The Wittenberg Univeristy men’s basketball team is expected to challenge for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship as usual in the 2000-2001 season, at least according to both the media representatives and coaches in attendance at Wednesday’s media day festivities in Dublin, Ohio.

In each preseason poll, the Tigers were selected to finish second behind nationally ranked College of Wooster. In each case, Earlham was chosen third and Allegheny was fourth.

The Tigers opened the season on their best note in years by winning the Albion Tip-Off Tourney. Wittenberg won a surprisingly easy game on Friday, downing Rose-Hulman 81-55 victory. Wittenberg shot 54 percent from the field, led by senior Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) and his 15 points and sophomore Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), who scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Then on Saturday, Taylor again led the Tigers with 17 points, while Longley contributed nine points and 10 rebounds as the host Britons fell 64-62 in the championship game.

It was the first season-opening tournament that the Tigers have won since Head Coach Bill Brown took over the reins in 1994-95. Taylor was named tournament MVP for his performance.

Wittenberg’s game against Case Western Reserve in Cleveland on Tuesday was postponed due to heavy snowfall in the area. No make-up date was immediately announced.

Next game: vs. Cedarville (11/28)

Women’s Basketball (3-0, 0-0 NCAC)
Coach: Pam Smith (15th season)

The Wittenberg University women’s basketball team is also expected to assume its customary position at or near the top of the NCAC in 2000-2001. The Tigers were chosen second by the media and third by the coaches during the media day festivities on Wednesday. Perennial power Ohio Wesleyan was projected to top the conference in both polls, while Denison was tabbed to finish second in the coaches poll.

The Tigers have responded with a terrific start to what was thought to be a rebuilding season. It started last weekend as Wittenberg defeated Greensboro College and Western Maryland at the Greensboro College Tip-Off Women’s Basketball Tournament. Sophomore guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) topped the Tigers in scoring in both games and earned all-tournament team recognition, while freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) snagged 21 rebounds in the two games to walk away with tournament MVP honors.

That was just the beginning, however. The Tigers returned home early in the morning on Monday and began preparing for nationally ranked Capital as their home opener foe on Tuesday. When the game began, the Tigers fell behind by double digits late in the first half and struggled just to remain within striking distance of the Crusaders, who feature Player of the Year candidate Kendra Meyer and a tall, experienced line-up.

In the second half, the tables suddenly turned. Sophomore Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) poured in 20 points in the game, including 12 in the second half, and sophomore Rebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline) tallied 12 points — all in the second half — to close the gap. Then Campbell stunned the Crusaders with a running three-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game. After Capital was called for five seconds attempting to in-bound the ball, Wittenberg came out of a timeout to execute a play perfectly. Woessner dropped a short jumper through the net as time expired to give the Tigers the 76-75 upset win.

Wittenberg now has a week to savor the win and prepare for another tough non-conference contest. The Tigers travel to Baldwin-Wallace, a preseason No. 1 in one national poll, on Nov. 28.

Next game: at Baldwin-Wallace (11/28)

Football (11-0, 7-0 NCAC — first place)
Coach: Joe Fincham (fifth season)

The Wittenberg University Tigers, ranked No. 4 in the nation by the American Football Coaches Association, won a first-round NCAA Division III tournament game for the third consecutive year last weekend, downing a game Aurora University Spartans squad, 31-20, at chilly, wind-swept Edwards-Maurer Field.

The Tigers, the No. 2 seed in the North Region bracket, overcame a 7-7 halftime draw to score 24 second-half points and finally pull away from Aurora, which concluded its season 7-4 overall after winning the Illini-Badger Conference title. Senior tailback Casey Donaldson (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) rambled for 178 yards and three touchdowns, the fifth time in his career that he has topped 100 yards rushing in a playoff game (in five tries).

The Tigers, who ran their regular season win streak to 31 and their NCAC win streak to 22 with a perfect 10-0 2000 campaign, now advance to take on Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion Hanover College this Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field. The Panthers defeated Hope College last weekend in a first-round match-up, 20-3.

In other recent news, the North Coast Athletic Conference announced the results of postseason voting today and Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham was named Coach of the Year for a third straight year, and Casey Donaldson took home the Mike Gregory Offensive Player of the Year award for an unprecedented third straight season.

Joining Donaldson on the 2000 All-NCAC team were junior wide receiver Mike Aljancic (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville), junior offensive lineman Matt Leisure (Canton, Ohio/McKinley), senior offensive lineman Mark Sunderman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), junior defensive tackle Juan Howard (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), sophomore outside linebacker ,i>Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East), junior inside linebacker Dustin Goldsbury (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Ready), junior safety John Hauser (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley), sophomore cornerback Elio Harmon (Columbus, Ohio/Walnut Ridge), senior placekicker Ryan Walker (Newark, Ohio/Newark), senior punter Matt Gallatin (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) and junior kick returner Jay Jackson (Columbus, Ohio/South).

Making the second team were senior quarterback Anthony Crane (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and junior defensive lineman Tim Daoust (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic). Honorable mention went to senior fullback Gary Henson (Columbus, Ohio/Marion-Franklin), senior wide receiver Labon Storts (Columbus, Ohio/Westland), junior defensive lineman Michael Houck (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) and senior defensive back Rob Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow).

Next: 11/25 vs. Hanover College, NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round

Men’s & Women’s Cross Country
Coach: Steve Shutt (second season)

Sophomore Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) crossed the finish line in 19:06 at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Meet in Hanover, Ind. on Nov. 11. That put her in eighth place in the entire field and qualified her for the NCAA Division III National Championship Meet in Spokane, Wash. on Nov. 18.

