Congrats to my former teammate Craig Neeley and coach Fred Barends for getting into the Ohio Wesleyan Hall of Fame this weekend. A great time years ago and an excellent Saturday with all of you!
Craig Neeley '02 — One of the top jumpers in Ohio Wesleyan history, Neeley won 6 All-America citations and was a 4-time NCAC Player of the Year both indoors and outdoors. As a freshman, he won the high jump and finished second in the long jump and triple jump in helping OWU win the NCAC title for the first time since 1990 (9 years). Outdoors, he won the high jump and triple jump and finished third in the long jump as OWU won the team title. As a sophomore, he won the triple jump with an NCAC-record 46-½ and the long jump and was second in the high jump as OWU won the team title. At nationals, he finished seventh in the triple jump, and was named Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year. Outdoors, he won the long jump and finished second in the high jump and triple jump as OWU won the team title. His junior year, he swept the triple jump (with an NCAC-record 46-9), the long jump, and the high jump as OWU won the NCAC indoor crown. At the NCAA meet, he won his first All-America citation with a fifth in the long jump. He was named Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. Outdoors, he again swept the high jump, long jump, and triple jump at the NCAC meet, helping OWU to the team title, and took All-America honors with a fifth in the long jump and a sixth-place tie in the high jump. As a senior, he again swept the triple jump (NCAC-record 47-4¾), long jump, and high jump as OWU won its fourth straight conference indoor title. At the national meet, he claimed All-America honors in the high jump with a seventh-place finish. He was named Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year for the third straight season. Outdoors, he won the long jump and triple jump and finished second in the high jump and javelin to take his fourth straight NCAC Field Event Performer of the Year honor. At the NCAA championship, he won the long jump, Ohio Wesleyan's first national championship in a jumping event, and finished second in the high jump, missing the national championship on number of misses. He was named USTA Field Athlete of the Meet. He finished his career with 17 NCAC individual championships and 25 All-NCAC citations. He competed in 7 of 8 possible national championship meets and helped his team win 7 of 8 conference championships.
Fred Barends — Barends coached men’s cross country and track & field at Ohio Wesleyan from 1993-2002. After serving as an assistant coach in both sports, he became head men's cross country coach in 1995 and head men's track & field coach for the 1998 season. As an assistant in track, he coached sprinters, hurdlers and relay teams, including 17 North Coast Athletic Conference champions and 6 All-Americans, including the 1997 national champion in the 200-meter dash. As a head coach, his indoor track teams won 4 straight NCAC indoor championships (1999-2002) while the outdoor track teams won 3 straight NCAC titles (1999-2001) and added runner-up finishes in 1998 and 2002. Barends was named Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year 4 times and NCAC Coach of the Year 7 times (4 indoor, 3 outdoor). As a head coach, he coached 55 NCAC champions and 11 All-Americans, including 3 national champions.