Emily Hiscar

Sebastian Missura

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — While the Wittenberg University athletic department can boast of a variety of outstanding team and individual athletic accomplishments in the last 12 months, another great source of pride is created by the performance of Tiger athletes in the classroom. It has been exceptional again this year.

For starters, Emily Hiscar of Pataskala, Ohio, class of 2006, and Sebastian Missura of Quito, Ecuador, class of 2006, earned the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Student-Athlete Awards, presented annually to Wittenberg student-athletes who perform with distinction both in the classroom and on the playing field. One male and one female athlete from each of the NCAC’s 10 member institutions are selected for the award annually.

Hiscar was a starter in the midfield for both the Tiger women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams throughout her collegiate career, serving as team captain five times between the two sports. She earned multiple All-NCAC awards in each sport while carrying a 3.27 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and majoring in communication with minors in management and women’s studies.

Hiscar also earned a prestigious Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Developed by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics and the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, 26 postgraduate scholarships, valued at $6,000 each, are awarded annually.

Missura was a three-year starter for the Tiger men’s soccer team. The Tigers’ leading scorer in 2003 and 2004, Missura missed the first nine games of the 2005 season due to an offseason injury. He came back to make seven starts in 2005, scoring one goal and one assist while helping Wittenberg to a 7-6-6 overall record and a berth in the four-team NCAC Tournament. A three-time All-NCAC honoree, Missura compiled a 3.715 cumulative GPA while majoring in physics. He and his twin brother, Eduardo, also a key player for the Tigers the last three years and a 3.735 GPA student, will attend Columbia University next year after receiving diplomas from Wittenberg in just three years.

Five Wittenberg student-athletes have earned academic awards from coaches associations and four others have claimed Academic All-District IV honors and consideration for prestigious Academic All-America awards in the last 12 months. The College Division of District IV includes athletes from NCAA Division III, NCAA Division II and NAIA institutions in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.

The Tiger field hockey team placed four players on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Academic Squad, a program that recognizes student-athletes who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2005-06 academic year.

After helping the Tigers to a 10-8 overall record in 2005, including a second-place mark of 8-4 in the NCAC, midfielder Whitney Marshall of Barre, Mass., class of 2009, defender Rachel Dunn of Pittsburgh, Pa., class of 2007, midfielder Holly McHugh of Randolph, N.J., class of 2007, and forward Julia Wickham of Columbus, Ohio, class of 2006, made the squad.

Joe Rumschlag of Toledo, Ohio, class of 2005, earned a similar award based on similar criteria from the National Track and Field Coaches Association following the 2005 season. A three-time NCAC field events athlete of the year, Rumschlag recorded seven all-conference finishes in 2005 between the indoor and outdoor championship meets. He earned an astounding 32 All-NCAC awards in his career, including six first-place finishes in the long jump.

Jenny Burns and Emily Figel, both class of 2005, were honored with CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic Women’s At-Large All-District IV honors in May 2005. Burns, a four-year letterwinner in women’s lacrosse, was selected to the first team, while Figel, a four-year letterwinner in women’s tennis, made second team. The women’s at-large college division encompasses athletes from bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo.

Burns, of Dublin, Ohio, graduated with honors with a degree in history and a minor in education. The Tiger women’s lacrosse team finished the 2005 season with records of 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the NCAC, and Burns led the squad with 28 goals, 12 assists and 40 total points. Figel, of Fort Wayne, Ind., graduated with honors with a degree in communication and a minor in English. She was a seven-time All-NCAC honoree at the No. 1 singles and doubles positions and the 2002 NCAC Newcomer of the Year. One of just two Tiger women’s tennis players ever to appear in the NCAA Division III tournament, Figel’s four-year singles mark was 47-30 and her doubles record was 46-24 with four different partners.

Football standout Tristan Murray, class of 2006, earned first-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-District IV honors in November 2005. Murray followed up his 2004 NCAC Newcomer of the Year performance with another outstanding season. He led the conference in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and points per game in 2005. After receiving his degree in management, Murray will return to Wittenberg in the fall for one more football season due to a medical red-shirt earlier in his career.

Women’s basketball standout Kathy Hittle of Noblesville, Ind., class of 2007, was selected for second-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV honors. A two-year starter and three-year letterwinner in the post, Hittle enjoyed her finest collegiate season in 2005, leading the Tigers and ranking among the conference leaders in points, rebounds and blocked shots per game. An English major with a minor in education, Hittle is a two-time first-team All-NCAC honoree and was the 2006 NCAC Player of the Year.

Wittenberg’s volleyball team, winner of eight of the last nine NCAC regular season championships and nine straight conference tournament titles, earned a 2004-05 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The award honors men’s and women’s college and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year.

Finally, 20 Wittenberg student-athletes have been selected for induction into Chi Alpha Sigma, a National College Athlete Honor Society that recognizes student-athletes for their ability to excel in both academics and athletics. Nominees must have at least a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, have earned at least one varsity letter and have achieved junior or senior grade status.

Wittenberg’s 2006 Chi Alpha Sigma inductees are:
Gina Carney (Lexington, Ky./Catholic), class of 2007 – basketball;
Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), class of 2007 – basketball;
Lucy Huelsman (Wellington, Ohio/Wellington), class of 2007 – softball;
Emily Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Hts., Ohio/Cleveland Hts.), class of 2006 – tennis;
Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs), class of 2007 – tennis;
John Shields (New Kensington, Pa./Valley), class of 2007 – tennis;
Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), class of 2007 – basketball;
Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), class of 2006 – swimming and diving;
Katie Spittler (Lexington, Ky./Catholic), class of 2007 – swimming and diving;
George Andress (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior), class of 2006 – football;
Nate Cherry (Toledo, Ohio/ St. John’s Jesuit), class of 2006 – football;
Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), class of 2007 – football;
Matt Stechschulte (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove), class of 2006 – football;
Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), class of 2007 – field hockey;
Holly McHugh (Randolph, NJ/Randolph), class of 2007 – field hockey;
Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance), class of 2008 – volleyball;
Linda Young (Minster, Ohio/Minster), class of 2006 – volleyball;
Christine Maddox (Miamisburg, Ohio/ Miamisburg), class of 2007 – cross country;
Adam Stone (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus), class of 2007 – indoor track;
Sarah Yehle (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette), class of 2007 – cross country.

“Congratulations are in order to all of these fine student-athletes,” said Pam Smith, associate athletic director/senior woman administrator and head women’s basketball coach. “Our student-athletes’ success in the classroom and on the playing field demonstrates the balance that these individuals have accomplished in their lives during their collegiate careers. Through hard work, dedication and discipline they continue to achieve the goals they have set for themselves as students and as athletes.”