Wittenberg University Athletics - Cross Country 2003 News Releases

Men's and Women's Cross Country
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2003 News Releases

All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu

November 25, 2003

Thirty-Four Wittenberg Student-Athletes Earn 2003 Fall Sport Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Another banner fall sports season has reaped tangible rewards for 34 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams. In addition, several Tiger athletes received regional and national recognition from various organizations, including two All-America selections to date. Read More ...

November 20, 2003

Becky Barnes

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams concluded the 2003 season at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet last weekend at Hanover College. The women finished 21st among the 34 teams in the field, while the men took home 31st place.

In the women's six-kilometer race, senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) earned all-region honors for her 30th-place finish (top 35 runners each such honors). Her time of 23:54.1 was a personal-best.

Sophomore Tracy Butler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) posted a season-best time of 24:34.0 en route to a 51st-place finish. Sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) had a season-best time of 26:30.5 and finished 158th, freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) finished in 27:13.3 and claimed 187th, and junior Sarah Woodford (Sprinboro, Ohio/Springboro) posted a personal-best time of 28:21.3 as she finished 203rd to round out the team's scorers.

In the men's eight-kilometer race, sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) led the way with a 142nd-place finish in a time of 28:58. Freshman Matt Dilworth (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) posted a time of 29:06, which was six seconds off his personal best and good for 151st place. He was followed by senior Tim Damopoulos (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) in 180th place in a time of 30:11, sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) in 197th place in a time of 30:56 and freshman Jansen Wehrley (Medina, Ohio/Medina) in 200th place in a time of 31:05.

Next: Season Complete

November 6, 2003

Becky Barnes

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams finished 10th and eighth respectively in the NCAC Championship meet last Saturday at Wooster. Senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) was Wittenberg's top finisher in either race, and her finish was strong enough to garner Honorable Mention All-NCAC honors. She posted her best finish in the competition, placing 18th in a time of 18:14.

Sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) placed 24th in a time of 20:27, sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) placed 44th in 21:49, freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) took 53rd in 22:21 and junior Sarah Woodford (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) placed 57th in 23:23.

On the men's side, the top finisher was sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) in 49th place in a time of 29:27. He was followed by sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) in 55th in 30:00, sophomore Matt Dilworth (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) in 59th in 30:14, senior Tim Damopoulos (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) in 60th in 30:15 and senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London) in 64th place in 30:30.

The Tiger teams will put the finishing touches on the 2003 season this weekend at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional at Hanover College. If any Tiger runner can work his or her way into the top eight, the NCAA Division III National Championship meet is slated for Nov. 22 at Hanover.

Next: 11/15 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional
at Hanover College

October 30, 2003

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams took a week off from competition before heading to Wooster for the Nov. 1 NCAC Championship meet. The regional meet is slated for Nov. 8 at Hanover College in Indiana.

Next: 11/1 NCAC Championships at Wooster

October 23, 2003

John Compton

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams are heading into the home stretch of the 2003 season, and last weekend they participated in the Ohio Northern Invitational as a final tune-up for the upcoming NCAC and NCAA Division III regional championship meets.

Senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) led the Tigers, both men and women, with a 15th-place finish. She posted a personal-best time of 24:09 in the 6K race. In leading the Tiger women to a ninth-place team finish, Barnes was joined by sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) with a 44th-place finish in a season-best time of 25:21. Other personal bests were recorded by freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette), junior Sarah Woodford (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and freshman Christine Maddox (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg). Season-best times were posted by sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), senior Nikki Norcia (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), freshman Meredith Deitsch (Edgerton, Ohio/Edgerton) and senior Jenny Brill (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington).

In the men's 8K, sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) topped the Tigers with a 65th-place finish in a personal-best time of 28:28. Other personal-bests were posted by senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London), freshman Jansen Wehrley (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and senior Andrew Hobson (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington). Sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) recorded a season-best time as he finished second among the Tiger runners.

The cross country teams will take a breather this weekend before heading to Wooster for the Nov. 1 NCAC Championship meet. The regional meet is slated for Nov. 8 at Hanover College in Indiana.

Next: 11/1 NCAC Championships at Wooster

October 16, 2003

Becky Barnes

The Wittenberg cross country teams put together a solid showing in the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan on Friday. The meet annually features one of the strongest fields the Tigers compete against, and the 2003 competition was no different.

On the women's side, Wittenberg finished 12th among the 19 NCAA Division III teams in the field. Senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) was the Tigers' leading runner once again as she registered a 32nd-place finish with a time of 20:33. Sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) added a 56th-place finish in a time of 21:09. Sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) finished 84th, freshman Sarah Yehle (Edgerton, Ohio/Edgerton) wound up 90th and sophomore Sarah Gearhart (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) rounded out the scorers for the Tigers with a 107th-place finish.

