Posted by: Ryan Maurer

Amber Bishop

Haley Warden

The Wittenberg women's basketball team isn't just beating teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference right now. The Tigers are setting themselves apart from the rest -- by a wide margin. Last week, Wittenberg claimed three more victories, two by stunningly lop-sided margins. The three NCAC victories, over Kenyon on the road on Tuesday and back home in the HPER Center over Hiram and Allegheny on Friday and Saturday respectively, moved the Tigers within one game of a second consecutive conference regular season championship.

The Tigers started the week with a 70-57 victory over Kenyon. Wittenberg never trailed in the game and led by as many as 21 points early in the second half. Kenyon shot the ball well but could not overcome 32 turnovers, which were converted into 34 points for the Tigers.

The Tigers were led offensively by senior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) and senior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), both with 12 points, and senior center Rebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline), who finished with 11 points. Keller took charge in the second half, sinking four field goals in the first four minutes, lifting the Tigers to a 55-34 lead.

Wittenberg was dominating in every phase of the game in wins over Hiram, 91-37, and Allegheny, 98-45.

The Tigers got a career night from junior guard Amber Bishop (Batavia, Ohio/Batavia) against Hiram on Friday. Red-hot off the bench, Bishop scored a career-high 28 points in just 17 minutes of action on 12-of-12 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, and 2-of-3 from the free throw line. The 100 percent shooting from the field tied a school and NCAC record, and the 12 straight baskets set a new mark. No one had previously made more than 11 consecutive.

Keller was the only other player in double figures with 15 points in just 16 minutes. Junior forward Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill) also had an outstanding all-around game with two points, four steals, five assists and six rebounds (five offensive) in just 10 minutes on the court.

Wittenberg forced a whopping 44 Hiram turnovers, 25 in the first half alone and dominated on the boards as well, collecting 46 rebounds to Hiram's 24, including 26 offensive caroms. On Saturday, the Tigers may have played their most complete game of the year in dismantling Allegheny. Wittenberg jumped out to a big lead early, played suffocating defense throughout and shot the ball as well as they have all season.

Allegheny committed 40 turnovers in the game, while the Tigers committed just 20 ballhandling miscues and outrebounded the Gators 40-34. The Tigers, who have not lost in 2003, went on runs of 13-0 and 15-0 in the first half to blow the game wide open before halftime. The Tigers stretched the lead to 50-17 by the break and led by as much as 57 points as reserves played the final 15 minutes of the game.

As usual, Wittenberg exhibited phenomenal balance. Keller led all scorers with 14 points, senior forward Meghan Bruggeman (Middletown, Ohio/Fenwick) added 12 points, senior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) chipped in with 11 points and Meers finished with 10 points. Also of note was another tremendous all-around performance off the bench by Warden, who contributed eight points, five assists, five rebounds (four offensive) and three assists.

The Tigers can clinch at least a share of the conference crown on Wednesday, but the opposition is a quality Earlham team that is currently in third place in the NCAC. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg travels to Wooster.

Next: 2/12 at Earlham, 6 p.m.
2/15 at Wooster, 2 p.m.

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Rebecca Searcy

Steve Rader

After months of hard work, it all comes down to this for the Tiger men's and women's swimming and diving teams. The Tigers head to Canton, Ohio's C.T. Branin Natatorium for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet in hopes of qualifying several individuals to next month's NCAA Division III Championship meet in Atlanta, Ga. while scoring enough team points to hang tough with the top teams in the nation, Kenyon and Denison.

Freshman Rebecca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County Bloomington) and junior Steve Rader (Painesville, Ohio/Cleveland St. Ignatius) have been the headliners all season, and this weekend they must again perform their best if the Tigers are going to meet the lofty expectations that Head Coach Leslie Ramsey has set for them. But while swimming has its individual features, at the college level, the team is just as important and number of other contributors must step forward.

Searcy has made three NCAA B cuts already this year, and she is well positioned to advance to the national meet. For the Tiger women to do well in this meet, Searcy must continue to lower her times in the 400-yard Individual Medley, the 500 freestyle and the 1650 free, and she will have to come up big in several relay events as well.

Searcy is one of three freshmen swimmers who are standing out on a talented women's team. Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) hopes to challenge for all-conference honors and national meet berths in the 100 and 200 backstroke events and the 200 IM as well. Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) is a challenger in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events and also hopes to score points in the 200 IM. Both will be key members of relay teams as well.

It's not all about the freshmen for the Tiger women, however. Three juniors are also doing well and will hopefully score big points in the sprint freestyle events and relays this weekend. Nicole Kinzeler (Centerville, Ohio/Kettering Alter), Courtney Galliger (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) and Jessica Forsberg (Wickliffe, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) could score enough points to keep the Tigers in the hunt. In addition, sophomore Catherine Gray (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Highlands) could be a factor in the diving competition.

On the men's side, Rader is a returning All-American, and he is on stride for a repeat performance in 2003. Without an NCAA B cut heading into the conference meet for a second straight year, Rader is a high seed in several events and hopes to defend his NCAC title in the 200 IM. Junior Alex Berger (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) has made great improvements in 2002-03 and will be a factor in the breaststroke events. Juniors Matt Werbach (Painesville, Ohio/Hawken), Scott Olmsted (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek) and Kyle Dunaway (Warren, Ohio/Howland) have also been performing well this year and will be counted on to provide points to the team effort and strong times to the relays.

