Baseball (22-10-1, 9-3 NCAC West)
Coach: Jay Lewis
 
 

Ryan Peters

Lance Dill

The Wittenberg University baseball team won three out of five games last week, but the two games the Tigers lost came against Ohio Wesleyan in a three-game series that determined the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division championship and homefield advantage in the semifinals of the conference playoffs. Wittenberg was swept 10-5 and 12-5 in a doubleheader by Ohio

Wesleyan on Saturday, April 28, before recovering for a 7-4 win in the final game on April 29. As a result, the Battling Bishops, ranked in the top-15 nationally and the top-5 in the region, will again host the Tigers, who are ranked No. 7 in the region, in a best of three semifinal series this weekend. The two teams first meet in a doubleheader on Saturday, and a third and deciding game is slated for Sunday if necessary. All games will be nine inning contests, and the winner will move on to the Championship Series May 12-13 at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton, Ohio against either the College of Wooster or Allegheny College, the top two teams in the East Division who also play a series this weekend.

Earlier in the week the Tigers made up a pair of rainouts with an 11-7 win at Denison and an 8-7 triumph against Wabash. Senior first baseman Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) and junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) each drove in three runs against Denison, while Peters had a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to win the Wabash game. In the win over the Little Giants, the Tigers coughed up a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning and had to rally behind a leadoff double by junior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), a well-placed bunt by sophomore infielder Shane Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/South), an intentional walk to Dill and then the clutch double to the base of the fence in right-centerfield by Peters.

Peters ranks fourth in the NCAC in hitting (.450) and is in a three-way tie for first in home runs (12). Freshman pitcher Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who won a pair of games last week, ranks seventh in the conference in earned run average (3.57) and has a 5-1 record.

Next: @ Ohio Wesleyan (DH), May 5
@ Ohio Wesleyan, May 6 - if necessary

Men's Tennis (14-5, 3-1 NCAC West)
Women's Tennis (14-9, 4-3 NCAC)
Coach: Dave Engle
 
 

Nowakowski

Clagett

The Tiger women's tennis team finished its best season in more than a decade by placing third in the NCAC tournament at Denison last weekend. Kenyon won its seventh straight and 15th overall NCAC championship, but the young Tigers, who expect to lose just two players off this year's team, were a big story at the event. Wittenberg, which was seeded fifth in the tournament, scored a 5-2 win over No. 4 Allegheny in the first round, guaranteeing the Tigers of no worse than a fourth-place finish. In the semifinals, Wittenberg was

defeated 5-1 by No. 1 Kenyon before recovering for a 5-0 win over No. 3 Oberlin in the third-place match. The No. 3 finish was the team's best since 1990, when the Tigers also finished third.

The Tigers had two players listed with the second-best records in their flights for the season. Junior Melanie Wight (Hombrechtilon, Switzerland/Gymnasium Weitzikon) was 13-9 (including 6-1 in the NCAC) at No. 3 singles, while freshman Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) was 12-9 and 4-2 at No. 5 singles. Overall in singles action this year, Wittenberg had just one player without a winning record, and that was an 8-8 mark.

Wittenberg's No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and senior Sara Deskin (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) was second in the NCAC with an 11-7 overall record and 5-1 in conference action. Deskin, the Tigers only senior, was also third in No. 4 singles at 14-9 and 6-2.

Wittenberg's men's team has earned the No. 2 seed in the West Division for the NCAC Tournament, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Oberlin.

The Tigers had a seven-match winning streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to defending NCAC champion Denison on April 18. The loss dropped Wittenberg into second place, one game behind Denison, in the NCAC West division. But Wittenberg rallied for a huge victory in their only outing last week as the Tigers conquered visiting Kenyon on April 24 at the Albright Tennis Center. In that match, the Tigers won a dramatic doubles point as the No. 1 team of senior Bryan Heft (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) and sophomore Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) rallied in a tiebreaker. Then the Tigers took four of the six singles matches in the non-league match.

Wittenberg has three singles players with the best records in their respective flights. They include Heft at No. 1 singles with a 19-4 overall record, sophomore Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) with a 15-5 record at No. 3 and sophomore Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) at 13-4 at No. 6 singles.

Freshman Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) is second in No. 4 singles at 12-5. All of the team's singles players have winning records.