For the Tiger men, who finished 18th, senior Tim Damopoulos (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) led the way by finishing 89th in a time of 30:16. He was followed by sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield), who took 99th, sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who placed 103rd, and senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London), who finished 106th.

Next up for the Tigers is a road trip to Ada, Ohio for the annual Polar Bear Invitational. That will the team's final tune-up for the NCAC Championships, scheduled for Nov. 1 at Wooster.

Next: 10/18 at Ohio Northern

October 9, 2003

Charles Njoka

After a week off, the Tiger men's and women's cross country team went back to work at Dickinson College last weekend for the Long-Short Invitational. In this unique set-up, teams divide into groups of four runners each. One runs a 4K, while the second men's team runs an 8K and the second women's team runs a 6K.

The Tiger men finished 24th in a strong 30-team field in the 4K and 33rd of 40 in the 8K. Leading the charge in the shorter race was freshman Charles Njoka (Urbana, Ohio/Graham), who finished 74th in a time of 14:24. Sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) was the team's top finisher in the longer event with a time of 29:48, good for 106th place.

On the women's side, sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) led the charge in the 4K with a 30th place finish and a time of 16:26. In the 6K, senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) paced the Tiger runners with a time of 25:28, good for 45th place. As a team, the Tigers finished 28th of 36 in the 6K and 21st of 36 in the 4K.

Wittenberg and most of the other teams in the state of Ohio are back in action today at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan.

Next: 10/10 at All-Ohio Champs. Hosted by Ohio Wesleyan

September 29, 2003

Jeremy Kaufman, Abi Gerstle Named to NCAC All-Decade Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams - pdf file
CLEVELAND -- Kenyon's Dan Denning and Oberlin's Shannon Fox head an impressive list of past standouts named to the North Coast Athletic Conference's 20th Anniversary men's and women's cross country teams. Denning claimed back-to-back NCAC individual titles in 1996 and 1997. He produced four top-seven finishes over his career with the Lords, earning four straight first-team All-NCAC honors. Read More ...

September 25, 2003

Becky Barnes

The Wittenberg cross country teams competed in the Cedarville Friendship Invitational at John Bryan State Park on Sept. 20 and came away feeling pretty good about the improvement they showed in one week's time. The teams ran the same course two weeks in a row for the Wittenberg Invitational and the Cedarville competition.

While the women finished sixth in the six-team competition, all five teams above them were members of NCAA or NAIA scholarship divisions. Senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) showed the way with a personal-best time of 19:45, which was good for 13th place.

That was one of five personal-best times turned in by Tiger women runners, along with seven other season-best times. The other four scorers for the Tigers were sophomore Tracy Butler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) and senior Nikki Norcia (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick). All four had either a season-best or personal-best time.

On the men's side, the Tigers again finished sixth in a field of all scholarship programs. Sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) led the team with a 32nd-place finish with a time of 28:59. He was followed by two runners who finished with personal-best times, freshman Matt Dilworth (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London). Rounding out the scorers for Wittenberg were senior Tim Damopoulos (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) with a season-best time and sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee). In all, six men turned in personal-best times and two others had season bests.

After a week off, the Tigers will be back in action next weekend at Dickinson College.

Next: 10/4 at Dickinson Long-Short

September 19, 2003

Tracy Butler

The Tiger men's and women's cross country teams are off to a solid start to the 2003 season after two competitions, including the annual Wittenberg Invitational last Saturday at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs. The season opened at the non-scored University of Dayton Invitational on Aug. 30.

Wittenberg finished second among three men's teams in its own invitational and third among four women's teams. NAIA scholarship program Cedarville won both men's and women's, while NAIA scholarship program Rio Grande had a full complement of women in the event and enough points to claim second place. Both Wittenberg teams finished ahead of Capital in the meet.

Two women and four men posted career-best times in the Wittenberg Invitational, and every runner on both teams improved their times from the season's first meet. Leading the way for the women was senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall), who claimed seventh place with a personal-best time for a 5-kilometer race. The rest of the scorers in the home meet were sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette), senior Nikki Norcia (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) and freshman Meredith Deitsch (Edgerton, Ohio/Edgerton), all of whom finished in the top 25.

Among the men, the leaders were sophomores Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield Heights), who claimed 11th place, and John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who was 12th. Senior Tim Damopoulos (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) finished 15th, senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London) claimed 16th and freshman Jansen Wehrley (Medina, Ohio/Medina) posted his best time as a collegian in taking 18th and rounding out the scorers for the Tigers.

At the Dayton meet, sophomore Tracy Butler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) placed 18th to lead the Tigers. Wittenberg was the only NCAA Division III squad in a field that included teams from Cincinnati, Dayton, Miami and Wright State. Butler covered the soggy 5000-meter course in 20:58.

The Tigers are back on their home course this Saturday for the Cedarville Invitational. The nationally ranked Yellow Jackets are hosting eight races during the day, starting with college division competitions at 10 a.m.

Next: 9/20 at Cedarville Invitational

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