Wittenberg University Athletics -- Men's and Women's Tennis 2003-04 News Releases

Men's and Women's Tennis
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2003-04 News Releases

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

May 14, 2004

Forty-Three Wittenberg Student-Athletes Earn Spring Sport Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Another banner spring sports season has reaped rich rewards for 43 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks.Read More..

May 5, 2004

Shane Hutton

Emily Figel

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams put the wraps on the 2003-04 season more than a week ago with finishes of sixth and fourth respectively in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Last week, Wittenberg placed three players on the All-NCAC roll call.

On the men's side, sophomore Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.Va./Central Catholic) received Honorable Mention for his singles play as he alternated between first and second singles. He finished 6-14 overall.

For the women, junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) was named to the All-NCAC first team, the third straight year she has been honored by the conference. Playing No. 1 exclusively for the third straight year, Figel finished with a 10-9 overall record and a 3-2 mark in NCAC regular season action. Figel and senior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) earned second-team honors in doubles after finishing 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC regular season.

Rounding things out, junior Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), who finished 12-3 at second singles, claimed All-NCAC Honorable Mention honors. It was the second straight year with Honorable Mention honors for Fassler.

Next: Season Complete

April 30, 2004

Ben Burkam

Sarah Fassler

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams posted finishes of sixth and fourth respectively at the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend at Oberlin College.

The men, playing without top singles and doubles player and two-time All-NCAC selection Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage), were beaten in the first round by Oberlin, came back to defeat Wabash in the first round consolation match and then lost to Denison in the match to determine fifth and sixth place. They finished 9-6 overall.

On the season, sophomore Nick McLean (Port Clinton, Ohio/Port Clinton) posted the team's best singles record at 14-3, including 4-0 in the NCAC West during the regular season, while primarily playing in the No. 4 spot. Other winning records were turned in by sophomore Steve Wilson (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) at 9-6 (4-0 NCAC West) while primarily playing at No. 5 and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) finished at 10-4 while playing fourth, fifth and sixth singles. In doubles, the top tandem was sophomore Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.Va./Central Catholic) and Burkam, who finished at 6-4, primarily playing the No. 2 position.

On the women's side, the Tigers defeated Oberlin in the first round, lost to nationally ranked Denison in semifinals and then were beaten by perennial powerhouse Kenyon in the consolation to place fourth. Wittenberg had finished third in each of the last three seasons. For the 2004 campaign, the Tigers wound up with an 11-4 overall record.

All six singles players and all three doubles teams concluded the season with non-losing records. Junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) wound up 10-9 at No. 1 singles, junior Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) finished 12-3 at second singles, sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) wrapped things up at 15-4 at the third spot, freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) ended at 13-6 at No. 4, senior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) concluded her career with an 11-7 record in 2003-04 at No. 5 and senior Megan Maher (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) finished 9-9 at the sixth position. In doubles, Figel and Nowakowski went 8-6 at No. 1, Maher and sophomore Mallory Meyer (Darien, Conn./Darien) went 10-8 at No. 2 and Robinow and Russell went 11-7 at No. 3.

Next: Season Complete

April 29, 2004

2004 All-NCAC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams
CLEVELAND -- Kenyon junior Borko Tesic (Amherst, OH/Elyria Catholic) has been named Player of the Year to highlight the 2004 All-North Coast Athletic Conference men's tennis selections. Tesic, who compiled a 15-4 record in singles this spring, makes his first appearance on the All-NCAC first team after earning a second-team nod last spring. Tesic is joined on the first team by a trio of repeat first- team honorees - Read More..

April 21, 2004

Kristyn Russell

Nick McLean

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams have done all that Mother Nature has allowed them to do. While dodging raindrops over the last two months, the Tiger men have compiled an 8-4 overall record and a mark of 3-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division and the Tiger women have posted records of 10-2 and 3-2. Now it's on to the conference championship tournament this weekend at Oberlin.

On the men's side, four matches have been lost to bad weather, including two in the last two days. Still, the young Tigers have great momentum as they head to Oberlin after claiming a piece of the NCAC West title with a win last Saturday over Earlham and then gaining an off-court victory on Tuesday with the announcement that the Tigers would be a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria. The No. 1 team in each division plays the No. 4 team from the other division in the opening round.

