Michigan native Mark Wischmeyer blossomed into one of the best defenders in men’s soccer program history, arriving during the pandemic and staying the course to become an all-around standout.

Hailing from Bloomfield Hills up north, the 6-foot-3 Wischmeyer arrived to Otterbein as a central midfielder and started all nine matches during the shortened campaign. He broke through the next year (2021) to earn his first All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) award as the Cardinals made the second round of the NCAA Championships after being selected as a regional host.

A selfless player and teammate, Wischmeyer took on a new role as his career progressed after being asked to move back and become a primary defender. He fought through injuries as a junior to still play half of the season, before regrouping to deliver a mammoth senior campaign…

In the fall of 2023, Wischmeyer (now a center back) was voted OAC Defender of the Year after anchoring one of the league’s top defenses yet again. The unit compiled an 0.85 goals-against average and posted nine shutouts along the way, earning the OAC regular-season title and return trip to NCAA’s.

During both of Wischmeyer’s trips to the national tournament, Otterbein fought hard in close losses to teams (University of Chicago and Washington College) that went on to make the Final Four. Nevertheless, he racked up multiple awards at the conference, state and regional levels as a dual threat on the pitch... where he also came up as a dangerous weapon on free kicks to secure a handful of goals/assists offensively.

In addition to those efforts on the pitch, Wischmeyer also produced mightily in the classroom with a 3.87 cumulative GPA as a sport management major. He was 3x Academic All-OAC, 2x Academic All-District and broke through as a true senior (2023) to earn prestigious second team Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communicators organization.

He was one of just 34 standouts in NCAA Division III to make that national list, becoming the program’s first Academic All-American in a full decade. Mark later chose to return for a fifth year of eligibility and continue making an impact.