Posted October 4 2000, 10:28 am
Posted by: Ryan Maurer
Successes, honors continue for Tiger fall sports teams
*** Players of the Week - Again ***
Wittenberg University's fall sports teams are all enjoying banner 2000 campaigns, and little about that scenario changed last week. And not only did the Tigers by and large continue to enjoy victories on the field, for the third straight week at least one athlete was named North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week for their sport. Three weeks ago, men's soccer player Steve Cassiere and women's soccer player Geri Woessner won the honors; last week it was Kate Williston of the women's soccer team garnering the recognition; and this week, Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) of the nationally ranked field hockey squad, Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) of the nationally ranked volleyball squad, and Casey Donaldson (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) of the nationally ranked football team were so recognized.
All three led their teams to what may be the most important victories of their respective seasons. Duh scored three goals in a pivotal NCAC match-up against Wooster on Sept. 24 and followed that with a one-goal, one-assist performance in Saturday's win over Earlham. She has been a vital part of Wittenberg's field hockey revival as the Tigers have moved out to the top of the NCAC with a perfect 6-0 record.
The volleyball team appears to be well on its way to continuing a dynasty of league championships and winning seasons, but by any measure the team's accomplishments in the Wittenberg Invitational were huge last weekend. Leading the Tigers to a runner-up finish in a tournament that featured five nationally ranked teams in the most recent National Volleyball Coaches Association poll was sophomore Brittany Baume, last year's NCAC Newcomer and Player of the Year. She pounded 93 kills and recorded 33 digs in four matches during the tourney.
The football team continued its march toward a third consecutive undefeated regular season, reaching the halfway point 5-0 following a hard-fought 35-21 victory at Allegheny on Saturday. Donaldson, a senior tailback, took home Offensive Player of the Week honors for a second time this season and a fifth time in the last two years after picking up 158 yards on 30 carries and scoring a touchdown. He is now the NCAC career rushing record-holder with 4,332 yards, and he is tied atop NCAC lists with Stanley Drayton of Allegheny in career touchdowns and scoring.
MEN'S and WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Coach Steve Shutt (second season)
The cross country teams travelled to Chicago, Ill. and acquitted themselves well against fields loaded with NCAA Division I and II competition at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational. The Tigers finished 30th of 46 on the men's side, while the women's team wound up 32nd of 54.
Sophomore Nick DeWald (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) paced the men's team with a time of 27:04, which was good for an 83rd place finish. He was joined in the crowded field, which included 14 Division I teams and 14 Division II teams, by junior Dave Hyde (Naperville, Ind./Naperville Central) , who ran a 27:45 and finished 148th. Ironically, DeWald was finished eighth among Division III runners, but he was the only Wittenberg runner who didn't run a season- or career-best time in the meet.
The women's team was paced by sophomore Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) , who turned in a time of 23:53 in the first 6K race of the season for the Tigers. Her time was good for 84th place, but it was the fourth best mark among Division III runners. Junior Sarah Weide (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) also finished strong, crossing the line in 24:10, which put her 101st in the field, which featured 19 Division I teams and 13 Division II squads.
Next 10/13 @ All-Ohio Invitational
FIELD HOCKEY
Coach Marianne Beshara (first season)
The field hockey team finally broke into the national polls following a 4-1 victory over Wooster on Sept. 24, and the Tigers followed that up with a 2-0 shutout at Earlham on Saturday.
The two NCAC wins were important for two reasons. First, the Tigers are now alone atop the league standings at 6-0. Second, Wittenberg continues to build momentum heading into a week in which the Tigers play the second- and third-place teams in the league - Denison and Ohio Wesleyan - within 72 hours.
Sophomore Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) was the big story, putting the ball into the cage three times during the big home win over Wooster. In the win over Earlham - a game in which the Tigers outshot their hosts by a 29-3 margin - she again netted a goal and an assist. Also in the scoring column were senior Kacy Heinmiller (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) , who had her third goal of the season, and senior Kelly McMullen (East Amherst, NY/The Nichols School) , who assisted Duh's goal.
Next 10/4 vs. Denison, 7 p.m.
FOOTBALL (5-0, 2-0 NCAC)
Coach Joe Fincham (fifth season)
The Tigers won their fifth straight game of the 2000 season by rallying from a 21-21 tie in the third quarter to defeat archrival Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. on Saturday. Wittenberg has now won 26 consecutive regular season games and 17 straight NCAC games dating back to a 1997 loss to Wooster.
Next 10/7 vs. Denison, 130 p.m.
