By Colin McGuigan
10/31/2024
WESTERVILLE – Otterbein University officially inducted five new members to the Athletics Hall of Fame during a ceremony and dinner at The Point in Westerville on Oct. 25. Laura (Basford) Cheyney, Austin Curbow, Jack Rafferty, Julie (Stroyne) Nixon and Bobby Weinberg comprised the class of 2024, marking the 16th class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The ceremony opened with remarks from Otterbein Athletic Director Dr. Greg Lott and President Dr. John Comerford and was hosted by master of ceremonies Adam Prescott.
The five inductees were subsequently introduced to the public during halftime of the football game between Otterbein and Capital on Oct. 26.
For more information about the Otterbein University Athletics Hall of Fame, and to see a complete list of inductees, click here. To view a photo gallery from the induction ceremony, click here.
Read more about each member of the Hall of Fame class of 2024 below.
Laura (Basford) Cheyney, Class of 2014
Laura Basford didn’t originally want to even play college softball but ended up deciding late in the process to give it a try at Otterbein. Many Cardinal fans are glad she did, as the star outfielder went on to break 19 school records and deliver multiple program “firsts” along the way.
Basford joined a program that was fresh off a very difficult 7-27 season and looking for answers, coming aboard as one of 13 new faces looking to rejuvenate the roster. The group saw an immediate uptick en route to a 23-15 record, where Laura started every game and led the team in multiple categories. That included a new Otterbein single-season record with eight triples.
That momentum carried over to another key step in program history during Basford’s sophomore campaign in 2012, when the Cards went 26-16 overall (most wins ever in a single season) and qualified for their first Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. She led the league in hitting with a .459 average and crossed the plate a whopping 46 times.
Basford missed 12 starts while fighting through injury as a junior but returned for a healthy senior year to continue racking up notable achievements. She became the first OAC Player of the Year in program history, claiming her second batting title with a stellar .504 average at the dish. That mark, her 24 stolen bases and .545 on-base percentage all ranked Top-20 nationally.
A three-time All-OAC and two-time All-Region performer, Laura punctuated her final go-around with a pair of national honors (also program firsts) to further cement the legacy. She was voted a second team NFCA All-American for success on the diamond and then first team CoSIDA Academic All-American behind a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a middle childhood education major. Those joint efforts made her, at the time, just the 11th athlete in Otterbein history to receive All-American honors for both athletics and academics in the same year.
Basford departed with a staggering 19 school records – nine career, ten seasonal – that included all-time marks for most hits, games played, runs scored (158), doubles, triples (21), home runs, stolen bases (95), total bases, batting average (.443) and slugging percentage. She still holds a combined eight records at this time of Hall of Fame induction.
Laura moved back home to the Massillon, Ohio, area following graduation and began paying it forward to the next generation. She taught middle school math for 10 years in her alma mater system of Jackson Local Schools while coaching a variety of sports, most notably serving as head varsity softball coach for two seasons.
She and her husband Jon, who was a three-year pitcher within the Otterbein baseball program, now have three sons together.
Austin Curbow, Class of 2012
A local product from Gahanna, hurdler Austin Curbow blossomed into a dominant force at Otterbein to make routine appearances on the national stage – both as an athlete and then a coach.
Curbow went out for track in seventh grade and began making a real name for himself during high school, earning all-state honors six times under legendary coach Ed Rarey – ironically an Otterbein Hall of Famer himself. Gahanna Lincoln finished Top 10 in Ohio (as a team) on two occasions with Curbow and later won a state title the year after he graduated.
Austin received interest from a number of major Division I schools but did not meet some NCAA Clearinghouse standards, instead landing at Otterbein through guidance from Rarey. Nevertheless, a very decorated college career was still on the horizon.
Through a bond with hurdles coach Scott McCleary, Curbow further developed a bulldog mindset that routinely gave him a mental/psychological edge on the track. He would become a seven-time OAC champion, five-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American (60-meter hurdles) by the time it was said and done – finishing eighth, fourth and third on the national indoor podium and Top 10 twice on the outdoor stage. He unfortunately missed indoor nationals as a sophomore due to injury.
Curbow still holds Otterbein records in the 55-meter hurdles (7.53) and 60-meter hurdles (7.98), while also ranking top five in the 110’s… resting only behind three-time national champ Roger Retherford at the time of graduation. His remarkable 7.98 in the 60-meter hurdles kept him on the historical Division III Top-10 List for over a decade and remains not just a conference record, but also the fastest time ever by a Division III runner in the state of Ohio. He was only defeated twice in four years by an OAC competitor, and just eight times overall in a college uniform.
