ASHLAND — This was a memorable sports year for the Ashland University athletic department, and it began on a worldwide stage.
In August, Ashland University grad Carlin Isles helped U.S. finish ninth in the rugby competition at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Isles finished the tournament with a total of six tries for 30 points, making him the leading scorer for the Americans.
The U.S. team finished 3-2 in the first Rugby Sevens Olympics tournament. Rugby was last played in the Olympics in 1924 with a 15-on-a-side version, as opposed to the faster-paced Rugby Sevens version.
“I get asked about the biggest highlight a lot and my answer is pretty much the same – I don’t rank them, I just enjoy them. I continue to be impressed and amazed by what our student-athletes achieve,” said AU athletics director Al King. “Their dedication and commitment is inspiring. Their enthusiasm knows no bounds and they aren’t afraid to dream. That’s invigorating to be around.”
Moving into the fall, the Ashland University football team went 9-2 and just missed reaching the Division II playoffs.
But the bigger news came from tight end Adam Shaheen. The 6-foot-6, 277 pounder from Delaware left school with eligibility remaining to enter April’s NFL Draft. He was promptly selected in the second round with the 45th overall pick by the Chicago Bears.
Shaheen caught an Ashland-record and NCAA Division II single-season tight end-record 16 touchdown passes as a junior in 2016. That came after he grabbed a school tight end-record 70 passes as a sophomore in 2015.
“What was different was seeing Adam Shaheen taken in the second round of the NFL draft,” King said. “That was a first. He traveled an unconventional path to hearing his name called at the podium and we were thrilled to share his journey in some small part.”
The winter brought the biggest team story of the year, with the incredible season authored by the women’s basketball program. Coach Robyn Fralick’s team was ranked No. 1 throughout the season and finished a perfect year with a 37-0 record to claim the national championship.
“The winter sports season was tremendous, a national championship in women’s basketball, a runner-up national finish in men’s track and wrestling placing sixth in the nation and bringing home the first individual national championship in over 20 years,” King said. “Wildly different sports yet the excitement that comes with each accomplishment is the same.”
The Eagles blitzed Virginia Union 93-77 at Ohio Dominican College in the NCAA Division II finals.
“I knew our women’s basketball team was exceptional but I was surprised that we would go to the postseason and win by an average margin of 17 points. That’s winning by almost 20 points a night against the best teams in the country,” King said. “We went to the post 37 times from November to March and never once failed to bring our ‘A’ game. That’s impressive and a tribute to our coaches and players.”
The spring turned attention to the track, specifically the AU men. The Eagles finished in a tie for third place at the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Bradenton, Fla.
AU registered 50 team points, tied with Tiffin for third. St. Augustine’s won the team title with 58 points, followed by Lincoln, Mo., with 52. Ashland’s men finished no worse than third at outdoor nationals for the fourth time in the last five years.
There will also be a couple of coaching changes, After 13 seasons leading Ashland University’s men’s golf team, head coach Darrin Jones announced his retirement on May 3.
In women’s softball coach Sheilah Gulas announced before the season she would retire at the end of the year. She did so after piloting what she termed her most improved team, which reached the GLIAC championship round. The AU skipper was co-coach of the year in the conference this season.
“Every year brings highs and lows and something in between. We are saying so long to Sheilah Gulas, a remarkable softball coach who impacted all of us with her enthusiasm and energy,” King said. We are going to miss her, but we also look forward to what the future will bring, someone coming in and starting their career at Ashland.”
Gulas retired with an all-time record over 31 seasons of 929-487-1. She registered 723 wins over 21 seasons at Ashland. She will go into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in December.
In total, it made for a memorable 2016-17 school year.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be around this group. That’s why it’s enjoyable to come to work here,” King said. “We’re going to keep trying to recruit exceptional student-athletes and build teams that the community can point to with pride. I’m biased, but I don’t think there are many places at our level who do it any better.”
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University and dozens of high schools and universities throughout Ohio.
