Katy Barrett

The Wittenberg field hockey team has picked up steam at just the right time, winning seven of its last eight games and moving into firm control of its own destiny in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title chase.

However, the home stretch of the 2005 season is filled with potential pitfalls, starting Saturday with a road game against arch-rival Wooster. En route to winning the last three conference titles, the Tigers have been tripped up at Wooster twice. The Tigers, now 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the NCAC, have gotten some valuable rest recently after a busy month of September. In the last week, the Tigers avenged an early-season loss to Kenyon with a 2-1 road win on Oct. 5 and then took the measure of visiting nonconference foe Transylvania on Saturday.

Against Kenyon, junior forward Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson) scored her second game-winning goal of the 2005 season. The team leader with 13 total points on the season for the defensive-minded Tigers, Barrett added another score against Transylvania.

The team's second-leading scorer on the season is junior midfielder Holly McHugh (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) with eight total points. She doubled her season total with a pair of second-half goals against Transylvania that put the game out of reach.

While the play of the offense has picked up in recent weeks, it's a stingy defensive unit that has allowed three opponents more than one goal in a game that has pushed the Tigers back into NCAC title contention after an 0-4 start that included three overtime losses. Spearheading that effort is junior defensive back Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), already a two-time All-NCAC honoree in her career, and sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Irvin (Gettysburg, Pa./Littlestown), who has saved 87 percent of the shots she has faced this season.

All of the details about the Tigers, are well documented in game stories found on the team's schedule/results page. Season statistics can be found by clicking here.

Next: 10/15 @ Wooster

---

Andy Vanover

The Wittenberg football team may be finding its stride at just the right time. After starting the season with three straight losses, the Tigers have put together back-to-back strong performances to open the North Coast Athletic Conference race with wins over Denison and Earlham.

The Tigers' defense, which had allowed 133 points in the first three games, has played a key role in the resurgence. Wittenberg held Denison to less than 300 yards of total offense and just six points on a first-quarter touchdown and then Earlham gained just over 200 yards of total offense, including 60 on one play, in a 48-0 loss to the Tigers on Saturday.

Junior safety Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) has been outstanding, leading the team in tackles the first three weeks (and for the season overall) and taking the conference lead with three interceptions on the season. Against Earlham, Fonseca returned two interceptions a combined 60 yards.

Also of note has been the play of junior linebacker Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), who has led the Tigers in tackles each of the last two weeks after missing two games, and senior defensive tackle Tyler Jenkins (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm), who had a seven tackles, including six solos, against Earlham. Both were career highs.

Against Earlham, the Tigers welcomed back senior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda), who was injured in the first game of the season. Holmes split time with junior quarterback Geron Stokes (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), combining for a season-high 247 yards through the air.

Offensively, the backfield tandem of senior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and sophomore fullback Andy Vanover (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) led the way. Murray, the leading rusher and scorer in the NCAC, ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns against Earlham. Vanover enjoyed a career day, rushing for 36 yards on 11 carries and catching three passes for 90 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown reception.

All of the details about the Tigers, are well documented in game stories found on the team's schedule/results page. Season statistics can be found by clicking here.

Next: 10/15 @ Hiram

---

Caitlin Augustus

For most teams, a 2-1 record in a week is generally positive. But Wittenberg volleyball isn't most teams. The Tigers aspire to be something different, something better than the average, and for eight years they had no peer in the North Coast Athletic Conference. But before a rowdy, standing-room-only crowd at Hiram on Friday, the Tigers saw their 63-match NCAC regular season win streak come to an end.

Hiram, the NCAC runner-up each of the last two years, is now in the drivers' seat as the 2005 regular season title chase draws toward a close. The Tigers, who haven't lost in NCAC Tournament play since 1996, will likely have to hit the road to defend their title at Hiram in early November.

All is hardly lost, however. Wittenberg remains the top ranked team in the state of Ohio and the NCAC at No. 7 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The Tigers are 18-4 overall and 6-1 in the NCAC, and this weekend they are heading to a tournament hosted by California State-East Bay (formerly Hayward). The host team, which Wittenberg plays on Friday evening, is also ranked nationally.

Statistically, the Tigers remain extremely balanced. Most notably, senior middle hitter Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) and sophomore middle hitter Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) are both averaging more than one block per game to rank among the NCAC leaders. Sophomore outside hitters Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) and Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance) are first and second on the team in kills with 195 and 193 respectively, and they rank second and third in digs with 345 and 335 respectively. The team leader in digs is freshman Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula), whose 431 digs rank among the NCAC and NCAA Division III leaders.

All of the details about the Tigers are documented in game stories found on the team's schedule/results page. Season statistics can be found by clicking here.

