Posted by: Ryan Maurer

Demetrius Ellison

Kristen Mumper

Joel Drake

Skip Ivery

Joe Rumschlag

The Tiger track and field teams turned in an outstanding performance last weekend at the North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Championships at Denison. Wittenberg repeated its 2002 finishes, taking second in the men's competition and fourth in the women's.

On the men's side, the Tigers finished 11 points behind champion Allegheny in what became an outstanding two-team battle to the end. The Gators finished with 144 points to 133 for Wittenberg, while no other team compiled more than 100 points.

Individually, the Tigers were led by junior Demetrius Ellison (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights Trinity), who earned NCAC Men's Indoor Track and Field Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year. Ellison recorded a personal best time of 50.22 in winning the 400 meters, a personal best time of 6.65 in finishing second in the 55 meters and a personal best and school record time of 23.07 in taking the blue ribbon in the 200 meters. In addition, Ellison ran the anchor leg of the 4x200 meter relay that claimed first place in a school record time of 1:32.16.

Ellison was hardly alone, however. Sophomore Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian) claimed first place with a personal best of 22-1.25 in the long jump, fourth place in the triple jump, sixth place in the 55 meters and fifth place in the 200 meters. Rumschlag, senior Mark Trempe (Springfield, Ohio/St. Paris Graham) and freshman Matt Locke (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) also ran legs of the aforementioned 4x200 relay.

Senior Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) claimed first place in the shot put with a dramatic final throw that travelled four feet further than his previous efforts. Sophomore Clyde Mayer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) added a third-place finish and freshman Adam Stone (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) finished fourth as the Tigers scored big points in the event.

Rounding things out, junior Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) remained undefeated in the 55 hurdles this season against NCAA Division III opponents as he won the NCAC indoor title in the event for the third straight year. Ivery also scored for the team with a fifth in the 55 meters and a sixth in the 200 meters.

On the women's side, Wittenberg finished with 73.5 points, well behind the top three teams that all scored more than 100. Still, the Tigers got a number of outstanding individual performances, starting with junior Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian). She finished second in the triple jump, second in the long jump, second in the 400 meters with a school record and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 58.94 and sixth in the 200 meters in a school record time of 26.94.

In addition, junior Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) bettered her own school record in the pole vault as she finished fifth with a mark of 9-2. She also finished third in the 800 meters and eighth in the 1500 meters.

In addition, senior Amanda Young (London, Ohio/London) placed third with a season-best mark of 5-1 in the high jump. Senior Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) finished fourth in the 1500 with a personal best time, and the 4x400 meter relay quartet of freshman Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), Mumper, sophomore Tina Valerius (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and sophomore Marissa Davoll (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) claimed a conference title with a time of 4:08.23.

The final stop on the 2003 indoor track schedule is the national meet this weekend at DePauw in Greencastle, Ind. Ivery (55-meter hurdles) and Mumper (triple jump, 400 meters) were both provisionally qualified, but only Ivery wound up earning entry into the event.

Next: 3/14-15 NCAA Div. III Champs. @ DePauw

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Haley Warden

Stephanie Campbell

Tiffany Keller

The Wittenberg Tigers entered the 2003 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament as one of the nation's hottest teams, winners of 19 straight games and the NCAC regular season and tournament championships. It all came to a halt, however, in the first round of the national tourney last Wednesday in a 64-57 loss at Baldwin-Wallace.

Early in the 2002-03 season, the Tigers lost at Baldwin-Wallace 79-53. While the end result was the same three months later, Wittenberg had its fate in its own hands deep into the game.

The stakes were considerably higher this time, and the Tigers were up to the test. After staking the Yellow Jackets to a 33-26 halftime lead, Wittenberg fought back with a 16-7 run to open the second half and take a 42-40 lead at the 13:29 mark on a lay-up by senior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern). In the previous meeting, B-W crushed Wittenberg in the second half after taking a 38-27 advantage into the locker room.

Wittenberg stretched its lead to as much as 49-44 after junior forward Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill) canned a long three-pointer with 9:22 remaining in the game. But the Yellow Jackets fought back to tie the game at 51 with 6:43 remaining and then pulled away at the free throw line, hitting eight straight from the charity stripe in the final 6:03 while Wittenberg went cold from the field, missing six of its final nine shots from the field.

Wittenberg was led offensively by senior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) with 12 points. Warden and Campbell added 10 each for the Tigers, who won the rebounding battle 32-27 and forced 26 B-W turnovers in the game. However, Wittenberg shot just 37 percent from the field, including a 3-for-14 performance from three-point range.

Next: Season Complete

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Ryan Born

Adam Abraham

After losing nine seniors, who helped the Tigers break the school record for team batting average (.351) and compile a 10-2 mark in the always-tough NCAC West Division in 2002, the Tigers are poised and ready once again.

