Ryan Holmes

The Wittenberg football team has a chance for redemption this weekend. With memories of the program's first 0-3 start in more than 50 years still fresh, the Tigers have recovered to start out the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule with three straight wins, setting the stage for a key showdown with unbeaten and nationally ranked Wabash on Saturday.

The Tigers are coming off a second straight shutout victory, a 66-0 win over visiting Hiram on Saturday. In that game, senior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) made his first start since opening week due to injury, throwing for 137 yards and three touchdowns in less than one half of work. The Tigers did most of their damage on the ground, churning out 311 rushing yards, led by junior Jason Hartzler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) with career highs of nine carries and 68 yards in the fourth quarter and senior Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who moved into the top 10 nationally with three more touchdowns, giving him 13 on the season.

For the third straight week, it was the Tigers' much-maligned defensive unit that spearheaded the win. After giving up 133 points in the first three games, the Wittenberg defense has shut down Denison, Earlham and Hiram, allowing just six points in the first quarter of a 31-6 win over Denison on Oct. 1. Wittenberg has not allowed a point in 11 quarters, a span of more than 174 minutes of game action.

Against Hiram, school records were set for total offensive yards allowed (-1 yards) and rushing yards allowed (-45), breaking marks established in 1970 against California (Pa.). The tone was set in the opening minutes as senior defensive ends Dave Fleck (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) and Chris Vennefron (Hamilton, Ohio/Somerville Edgewood) recovered fumbles on Hiram's first two offensive plays from scrimmage.

The Tigers will find out just how far they have come in the 2005 season when they travel to Wabash this weekend. After losses to three teams with a combined record of 15-4 to open the season and wins over three teams with a combined record of 5-14 since the calendar flipped to October, Wittenberg, the preseason favorite to capture an eighth league title in 17 years, is something of an enigma. Wabash has been a steamroller so far this year and has positioned itself to win its second conference title since joining the NCAC in 2000.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 10/22 @ Wabash

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Jan Kehres

The Wittenberg volleyball team made a long mid-season trip to California a happy one with four straight wins at the Pioneer Wild West Tournament, hosted by California State-East Bay. In the process, the seventh-ranked Tigers improved to 22-4 overall and potentially got their swagger back after dropping just one game in four matches against quality opponents over the weekend.

Sophomore outside hitter Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance) was simply outstanding in the tournament as the Tigers defeated three 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament qualifying teams. Against Coe College, Kehres pounded 15 kills in 24 attempts with no errors for an astounding attack percentage of .625. She was named to the all-tournament team as a result.

Sophomore outside hitter Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) and senior outside hitter Linda Young (Minster, Ohio/Minster) also had strong performances over the weekend, propelling them to berths on the all-tournament team as well. Also of note was the strong play of freshman outside hitter Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat), who pounded 11 kills in 13 attempts in a win over the host team.

With the first North Coast Athletic Conference loss since 1997 already in the books, the Tigers have some pressing issues still ahead of them as the season winds to a close. A key match at nationally ranked Mount St. Joseph on Friday will go a long way toward NCAA Division III Tournament positioning. Wittenberg is ranked second in the Great Lakes Region currently, one spot ahead of Mount St. Joseph and one behind current Ohio Athletic Conference leader Capital.

A week later, the Tigers host the Wittenberg Fall Classic, which features a strong field, including Baldwin-Wallace, Mount Union, Carthage, Alma, Carnegie Mellon and Wooster.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 10/21 @ Mount St. Joseph

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Rachel Dunn

The Wittenberg field hockey team is well positioned for a strong stretch run to the 2005 season. With three games remaining in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season, the Tigers stand 8-6 overall and, more importantly, 6-3 in the NCAC.

In the last week, Wittenberg dropped a 3-1 decision at Wooster on Saturday before rallying for a 6-0 home victory over Earlham on Wednesday. The loss, while disappointing, followed a recent pattern - Wittenberg has lost to the Scots on their home field each of the last three years as well, only to follow that with NCAC regular season and tournament titles.

