VIENNA, WV - Ohio Valley University has added NCAA Division II men's and women's track and field to its athletic program offering for the 2016-17 academic year, OVU Athletic Director Chad Porter has announced.
Recruitment for the new programs is currently underway and teams will officially begin competing in the spring of 2017.
With this announcement Ohio Valley University joins five colleges in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and 312 NCAA Division II schools nationwide offering indoor and outdoor track and field.
The G-MAC will feature Alderson Broaddus, Cedarville, Davis & Elkins, Kentucky Wesleyan, Malone, Ohio Valley and Trevecca Nazarene, with men's track and field in the 2016-17 academic year. The previously mentioned schools and Ursuline will comprise the competing women's teams in the league.
Davis & Elkins had also previously announced the addition of the sport earlier this year.
Nearly all high schools in the various counties that make up the Mid-Ohio Valley offer track and field programs and Porter is optimistic about the potential to recruit local student-athletes.
"It makes sense for us to offer athletic programs that are popular among high school students in our region," said Porter. "We are excited to provide athletic scholarships to local student-athletes and give them the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Division II level in track and field close to home. We are the only Christian university in the Mid-Ohio Valley that can offer that."
OVU currently offers fourteen other varsity men's and women's sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling. The addition of track and field is expected to strengthen the existing men's and women's cross country program as well.
OVU Cross Country Coach Brian Hesson will assume the head coaching and recruiting duties for the new program this spring. "As a life-long competitive runner I am truly excited about the addition of track and field at OVU. We have a wealth of track talent here in the Mid-Ohio Valley and I am looking for serious student-athletes who want to win and be an integral part of a highly-competitive team," says Hesson. "We will start building that immediately."
Hesson brings a wealth of experience to the program and is no stranger to success in the field of cross country and track. The Caldwell, Ohio, native attended the University of Alabama on an athletic scholarship. As a member of the Crimson Tide, Hesson gained All-SEC honors in both cross country and track and field, even earning a spot on the U.S Junior National Team in track and field. Hesson was also three-time NCAA Championship qualifier for the University of Alabama.
In August of 2015, Hesson was honored locally as one of five "Legends of Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) Member Schools." In addition to his accomplished collegiate career he was an integral part of a well-known Caldwell High School era where the school achieved four championship titles.
For more information on new the NCAA Division II track and field program at Ohio Valley University contact Hesson at 304-865-6035 or email brian.hession@ovu.edu.
To learn more about the NCAA Division II athletics at OVU visit www.ovu.edu/athletics.