Posted by: Ryan Maurer

Jered Glover

Greg Cornett

The Wittenberg University Tigers refused to lose last Saturday at Hanover College and were rewarded for their hard work with a thrilling 34-33 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.

Wittenberg rallied time and again, coming back from a 21-7 halftime deficit and a 33-28 fourth-quarter deficit and then surviving an errant 37-yard Hanover field goal attempt with just 25 seconds left. In a scene eerily reminiscent of Wittenberg's 2001 first round victory over Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, (38-35 in overtime) the Tigers survived to play another day. This time, Wittenberg earned itself a second-round match-up with undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference champion Wabash College next Saturday in Crawfordsville, Ind.

The Tigers had their share of problems in the first half as Hanover's fast-break offense wreaked havoc. The Panthers, who do not use a huddle on offense, ran out to a 21-7 halftime lead as Hanover's quarterback ran for one touchdown, passed for another and then caught a scoring pass on a halfback option. Wittenberg's only answer came on a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) to junior wide receiver Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison).

The second half was a totally different story. Wittenberg got key interceptions by sophomore defensive tackle Jarrett Brown (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles) and senior safety John Hauser (Columbus, Ohio/Hartley) and turned them into the only two scores of the third quarter, scoring receptions of 11 and 72 yards by Ivery.

Hanover re-took the lead at the 13:09 mark of the fourth quarter but missed the conversion. Wittenberg came right back, putting together a 10-play drive keyed by a 28-yard fourth-down reception by Adrian Crane (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and concluded by senior tailback Daniel Grove's (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont) two-yard sweep.

After the Tigers took a one-point lead with the extra point, Hanover responded again with a touchdown pass but failed on the conversion. Then freshman wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) made the play of the game, breaking a short screen pass into an 80-yard touchdown play. The Tigers also failed on their two-point conversion, and with 6:59 remaining the game was 34-33.

The Panthers took a shot at the end zone in their final drive and Hauser made a big defensive play by tackling the receiver out of bounds as he made what appeared to be a game-winning catch. On fourth down, Hanover missed a 37-yard field goal attempt when its kicker lost his footing on the muddy turf.

Individually, Cornett finished with 18 completions in 30 attempts for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Glover led with five receptions for 114 yards and Ivery added four catches for 120 yards and three scores.

Next: 11/30 at Wabash, Noon
NCAA Division III Playoffs

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Tiffany Keller

Monica McDonald

The Tiger volleyball team took another big step forward in 2002. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it two big steps forward last weekend as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The final scores were 30-18, 29-31, 30-20, 30-19 in favor of the homestanding Warhawks.

Wisconsin-Whitewater opened the first game with five consecutive points and never trailed in a 30-18 victory. Wittenberg was led by sophomore outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and senior outside hitter Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic), who each finished with three kills. Senior middle hitter Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) and sophomore libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) each added four digs.

In the second game, the action went back and forth before Wittenberg prevailed 31-29. The Tigers were led by McDonald, Keller and junior outside hitter Lindsay Nelson (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) with five kills each. Murphy had 12 digs and sophomore setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) added 17 assists.

The Warhawks opened Game 3 with a 5-2 run and never trailed en route to a 30-20 victory. And the fourth game was tied 9-9 before Whitewater took control with a 19-6 run en route to a 30-19 victory.

UW-Whitewater improved to 34-4 overall on the season and picked up its second win over Wittenberg in four weeks. The Warhawks, ranked sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Poll, advanced to the national semifinals.

The Tigers, ranked No. 3 in the final AVCA poll, were led by Keller's 17 kills and 15 from McDonald. Yuskewich had 43 assists and set new school, conference and NCAA records for assists in a season and assists per game during a season. Both marks had previously been established by Wittenberg's Shelli Habegger in the 2000 season.

Earlier last week, Yuskewich had learned that she had been named the NCAC Player of the Year. She is the fifth straight Wittenberg player to earn that honor. Keller and McDonald joined her on the first-team, Murphy was named second-team All-NCAC and Surowicz was the Coach of the Year for a third time in her nine years at Wittenberg.

Next: Season Complete

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Rebecca Russ

Emily Duh

The season may be over, but the Wittenberg field hockey team is still basking in the glory of a 20th consecutive winning season and the rewards that come along with such success. On Monday, Nov. 25, four Wittenberg players were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America teams, nearly doubling the total number of All-Americans in school history.

Senior forward Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) and senior sweeper Rebecca Russ (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) were both named to the first team after earlier taking home first-team All-NCAC and first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors. Both were repeat selections on the conference and region teams, but it was the first first-team All-America designation for either. Russ had earned third-team All-America a year ago.

Duh put together one of the finest seasons in school history in 2002, scoring a school-record 60 total points on a school-record-tying 26 goals and eight assists. Russ will go down in the Wittenberg annals as one of the finest defensive player ever to don a Tiger uniform. She recorded 20 career defensive saves, tops in school history, and she also scored two goals and six assists in her career on 40 shots.