In the loss to Wooster, Wittenberg was outshot by a whopping 33-8 margin. Sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Irvin (Gettysburg, Pa./Littlestown) had a season-high 17 saves to keep the Tigers within striking distance in the game.

Against Earlham, the Tigers were unstoppable offensively, led by junior forward Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson). With four goals - two in each half - Barrett posted the third-highest scoring total in school history. She would have tied Blair Ufer for second place with five goals if her second-half penalty stroke had been just inches lower instead of clanging off the edge of the goal cage.

Three players had two assists in the game: junior defender Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), junior midfielder Holly McHugh (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) and junior forward Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington). Senior Julia Wickham (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) finished with a goal and an assist.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 10/22 @ Ohio Wesleyan

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Sydney Bates

The Wittenberg women's soccer team has just two games remaining on its 2005 regular season schedule, and both are absolute must-wins. The Tigers, with a record of 12-4 overall but just 3-3 in the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference, likely must defeat Hiram on the road on Saturday and Wooster at home on Oct. 29 to secure a berth in the four-team NCAC Tournament.

Wittenberg is in this predicament thanks to losses the last three weeks to conference front-runners Kenyon, Denison and Ohio Wesleyan. The most recent loss came on Wednesday at OWU, as the defending conference champions claimed a 2-0 win.

The fact that it was an evenly played game with a shot count that favored the home team by just two is of little or no consequence. The Tigers, who aspire to reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in the program's 20-year history, will likely have to win the NCAC Tournament to secure a bid.

To do that, the road starts with two wins in the final two regular season games, with the game against Wooster looming as the biggest home game for the team in years. The Tigers faced a similar scenario a year ago, and they came through with a 2-0 win at Oberlin on the final Saturday of the regular season.

The Tigers' most recent win came last Saturday against Allegheny at Edwards-Maurer Field. Sophomore forward Sydney Bates (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) headed home a cross from junior defender Jamie McIntyre (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) in the second half and the Tiger defense made it stand up, allowing the Gators just three shots in the entire game. Behind sophomore goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), the Tigers recorded their school record-tying 11th shutout of the season, equalling a mark set in 1995 and 2004.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 10/22 @ Hiram

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Shane Price

The Wittenberg men's soccer team is headed for the final week of the 2005 season with everything on the line. In taking on Hiram, Wabash and Wooster in a span of eight days to close the campaign, the Tigers hope to reach the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in its six-year history.

Currently one of six teams in the mix for the four-team tournament, the Tigers must win at least two of the final three games, and getting a tie or win in the other may well be imperative when all is said and done. Wooster may be on the tournament bubble as well by the time the Scots come calling on Saturday, making for an interesting Homecoming and Reunion Weekend men's and women's soccer doubleheader at Edwards-Maurer Field on Oct. 29.

In the last week, the Tigers have gone three games with just one goal and as a result they have two losses and a tie to show for it. After back-to-back 1-0 losses to Ohio Wesleyan and Allegheny, the Tigers finished in a 1-1 tie with Earlham Wednesday at home. The goal was scored by freshman forward Shane Price (Minford, Ohio/Minford) off a feed from freshman midfielder Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter). For Price, it was a dramatic return to the starting lineup after he missed half the season due to a leg injury. He leads the team in goals per game with four in his eight appearances in the Red & White.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 10/22 @ Hiram

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Erin Hedrick

The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams tuned up for the 2005 North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet on Oct. 29 with one of the best overall performances in several years. The Tiger men placed ninth in a deep field at the Wilmington Fall Classic, while the Tiger women stood seventh when the meet concluded.

Sophomore Mike Echols (Springfield, Ohio/North) was again the men's team's top finisher, crossing the finish line in a personal best time of 27:28. That was good for a 31st place finish. He was followed closely by freshman Gabe Savage (Lewisburg, Ohio/Tri-County North), who also had a personal best time as he hit the finish line in 27:51.

