere in which student-athletes learn, mature, and graduate at the culmination of their career at Ohio Wesleyan. Many valuable lessons can be learned in practice and through competition; however, the primary goal of the Ohio Wesleyan track and field and cross country program is to help each student-athlete grow and reach his or her full potential in a challenging but supportive environment. Boey served as head coach of men’s and women’s cross country from 2002-09. The Ohio Wesleyan harriers made great strides during Boey’s final 4 seasons. In 2009, the men’s team finished sixth in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet, the Bishops’ best finish in a regional meet since 1981, and sent a runner to the NCAA Division III championship meet for the first time since 1983. The Battling Bishop women had an all-region performer in each of those 4 seasons, sending a runner to the NCAA Division III championship meet in 2006, and the women’s team’s second-place finish in the 2008 NCAC championship meet equaled Ohio Wesleyan’s best conference finish ever. Boey also serves as the campus advisor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He served as a member of the NCAA track & field committee as well as the Great Lakes Region representative for the USTFCCCA. Boey also served as the meet director for the 2005 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s cross country championships, the 2011 and 2014 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s outdoor track & field championships, and the 2017 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional cross country championship.  He has served as the president and vice president of both the NCAC track & field and cross country coaches caucuses.  Boey also is the college liaison to the Ohio Association of Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches. Prior to coming to Ohio Wesleyan, Boey was head coach of men’s and women’s track & field and cross country at Muskingum College for 2 years. He coached one NCAA Division III All-American, 17 national qualifiers, 17 Ohio Athletic Conference champions and 47 all-conference honorees. Before going to Muskingum, Boey spent 2 seasons at Rhodes College, where he was an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams. During his time at Rhodes, the Lynx won 3 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference titles in men’s and women’s cross country. Boey is a 1998 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College, with a B.A. in history and secondary education. He went on to earn his M.S.Ed. in sport and leisure commerce from the University of Memphis in 2000. During his undergraduate career, Boey earned All-America honors as a member of B-W’s 1600-meter relay team in 1996. He also competed in the 800-meter run at the national championship meet that year. Boey qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet in each of his 4 years at B-W. He won 4 individual OAC championships and 2 All-Ohio individual titles and helped the Yellow Jackets win one OAC title as well as an All-Ohio team championship. He was named the team’s Most Outstanding Athlete in both cross country and track and was the team’s Distance Most Valuable Runner in track for 3 years. Boey, who graduated magna cum laude, also was a 2-time Academic All-OAC honoree in addition to his 17 All-OAC awards on the track. He was a member of Intercollegiate Cross Country All-Academic Teams during 3 years of his career. Boey is a native of Grafton, Ohio.  He is a member of the Baldwin-Wallace University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Lorain County Track & Field Hall of Fame, and the Midview High School Athletic Hall of Fame.  He and his wife, Leslie, live in Delaware with their daughters, Abbie and Avery, and son, Alex.  

Thomas is in her first season as a member of the Ohio Wesleyan cross country coaching staff.  She returns for her second season with the Bishop track & field team after working with the distance runners and steeplechasers in 2015. Thomas came to Ohio Wesleyan after 3 years as a volunteer assistant with the Cardington-Lincoln cross country team as well as a youth cross country coach in Cardington.  She also worked as an independent coach and training consultant, coaching high school runners. She is a 2011 graduate of Xavier University, where she served as captain of the cross country team, qualified for the NCAA Division I regional meet in the steeplechase, and set school records in the indoor 5000-meter run and the 3000-meter steeplechase.  She has continued her education at Bowling Green State University, earning a master's in wildlife biology. Thomas is a native of Cardington, Ohio.  

