Emilie Schmid

The Wittenberg volleyball team is rolling at just the right time, and now the Tigers may have the proper momentum heading into the loaded Wittenberg National Invitational II this weekend at the HPER Center. Joining the sixth-ranked Tigers in the field are four other nationally ranked squads - Mount St. Joseph, Elmhurst, Washington University and St. Thomas - and three other perennial national powers with winning records currently - Baldwin-Wallace, Muskingum and Wartburg.

The eight teams will compete over a two-day span beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, and winding up with championship and third-place matches at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. The teams will compete on two courts in Wittenberg's HPER Center.

The Tigers, who have won six straight NCAC regular season and tournament championships and has made seven straight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, are riding a 10-match win streak after winning three NCAC matches in the last week by lop-sided margins. On Saturday, Wittenberg defeated visiting Wooster and Oberlin by 3-0 scores and on Wednesday, the Tigers overwhelmed Ohio Wesleyan by a 3-0 count.

Junior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) continues to provide great leadership. She leads the NCAC and ranks among the best in the nation with 703 assists, good for a per game average of 12.55. Yuskewich also leads the Tigers with 53 blocks and 24 service aces.

Junior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) leads the way offensively with 207 kills, good for a 3.45 per game average that ranks fourth in the NCAC. Five players have accumulated more than 100 kills through 60 games this season, a tremendously balanced statistical showing that speaks volumes about the team's depth and versatility.

Defensively, junior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) has been phenomenal this season, averaging 7.19 digs per game to lead the NCAC by a wide margin and rank in the top five nationally. Three Tiger players have more than 200 digs on the season, including senior twins Jennifer Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) with 292 and Michelle Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) with 215.

After this weekend's tournament, the Tigers close out NCAC action on Oct. 18 in a tri-match that involves the top three teams in the conference, Hiram, Denison and Wittenberg. The following weekend features a trip to Texas for a tournament hosted by nationally ranked Trinity.

Next: 10/10-11 Wittenberg National Invitational II

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Jen Meyer

The Wittenberg field hockey team picked up the two biggest wins of the season in the last week over Oberlin 2-0 on Oct. 3 and over Denison 1-0 on Oct. 8. The wins moved the Tigers, the defending conference champions, back to the .500 mark for the 2003 season and also moved the team within one game of second place in the NCAC race.

In the win over Oberlin, the Tigers got goals from senior Katie Babcock (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) and junior Carrie Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian). Junior Blair Ufer (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) got the game's lone assist on the first goal by Babcock.

Against Denison, which defeated Wittenberg 5-1 earlier this season, the Tigers played tough hard-nosed defense and picked up a second-half goal from Ufer to pull out the win. Freshman Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) was credited with the assist.

Junior goalkeeper Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) extended her shutout streak to three straight. Since she missed games against Kenyon and DePauw, Meyer actually hasn't allowed a goal since Sept. 20 at Wooster in a 1-0 loss. That goal was scored on a penalty stroke, as was Earlham's lone tally on Sept. 17. The last goal Meyer gave up in continuous game action was in the second half of a 2-0 loss at Oberlin on Sept. 13.

Preseason NCAC favorite and current conference leader Wooster comes to town on Saturday, the Tigers' last game for a week.

Next: 10/11 vs. Wooster, 1 p.m.

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Matt Berry

The Wittenberg men's soccer team is back on a two-game win streak and is also back in the NCAC race heading into the home stretch of the 2003 season.

Last week, the Tigers upended Kenyon 5-3 at home on Saturday and Earlham 2-0 at home on Wednesday. The wins leveled the Tigers conference record at 2-2 and improved the team's NCAC point total to seven, based on three points for each win and another point earned for an overtime loss at Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 1.

In the win over Kenyon, sophomore Jesse King (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) opened the scoring off an assist from freshman Nick Hauff (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes). Sophomore Matt Berry (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) scored the second goal of the game off a touch by freshman David Ross (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington). But Kenyon rallied to score twice before the end of the half to tie things up.

In the second half, the Tigers took control as freshman Sebastian Missura (Quito, Ecuador/American School), Ross and senior Steve Doring (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) scored the goals and sophomore Andy Stewart (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) and freshman Josh Richards (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) had the assists.

Against Earlham, freshman goalkeeper Adam Horrocks (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) posted his second shutout in support of goals by Berry and Ross. Assists were recorded by Doring, Missura and freshman Jason Sucher (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual).

The Tigers next travel to Hiram on Saturday for another important NCAC game before returning home to square off with nationally ranked Allegheny on Oct. 18. Wittenberg is part of a very crowded conference title chase currently, with the top four teams at season's end slated to participate in the NCAC Men's Soccer Tournament. The Tigers have been on the outside looking in at that tournament in each of the three years of its existence.

Next: 10/11 at Hiram, 2 p.m.

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Jessica Shellhause

The Wittenberg women's soccer team should be well rested heading into the stretch run of the 2003 season. Last week, the Tigers played just one game, defeating NAIA scholarship program Urbana 3-1 on the road on Wednesday. The Blue Knights were 9-1-1 on the season prior to that game.