On the women's side, the improvement continues to show. Freshman Erin Hedrick (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) nearly reached her season-best time, finishing 21st in a field of 139 runners in a time of 20:53. She was followed by freshman Abby McCutcheon (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), who reached the finish line in 21:21. That was good for 33rd place.

The Tigers now have a week off to get ready for the NCAC Championship meet, which will be hosted by Denison. Wittenberg is hoping to move up from an eighth place finish for the women and a ninth place finish for the men in 2004.

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

Next: 10/29 NCAC Championships @ Denison

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Lindsay Smith

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams kick off the 2005-06 season this weekend with the annual North Coast Athletic Conference Relays, hosted by Kenyon.

The Tigers have some lofty goals this year, bolstered by a strong veteran nucleus and a large contingent of incoming freshmen. Wittenberg is coming off another outstanding season in 2004-05, which was highlighted by strong NCAC finishes for both the men's and women's teams.

The Tiger women return 17 letterwinners, led by five-time All-American and All-NCAC honoree Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County). There is quality and quantity on the team, with junior Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) and senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), both of whom achieved NCAA "B" Cuts and top-eight finishes in the NCAC in 2004 and 2005, standing out. Yeakley also joined Searcy with 2005 All-NCAC honors. The Tigers finished a solid fourth at the 2005 NCAC championships behind three of the top swimming programs in the nation annually. This year's squad has committed to chasing after their goal to break into one of the top three places in the NCAC conference.

The 2005-06 team returns 14 swimmers who scored at last year's NCAC meet. In addition to the three individuals already mentioned, the returning scorers include sophomores Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) and Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest); juniors Hillary Clark (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Colleen Costigan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), Olivia Lyons (Pleasant Hill, Calif./Horizons), Shantel Sechrist (Saltsburg, Pa./Saltsburg) and Katie Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic); and seniors Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy), Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and Sarah Schick (Bloomington, Ind./North). Kaitlin Clark, Smith, Roth, Sechrist, Spittler, Hillary Clark, Banas and Conner have all posted top-16 finishes in the extremely competitive NCAC meet in recent years.

A strong group of incoming swimmers promises to bolster an already solid team in 2005-06, and it will hopefully push the Tigers into the top-third of the NCAC. Among the top newcomers are Mackenzie Yamamoto (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Jenny Riehle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) and Allison Reed (Duluth, Ga./Duluth), all of whom were decorated high school student-athletes.

The men return 15 letterwinners, highlighted by junior diver Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), the 2004 NCAC Diver of the Year and winner of multiple All-NCAC honors in his first two years, sophomores Ryan and Corey Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and junior Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central). Ryan Schramm just missed an NCAA B Cut a year ago, and big things are expected from he and his brother in their second go-around at the collegiate level. Wolf has been a consistent performer and points scorer at NCAC meets for the Tigers in sprint freestyle events, and he was an All-NCAC in a relay event as a freshman.

The 2005-06 team returns 14 swimmers who scored at last year's NCAC meet. In addition to the four swimmers already mentioned, sophomores Jordan Brown (Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek), Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), Jeff Smith (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central); juniors Ben Weible (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) and Mark O'Brien (Shavertown, Pa./Dallas Senior); and seniors Dan McGuire (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria), Kevin McAninch (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Lancaster) and Sean Buchan (Akron,Ohio/Revere) all contributed to the Tigers' sixth-place finish at the conference meet. The finish was deceiving considering the narrow 30-point difference between fourth place and sixth in the final standings.

The freshman class offers 10 new faces, eager to push the Tigers back into the top half of the NCAC in 2005-06. Among the top newcomers are Chris Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central), Mike Finlay (Marietta, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain), Andy Bates (Lawrencesburg, Ind./East Central) and Ryan Hamilton (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Charisland Academy), all of whom were accomplished swimmers at the high school level.

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

Next: 10/22 NCAC Relays @ Kenyon