Oilers Announce Male and Female Athletes of the Year

Graduated senior Justin Welch and senior Kasey Petty have been selected as the 2014-15 Male and Female Athlete of the Year award winners at The University of Findlay.

Welch, a standout on the track team, captured the James D. Houdeshell Male Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive season. He joins former wrestling stars Waylon Lowe (2002, 2004) and Antonio Guerra (2007, 2008) and track star Derrick Vicars (2010, 2012) as the only two-time winners of the award.

During his final season with the Oilers track team, Welch led the squad to a pair of runner-up finishes at the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He won individual national titles in the weight throw during the indoor season and the hammer throw during the outdoor campaign. For his efforts he was named the 2015 NCAA Division II National Track Athlete of the Year.

Welch was also the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year during both the indoor and outdoor seasons and earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Field Athlete of the Year honors during both seasons as well.

The Luckey, Ohio native earned All-American honors in the weight throw and shot put during the indoor campaign and earned All-American honors in the hammer throw and discus during the outdoor season. He also captured GLIAC titles in the hammer throw, discus and weight throw during his final season in the program.

Petty, a standout on the golf team, captured the Sharon G. Milligan Female Athlete of the Year award after leading the Oilers to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Petty finished ninth at the championship event and became the Oilers first women’s golfer to earn NCAA Division II All-American honors in the process. She was named first team all-East Region and was also a first team all-conference pick.

The Groveport, Ohio native also captured two tournament wins during her junior season, winning the Lake Superior State Invitational (9/15-9/16) and Tiffin Invitational (4/12-4/13). Her scoring average of 77.41 on the year is also the second lowest mark in school history.