Alumni Return to Play at Homecoming

Ohio Christian University is excited to host their annual Men’s and Women’s Alumni Basketball games during Homecoming & Family Day on Oct. 12. The games will pit returning alumni against current players in the ultimate battle of experience versus youth. The athletic events will start with the Women’s game at 3 p.m. and will be immediately followed by the Men’s game at 5 p.m. in the Maxwell Center.

Alumnae returning to the court for the Women’s game include Teresa Woerner (’17) and Shekinah Alexander (’15). Woerner played as a shooting guard, utilizing her small frame to her advantage as she specialized in defensive intensity and providing a threat from behind the arc. After suffering an injury, she continued in another capacity as first a student assistant and then a graduate assistant. Woerner currently serves in the Trailblazer Athletic Department as their administrative assistant and compliance coordinator. Alexander played as a point guard and was recognized as an NCCAA All-American in 2015 for her skill. Currently, Alexander is teaching preschool in the greater Atlanta area.

Returning alumni for the Men’s game include Wesley Russell (’15) and Mike Farrell (’12). Russell served as a point guard and was twice awarded NCCAA National Player of the Year (2014-2015). Today, Russell serves as the activity director for the Columbus Department of Parks and Recreation. Mike Farrell was captain of Ohio Christian’s Men’s basketball team and two-time academic All-American. He has since gone on to be a successful entrepreneur, founding Mike’s Landscaping in Circleville in 2011 and becoming co-owner of My Auto Care in 2016. Farrell also hosts the Business Grit podcast where he teaches lessons on business.

Many of these alumni players are returning not just to play, but to reconnect with fellow teammates from years past. While the days competing on the court may be over, the friendships built on and off the court remain.

“The thing I look back on is the teammates and the friendships that I made,” Woerner said. “The ability to have that connected family, especially when your away at school, was really great and there are still girls I talk to right now.”