Next: 10/14-15 @ Cal State-East Bay

---

Suzanne Medwid

The Wittenberg women's soccer team has had stumbles of late, but the Tigers still have much to play for as the 2005 season winds down. With an 11-3 overall record, including a mark of 2-2 in the NCAC, the Tigers will try to rebound from a 2-1 double overtime loss against Kenyon on Tuesday when they host perennial powerhouse Allegheny on Saturday.

It's a big game for the Tigers, who broke into the national top 25 for the first time in 10 years earlier this week. Wittenberg must win at least three of its final five games to assure itself a berth in the annual NCAC Tournament next month. Last year, Wittenberg lost in the tourney final at nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan by a 1-0 score.

The defensive-minded Tigers feature just one player in double figures for scoring on the season as sophomore forward Lisa Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) checks in with 14 total points on team-bests of five goals and four assists. On the season, Wittenberg holds a 23-6 scoring advantage on its opponents and has recorded 10 shutouts, one short of the school record established in 1995 and equalled a year ago.

The defensive effort has been spearheaded by sophomore Lindsey Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), freshman Suzanne Medwid (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), sophomore Amy Meige (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales) and junior Jamie McIntyre (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), a quartet that has started every game in front of sophomore goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne). O'Rourke has a goals against average of 0.42 and has turned away 88 percent of the shots opponents have put on the Tigers' net.

All of the details about the Tigers, are well documented in game stories found on the team's schedule/results page. Season statistics can be found by clicking here.

Next: 10/15 vs. Allegheny

---

Anthony Cain

The Wittenberg men's soccer team is coming off a loss to nationally ranked and unbeaten Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday, but the Tigers remain in control of their own destiny as the 2005 season moves toward its conclusion.

Despite a rash of injuries, the Tigers have put themselves into position to finish in the top four in the North Coast Athletic Conference and reach the postseason tournament for the first time since its inception in 2000. A key game will be on Saturday as the Tigers host another contender, Allegheny, an NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16 participant a year ago. Wittenberg stands 6-4-3 overall and 3-1 in the NCAC with five games remaining over the final two weeks of the regular season. It typically takes at least five wins to get into the NCAC Tournament, sometimes more.

Wittenberg's leading scorer is freshman midfielder Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), who ranks the NCAC's best with 17 total points and six goals, including a pair of game-winners. His five assists are also tops on the team. Thirteen players have recorded either a goal or an assist this season, including freshman Anthony Cain (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby), who had a pair of assists in a 2-1 win at Oberlin last Saturday. Borland had the game-winner in that one as the Tigers rallied from an early 1-0 deficit.

All of the details about the Tigers, are well documented in game stories found on the team's schedule/results page. Season statistics can be found by clicking here.

Next: 10/15 vs. Allegheny

---

Jessica Rizzo

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams ran well in the biggest race - in terms of the size of the field - they will take part in all year. Among NCAA Division III schools, Wittenberg's men finished 15th in the 20-team field at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan on Friday. The Tiger women placed 13th out of 20 teams.

Both finishes were significant improvements over 2004, and the Tigers were competitive with most of the other NCAC schools in the fields.

The Tiger men put three runners in the top 90, led by sophomore Mike Echols (Springfield, Ohio/North), who placed 71st in a time of 29:11. Freshman Gabe Savage (Lewisburg, Ohio/Tri-County North) placed 80th in 29:35 and senior Chris Petrik (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield Heights) added an 86th place finish as he covered the 8K course in a time of 29:54.

All five Tiger runners on the women's side who scored in the meet placed in the top 90 and three broke the 22-minute barrier on the 5K course. Freshman Jessica Rizzo (Benningtor, Ind./South Dearborn) led the way for the first time this year, crossing the finish line in a time of 21:19. She was followed by senior Anna Finkelstein (Whitehall, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) in 68th place in 21:34 and freshman Erin Hedrick (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) in 74th place in 21:47.

The final tune-up for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet at Denison on Oct. 29 takes place Friday at Wilmington. The Tigers then have a week off.

Details about the Tigers' season can be in links on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 10/14 @ Wilmington

---

Callie Riley

The Wittenberg women's golf team put the finishing touches on the 2005 fall season with a sixth-place finish at the John Carroll Invitational on Oct. 9.

For the fifth straight time to open her collegiate career, freshman Jenny Petro (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) led the Tigers, this time carding a one-round total of 92 to place in a tie for 11th. Seniors Callie Riley (Orlando, Fla./Maitland) and Anne Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) also broke 100 on the day to finish in the top half of the individual standings.

Details about the Tigers women's season can be in found at schedule/results page.

Next: Fall Season Complete