Heidelberg University Athletics

Coming off an OAC outdoor title the year before and a runner-up indoor finish earlier in the semester, Heidelberg’s 2000 men’s outdoor track & field team seemed destined for success. The team, led by OAC Coach of the Year Larry Brown, lived up to the hype.  

At the OAC Championships hosted by Ohio Northern, Heidelberg had 18 All-OAC finishes, given to the top three in each event.  Of those all-conference performers, six were crowned OAC Champions -- Nate Gibson in the 5000 and the 10,000, Joe Conduah in the triple jump, Darren Nelson in the long jump, Matt O’Diam in the pole vault, and Adam Koppin in the 1500.  Nelson was also third in the high jump, fifth in the pole vault and seventh in the triple jump -- and was honored with the Sparky Adams Most Outstanding Field Athlete Award.  

Heidelberg won the OAC Championship by 33.5 points over second place Baldwin Wallace.

The Tricolor sent five men to the Division III National Championships in six events, a program best at the time.  Three finished on the podium at the meet hosted by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. 

Todd Gerwing entered with the 12th fastest time in the 800 and emerged with a fifth-place finish.  He still holds the Heidelberg record in the event.  Koppin, no stranger to the national stage, finished sixth in the 1500.  Conduah took seventh in the triple jump.  For Koppin and Conduah, the meet capped off their illustrious Hall of Fame careers.  

Nelson (high jump and long jump) and Glen Excell (long jump) qualified for the meet, but did not finish in the top eight. 

Academically, Conduah and Seth Hothem were named College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans.  Conduah, Koppin, Nelson, and Gerwig were among the student-athletes to receive United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic accolades.  

Team Members include: Will Arter, Jake Bibb, Scott Bolenbaugh, Charlie Carpenter, John Caserta, Joe Cole, Conduah, Joe Craddock, Jeremy Dreger, Joe DeVaul, Scott Elmlinger, Excell, Gerwig, Gibson, Pete Gordon, Paul Grahl, Bryce Harris, Justin Harris, Aaron Hay, D.J. Hensinger, Hothem, Chad Hyacinth, Brian Kessler, Koppin, D.J. Leslie, Jason Maus, Brian McNutt, Michael Mechtenburg, Brendon Moody, Nelson, Mike Norris, O’Diam, Jon Otterbacher, Jason Perez, Derrick Perry, Russell Petersen, Michael Podrosky, Kelly Rapp, Richard Reed, James Simpson, Jacob Schultz, Joseph Seigel, Steven Smith, Tony Tahy, Nathan Tharp, James Thayer, Gary Tope, Greg Tuttamore, John Wooldridge, and Ken York.