Two other Tigers garnered national recognition as well. Senior defender Heather House (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) and sophomore goalkeeper Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) both were named to the third team. It was the first such designation for either, and it also followed first-team All-NCAC and first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors. House has been a stalwart on defense for the Tigers for three straight years and was an integral part of the record-setting unit of 2002. Meyer allowed just 17 goals all season and started every game.

Next: Season Complete

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Abi Gerstle

It was a fine conclusion to a fine career, the finest, in fact, that any Wittenberg female cross country runner has ever put together.

Senior Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) finished 54th in the NCAA Division III National Championship meet last weekend at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. She ran the course in a time of 22:49, and she moved up more than 30 spots from last year.

This is the third consecutive year in which Gerstle qualified for the national meet, adding to her long list of accomplishments. Gerstle was the first Wittenberg female to make the national meet when she advanced in 2000, the first Tiger runner to make it two times when she qualified in 2001 and, of course, broke new ground when she advanced to this weekend's meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.

In addition, Gerstle was the first Wittenberg runner, male of female, to capture first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference in 2001. She repeated that feat this year.

Next: Season Complete

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Becca Searcy

Kyle Dunaway

The fall dual meet season is now in the books for the Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams. The Tiger men fell in their fall finale against NCAC rival Hiram 116-106 while the Tiger women were victors over the Terriers 126-60.

The best finish for either team was turned in by freshman freshman Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County Bloomington), who set a new pool record in the 400-yard Individual Medley in an NCAA "B" cut time. Fellow freshman Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) just missed making a little history of her own, finishing first in the 200 backstroke in a time that was less than one second short of the school record. Other notables among the Tiger winners were junior Jessica Forsberg (Wickliffe, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) in the 50 freestyle, junior Jamie Cook (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) in the 1-meter diving competition and senior Ashley Tipple (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) in the 3-meter diving.

The men got particularly season or lifetime best performances from freshman Sean Buffington (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) in the 200 free, junior Kyle Dunaway (Warren, Ohio/Howland), who took second in the 200 butterfly,and freshman Sean Buchan (Akron, Ohio/Revere) in the 400 IM. The difference in the meet was diving, just as it was earlier in a dual meet against Wabash. Wittenberg does not currently have any male divers competing.

Next: 12/6-7 at DePauw Invitational

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Andy Bucheit

Peter Walker

The Tiger men's basketball team got off to a mixed start last weekend in the season-opening Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic at the HPER Center, defeating Alma in the first round by a score of 99-58 but falling to Ohio Dominican in the championship game on Saturday by a final of 80-75. It was just the third time in 20 years that Wittenberg has lost a game in the annual tournament.

On Friday, the Tigers got out of the gates strong and buried a young and inexperienced Alma squad. Wittenberg set a record for three-point field goals in a game with 18, one short of the school mark but seven better than the tournament mark. Leading the charge was junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) and junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), both with four treys. Sophomore guard Danny Brywczinski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) added three on just three attempts. Walker was the team's leading scorer with 17 points, with Brywczinski adding 15, freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) chipping in with 13 and Emmons finishing with 12.

In the championship game, Wittenberg was battling from behind the entire night and just couldn't pull ahead. Ohio Dominican had a huge advantage from the free throw line in the game, and the Panthers were tremendously accurate when they had opportunities. Senior forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) had 21 points to lead the Tigers, but it wasn't enough.

Walker and sophomore guard Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), who had two solid games off the bench, were both chosen for the all-tournament team. The Tigers head right back into tournament play this weekend as they travel to Franklin, Ind. for a tournament at Franklin College. All four teams involved in the competition made appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament a year ago.

Next: 11/29 vs. St. Norbert, 6 p.m.
Franklin College Tournament

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Amber Bishop

Stephanie Campbell

Like their men's hoops counterparts, the Tiger women's basketball team couldn't quite put all the pieces together over the weekend in the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic. Wittenberg won the opening round game in convincing fashion, 56-45 over Albion College, but Otterbein College got the best of the Tigers in the championship game by an 82-74 margin.

Against Albion on Friday, the Tigers used a big spurt early in the second half to put some distance between them and the visiting Britons. Keying that run was senior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) with 15 points and four assists. Junior guard Amber Bishop (Batavia, Ohio/Batavia) chipped in with 13 points.

In the loss to Otterbein, a bigger, more experienced team that wasn't missing four players like Wittenberg was due to the national volleyball tournament and a key injury, Campbell led several second-half charges that came up just short with her three-point shooting. She finished with a team-high 17 points. Senior forwards Meghan Bruggeman (Middletown, Ohio/Fenwick) and Rebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline) each finished with 10 points, as did senior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll).

Campbell and Bishop were both named to the all-tournament team. The Tigers have a very tough schedule ahead of them with game's tonight against Capital and next Tuesday at Baldwin-Wallace, both annually among the best in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Next: 12/3 at Baldwin-Wallace, 5 p.m.