Curbow’s impact on the track and field program didn’t end as a student-athlete, as he initially came aboard as a graduate assistant and remained on staff for the next decade from 2013-22. The Health Promotion and Fitness major, who matured greatly as a student, delivered a 3.30 GPA as an undergrad before a 3.40 to garner his master’s degree.
As a coach, Curbow was responsible for developing more than 100 All-OAC performers, 20 conference champions (including relays), five national qualifiers (many earning repeat trips) and three NCAA All-Americans in Brandon Shade, Mike Rennette and Cwinn Febus. With Curbow’s guidance, that standout trio all surpassed their mentor in the record books of the 110 hurdles.
Curbow and his athletes now represent more than half of Otterbein Top-10 lists in the hurdles and relays. He was on staff for two OAC Championships with the women’s team, along with multiple All-Ohio crowns from both sides.
Austin, now married to his wife (Taylor), also went on to enjoy a successful career in personal training.
Jack Rafferty, Class of 2008, MBA 2011
A contender for Ohio’s “Mr. Football” award as a senior at Dublin Coffman, dual-threat quarterback Jack Rafferty accounted for over 4,500 yards and 47 touchdowns during his outstanding senior year of high school. He originally signed a Division I scholarship to play at Western Kentucky, spending two years as a backup quarterback and holder on special teams.
Rafferty decided to move back home and later opted for the Division III path, transferring into an Otterbein program working to reach the next level under head coach (and dedicated alum) Joe Loth. The Cardinals were off to a difficult 1-3 start in his first season, with Jack in a rotating quarterback platoon, as the offense failed to surpass 14 points in three of those contests.
Jack soon earned his first college start midway through the 2007 schedule and led Otterbein to a 4-2 record down the back half, with the team averaging 33 points per game in the span. The Cards settled for a .500 record after a triple-overtime loss at John Carroll in the finale, but the wheels had been greased for (what is arguably) the best season in program history.
Transitioning to a graduate student, Rafferty spearheaded the memorable 2008 campaign that saw Otterbein go 9-2 overall, achieve a new program record for single-season victories and make its only appearance ever in the NCAA Playoffs. The Cardinals reached as high as No. 7 in the national rankings behind their veteran signal caller, guiding an offense that asserted itself among the country’s best at 39 points per outing.
Otterbein began the season 8-0 and was beating opponents by more than four touchdowns per game, setting the stage for an undefeated Top-10 showdown against top-ranked Mount Union. Although the Cardinals dropped that competitive clash, they rebounded the next week for a gritty (and revenge) overtime win at John Carroll to secure an at-large bid to the NCAAs.
The Cardinals were selected to host Franklin College (Ind.) to begin the national 32-team bracket and battled admirably before a wild 62-45 loss ended the storybook season. Jack, doing everything he could, threw for a career-high 336 yards and accounted for six touchdowns. He was later named one of 10 finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, recognizing the top all-around player in NCAA Division III, and ranked Top-15 nationally for passing efficiency.
A two-time All-OAC pick, Rafferty made national headlines in 2009 by announcing that he would return for a final college season – all while getting engaged to be married, finishing his MBA and working a full-time job. Otterbein’s do-it-all star unfortunately suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand (in the second game) that would end his career, but still rested with 4,424 yards of total offense in just 23 games behind center. The program went 14-4 in games he started.
Jack and his wife, Katie, now share four children together. He went on to a successful career in software sales and enjoys coaching his sons’ football teams, passing down valuable knowledge and experiences to the next generation of players.
Julie (Stroyne) Nixon, Class of 2014
One of the most pleasant surprises in the history of Otterbein Athletics happened in the form of Julie Stroyne, who became one of the most dominant women’s tennis players to ever lace up in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Stroyne, growing up in Venetia, Pa., and starring at Peters Township High School, had the goal of playing college tennis but also pursuing a career in nursing. Wanting to maintain a balance (and fair presence) in both across all four years, she knew a smaller school would likely be her best path. Otterbein wasn’t even on the radar, but, thanks to a recommendation from a family friend that was on campus for an unrelated event, the Stroyne family called up Coach Pat Anderson to show interest. What ensued next would be a Hall of Fame career that helped the Cardinals regain notoriety on the tennis court.