McGuffin is in his sixth season as an assistant track & field coach at Ohio Wesleyan University.  McGuffin works with the Bishop throwers and serves as the team's strength and conditioning coach. McGuffin and the Bishops had an All-American in the discus at the 2013 NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet.  In 2012, McGuffin and the Bishops had one national qualifier in the discus and the hammer at the NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet.  The 2011 women's team took the top 3 spots in the weight throw at the North Coast Athletic Conference indoor championship meet.  Highlights of the outdoor 2010 season included a men's national qualifier in the shot put, the discus, the hammer, along with a women's qualifier in the hammer and discus.  The outdoor success came on the heels of a national qualifier in the men's indoor weight throw. Prior to joining the Ohio Wesleyan coaching staff, McGuffin coached for 10 years at Eastern Mennonite University, including 5 years as the Royals' head coach. During his 5 seasons at the EMU helm, he coached 39 conference champions and 3 All-Americans, and saw the Royals break 27 school records. His 10 years on the Eastern Mennonite staff saw Royal student-athletes win a total of 60 all-conference citations, including an impressive string of winning the conference shot put championship for 6 straight years. McGuffin is a 1996 graduate of Lynchburg College. During his undergraduate career, he was a 5-time All-American in the shot put and the discus, finishing as national runner-up in the shot put at the 1994 NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet. He was a 12-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection and won a total of 11 conference championships in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put and discus. McGuffin's school records in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put, and discus still stand, and he also set school standards in the hammer and weight throw. McGuffin majored in business management. He is a native of Waynesboro, Va. Seth McGuffin Assistant Coach   Seth McGuffin is in his sixth season as an assistant track & field coach at Ohio Wesleyan University.  McGuffin works with the Bishop throwers and serves as the team's strength and conditioning coach. McGuffin and the Bishops had an All-American in the discus at the 2013 NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet.  In 2012, McGuffin and the Bishops had one national qualifier in the discus and the hammer at the NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet.  The 2011 women's team took the top 3 spots in the weight throw at the North Coast Athletic Conference indoor championship meet.  Highlights of the outdoor 2010 season included a men's national qualifier in the shot put, the discus, the hammer, along with a women's qualifier in the hammer and discus.  The outdoor success came on the heels of a national qualifier in the men's indoor weight throw. Prior to joining the Ohio Wesleyan coaching staff, McGuffin coached for 10 years at Eastern Mennonite University, including 5 years as the Royals' head coach. During his 5 seasons at the EMU helm, he coached 39 conference champions and 3 All-Americans, and saw the Royals break 27 school records. His 10 years on the Eastern Mennonite staff saw Royal student-athletes win a total of 60 all-conference citations, including an impressive string of winning the conference shot put championship for 6 straight years. McGuffin is a 1996 graduate of Lynchburg College. During his undergraduate career, he was a 5-time All-American in the shot put and the discus, finishing as national runner-up in the shot put at the 1994 NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet. He was a 12-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection and won a total of 11 conference championships in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put and discus. McGuffin's school records in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put, and discus still stand, and he also set school standards in the hammer and weight throw. McGuffin majored in business management. He is a native of Waynesboro, Va.

Bechtel is in her second season as a member of the Ohio Wesleyan coaching staffs in track & field and cross country. Bechtel returned to Ohio Wesleyan after serving as an assistant coach at Ursuline College during the 2015 season, coaching the jumps and assisting with sprints and hurdles.  During the 2015 season, the Arrows set 6 school records in the jumps and won 5 Great Midwest Athletic Conference championships and 11 all-conference citations, with one hurdler going on to win All-America honors. She earned her UASTF level one coaching certification in December 2013. Bechtel is a 2014 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan.  She won All-America honors in the pole vault in 2013 and qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet 4 times.  Bechtel won 7 North Coast Athletic Conference championships in the pole vault and added all-conference honors in the 100-meter hurdles.  She was the first woman in NCAC history to win 4 consecutive conference championships in the indoor pole vault and set the conference record in the event by clearing 11-7 3/4 at the 2014 indoor championship meet.  Bechtel holds both indoor and outdoor Ohio Wesleyan records in the pole vault, and won 6 All-Ohio titles in the event. She is a native of Bellefontaine, Ohio.  