In that win, senior forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) got the scoring started with a goal in the 26th minutes of the first half. After Urbana tied it five minutes later and the two teams went into halftime with the score 1-1, senior Jessica Shellhause (London, Ohio/London) broke the tie with a goal at the 48-minute mark. Sophomore Lindsay Zigler (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) rounded out the scoring with a goal late in the second half. Assists on the two second half goals were credited to senior Kaiti Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) and freshman Elena Geiger-Simpson (St. Paul, Minn./Concordia Academy).

With a winning record heading into the final three weeks of the 2003 regular season, the Tigers hit the road on Saturday to face Hiram. After that game, four of the final six games on the schedule are against nationally or regionally ranked teams, including defending national champion Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Next: 10/11 at Hiram, Noon

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Tyler Harmon

Wittenberg made it look easy again on Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field, scoring the first 38 points of the game en route to a 60-7 victory over Denison. It was the 14th straight win by Wittenberg in the series between the two teams.

The Tigers scored in almost every imaginable way, including four touchdown runs, four touchdown passes, an interception return, a field goal and a safety. Wittenberg recorded 28 first downs to Denison's 11, ran up 240 yards rushing to -16 for the Big Red and totaled 445 yards to Denison's 157.

The scoring started on a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), capping an eight-play, 99-yard, game-opening drive. That score was followed by an 11-yard TD reception by wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) from quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda), a two-yard scoring run by tailback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida) and a 30-yard field goal by kicker Conrad Hindert (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont). In the second quarter, tight end Nate Cherry (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard pass from quarterback George Andress (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and Hampshire added a four-yard scoring run. In the second half, Harmon caught an 11-yard TD pass from Andress, tailback Joe Brumfield (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) added a one-yard scoring run, defensive lineman Jeff Anzalone (Berea, Ohio/Berea) got a sack in the end zone for a safety and then tailback/safety Adam Hewitt (Piqua, Ohio/Lehman Catholic) made his way into the school record books with a 100-yard interception return for touchdown to cap the scoring with 52 seconds left.

Individually, the Tigers spread the wealth. Eight different players were credited with at least one rushing attempt, led by Hampshire's 72 yards on 11 carries. Three Tiger quarterbacks combined to finish 18-of-27 passing for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Glover led the receivers with 37 yards on five catches and Ivery had 45 yards on three receptions. Ten different players caught at least one pass. Defensively, linebacker Andrew Nichols (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) finished with seven tackles to lead the team, while linebackers Anthoni Fazio (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) and Peter Franz (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) added six tackles each.

Next: 10/11 at Wabash, 3 p.m. (EST)

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Charles Njoka

After a week off, the Tiger men's and women's cross country team went back to work at Dickinson College last weekend for the Long-Short Invitational. In this unique set-up, teams divide into groups of four runners each. One runs a 4K, while the second men's team runs an 8K and the second women's team runs a 6K.

The Tiger men finished 24th in a strong 30-team field in the 4K and 33rd of 40 in the 8K. Leading the charge in the shorter race was freshman Charles Njoka (Urbana, Ohio/Graham), who finished 74th in a time of 14:24. Sophomore Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) was the team's top finisher in the longer event with a time of 29:48, good for 106th place.

On the women's side, sophomore Tracy Butler (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) led the charge in the 4K with a 30th place finish and a time of 16:26. In the 6K, senior Becky Barnes (Williamsport, Ohio/Westfall) paced the Tiger runners with a time of 25:28, good for 45th place. As a team, the Tigers finished 28th of 36 in the 6K and 21st of 36 in the 4K.

Wittenberg and most of the other teams in the state of Ohio are back in action today at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan.

Next: 10/10 at All-Ohio Champs. Hosted by Ohio Wesleyan

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Dane Sandridge

The fall season is coming to a close for the Wittenberg men's and women's golf teams. The men wrapped things up with a sixth-place finish in the loaded Otterbein Fall Invitational on Oct. 6, while the women recorded their first intercollegiate win at the Denison Fall Invitational last weekend and finish off the fall campaign with a tournament at Otterbein on Sunday.

For the men at Otterbein, senior Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) carded a two-day total of 156 (76-80) to finish in a tie for 13th place to lead the Tigers for a third straight event. Sophomore Dane Sandridge (Westfield Center, Ohio/Lodi Cloverleaf) posted a 160 and sophomore Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) had a 162 - including a team-best 75 on Day 1.

On the women's side, the Tigers finished first in a four-team competition at Denison. Senior Erin Mowery (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula), sophomore Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and freshman Erica Bodnar (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) all scored in the 90's to leads the Tigers.

Next: Men, Fall Season Complete
Women 10/12 at Otterbein

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Duby Lakos

The Wittenberg women's tennis team hosted the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region Championships Oct. 3-6 and the men's tennis team traveled to DePauw for its ITA Tournament Sept. 28-28.

On the women's side, junior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) all reached the second round in the singles competition. For the men, senior Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) each winning a pair of singles matches. Lakos and sophomore Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) reached the quarterfinals of the doubles draw.

Next: Fall Season Complete