Ally (Tobin) Detwiler played an integral role through a decorated era for the Otterbein women’s track and field program, helping the Cardinals win three Ohio Athletic Conference championships while securing multiple individual medals.

Detwiler, who attended Fisher Catholic HS in nearby Lancaster, didn’t even pick up a shot put until senior year of high school. Little did she know, becoming a 2x All-American and 5x OAC champion at Otterbein would be in the near future…

Competing under head coach Doug Welsh, Detwiler quickly won her first OAC title as a freshman at the 2006 conference meet. She later gained valuable experience at the NCAA’s to culminate that inaugural season despite competing with a pulled hamstring.

The blossoming thrower continued evolving throughout the 2007 campaign as Otterbein swept the OAC Championships. The Cardinals narrowly edged 2x defending champ Baldwin Wallace (by just 6.5 points) indoor, and then blew away the field by almost 50 points during the outdoor meet. Detwiler was named ‘Most Outstanding Field Athlete’ after shattering the school shot put record by almost a foot.

The 2008 season saw Detwiler take the next step on the national scene, hitting the podium at both NCAA Championships to secure All-American honors. She finished fourth nationally during the indoor meet (at Ohio Northern) and then eighth outdoors after fighting her way into the finals up in Wisconsin… advancing through the prelims by just two inches.

Otterbein claimed the OAC Outdoor title earlier in that 2008 season, capping a run of four trophies in a six-year period for the program. All in all, Detwiler qualified for the NCAA Championships five different times in helping Otterbein maintain a presence beyond just the regional scene.

Detwiler holds the all-time shot put record of 46-3 ½ for both Otterbein and the Ohio Athletic Conference (indoors), roughly a foot and a half more than second place in program history. Additionally, she ranks top 10 on Otterbein’s all-time list in the discus as well with a toss of 125-6.

A strong performer as a nursing major, Detwiler frequented the Academic All-OAC list and was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. She went on to work as a nurse as Grant Medical Center in personal patient care, new nurse education and as part of the COVID unit throughout the pandemic.

Ally and her husband, Wes, live in Hilliard with their children; Ava and Eli.