Lindsay Nelson

The Wittenberg volleyball team, ranked No. 5 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, is at it again. For the seventh straight year, the Tigers have run the table in the North Coast Athletic Conference, encountering little resistance en route to a perfect 8-0 regular season record.

Last weekend, the finishing touches to another masterpiece were applied in an NCAC tri-match at Denison, where Wittenberg easily defeated Hiram and the host Big Red by 3-0 scores. The Tigers secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAC Tournament, which opens Nov. 4 with quarterfinal games. A win over eighth-place Ohio Wesleyan in that match will earn the Tigers the right to host the NCAC Tournament semifinals and finals on Nov. 7 and 8.

In the win over Hiram, which is having the best season in school history and recently topped 20 wins for the season, junior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) finished with 39 assists, seven digs and six block assists, while sophomore Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) added seven kills and seven block assists. Senior Lindsay Nelson (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) led the offensive attack with 15 kills in 27 attempts.

Against Denison, the NCAC regular season and tournament runner-up each of the last three years, Wittenberg got 36 assists and 12 digs from Yuskewich, seven kills and 20 digs from senior Michelle Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and nine kills in 17 attempts from freshman Heather Kelly (Marion, Ohio/River Valley).

For the season, Yuskewich leads the NCAC and ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game at 12.86. A year after setting a Wittenberg, NCAC and NCAA Division III record with 2,125 assists in the 2002 season, Yuskewich now has 985 assists in 2003.

Junior Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) ranks first in the NCAC and third in the nation in digs per game with 7.49. Her season total of 629 is already the fourth-highest in school history. Not coincidentally, Wittenberg ranks fifth as a team in the nation in assists per game (14.20) and 10th in digs per game (23.87).

Next up for the Tigers is an important road trip to Trinity in San Antonio, Texas. Five of the six teams, including the host school, are ranked in the top 25, including Mt. St. Joseph, which is vying for the top spot in the region with Wittenberg.

Next: 10/31-11/1 at Trinity (Tx.)

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Katy Barrett

With two games left on the regular season schedule, the Wittenberg field hockey team has not only rallied from a difficult start to the 2003 season, the Tigers have put themselves in a position to accomplish many of their preseason goals.

Last weekend, Wittenberg claimed its fifth and sixth straight wins as the Tigers victimized Kenyon on Saturday on the road and then NCAA Division II scholarship program Mercyhurst on Sunday in the friendly confines of Edwards-Maurer Field. Wittenberg's last loss in overtime at DePauw on Sept. 27, and the Tigers are a perfect 7-0 at home this season.

Against Kenyon, Wittenberg got a first-half goal from freshman Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson) and a second-half tally from senior Katie Babcock (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney). Junior Blair Ufer (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) assisted on both goals, while junior Carrie Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian) was also credited with an assist on the second-half score as the Tigers executed a penalty corner play.

Against Mercyhurst, junior goalkeeper Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) came up big, turning away 14 shots and withstanding an onslaught of 31 shot attempts by the visitors. The Tiger offense was opportunistic, scoring three second-half goals by Babcock, Barrett and freshman Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) while attempting just 13 shots. Assists were credited to Ufer and freshman Jaimee McGhee (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington).

Barrett was recognized as NCAA Division III Rookie of the Week by the Web site, womensfieldhockey.com, on Oct. 20 for scoring three goals in two games, wins over Wooster and Kenyon. Barrett has been a key to Wittenberg's offensive resurgence this season as she leads the Tigers with nine goals and 20 total points. Wittenberg is 6-1 this season when Barrett scores.

Meyer was among five players listed on the "Honor Roll" on the Web site last week after she posted a pair of shutouts. A first-team All-NCAC, first-team all-region and third-team All-America selection in 2002, Meyer ranks third in the conference in saves percentage with a mark of .832 and she has recorded three shutouts on the season. Next up for the Tigers is a home game against Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday during Homecoming Weekend and then a road game at Earlham on Tuesday, Oct. 28. If the Tigers can take care of business in those two games, they will tie for first place in NCAC regular season standings with Wooster, the preseason conference favorite, and possibly Oberlin, which has one game left Thursday against Kenyon.