Despite the departure of four first-team All-NCAC players, the cupboard is anything but bare. The record-setting offensive machine of 2002 still has many weapons, led by senior first baseman Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant), who batted .386 and led the Tigers in runs batted in a year ago. Talented junior outfielders Kyle Wolf (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) and Shawn Jarecki (Brookpark, Ohio/Valley Forge) will also be expected to contribute.

The Tigers also return sophomore third baseman Brandon Godzik (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia Butler), who hit .341 clip as a freshman, and outfielder Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who batted .333. Sophomore infielder/pitcher Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and freshmen outfielder/pitcher Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic), middle infielder K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), first baseman/designated hitter Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond), and shortstop/pitcher Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) are among the competitors for starting positions.

Wittenberg returns an outstanding veteran pitching staff. Leading the way will be seniors Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who was tied for second on the team in wins a year ago and held opposing batters to a .260 batting average, and Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial), who held opponents to a .224 average, compiled a 3.74 ERA and led the team in appearances with 16. Juniors Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), who was first on the staff in strikeouts and was second in appearances, and Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), sophomores Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie), who led the team in wins, innings pitched and complete games in 2002, and Wayne Massie (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) also return to the staff.

Things get started for the Tigers in Fort Myers, Fla. this week. Wittenberg will play nine games in six days as part of the Gene Cusic Tournament.

Next: 3/10-15 Spring Break Trip
9 games to be played at Fort Myers, Fla.

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Beth Walters

Norah Gillam

After a disappointing sixth-place NCAC finish in 2002, the Tiger softball team returns 11 letterwinners, including eight starters. Head Coach Becky Hall believes the Tigers have what it takes to make it back to the top of the conference again.

Among several key returning players for the Tigers is the team's lone senior and one of the best offensive players in the NCAC, centerfielder Beth Walters (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales). Last season, Walters led the team in several offensive categories and was named first-team All-NCAC and All-Great Lakes Region. Also back after an outstanding 2002 is sophomore Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), the NCAC's Newcomer of the Year and a third-team All-Great Lakes Region selection a year ago. Gillam, who played several different positions in 2002, will add depth to the pitching rotation and will bat in the middle of the lineup after hitting .304 last year.

The key element, and strong suit, for the 2003 squad is depth. Among some of the talented rookies are freshmen Katelyn Beddow (Lexington, Ohio/Ashland), who will see time at third base and middle infielder Kelly Sasavicz (Massillon, Ohio/Washington). Also playing in their first season at Wittenberg are junior transfer Katie Gildow (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) and sophomore Ashley Lands (Dover, Ohio/Dover).

Things get started for the Tigers in Fort Myers, Fla. this week. Wittenberg will play 10 games in five days as part of the Gene Cusic Tournament.

Next: 3/10-15 Spring Break Trip
10 games to be played at Fort Myers, Fla.

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Dan Patterson

Jim Kelley

The Wittenberg men's lacrosse program welcomes Head Coach Vinnie Lang's third recruiting class in 2003, a strong group of 11 new players that he hopes will blend in well with 13 returning letterwinners. Finding the right mixture of talent and experience will be a key to righting the ship after the Tigers posted a 5-11 overall record and 2-3 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference in 2002.

Leading the charge on offense this year will be the Tigers' top point-scorer from 2002, senior attacker Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./Desmet Jesuit), who finished with 52 points on 23 goals and 29 assists. He will be joined on the attack by sophomore Trevor Carlson (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who came on strong in his first season to score 10 goals and six assists, junior Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), who finished with 14 goals and 12 assists in 2002, and senior Spencer Dunning (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont), who chipped in four goals and four assists.

Dunning and Rydquist are the top returners in the midfield, but the cupboard is anything but bare with juniors Andy Buck (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), Eric Stenholm (Hinsdale, Ill./Central) and David Marks (Houston, Texas/The Pomfret School) and seniors Ross Mellgren (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview) and Wes Enicks (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) among the other returning letterwinners in that section of the field. All three players saw action in at least 15 games, with Buck ranking among the team leaders in ground balls.

On defense, two players stand out immediately. Junior defender Jim Kelley (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), a first-team All-NCAC selection a year ago, returns to anchor the defensive backfield. In goal, junior Kyle Prussing (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) was one of the top players in the NCAC as he finished with a saves percentage of 57.3 in 480 minutes of action. After sharing time last year with two other since departed student-athletes, Prussing heads into the 2003 campaign as the clear No. 1, but Wittenberg is blessed with adequate support at the position in freshman Kevin Adams (Medina, Ohio/Medina).

Rounding things out on defense, sophomore Bill Fortune (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South) and junior Andy Labarre (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) are also returning letterwinners.

Next: 3/12 @ Randolph-Macon, 3:30 p.m.
3/15 @ Va. Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

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Cara Romanowski

Jenny Burns

The Wittenberg Women's Lacrosse Team kicked off the 2003 season last Tuesday with a 17-9 loss to visiting University of the Redlands at Wall-to-Wall Soccer in Mason, Ohio. The game had to be moved from Springfield due to unplayable field conditions.

