The fund was endowed by Brett Neff, BSCE ’93 and his spouse Jodi (Feasel) Neff, BSPh ’93 to honor the legacy of Coach Jason Maus and support future generations of track and field athletes.
The Jason Maus Track and Field Endowment Fund has been established at Ohio Northern University thanks to a lead gift from Brett Neff, BSCE ’93 and his spouse Jodi (Feasel) Neff, BSPh ’93. The endowment honors the legacy of Coach Jason Maus, the university’s all-time winningest coach in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. The fund will support generations of track and field students athletes, setting them up for success and enabling them to learn perseverance, time management, teamwork, and discipline.
According to an article on Ohio Northern University’s website, Brett Neff is quoted as saying of the reasons he and Jodi decided to endow the fund and name it after Maus, “His successes with the program, and specifically the successes of the athletes he has helped mold into working professionals, are the reason we felt strongly about naming the endowment after him. The program holds a very special place in our family, and Jason Maus has been a big part of that. We see the passion he has for the sport and he has a genuine understanding of what it means to be a Division III student-athlete. Everybody’s motivation for giving is going to be different. We chose to give back because of what ONU and the track and field program have given us—each other, our kids, their spouses. It’s given us a great deal of joy.”
The Neffs met during their time participating in track and field at Ohio Northern University in the 90s. They fell in love and had children, who were also student athletes and met their own spouses thanks to track and field, as well. Their son, Kyle Neff, BSBA ’20, met his spouse, softball player Taylor (Gaerke) Neff, PharmD ’22, and their daughter, Lexi (Neff) Hann, BSN ’23, met her spouse Breydan Hann, BS ’23, both through track and field.
While Brett and Jodi Neff never were coached by Maus themselves, they watched him transform the track and field program beginning in 2008. Since the beginning of his tenure as coach, Maus has earned 16 individual National Championship titles, 91 NCAA All-Americans, and 381 OAC Champions. His staff received OAC Men’s Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year honors eight times, and Women’s Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year honors 11 times. Additionally, Maus became USTFCCCA Great Lakes Women’s Track and Field Head Coach of the Year four times and the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Men’s Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year two times.
Shannon Spencer, the vice president for University Advancement, said, “We are so grateful for the Neffs for leading this effort and generously providing the defining gift to fully endow the track and field fund. They along with many other donors exemplify what it means to pay it forward.”
For more information about Ohio Northern University, visit the school’s website.