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BW Yellow Jacket teams, coaches atop OAC

Yellow Jacket athletes and coaches are once again ranked first in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) with impressive accolades that showcase the grit and glory of what it means to wear the Brown & Gold.

Wrestling champions
OAC championship men's wrestling team. Photo credit: Erik Drost '11

And while there were successes across all winter sports this year, women's basketball, men's wrestling, men's track and field, and men's volleyball are having standout achievements.

History-making season 

March Madness had Brown & Gold flair as women's basketball made its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. The team, which had earned a No. 8 national ranking, became the first in school history to have back-to-back undefeated Ohio Athletic Conference seasons. They ended the season with an overall record of 25-4.

Head coach Cheri Harrer, who is no novice to national playoffs, earned her own spotlight in being named OAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

The accolade builds on a succession of achievements that include being the winningest coach, male or female, in OAC basketball history, sixth among active Division III coaches and 49th all-time of all NCAA coaches at any level.

Womens basketball
Celebrating the 2026 OAC championship title. Photo credit: Bobby Johnston '29

Atop the OAC once again

The men's wrestling team captured its sixth consecutive OAC championship, another top honor for a program that's been awarded the conference title for 10 years since 2016 and has been nationally ranked.

On March 13-14, seven Yellow Jacket student-athletes are competing at the NCAA Division III National Championships, where BW has had ongoing success in recent years in finishing in the top 10 in the nation for three straight seasons and having a three-time national champion.

Adding to the team's success is a 2026 recognition of being named OAC men's wrestling Coaching Staff of the Year for head coach Jamie Gibbs, associate head coach Jason Zastrow and their assistant coaches. Gibbs and his staff have received the conference top spot for this recognition for five straight seasons and nine times previously.

wrestling
Tommy West is one of seven BW students competing at the NCAA Division III National Championships. Photo credit: Colin Keleman '28

Three head to Men's track and field NCAA National Championships

Head coach Joe Eby and three members of the BW men's indoor track and field team are headed to the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 13-14. The NCAA selected the top 20 declared student-athletes in each individual event to participate in the national championships.

 Amari Waddy
Amari Waddy will compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. Photo credit: Rylee Gorrell '27

Team on the rise

Since its inception in 2021, men's volleyball has been building a strong reputation as a team on the rise. Under the leadership of head coach Kyle Mars, the team is nationally ranked No. 18 and has reached a ranking of No. 9, which was the highest in school history. 

volleyball
BW senior Aiden Kim digs deep for a save. Photo credit: Addison Siedler '27

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