Next: 10/25 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 6 p.m.

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Joe Brumfield

The Wittenberg football team, ranked 25th in the nation, is in a must-win situation every time out the rest of the season. In their first game since losing at Wabash on Oct. 11, the Tigers were dominating in a 66-0 home win over Hiram on Saturday.

Wittenberg got three touchdowns rushing from junior tailback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida), two touchdowns receiving from sophomore wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) and three touchdowns passing from junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda). The Tigers jumped out to a 49-0 lead before halftime and put it in cruise control, running reserves in and out of the game throughout the second half.

The scoring started with a one-yard jaunt by Hampshire. That was followed by a five-yard scoring pass from Holmes to Glover, a four-yard touchdown run by freshman fullback Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) and an 18-yard TD burst by Hampshire to make the score 28-0 at the close of the first quarter. In the second quarter, senior wide receiver Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) scored on a 14-yard pass from Holmes, Glover added a 22-yard scoring reception and Hampshire capped his day with a 56-yard scoring run.

In the third quarter, sophomore wide receiver Ryan Stafford (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) hauled in his first career touchdown on a seven-yard pass from sophomore quarterback George Andress (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and freshman tailback Joe Brumfield (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) added a 12-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, sophomore kicker Justin Bockbrader (Columbus, Ohio/Franklin Heights) hit a 32-yard field goal to provide the final score of the game.

Individually, Wittenberg was paced by Hampshire's 134 rushing yards on just 13 carries, while Brumfield finished with his first career 100-yard game as he added 104 yards on 18 carries. Holmes finished 9-of-11 for 105 yards and Andress added five completions in six attempts for 40 yards and a touchdown. Ivery finished with five receptions for 62 yards to lead the receiving corps. Defensively, senior linebacker Gary George (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) finished with seven tackles, including one for a four-yard loss and freshman linebacker Devon Combs (Columbus, Ohio/South) added a career-high six tackles.

Next: 10/25 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

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Kaiti Hiscar

The Wittenberg women's soccer team lost a pair of games in the last week and has now fallen into a must-win situation heading into the home stretch of the 2003 season. The Tigers have lost three straight to NCAC foes - Ohio Wesleyan, Allegheny and Kenyon - after a 2-0 conference start. In order to reach the NCAC Tournament, which includes only the top four teams in the final regular season standings, Wittenberg almost certainly has to win the rest of its games.

Against Allegheny, which is on a school-record 13-game win streak currently and is ranked in the national top 25 poll, Wittenberg was outshot 16-6, but senior goalkeeper Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) made 10 saves to keep her team in the game until the end.

Against Kenyon, Miller was forced out of the lineup due to an injury. The Tigers got on the board first as senior Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) scored. But the Ladies tallied four times to take a commanding lead before senior Kaiti Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) scored off a double-assist from freshman Elena Geiger-Simpson (St. Paul, Minn./Concordia Academy) and junior Meredith Belser (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay).

The road only gets tougher over the final two weeks of the regular season, beginning with Saturday's Homecoming game against regionally ranked perennial powerhouse Wooster. The season wraps up home games against Denison on Wednesday and Oberlin on Saturday, Nov. 1.

Next: 10/25 vs. Wooster, 12:30 p.m.

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Jason Sucher

The Wittenberg men's soccer team has had an up-and-down season, and unfortunately things moved back in the downward direction over the last week. On Saturday, the Tigers were shut out 4-0 by visiting Allegheny, one of the top 10 teams in the region, and then on Wednesday, Wittenberg was upended on the road by Wabash in double overtime by a 2-1 count.

Against Allegheny, the shot totals were relatively even, but the Gators were more opportunistic. Against Wabash, the Tigers were against outshot, but the game went deep into a second overtime before the Little Giants scored the game-winning goal with just 17 seconds left. Freshman goalkeeper Adam Horrocks (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) recorded 11 saves and freshman Sebastian Missura (Quito, Ecuador/American School) scored the lone Tiger goal off an assist from freshman Jason Sucher (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual). That goal staked the Tigers to a 1-0 lead that stood up for 12 minutes in the second half before Wabash scored the equalizer.