The Tigers got four goals each from sophomore Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and senior Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Pekiomen Valley) and one tally from sophomore Erin Kelly (Edina, Minn./Edina).

The 2003 Tiger women's lacrosse program will be unquestionably led by record-breaking defender Romanowski, who topped the conference in scoring a year ago en route to NCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. She scored 54 goals and totalled 61 points in 2002 and earned first-team All-NCAC and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.

Romanowski was the team's main scoring threat a year ago, but she was hardly alone. Two freshmen, in particular, stepped onto the field and immediately began making an impression on opposing teams. Burns scored 24 goals and had a team-best 10 assists for 34 total points as she went on to earn honorable mention All-NCAC honors. In addition, Kelly finished with five goals and three assists.

Those three players will be expected to carry the offensive load again in 2003, and they will be joined in attacking opposing netminders by newcomers Margaret Ohms (St. Louis, Mo./John F. Kennedy), a freshman attacker, and Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), a freshman midfielder, and two holdovers, junior midfielder Katie Babcock (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) and sophomore midfielder Rachel Ridgeway (Montclair, N.J./The Taft School).

Defensively, Wittenberg has Romanowski and another veteran, senior Lindsay Law (Columbus, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) to show the way. Law was injured for part of the 2002 season, but in 2001 she led the team in minutes played. Among the other players who figure into the defensive mix are sophomore Carrie Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian), sophomore Jackie Comer (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian), junior Christine Slone (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South), sophomore Motoko Hanatani (Kyoto, Japan/Perkiomen Valley (Pa.)), freshman Katie Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and senior Rebecca Russ (Louisville, Ohio/Sacred Heart), who was in goal a year ago. Taking over between the pipes will be freshman Alyssa Yackee (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon).

Next: 3/12 vs. RPI, 6:30 p.m.
3/13 vs. Wash. Coll., 6:30 p.m.
in Panama City, Fla.

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Emily Figel

Casey Clagett

The Wittenberg men's and women's tennis teams head into the 2003 season with high hopes, coming off twin third-place finishes in the NCAC a year ago. Both return most of their starting lineups, including top players Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) and Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs).

Figel, a sophomore, became the first Wittenberg player to advance to the NCAA Division III National Championships since 1983 when she advanced in the singles bracket last spring. Clagett, a senior, was the NCAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year in 2002 and won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional Singles Championship last fall before placing eighth in the nation, one of the highest finishes ever for a Tiger tennis player, male or female.

Joining Figel on the women's side will be fellow returning starters Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), a senior an All-NCAC selection in each of her first three seasons and the team's No. 2 singles player a year ago, and sophomore Sarah Fassler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), the team's No. 3 singles player in 2002.

Other returning letterwinners include junior Valerie Allen (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain), sophomore Ellie Hazelbaker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), junior Megan Maher (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and junior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake). Several freshmen have made inroads into the rotation as well, led by Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame).

On the men's side, Clagett is joined in the starting lineup again by junior Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and seniors Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior), Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) and Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights). Senior Josh Conley (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern), sophomore Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) and freshman Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.Va./Catholic) are among the top players in a crowded mix for the other starting position.

Next: 3/10-15 Spring Break Trip
five matches each in Hilton Head, S.C.

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Andy Bonar

Adam Knowlton

The Wittenberg golf team is beginning a new era this spring as Scott Isphording takes over as the team's head coach. He inherits a team in transition after back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the always-tough North Coast Athletic Conference, home to perennial national powers Allegheny and Ohio Wesleyan, as well as several other schools, including Wittenberg, that have strong golf traditions.

Leading the way in 2003 will be sophomore Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), the team's top scorer a year ago who earned second-team All-NCAC honors for his stellar performance at the conference meet. Bonar's best finish of the 2002 season was third at the College of Wooster Invitational, an event in which he shot back-to-back 74s en route to a team season-best two-day total of 148. He followed that up with a fine sixth-place finish (159) in the NCAC event at Apple Valley.

The other returning letterwinners are junior Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who played the most rounds of any golfer on the team in 2001-02, and senior Jesse Fyffe (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe). Knowlton lettered his first two years as a collegian and ranked among the team's top five golfers both seasons. Last year, Knowlton posted an average of 81.33, while Fyffe checked in with an average of 82.11 in five tournaments.

What the team lacks in experience, it makes up for in depth and potential. Sophomore Mike Aughenbaugh (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) played one varsity tournament last year and will be counted on to carry a much more significant load in 2003. Also competing for playing time are freshmen Clinton Anderson (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg), Nathan Delaney (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit), Mark Sanders (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin), Dane Sandridge (Westfield Center, Ohio/Lodi Cloverleaf) and Kristopher Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster).

Next: 3/28-29 @ Muskingum