Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
Recognized on the conference and national levels for his prowess in mid-distance races, Dr. Todd Gerwig, DO, played a critical role in the success of the Heidelberg Track & Field teams in the late ’90s and early ’00s, two of which have been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The Student Princes won three straight Outdoor Track & Field OAC titles -- and Gerwig was racking up the points.
Gerwig’s career at Heidelberg crescendoed from his early success as part of relays into record-setting success by his junior year, particularly in the 800-meter. In total, the Sunbury native was a three-time All-American, an eight-time OAC champion, and a two-time OAC Most Outstanding Track Athlete. To date, Gerwig still holds six school records (three individual and three relays).
As a freshman, Gerwig was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that set a then-OAC Indoor Championships meet record. As a sophomore, he won another title at the 1999 OAC Outdoor Championships as part of the 4x800-meter relay team.
Gerwig soared to stardom in his junior year. At the 2000 Indoor OAC Championships, he won the 500-meter and the 1000-meter runs. For his efforts, the league’s coaches selected him as the Don Frail Most Outstanding Field Athlete. During the spring, Gerwig qualified for nationals in the 800, hosted by North Central College. There, he placed fifth – earning the first of three All-America honors.
In his final campaign for the Student Princes, he cemented his place in the annals of history at Heidelberg with another dynamic performance. After repeating as league champ in the Indoor 1000, Gerwig returned to the national stage in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in the 800. He won his heat, then finished third in the finals.
He capped his career in the spring of 2001, winning OAC titles in the 800 and the 1500-meter runs -- receiving the Jim Wuske Most Outstanding Field Athlete honor. Back at NCAAs for the third time, Gerwig was the national runner-up in the 800. He is one of three men to earn at least three All-American finishes in individual running events in school history.
Gerwig -- a 12-time All-OAC honoree -- is the eighth individual from that stretch of ‘Berg track & field to be enshrined in the Athletic Hall of Fame. Though track is, traditionally, an individual sport, Gerwig most fondly remembers the time spent running the streets of Tiffin with his teammates.
“There were always a lot of laughs, and we were always very supportive of each other. It was such a positive environment,” said Gerwig, a six-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic recipient. “I couldn’t have had the successes that I enjoyed without the presence and support of my teammates and coaches.”
Gerwig earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and settled in Rochester, Va., where he provided primary care for nearly 20 years. Today, he resides in Avon, N.Y., where he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S.Army Reserves Medical Corps, currently assigned to West Point. He and his wife, Michelle D’Angelo ‘03 Gerwig, have one son, Cole.