Next: 2/14-16 NCAC Championships
at Canton, Ohio

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B.J. Harris

Kevin Longley

The Tiger men's basketball team won't be mislabeled "Houdini-esque", but last week Wittenberg had to make a couple of escapes to remain alive in the hunt for an NCAC regular season championship. In wins over Ohio Wesleyan at home on Wednesday and Hiram on the road on Saturday, Wittenberg was forced to play some of its best basketball of the season to survive. The Bishops held an eight-point lead midway through the second half before Wittenberg finally kicked things in gear in the final 10 minutes of the game to claim a 68-58 victory. The Terriers trailed by as much as 24 points after Wittenberg played perhaps its finest half of basketball of the season, but they rallied to within five points with eight minutes to go before the Tigers closed strong again to record a 78-62 win.

Against Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg moved out in front early, only to have OWU go on a 6-2 run to close the first half and take a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bishops came out firing in the second, eventually stretching that lead out to 51-43 with 10:25 before Wittenberg stormed back and pulled ahead 55-53 on a clutch three-pointer by sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with 5:42 remaining. The Tigers outscored OWU 13-5 the rest of the way to pull out the victory.

The Tigers didn't shoot the ball well, but they did reverse a troubling recent trend, committing just seven turnovers in the game. Wittenberg also won the all-important rebounding battle, 43-30. The Tigers were led offensively by junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), who topped the team in points for a third straight game with 17. Senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) added 14 points and nine rebounds, just missing his fourth double-double of the year. Senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) chipped in with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Against Hiram, Wittenberg trailed just once in the game, but that doesn't mean things were easy. First-half runs of 11-0 and 15-0 expanded the Tiger advantage to 38-15 with 5:15 remaining and the Tigers went into the locker room with a comfortable 42-21 advantage. But much like the game in Springfield a few weeks earlier, won by Wittenberg 93-75, the Terriers played a much better second half, cutting a 24-point lead to 56-51 with 8:19 left in the game. But Wittenberg closed the game with a 22-11 run to finally seal the deal.

As a team, Wittenberg shot 47 percent from the field and committed just 10 turnovers, but Hiram nearly matched those numbers with a field goal percentage of 40 percent and a mere seven ballhanding miscues. The difference was rebounding as Wittenberg won that battle 47-30 and free throws, as the Tigers attempted 32 shots, compared to Hiram's eight. Wittenberg made 19 free attempts, compared to seven for the Terriers.

Individually, the key to Wittenberg's success was the dominant inside presence of Harris, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season with game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds. He had plenty of help, however, as Walker added 16 points and seven rebounds, junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) came off the bench to contribute 10 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) chipped in with 11 points and four boards. In addition, Longley continued to do yeomen's work inside, adding six points and 10 rebounds to the Tigers' cause.

This week starts with a challenging road game against Earlham, which absorbed an 82-46 loss at Wittenberg on Jan. 29 but came right back to defeat NCAC title contender Wabash. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg hosts sixth-ranked Wooster in the second round of the annual grudge match between the conference's two traditional powers. The Scots won the first game on Jan. 25, 81-64.

Next: 2/12 at Earlham, 8 p.m.
2/15 vs. Wooster, 7:30 p.m.

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Demetrius Ellison

Kristen Mumper

The Wittenberg men's and women's indoor track and field teams put together another solid performance last weekend at the Anderson (Ind.) Indoor Invitational. The Tiger men finished second in a 10-team field, while the Tiger women were third among nine teams in the competition. While the Tigers didn't hoist the team championship trophy, they did come away with several outstanding performances, two of which earned NCAC Athlete of the Week honors. It was the third consecutive week that Wittenberg has had at least one track athlete earn conference honors.

For the women, junior Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) earned NCAC Women's Indoor Track - Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week after establishing three new school records. Mumper set a school record in winning the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 1.5 inches and claimed another mark in the 200 meters with a second-place time of 27.46. She put the finishing touches on an outstanding day as she teamed with freshman Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), junior Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Alter) and freshman Rebecca Stewart (Knoxville, Tenn./The Webb School) to set a school record in the 1600-meter relay with a winning time of 4:10.50.

The other conference award-winner was junior Demetrius Ellison (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity), who won the 200 with a school record 23.11 and also took a second place finish in the 55 meter dask with a personal-best time of 6.68. He was named NCAC Men's Indoor Track - Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week.

Also showing well for the women was the 800-meter relay quartet of Finkelstein, Stewart, sophomore Marissa Davoll (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) and freshman Jenny Brigham (Depew, NY/Depew), which placed second. Sophomore Tina Valerius (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) had personal bests in the 55- and 200-meter races. Junior Nikki Norcia (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) recorded a personal best in the 1000. Sophomore Sarah Woodford (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) placed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles with a personal best time. Freshman Sarah Grabenstatter (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) claimed runner-up honors and second place in the high jump with a personal best of 5-0. Freshman Beth Hurst (Loveland, Ohio/Cincinnati, Sycamore) had a personal best in the weight throw, and freshman Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) rounded things out with a personal best in the 1500.

On the men's side, freshman Matt Locke (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) placed third in the 55 meters with a personal best time. Sophomore Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian) had another terrific all-around performance with a third in the 200 and a first and personal best in the long jump. Freshman Bill Childers (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) had a personal best finish in the 800. Senior Nate Henderson (Kettering, Ohio/Dayton Carroll), freshman Chris Knapp (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) and freshman Jesse Burns (Marlington, W.V./Pocahontas) all had their best collegiate performances in the 1000. Freshman Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) had a personal best in the 1500. And senior Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) finished third and freshman Adam Stone (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) took fifth fifth in the shot put, the latter with his best throw of the year.

Next: 2/14 at Findlay Open
2/15 All-Ohio (Findlay)