TOWSON, Md. - As the Landmark Conference counts down to the start of the 2026-27 academic year, the Conference will revisit some of the best stories from its member institutions through the Landmark Rewind series.
Running August 3-14, Landmark Rewind will spotlight one Landmark institution each weekday by featuring two stories originally produced by that school's athletics department. From student-athlete features and championship moments to community impact and campus initiatives, the series gives fans another opportunity to discover the people and programs that make the Landmark Conference special before fall competition begins.
Discover. Develop. Dedicate. These are the three pillars of NCAA Division III, aspects of the philosophy that focus on student-athletes’ pursuit of growth, balance, and excellence in both academics and athletics.
“At Elizabethtown College, our coaches clearly see student-athletes as students first and take pride in their academic success alongside their athletic accomplishments,” Kurt DeGoede, Professor of Engineering and Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), said. “Our faculty embraces athletics not as a competing priority for students, but as a tool that can help them excel academically. That balance of exploration, growth, and disciplined commitment is exactly what the Division III motto looks like in practice at Etown.”
Look no further than recent graduates Ben Watson ’23 and Kelty Oaster ’25, two former students of DeGoede’s who arrived at Etown as under-the-radar recruits and left as standout performers at the Division I level in baseball and track & field, respectively.
Watson, a star outfielder for Etown’s Baseball team from 2020-23, had interest from other Division III schools, but wasn’t on the radar for bigger Division I or II programs.
“Starting at Elizabethtown College was the best thing for me in my career,” Watson said. “Etown allowed me the time I needed to grow as an athlete, student, and person.”
From the perspective of many Division I programs, physicality and size are paramount. It was also the one factor that initially worked against Watson, despite the fact that he possessed all the skills coaches seek in a player. He could run, hit, and throw.
The opening of the College’s state-of-the-art Bowers Center for Fitness & Well-Being coincided with Watson’s arrival at the College and played a leading role in his physical development.
“I knew the biggest thing I had to do in order to get the baseball level I wanted to be at was to change my body,” Watson said.
It wouldn’t take long for that work to turn into impactful success for the Blue Jays.
Watson put together one of the most accomplished baseball careers in recent Etown history, graduating among the program’s career leaders and ranking second in batting average, triples, and home runs. His 85 hits and 63 runs in 2023 set program single-season records as he went on to be named the 2023 Landmark Conference Player of the Year, along with being a First Team All-Conference, All-Region, and All-America outfield selection.
As his résumé on the field continued to grow, Watson was meeting equally high expectations in the classroom as a two-time Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll honoree.
“Balancing a baseball schedule along with a challenging academic workload was tough, but the Engineering faculty were very supportive,” Watson said. They gave as much time and effort as needed to help me succeed.”
Watson’s remarkable development during his time with the Blue Jays was rewarded following graduation. With extra eligibility granted due to COVID-19-affected seasons, Watson pursued a specialized master’s degree in building construction science and management while competing for the Virginia Tech Baseball team at the Division I level. He made an immediate impact for the Hokies and put the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on notice in his first year.
Watson’s 93 hits in 2024 were a Virginia Tech single-season record and the most hits for the program since 2010. He led the ACC in regular-season batting average at .418 and earned All-ACC Second Team, ABCA/Rawlings Division I All-Region Second Team, and NCBWA Division I Third Team All-America honors. He followed up his final collegiate season in 2025 with another 65 hits and eight home runs before minor league baseball stints with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (MLB Draft League) and Washington Wild Things (Frontier League).
“I always told myself that when I was done with my playing career, I would finish with no regrets, and I can confidently say that I accomplished that,” Watson said.
“As a Division III institution, our mission is to develop student-athletes holistically—academically, athletically, and personally,” Chris Morgan ’91, Elizabethtown College Director of Athletics, said. “Seeing Ben earn opportunities at the Division I level speaks to his work ethic, growth, and commitment, as well as the foundation built here at Etown.”
Similar to Watson, Oaster flew under the radar during her college cross country and track & field recruitment. Her senior high school season was disrupted by COVID-19, costing her a final opportunity to showcase improved times.
During her first year at Etown, Oaster quickly displayed her potential at the 2021 AARTFC Outdoor Championships, winning the 800 meters in 2:13, which was an eye-opening five-second personal best. At the 2022 Landmark Outdoor Championships, she made headlines by splitting a sub-57 second in the 4x400 meter relay.
“That was just at a different level than what ‘2:13 people’ are supposed to be capable of, and that’s when I knew she was different,” Brian Falk, Elizabethtown College Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, said.
What most will remember about Oaster’s storied career at Etown is her back-to-back 800-meter national titles at the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Behind those wins was a story of resilience.
Oaster dealt with several illnesses and injuries over her Etown career that dramatically altered and affected her availability and training.
“For her to finish fifth at outdoor NCAAs in the 800m (in 2024) was almost as amazing as what she did in 2025 because of how little actual training she was able to do,” Falk said. “That’s when I knew she could win.”
What started as a dream, Oaster turned into reality.
“The more I trained and got better, the more I realized it might actually be possible to win a national championship,” Oaster said.
Her margins of victory across two national championships in the same calendar year were just .17 seconds combined – a testament that Falk credits to Oaster’s astute racing instincts. In each championship final, she trailed going into the final turns and used her incredible finishing kick and determination to guide her to become Etown’s first woman to win multiple NCAA titles.
“It felt a bit surreal to be able to get not only one, but two national titles,” Oaster said. “I feel really grateful that I was able to give something back to the school and the program that gave me so much. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of this without the support of everyone along the way.”
Oaster graduated from Etown in 2025 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and minors in Marketing and Biology. With an extra year of eligibility due to injury-shortened seasons, she jumped on an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in marketing and compete at the Division I level in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for Vanderbilt’s Track & Field program.
Oaster’s success illustrates the high level of competition within Division III athletics. Her school- and conference-record 2:05.09 in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships was not only a national best, but a performance that would have earned a podium finish in the SEC that same year.
Oaster’s debut at Vanderbilt picked up right where she left off at Etown as she placed top four in each of the Commodores opening three meets, taking third in the mile at the Winter Commodore Challenge on Dec. 6, fourth in the 1,000 meters at the University of Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational on Jan. 9, and second in the 800 meters at the Vanderbilt Invitational on Jan. 17.
For DeGoede, who witnessed both Watson and Oaster thrive on and off the field, their stories epitomize the true spirit of Division III.
“Ben’s humble, hard-working, get-it-done mindset was evident both in the classroom and on the field at Etown and later at Virginia Tech,” DeGoede said. “While Kelty was always focused on incremental progress and long-term growth, a rare combination of resilience, optimism, and work ethic that clearly laid the foundation for her success.”