Posted by: Ryan Maurer

Tiffany Keller

Rebecca Meers

The Wittenberg Tiger women's basketball team has taken control of its own destiny. At the halfway point of the 2002-03 season, the Tigers own a commanding two-game advantage in the race for the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship and the privilege of hosting the tournament championship Feb. 25-March 1.

Last week, the Tigers took two more steps toward defending their regular season conference crown with victories over Kenyon and Wooster. Both came at home in the friendly confines of the HPER Center, and they sewed up a perfect 8-0 record in the first round.

First up was a Wednesday night victory over the Kenyon Ladies, a physical, defensive-oriented team. The resourceful Tigers overcame a game challenge from Kenyon to claim a 65-57 win.

The difference in the game were 30 Kenyon turnovers by Wittenberg's relentless full-court press. Wittenberg got out to an early lead but couldn't shake the Ladies. Kenyon made a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to take a 28-27 lead into the locker room, but Wittenberg came out firing to start the second 20 minutes. Kenyon scratched back into a tie at 52-52 with 6:17 remaining in the game but missed a free throw and Wittenberg responded with an 8-3 run to open the lead back up.

The Tigers were paced offensively by senior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw), who scored 18 points. Senior guards Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) added 12 points apiece in the winning effort.

In the second game of the week, the Tigers faced a 15-4 first half deficit against the Wooster Scots. But Wittenberg responded like champions, scoring 18 straight points and eventually eased their way to a 36-25 halftime lead. While Wooster threatened at several points in the final 20 minutes, the game was never really in doubt as the Tigers then coasted home to a 76-56 victory.

The Tigers got season-highs on the offensive end from Keller and senior center Rebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline). Keller finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 from the foul line. Meers added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Campbell added 10 points, four assists and six steals. For the game, Wittenberg shot 50 percent from the field as a team and forced 32 Wooster turnovers, while committing just 20 of their own.

The Tigers have a few days to rest before opening up the second half of the conference season against two-time defending NCAC tournament champion Ohio Wesleyan Saturday in Delaware. The Bishops are two games behind Wittenberg in the current standings and lost 71-62 to the Tigers in Springfield earlier this season.

Next: 2/1 at Ohio Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

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B.J. Harris

Kevin Longley

The Tiger men's basketball team couldn't quite keep pace with the women, dropping the first game of the 2002-03 NCAC season at nationally ranked Wooster on Saturday. Despite the loss, Wittenberg is just a game back in the standings heading into the second half of the round robin competition.

Heading into Wednesday's game against conference challenger Wabash, the Tigers were banged up with injuries and limping due to illness, and for nearly eight minutes of the first half they played like it. But showing the resilience one would expect from a two-time defending NCAC regular season champion, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to a critical 62-47 victory.

The game was played as if the baskets had lids on them. The Tigers didn't score their first point until the 12:42 mark of the first half and didn't manage their first field goal until the 12:27 mark, after nine straight misfires. But Wabash managed little in the way of offensive production either and held a meager 5-0 lead when Wittenberg finally broke the scoring ice.

The Tigers took their first lead of the game, 10-9, at the 8:12 mark of the first half on a short jumper by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and never trailed again. The lead stretched out to 27-15 by halftime, thanks in part to a 19-6 burst to close things out in the final six minutes.

The Tigers held Wabash to 31 percent shooting from the field and owned a 44-26 rebounding advantage, including a career-high tying 15 from B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins). Sixteen of Wittenberg's rebounds came on the offensive end, including four by junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier).

Sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) led Wittenberg with 13 points off the bench, while Longley finished with 12 points and freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) added 10 points off the bench.

Then on Saturday, the Tigers traveled to Wooster for a renewal of the most storied rivalries in all of college sports. Wittenberg played a near perfect first half, and even after struggling for nearly 15 minutes of the second half, was within striking distance at 62-58. But the ninth-ranked Scots ended the game on a 19-6 run to take an 81-64 victory.

Wittenberg, which shot just 32 percent from the field in the second half, including 1-for-9 from three-point range, was led by Longley, who had his best all-around game of the season with a team-high 17 points and five rebounds. Harris added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

Next up for the Tigers is a tough game against Earlham and its up-tempo three-point shooting act at home on Wednesday night. Then they take to the road again next weekend for a contest at Allegheny.

Next: 1/29 vs. Earlham, 7:30 p.m.
2/1 at Allegheny, 3 p.m.

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Amy Conner

Alex Berger

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the wraps on a very busy weekend of outstanding competition with matching victories over visiting Transylvania on Saturday at the HPER Center Natatorium. That came on the heels of losses Friday night at NCAA Division I scholarship program Wright State. The Tiger men are 5-5 in duals in 2002-03, while the women are 5-4.

Once again, the highlight of the weekend was provided by freshman Rebecca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County Bloomington). A week after setting a pool record in the 400 Individual Medley, Searcy came back with NCAA B cut times in the 500-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle. She now has three B cut times this season in what is increasingly looking like a solid bid to represent Wittenberg at the NCAA Division III meet in March.

Two other freshmen women swimmers have continued to show tremendous improvement throughout the season and are knocking on the door of the NCAA B cut lists as well. Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) are both within seconds of several pool and school records in their respective events. Conner specializes in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and Yeakley is best in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

On the men's side, junior All-American Steve Rader (Painesville, Ohio/Cleveland St. Ignatius) continues to round into the outstanding form he showed last year when he single-handedly put Wittenberg among the top 25 teams in the nation at the NCAA meet. He is just a fraction off the NCAA qualifying times in the Individual Medley and butterfly events heading into the season's stretch run. Hoping to join him in the pool at the national meet is junior Alex Berger (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), who is have an outstanding season in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events.

The final dual meet of the 2002-03 season takes place this weekend as one of the top teams in the Midwest, Case Western Reserve University, comes calling on Saturday at the HPER Center. The Tigers will be honoring their seniors, Josh Schnacke (Bowling Green, Ky./Bowling Green), Becky Barry (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River), Sara Broun (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame), Jana Steiger (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) and Ashley Tipple (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview).

Next: 2/1 vs. Case Western, 1 p.m.

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Joe Rumschlag

Erin Zayicek

The Wittenberg men's and women's indoor track teams competed at the Wabash Alumni Invitational last weekend and both finished in third place out of 10 teams.

Leading the charge was sophomore Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian), who earned NCAC Sprinter of the Week honors for his performance at Wabash. He finished second in the 55-meter and the 200-meter events while running against several scholarship programs.

While Rumschlag has been competing effectively in a variety of events already this year, junior Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) was victorious for a second straight week in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.95. He was the NCAC indoor and outdoor hurdles champion. Rounding out the top men's performances was senior Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who turned in a personal best throw in the shot put en route to a second-place finish.

On the women's side, the highlight was a school record in the 20-pound weight throw by senior Erin Zayicek (Solon, Ohio/Solon). She finished fifth in the event at Wabash, but she improved upon her own school record by more than three feet.

Also performing well was junior Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian), who had two second-place finishes. And the distance medley relay foursome of senior Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont), junior Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) and freshmen Rebecca Stewart (Knoxville, Tenn./The Webb School) and Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) turned in a first-place finish. Each also competed well in individual events in the meet.

Next: 2/1 at NCAC Relays
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