The Baldwin-Wallace College Yellow Jacket cross country program for men has a rich heritage of excellence. For many years, the program has been among the best in the Ohio Athletic Conference, the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region and nationally in Division III.
If you would like to be a part of the success, please contact Head Coach Bill Taraschke in his office at 440-826-3322 or e-mail him at wtarasch@bw.edu.
In the Fall of 2007, Coach Taraschke and his staff were named as the OAC Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year.
More Than 50 Years of Men's Cross Country Excellence
The men's program originally began in the 1950s and reached prominence in the 1970s and early 1980s under the direction of legendary head coach Paul "Sparky" Adams. During that time, B-W was one of the OAC's best teams, finishing high in both the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional and NCAA Division III National meets each year.
The Yellow Jacket men won a pair of OAC titles in the 70s (1973 and 1979) and captured three straight from 1981 through 1983. In both the 1970s and into the early-t-mid 1980s, B-W placed almost annually in the Top-10 teams at the Division III national meet. Four times in the history of the program, a runner captured the OAC individual title with the last being John Finlay in 1993.
The B-W Women's Program is One of the Best in Division III
The Baldwin-Wallace College cross country program for women already has a rich heritage of excellence and is one of the best in Ohio, the OAC and Division III. Coach Bill Taraschke's long-term goal is to make his program for cross country and track and field the best in the nation for NCAA Division III schools.
With Taraschke as its coach the past 17 years, B-W has competed at the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championship Meet five times. B-W was an all-time school-best 12th in the nation in 2000-2001. In addition, the Yellow Jackets were 17th in 1995-96, 18th in 1999-2000, 20th in 2001-2002 and 21st in 1994-95.
This fall (2007), B-W captured the OAC title, had the OAC Women's Cross Country Co-Runner of the Year in senior Lindsay Brickner (Lisbon) and the duo of Head Coach Bill Taraschke and Assistant Coach Steve Virgilio were named as the OAC Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year. Overall, five runners finished in the Top-10 and earned All-OAC accolades.
In the 1990s, B-W dominated the OAC and won seven conference team titles, including an OAC-record six straight from 1992-97. In 23 seasons of successful competition for women in the OAC, B-W has claimed 15 championships, including this fal (2007). In addition to the OAC-record streak of six straight titles, B-W has two other streaks of four straight crowns.
The program has been led by some outstanding competitors, including OAC individual champions Martha Dora (1987), Lisa Winans (1988), Jennifer Schafer (1992), Tina Lokar (1993 and 1996), Shawn Conley (1994), Jessica Carmona (1997), Hannah Pudy (1999, 2000 and 2001) and Lindsay Brickner (2007). Purdy is the only OAC women's runner to ever win three individual titles and Lokar is one of two to capture a pair of crowns.
The women's program originally began in the late1970s before being recognized as an OAC sport in 1985. In the late '70s, the Yellow Jackets built a strong reputation by winning the AIAW (the late Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) state title in 1979.
The Developmental Goals of the Program
The Baldwin-Wallace College cross country program strives for excellence by stressing the development of each runner to his or her fullest potential. To achieve excellence, the B-W cross country student-athlete is asked to be self-disciplined, unselfishly dedicated and to place the goals of the team ahead of personal recognition.
While many valuable lessons can be learned on the cross country course and at practice, the ultimate goal is to help each student-athlete grow and graduate at the end of his or her stay at Baldwin-Wallace College.
The Yellow Jackets Have Dominated the Ohio Athletic Conference
Baldwin-Wallace College competes in the 10-team Ohio Athletic Conference for men and women. Long considered one of the finest Division III conferences in the nation, the OAC offers competition in 21 NCAA Division III sports.
Under the direction of Head Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke, B-W has built an OAC dynasty in cross country which it seeks to regain. In 19 years of OAC cross country competition for women, B-W has won 14 titles, including seven of the last 10.
In eight of the past 11 years, a Yellow Jacket runner has claimed the individual title, the last three years by 2002 graduate Hannah Purdy (1999, 2000, and 2001). Purdy, the first-ever three-time OAC individual champion, is currently an admissions counselor at B-W.
In addition to Purdy, Jennifer Schafer '95 (1992), Shawn Conley '95 (1994), Tina Lokar '97 (1993 and 1996) and Jessica Carmona '01 (1997) also won OAC individual crowns.
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