Stroyne, a bit shy and reserved, let her racquet do most of the talking and was penciled into the No. 1 singles/doubles spots almost immediately. In fact, during her career, she competed all but one match on the top line of both sections. Julie delivered a staggering 73-8 individual record during her time at Otterbein, including a perfect 31-0 in the conference regular season. The standout also went 70-12 overall (26-5 OAC) in doubles play, with her combined record in college settling at 143-20. That success allowed her to become a four-time OAC Player of the Year. At the time, she was the only athlete in league history, regardless of sport, to earn the honor every year.
But, above any accolade for herself, Stroyne was the primary catalyst for a program consistently improving and striving toward a conference title. The Cards lost narrow matches in the OAC Tournament semifinals each of her first two years and then inched a step closer during her junior campaign. Stroyne went a perfect 22-0 that season as Otterbein eventually dropped a 5-3 decision to Ohio Northern in the OAC Finals.
Battling through a knee injury over her last two years, Stroyne came back with a vengeance as a senior to not only crush physical therapy… but (alongside teammates) help the program snap a decade-long drought between OAC titles. That stellar 2013-14 campaign saw the Cardinals post a 20-3 overall record and exact revenge on the Polar Bears with a spot in the NCAA Championships on the line. Stroyne and doubles teammate Sammi Kruger went a clean 19-0 during the run. The memorable final chapter concluded on the national stage in Virginia where the lesser-known Cardinals battled powerhouse Trinity (Tex.) in the first round of the national bracket. Otterbein dropped a 5-2 decision as Stroyne was responsible for both points.
A unanimous four-time first team All-OAC selection, Julie was just as successful on the academic side en route to making the Dean’s List every term. She represented Otterbein with the OAC Clyde Lamb Award, recognizing the top male/female senior student-athlete at each of the league’s 10 institutions.
Julie went on to a nursing career in both the trauma unit and operating room before stepping away to start a family with her husband (Andrew). The couple has three children, while Julie coaches youth tennis once per week and still enjoys playing herself.
Bobby Weinberg, Class of 2002, MBA 2004
An out-of-state recruit from Louisville, Ky., Bobby Weinberg began crafting an immediate second home for himself very quickly after his parents dropped him off at Otterbein, arriving to a men’s soccer program littered with talent, expectations and kids mostly from Central Ohio.
A dynamic athlete, Weinberg played three sports in high school but had now settled on joining the reigning Ohio Athletic Conference champions as a promising midfielder. The quick-footed tactician, not huge in stature at just 5-foot-9 and roughly 150 pounds, featured Division I pace/quickness yet was going to be happy with whatever playing time he received as a true freshman. Bobby learned the ropes quickly during his inaugural season as the Cardinals won the second of three straight OAC crowns, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 before a narrow one-goal loss. The natural runner not only had a great engine to find gaps and cover huge parts of the field but possessed the intelligence to lull defenders into a false sense of security before storming by.
Beginning his career as an outside midfielder before working into the center, Weinberg helped lead Otterbein to a 19-1-1 record as a sophomore – where the team won a third consecutive OAC title, reached as high as No. 5 in the national rankings and made the NCAA second round. However, after graduating some critical pieces, the team finished tied for fourth in the conference standings (and missed the postseason) during his challenging junior year. But it’s not necessarily how hard you can hit. It’s more about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Bobby did just that in lifting his squad back atop the league throne as a senior, where he netted the game-winning goal in the second half of the OAC Tournament Finals at Wilmington. That impressive campaign warranted him OAC Midfielder of the Year, first team All-Great Lakes Region and prestigious second team NSCAA All-American honors. The three-time All-OAC standout was responsible for 82 points during his undergraduate years, coming by way of 29 goals and 24 assists.
Bobby had truly fallen in love with the program, deciding to stick around to obtain a master’s degree while serving as graduate assistant coach the next two years. Otterbein won two more conference titles with him on staff, including a memorable 2002 journey that carried all the way to the national championship match. The Cardinals would fall just short in a 1-0 loss to settle as NCAA runner-up.
All in all, Weinberg enjoyed a combined 99-26-4 record during his time at Otterbein; 65-16-1 as a player and 34-10-3 as a coach. The Cards were also 41-11-1 against the league over that span.
Bobby, receiving an undergraduate degree in business before his subsequent MBA, went on to a lengthy career with Worthington Enterprises. He and his wife (Abby) share four children – two sons and two daughters.
COURTESY OTTERBEIN ATHLETICS