MEN'S SOCCER
Coach Steve Dawson (11th season)
The Tigers dropped their first two games of the season before rallying to win six straight. During that streak, Wittenberg had won a number of close contests and had generally relied on a stingy defense sprearheaded by senior Chris Cea (Galena, Ohio/Olentangy) and sophomore Josh Curtis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) to preserve victories.
The winning couldn't last forever and the streak finally came to a halt last week following the sixth win in a row, a 3-2 road triumph over Oberlin in the conference opener.
Wilmington was the first opponent to test the win streak on Wednesday, playing the Tigers to a scoreless draw through regulation and two overtime periods. The two teams, with a combined record at the time of 13-3, left the pitch with a 0-0 tie. Junior goalkeeper Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) went the whole way, turning away 10 shots by the Quakers to record his second shutout of the season.
On Saturday, the Tigers finally met their match as they were defeated 5-0 at Allegheny. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first half before the physical, veteran Gators finally broke out in the second half. Three of the goals were scored in the last 27 minutes of the contest.
Even with the loss, Wittenberg is in the hunt for the NCAC regular season title heading into a very difficult stretch of games, beginning with a Wednesday afternoon encounter with unbeaten and nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan at Bill Edwards Field. The Tigers - who must get better offensive production from a frontline led by freshman Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) and his 10 total points - also host Wabash on Saturday. Next 10/4 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 4 p.m.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Coach Fran Kulas (second season)
The Tigers have come a long way in a short time, even with 15 freshmen among its 19 players on the 2000 roster. Wittenberg, coming off a series of sub-par seasons, matched its 1999 win total of seven with a 4-3 victory over visiting Ohio Northern on Thursday.
Freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) both put in two goals as the high-scoring Tigers won for the sixth straight time. Junior midfielder Emily Gersbach (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hamilton Badin) and freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) had the assists.
On Saturday, the Tigers suffered their first defeat since the second week of the season against regionally ranked Heidelberg. In their first road NCAC test, Wittenberg dropped a physical, hotly contested 4-2 decision to Allegheny in Meadville, Pa.
The Tigers went down 3-0 in the first half before beginning a rally that just fell short in the end. Wittenberg, which went into the game ranked 10th in the Great Lakes region and moved up to seventh this week, received goals from Estep and Rekers again. The only Wittenberg assist against Allegheny, which is rated No. 4 in the Great Lakes region, was contributed by Woessner.
While she didn't add to her team- and NCAC-leading goal total of 11 last week, Woessner continues to top both in scoring with 29 points. Freshman forward Kate Williston (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) , Rekers and Estep also appear among the conference leaders, while freshman goaltender Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) is also among the league leaders with a 1.58 goals against average.
The Tigers continue the toughest and most important stretch of the season this week when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan tonight, Denison on Wednesday and Wooster on Saturday.
Next 10/2 @ Ohio Wesleyan, 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL (15-6, 3-0 NCAC)
Coach Connie Surowicz (eighth season)
The Tigers have already enjoyed several highlights during the 2000 season. Starting the season 5-0 by storming through the Alma Invitational was quite a start. And defeating Juniata, the No. 3 ranked team in the country, at the Emory Invitational was a first for the Wittenberg program.
But finishing second in its own invitational competition over the weekend would have to rank at or near the top of the list. The Tigers beat two nationally ranked teams in thrilling 3-2 contests en route to the championship game against Mount St. Joseph, the eighth ranked team in the country. There the Tigers dropped a hard-fought 3-1 decision to take second place.
In the preliminary bracket competition, the Tigers warmed up Friday by defeating Mount Union, the No. 1 team in the region, by an 11-15, 15-8, 11-15, 15-9, 15-13 final. Then came a titanic battle against Ithaca, which came in No. 1 in the NY region, and an 11-15, 11-15, 15-5, 15-11, 15-9 decision that didn't end until well after 10 p.m.
On Saturday, Wittenberg kept the momentum with a 15-6, 15-12, 15-9 victory over Case Western Reserve University, ironically the last team to defeat the Tigers in NCAC action - in 1997. That set up a rematch with Mount St. Joseph on the same court they had met on 10 days previous. The Mounties got the best of the Tigers again, but the result was closer this time (7-15, 14-16, 15-13, 9-15).
Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was in top form over the weekend, earning her NCAC Player of the Week honors. Sophomore outside hitter Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and sophomore setter Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) also had fine weekends. Baume tops the league in kills and kills per game, while Habegger leads in assists and assists per game.
Next 10/7 @ Kenyon w/ Allegheny, 1 & 3 p.m.