Community Gets Opportunity To Meet Coaches and Athletes

From left to right; Wade Steinlage, Ryan Parker, and Cole Henry during Wednesday night’s media night at Smokey Row.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – An evening of sports information was available to the community as William Penn’s Sports Information Director Wade Steinlage hosted a question and answer session with the coaches and athletes of the winter sports teams of William Penn University and the Oskaloosa High School.

The question and answer session are held multiple times a year for the past two years, in an effort to help inform and connect the public with the many different sports students are participating in.

“We had a lot of nice comments,” said William Penn Athletics Director Nik Rule in his opening comments.

OHS Boys Swimming Team Head Coach Grant Bolibaugh said that during the first weeks of the season, some injuries had slowed the team initially, but everyone is now back in the pool.

Team members are breaking personal records and getting stronger Bolibaugh added.

The William Penn Men’s and Women’s Bowling Teams have been making their presence known on the collegiate level.

Brandon Brooks is the new head bowling coach for William Penn. “Glad to be here, glad to be here at William Penn. A lot of talent and a lot of drive,” said Brooks.

Brooks was part of the first three teams for Penn and is now living his dream of being a collegiate coach.

“Hopefully we continue to have that same success,” added Brooks of the team’s history.

Tony Witt, Oskaloosa High School Bowling Head Coach, spoke about the success the team.

The teams had just about a week’s worth of practice before the season started and they competed at Osceola, taking home the win.

The Indian boys are 8-2 at this time, and the girls are 6-5. Witt says the teams are doing well, and 34 students have joined the team.

The Indians will come home to play in January, with their first of four stops taking place on January 11th, 2019 beginning at 3 p.m. at Mahaska Bowl.

The William Penn Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field team starts to practice the second week of school, but just recently got the opportunity to compete, explained Head Coach Allen Friesen. “The long preseason does benefit us, and we really had a good meet.”

The team will now be off until the New Year and will travel to Crete, Nebraska on January 12 to compete in the Ward Hylett Invitational.

Oskaloosa High School Head Wrestling Coach Chase Weber has a much bigger squad of wrestlers this year, “and the [wrestling] room has really been crowded, which is a good thing for us.”

“Lots of young faces. The Freshman group is really big,” added Weber. “We’re bringing back 15 people from last year.”

The middle school has been having a split season, where students get the opportunity to participate in wrestling and basketball. Weber says that opportunity has impacted the high school wrestling numbers in a positive way.

Wrestling returns to Oskaloosa on January 3, 2019, when the Indians take on the Newton Cardinals in a Varsity Dual meet that kicks off at 6:30 p.m.

The William Penn Wrestling Team was the next to take the spotlight. Aron Scott heads the team and is now in his 2nd season in that role.

“Each time we go out, we’re getting a little bit better,” said Scott of his team. “We’re certainly not where we want to be.”

Scott said that several of the individual wrestlers are performing well.

Looking towards the future, Scott said that they are making long-term decisions for the team, along with changing the culture of the team, which includes more time in the weight room.

William Penn Wrestling is off now until January 5th, when they will compete in the Central Invitational.

Coach Jacie White heads Oskaloosa Girls Basketball.

White said the team is making a lot of progress. “I’m proud of the girls this year for making a lot of progress from last year.”

The wins haven’t come yet for this team, but White says that if you watch the team, you will see things happening this year that didn’t last year.

White and the girl’s basketball team are also seeing the positive impact of the split seasons at the middle school level, with an increase in numbers.

“It’s not easy to come out and play four quarters and play hard when the scoreboard isn’t always your friend,” added White on the dedication her girls have shown.

For the William Penn Women’s Basketball, Head Coach Steve Williamson has lit a fire under a team that has competed well in the past. Williamson is in his second year at the helm.

The team made an appearance at the National Tournament last year, and Williamson was named Heart of America Conference Coach of the Year.

Williamson has led his teams by building a defensive powerhouse to “shut people down and make it difficult for people to score.”

The team is off to a 9-1 start on the season and ranked #20 in the NAIA national rankings.

The Oskaloosa Indians Boys Basketball is the states #1 ranked team in Class 3A and is spending the season with a target on their back.

Head Coach Ryan Parker and his team are 4-0 on the season, after having just two weeks of practice before the season got underway.

“You catch us after Christmas break, we’ll look a lot better even then,” added Parker of the team building process still underway.

For Oskaloosa, this year will be a special one, as the Indians play above the rim, which electrifies the crowd. Parker says that the second half of the season will see even more players stepping up into their roles.

You can catch the Indians at home on Friday, December 14th when they take on Newton.

The William Penn Men’s Basketball team makes waves in the national rankings year after year, and they are #4 in the NAIA national poll.

Head Coach John Henry said the team has a good nucleus back this year, along with some “excellent recruits.”

“We’re trying to do what we always do, be as successful as possible,” added Henry of his team, who is 12-1 at this point in the season.

“I’ve been very blessed to have a lot of people on my staff that makes me look really good,” added Henry.

Making those teams come together year after year takes a special skill, and Henry said it’s never easy when you have a lot of one year players. “This year, we’ve mixed some one year players and some guys that are returners. That’s the way we’ve done it the last 3 or 4 years since we turned Division I.”

“We are a work in progress, but one thing that we try to concentrate on is win while learning,” added Henry.

The Statesmen Men’s Basketball Team returns to Oskaloosa on January 5th, 2019 when they take on defending National Champions Graceland inside Penn Gymnasium.