She continued to run well at the national meet, her first appearance on such a national stage, finishing 122nd of 215 competitors. Gerstle ran a time of 19:31.3.

Johanna Olson of Luther College won the event in a time of 17:54.4.

Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving
Coach: Bob Rueppel (fifth season)

The Wittenberg University swimming teams are off to tremendous starts to the long, grueling 2000-2001 season. The men’s team, led by senior returning All-American Aaron Edsall (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville), is off to a 6-1 start in dual meets and finished fifth in the recent NCAC relays at Kenyon. Also putting up some strong times recently is freshman Steve Rader (Concord, Ohio/St. Ignatius), who was one of several double-winners in a Nov. 18 victory over Oberlin.

Similarly, the women’s team is 6-1 and finished fifth in the NCAC relays at Kenyon. Leading the team to a series of lopsided victories in the last two weeks is junior Rachel Juergens (Springfield, Ohio/Central Catholic), who recorded four first-place finishes in wins over Wilmington and Ohio Wesleyan, and then added an NCAA B-standard qualifying time in the 1650-yard freestyle.

The Tigers will take a break over the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to competition at the Akron Invitational Dec. 1-3. Head Coach Bob Rueppel expects to be able to gauge his team’s progress against top-notch competition from all divisions of the NCAA and NAIA.

Next: at Akron Invitational (12/1-3)

Volleyball (32-9, 8-0 NCAC — first place)
Coach: Connie Surowicz (seventh season)

Sophomore setter Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay) earned North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, and Head Coach Connie Surowicz (Ohio State ‘81) took home NCAC Coach of the Year honors for their performances during the 2000 season.

Habegger broke Wittenberg’s season and career assists records as she led the Tigers to a 32-9 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the NCAC. The top-seeded Tigers captured two in-season tournaments and a fourth straight conference tournament crown before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament. No. 1 seeded Mt. St. Joseph ended Wittenberg’s season with a 3-0 victory in the regional finals on Nov. 11 in Cincinnati.

Surowicz, who now has a sparkling career record of 193-77 in seven seasons leading the Tigers, won the Coach of the Year honor for the third time since 1995 and second straight year.

Joining Habegger on the NCAC first team was sophomore Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic), who was No. 2 on the team in kills. Topping the Tigers offensively was sophomore Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) — who also ranked No. 10 nationally — and she was named to the NCAC’s second team a year after being named the conference Newcomer and Player of the Year. In addition, sophomore outside hitter Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) made the second team.

Field Hockey (15-4, 10-2 NCAC - first place)
Coach: Marianne Beshara (first season)

The Wittenberg Tigers worked their way back onto the national field hockey map this fall, and it showed in the respect individual players and coaches received in postseason awards balloting.

Heading the long list of award-winners is Head Coach Marianne Beshara (Ohio ‘99), who led the Tigers to a 15-win season, an NCAC regular season co-championship and a regional title won at the KIT/NCAC tournament in Memphis, Tenn. late last month. Wittenberg was the winningest team in the country to miss out on the NCAA Division III national tournament, losing the NCAC’s automatic bid to co-champ Denison based on a tiebreaker.

Tiger making first-team all-conference were senior midfielder Kelly McMullen (East Amherst, NY/The Nichols School) and sophomore backfield player Rebecca Russ (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart). McMullen was the team’s leading scorer, while Russ was the heart and soul of a strong defensive unit.

Making the second team in the NCAC were freshman forward Barb Keselman (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron), sophomore forward Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley), sophomore backfield player Heather House (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) and senior backfield player Kati Robbins (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton). Honorable mention honors were distributed to junior goaltender Georgina Klinzing (Gasport, NY/Royalton Hartland).

McMullen and Russ were also named to the All-Great Lakes Region teams earlier this week. Earning second-team all-region honors were Keselman, Duh, House and Klinzing.

Finally, in the national balloting, McMullen became the latest in a long line of Tiger players to earn All-American honors. She was named to the third team for her play this year.

Women’s Soccer (10-7, 4-4 NCAC - fourth)
Coach: Fran Kulas (second year)

The Wittenberg women’s soccer team enjoyed one the best seasons in its history, posting double-digit wins for the first time since 1995 and qualifying for the first-ever NCAC postseason tournament after finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference.

To no one’s surprise, Tiger freshman phenom Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) was named Newcomer of the Year for her record-setting performance. She tied the school record for goals in a season with 18 and came within one point of the school’s mark for points in a season with 43.

Joining Woessner on the NCAC first team was senior defensive back Shana Ryan (London, Ohio/London), who had another great season. She was named to all-conference teams after each of her four seasons.

Making the second team was senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn), who was the team’s second-leading scorer with 26 points this season. Finally, making honorable mention were freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and junior midfielder Emily Gersbach (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin).

Men’s Soccer (10-7-1, 4-5 NCAC - sixth)
Coach: Steve Dawson (18th season)

The Wittenberg University Tigers were very competitive all year, but they never quite found the offensive range. Hence, the Wittenberg selections to all-conference teams were mostly players who helped the Tigers stay in so many close games.

Making the first team was sophomore defensive back Josh Curtis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman). Tiger Coach Steve Dawson considered Curtis to be invaluable in spearheading a defensive unit that recorded three shutouts.

Earning honorable mention status were freshman forward Steve Doring (Dayton, Ohio/Huber Heights Wayne),,/i> junior midfielder Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) and junior goalkeeper Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male).