Five of the eight Tiger men's players who have played at least five singles matches this season have posted winning records to date. Junior Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) is 10-9 at No. 3, sophomore Nick McLean (Port Clinton, Ohio/Port Clinton) is a team-best 13-2, including 4-0 in the NCAC West, while primarily playing in the No. 4 spot, sophomore Steve Wilson (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) is 8-5 while primarily playing at No. 5, sophomore Brian Pierce (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) is 5-4 while primarily playing at No. 5 and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) is 9-4 while playing fourth, fifth and sixth singles. In doubles, the top tandem is McLean and freshman John Shields (New Kensington, Pa./Valley), who have a 6-3 mark at the No. 3 position, including a 3-1 mark against divisional foes.

On the women's side, the Tigers have put together a fine season. Sporting a lineup of two seniors, two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman in singles, the Tigers have proved they will be a force to be reckoned with at the conference championship this weekend. The Tiger women have lost three matches to weather concerns this spring.

All six singles players and all three doubles teams have winning records. Junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) is 9-8 at No. 1 singles, junior Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) is 11-3 at second singles, sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) is a team-best 14-3 at the third spot, freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) is 12-5 at No. 4, senior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) is 10-6 at No. 5 and senior Megan Maher (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) is 8-7 at the sixth position. In doubles, Figel and Nowakowski are 7-4 at No. 1, Maher and sophomore Mallory Meyer (Darien, Conn./Darien) are 9-6 at No. 2 and Robinow and Russell are 10-5 at No. 3.

Next:4/23-25 NCAC Championships at Oberlin

April 15, 2004

Bryan Heft, Casey Clagett, Emily Figel Make NCAC 20th Anniversary All-Decade Teams
CLEVELAND -- Kenyon’s Mike Herrick and Denison’s Lauren Gerlach head an impressive list of stellar athletes named to
the North Coast Athletic Conference’s 20th Anniversary men’s and women’s tennis teams. Herrick and Gerlach are two
members of the squads still actively competing. Herrick, a junior for the Lords who plays first and second singles, is already a two-time, first-team All-NCAC selection, and was the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 2002.Read More..

April 1, 2004

Sarah Fassler

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams haven't had much of a break from Mother Nature in recent days, but hopefully the skies will clear and the weekend's scheduled NCAC action against Ohio Wesleyan and Allegheny will move forward as planned on Saturday. Both matches are to be played at Ohio Wesleyan, both men and women.

Last week, the men got three matches in before the cold and rain swept through Ohio. The Tigers defeated Ohio Dominican on Thursday, 7-0, and pulled out a key North Coast Athletic Conference West Division win over Wabash, 4-3, on Friday night. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg was beaten for the first time, a 5-2 setback against NAIA scholarship program Olivet Nazarene.

The Tiger men have three singles starters with winning records currently. Senior Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) is 6-3 while playing the No. 1 position, sophomore Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) is 7-4 at No. 3 and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) is 5-4 at No. 4.

On the women's side, the Tigers got the match in against Ohio Dominican and prevailed, 8-1. But both the men and women have had matches against Capital and Wilmington postponed this week.

The Tiger women have a winning record at every singles position currently. Tops among them are junior Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) at No. 2 with a mark of 6-1, sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) at No. 3 with a record of 7-2 and senior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) at No. 5 with a mark of 6-3.

Next: 4/3 at Ohio Wesleyan, Noon
4/3 vs. Allegheny, 4 p.m.*
* at Ohio Wesleyan

March 23, 2004

Shane Hutton

The Wittenberg University men's and women's tennis teams are both generally young outfits expected to feature enough talent in the lineups to get back into the thick of the North Coast Athletic Conference races in 2004.

The Tiger men, which lost four starters from last year's team that ranked in the top 10 in the region and placed second in the rugged NCAC, are led by their lone senior, first singles and doubles player Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage). A three-year letterwinner and two-time All-NCAC choice, Lakos takes over the top spot from All-American Casey Clagett after two years at the No. 2 singles position. The only other returning starter is sophomore Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.Va./Charleston Catholic), who played No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles in the 2002-03 season. Hutton has moved into the No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles positions.

Junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes), a two-year letterwinner who has never previously cracked the starting lineup, and sophomores Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora), Nick McLean (Port Clinton, Ohio/Port Clinton) and Brian Pierce (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) are the leading candidates for the other singles positions. Sophomore Steve Wilson (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) and freshman John Shields (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) have worked their way into the mix for one of the doubles positions.

On the women's side, the Tigers return five singles starters and another who started at No. 2 doubles a year ago. The headliner is junior Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead), a two-time all-conference performer and the 2002 NCAC Newcomer of the Year. She is joined in this year's starting singles lineup by junior Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), sophomore Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake), freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) and seniors Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and Megan Maher (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston). Other returning letterwinners include senior Valerie Allen (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain), junior Ellie Hazelbaker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon).

In doubles, Head Coach Dave Engle is likely to experiment with a number of combinations, incorporating the listed singles, as well as sophomore Mallory Meyer (Darien, Conn./Darien).

The teams kick off the spring season this week with a home match against Ohio Dominican on Thursday. That is followed by a men's home match against NCAC West Division rival Wabash on Friday.

Next: 3/25 vs. Ohio Dominican, 3:30 p.m. (M&W)

March 5, 2004

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams are both back to their winning ways so far in the 2003-04 school year.

With one win in the fall and one win in the winter under their belts, the men are showing signs that the loss of four of six starters won't slow them down this year.

With one win in the fall and two lop-sided victories in the winter, the women are showing that their young team may be growing quickly into a force in the challenging North Coast Athletic Conference again in 2004.

A full season outlook will be included in next week's all-sports release. Neither team is going on a Spring Break trip this year, instead taking a short respite before heading into spring action in late March.

Next: 3/20-21 at Wabash Tournament (M)
3/25 vs. O. Dominican, 3:30 p.m. (W)

October 9, 2003

Duby Lakos

The Wittenberg women's tennis team hosted the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region Championships Oct. 3-6 and the men's tennis team traveled to DePauw for its ITA Tournament Sept. 28-28.

On the women's side, junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) all reached the second round in the singles competition. For the men, senior Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) each winning a pair of singles matches. Lakos and sophomore Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) reached the quarterfinals of the doubles draw.

Next: Fall Season Complete

October 2, 2003

Emily Figel

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region Women's Championships will take place Oct. 3-6 at Wittenberg University's Georgiana Albright Tennis Complex.

The ITA Central Region Championship is one of eight regional tournaments for Division III women taking place across the country over a two-week span. The singles and doubles champions from these regional tournaments advance to the ITA National Small College Championships, presented by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Oct. 16-19, in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2002, Wittenberg's Casey Clagett won the men's regional title in September and advanced to the national championships in October. He went on to gain All-America status.

The 2003 ITA Central Region Women's Championships features some of the finest players in the nation, including Wittenberg's top player, junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead). She has won at least two matches in the tournament each of the last two years, and this year she enters the competition seeded No. 3 in the singles draw. In 2002, DePauw's Haley Heathman won the singles championship over her teammate, Liz Bondi. The doubles title went to Denison's top-seeded duo of Lauren Gerlach and Alison Hughes in three sets over DePauw's unseeded team of Jill Anderson and Alex Nelson.

The Tiger men's and women's teams are both of to strong starts to the 2003-04 season. Both recorded wins against Ohio Dominican in their only dual matches of the fall campaign, and both played well against top competition, including Division I programs in the University of Dayton, Wright State, Detroit and Youngstown State, in the Wittenberg Invitational. In addition, the Tiger men completed their ITA Central Region Tournament last weekend at DePauw, with senior Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) each winning a pair of singles matches. Lakos and sophomore Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) reached the quarterfinals of the doubles draw.

Next: 10/3-5 ITA Central Region Women's Tournament (at Wittenberg)

October 1, 2004

ITA Central Region Women's Tennis Championships Hosted by Wittenberg This Weekend
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region Women's Championships will take place Oct. 3-6 at Wittenberg University's Georgiana Albright Tennis Complex.
Read More..