Missura ranks among the NCAC leaders in goals and total points per game. He leads the Tigers with eight goals, one assist and 17 total points. Despite playing just five games due to injury this season, Sucher has three assists to rank second on the team.

Next up is a difficult test against perennial powerhouse Denison at home on Saturday for Homecoming and a difficult road trip to Oberlin on Nov. 1. The Tigers must win both games and hope for help from other teams in the conference race to have a shot at the NCAC Tournament, which includes only the top four teams in the final regular season standings.

Next: 10/25 vs. Denison, 3 p.m.

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John Compton

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams are heading into the home stretch of the 2003 season, and last weekend they participated in the Ohio Northern Invitational as a final tune-up for the upcoming NCAC and NCAA Division III regional championship meets.

Senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) led the Tigers, both men and women, with a 15th-place finish. She posted a personal-best time of 24:09 in the 6K race. In leading the Tiger women to a ninth-place team finish, Barnes was joined by sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) with a 44th-place finish in a season-best time of 25:21. Other personal bests were recorded by freshman Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette), junior Sarah Woodford (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and freshman Christine Maddox (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg). Season-best times were posted by sophomore Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), senior Nikki Norcia (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), freshman Meredith Deitsch (Edgerton, Ohio/Edgerton) and senior Jenny Brill (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington).

In the men's 8K, sophomore John Compton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) topped the Tigers with a 65th-place finish in a personal-best time of 28:28. Other personal-bests were posted by senior Jeff Domingus (London, Ohio/London), freshman Jansen Wehrley (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and senior Andrew Hobson (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington). Sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) recorded a season-best time as he finished second among the Tiger runners.

The cross country teams will take a breather this weekend before heading to Wooster for the Nov. 1 NCAC Championship meet. The regional meet is slated for Nov. 8 at Hanover College in Indiana.

Next: 11/1 NCAC Championships at Wooster

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Alex Berger

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams will open the season at the NCAC Relays at the College of Wooster this weekend. The Tigers come into 2003-04 with plenty of momentum after strong conference and national finishes a year ago. Third-year Head Coach Leslie Ramsey welcomes back 11 letterwinners each on the men's and women's teams, led by All-Americans Steve Rader (Painesville, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County).

Rader, a senior, is a three-year NCAA Division III Championships qualifier, and he has posted three fourth-place finishes in individual events in his outstanding career. As one of the top returning swimmers in the nation, Rader will lead a squad blessed with great talent and experience. The Tigers have high hopes of competing with the best teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which just happen to be the best teams in the nation as well.

Among the other top returning swimmers on the men's side are senior Alex Berger (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), senior Kyle Dunaway (Warren, Ohio/Howland) and junior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell). Berger earned one NCAA "B" cut in the 100-yard breaststroke and has multiple All-NCAC designations, Dunaway is a two-year team captain, teaming with Rader in 2003-04, and Troxel scored numerous team points in the NCAC meet, specializing in the individual medley and breaststroke events. Among a group of six new swimmers, freshman Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), a diver, and freshman Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central), a freestyler, are expected to stand out.

Searcy competed in three events at the 2003 NCAA Division III Championships and earned Honorable Mention All-America status in two of them. She leads a deep and talented team, with a nucleus that includes sophomore Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), sophomore Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and seniors Nicole Kinzeler (Centerville, Ohio/Kettering Alter), Courtney Galliger (Eagan, Minn/Eagan) and Jessica Forsberg (Wickliffe, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin). Yeakley posted two NCAA "B" cuts in both backstroke events a year ago, Conner just missed a qualifying time in both breakststroke events in her inaugural collegiate campaign, Kinzeler has been part of a school-record relay and Galliger and Forsberg are standouts on relays and team captains in 2003-04.

An outstanding group of freshmen figures to add a great deal to the team's efforts in 2003-04, led by Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) in the backstroke events and Mollie Coulton (Dayton, Ohio/Xenia Christian) and Katie Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic) in the distance events.

Next: 10/25 NCAC Relays at Wooster