Ben Carlson is in his 10th season as an assistant coach of the Ohio Wesleyan University men's and women's track & field teams.  He also serves as head coach of the Ohio Wesleyan men's and women’s cross country teams. In 2024, the Ohio Wesleyan women's cross country team placed third in the North Coast Athletic Conference cross country championship meet and seventh at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional championship meet.  The former equaled the Bishops' best conference finish since 2014, while the latter was Ohio Wesleyan's best regional finish since 2013.  The Battling Bishop men's cross country team finished seventh at the conference meet and 27th at the regional meet. In 2016, both Ohio Wesleyan men's and women's cross country teams sent individuals to the NCAA Division III championship meet.  The Battling Bishop men finished fourth in the NCAC race and went on to place 12th at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet.  The Ohio Wesleyan women's team was fifth in the NCAC championship meet and 16th in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet. Carlson came to Ohio Wesleyan after one season at Adrian College, during which he guided the Bulldog men's and women's cross country teams to respective fifth- and eighth-place finishes in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.  In track & field, he coached 3 conference Most Outstanding Athletes as the Bulldog women finished third both indoors and outdoors, and the men improved on their fifth-place indoor finish with a fourth-place showing outdoors.  One Adrian student-athlete went on to compete in the NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet. Prior to Adrian, Carlson coached for one year as an assistant cross country and track & field coach at Hamilton (N.Y.) College.  In cross country at Hamilton, he helped the Continental men finish eighth in the 2014 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional and helped the Hamilton women send a runner to the NCAA Division III championship meet.  Before going to Hamilton, he was an assistant coach for 7 years at his alma mater, Wartburg (Iowa) College, where he helped the Knights win 6 NCAA Division III team titles in track & field and record 6 national top-16 finishes in women's cross country.  He worked with 4 national champions and 51 All-Americans while at Wartburg. Carlson is a 2006 graduate of Wartburg.  During his undergraduate career, he was a 2-time all-region honoree in cross country and helped the Knights to 3 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III championship meet.  He graduated with a degree in communication arts with a concentration in public relations.  He continued his education with a master's degree in health education from the University of Northern Iowa in 2011. Carlson is a native of Stanhope, Iowa.  He resides in Delaware with his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Sophie and Lucy.  

Bloom begins his second season as an assistant track & field coach at Ohio Wesleyan University. Bloom came to Ohio Wesleyan after spending 4 seasons as head boys and girls distance coach at Worthington Kilbourne High School.  He also served as assistant boys cross country coach at Kilbourne, as well as head boys and girls track & field coach at Starling K-8. He is a 2009 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, where he lettered 4 times in track & field.  Bloom was a 3-time North Coast Athletic Conference champion in the decathlon, an 11-time All-NCAC honoree, and was named to the NCAC All-Decade team in the decathlon.  He also won 3 letters in cross country.  Bloom majored in biology at Ohio Wesleyan. Bloom is a native of Powell, Ohio.  

Jim Green is in his sixth season as a member of the Ohio Wesleyan track & field coaching staff.  He works with the Battling Bishop pole vaulters and horizontal jumpers. Green also serves as head track & field coach at Granville High School.  He has coached 3 national qualifiers, 2 All-Ohio placers, and 5 state championship qualifiers in the pole vault.  Overall, he has had multiple individual state champions and national qualifiers, and his teams have finished third at the state championship meet 3 times and have won 5 league championships. He also is the assistant cross country coach at Granville, and has additional coaching background in soccer and as a personal trainer.  Green attended Wright State University.  

Dennis Kline is in his seventh season as a member of the Ohio Wesleyan track & field coaching staff. Kline came to Ohio Wesleyan after 20 years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  In La Crosse, he had stints as associate head track & field coach, head strength coach, and manager of the fitness center.  He helped the Eagles win 13 NCAA Division III championships and 17 conference championships in track & field, with 10 individual national champions in throwing events and 28 individual conference champions in throwing events.  UW-L ranked in the top 20 of the Learfield Directors' Cup standings from 1999-2010, including 4 seventh-place finishes.  Kline also was a consultant to the Mammoth Track Club and coach Terrence Mahon, and co-founded the La Crosse Track Club. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach emeritus from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Kline is a 1990 graduate of Miami University, where he competed in track & field.  He was a 4-year letterman for the RedHawks, twice qualifying for the NCAA Division I championship and winning a Mid-American Conference title in the hammer.  He continued his throwing career after graduation, competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1996, and was ranked among the top 50 in the U.S. for a decade. He majored in health appraisal and enhancement with minors in nutrition and coaching at Miami, and continued his education with a Master of Science degree in exercise science from Miami in 1992. Kline is a native of Massillon, Ohio.