Next: Women: Season Complete
Men @ NCAC Tournament
Oberlin (May 4-5)

Golf
Coach: J.J. Searls
 
 

Steve Spittle

Pat Reist

The Wittenberg golf team completed its 2001 season by finishing fourth in the NCAC Tournament at Hiram. The Tigers put together their best and most consistent performance of the season in pulling off the fourth-place finish in the eight-team field. That finish equalled the team's best NCAC conclusion since the 1996 team wound up second. Wittenberg was also fourth in 1999.

All five Tiger players put together solid two-day totals. Leading the way sophomore Steve Spittle (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who finished with a 36-hole total of 163, good for 11th place individually. He was followed by sophomore Pat Reist (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) with a 164 and 12th place finish; sophomore Jonathan Orr (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) with 165 and 15th place finish; freshman Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with a 166 and 16th place finish; and sophomore Jesse Fyffe (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) with a 170 and 20th place finish.

Next: Season Complete

Men's and Women's Track & Field
Coach: Steve Shutt
 
 

Josh Guerrieri

Abbie Gerstle

Wittenberg's track and field teams took top honors in the North Coast Athletic Conference decathlon and heptathlon competitions, which the Tigers hosted at Edwards-Maurer Field last weekend. The event serves as a lead-in for the NCAC outdoor championships Friday and Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan. Senior Josh Guerrieri (Avon, Ohio/Avon) won the men's decathlon with a total of 6,420 points. He broke his own school and conference

records in the event and met the NCAA Division III automatic national qualifying standard. He was also named NCAC men's runner of the week.

Junior Brian Gehle (Huntsville, Ohio/Indian Lake) was second with 5,611 points and senior Charlie Finfrock (New Carlisle Ohio/Tecumseh) was ninth with 4,316 points.

Freshman Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) won the women's heptathlon with a total of 4,145 points. Like Guerrieri, she set a school record for points in the event, and she met the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying standard. And also like Guerreri, Woessner claimed NCAC Runnerof the Week honors.

A pair of Tiger runners had strong performances in the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Classic. Sophomore Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) finished third in the 1,500-meter run in 4:07.9. She broke the Wittenberg record and is an NCAA Division III provisional qualifier. Junior Sarah Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) finished fourth in the 800 meters at 2:16.78.

And finally, at the Wittenberg Open Invitationial on Friday, a non-scoring meet, Tiger freshman Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek) set a new school record by topping all competitors in the javelin with a throw of 186 feet, 6 inches.

Next: NCAC Championships
@ Ohio Wesleyan, May 4-5

Women's Lacrosse (9-6, 4-3 NCAC)
Coach: Nancy Beck
 
 

Kati Robbins

Romanowski

Wittenberg finished in a tie for fourth in the NCAC regular season standings with Ohio Wesleyan and received the No. 4 seed by virtue of a victory over the Bishops during the regular season. The two teams meet for a third time today in the conference tournament, with the winner moving on to play second-seeded Kenyon in the semifinals Friday on the Ladies' home turf. Semifinal winners return to Kenyon for the championship match on Saturday.

Senior Kati Robbins (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) was named NCAC Player of the Week after breaking the Wittenberg and NCAC record for assists in a season. It was her second such honors this season.

Robbins has 39 assists on the season and also leads the conference in points with 81, while ranking fifth in goals (42). Sophomore Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Perkominen Valley) had four goals in a 21-5 loss at Wooster. She ranks third in the conference in goals (45) and is tied for fourth in points (51).

Next: vs. Ohio Wesleyan (May 1)
NCAC Quarterfinals

Softball (19-13, 7-5 NCAC)
Coach: Becky Hall
 
 

Mann

Kallendorf

Wittenberg has lost five straight games, occurring at the worst possible time going into the first NCAC postseason softball tournament at Denison this weekend. To make things worse, the fourth-seeded Tigers will meet the top-seeded Big Red in the first round of the double elimination tournament. Denison rolled into Springfield on April 24 and swept Wittenberg in a

pair of shutouts, 3-0 and 2-0. The Tigers managed just eight hits in the doubleheader, including a 3-for-3 perfomance by senior outfielder Caroline Mann (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) in Game 2. Wittenberg ended the week on a shocking five-game losing streak as the Tigers were swept by Wooster 5-2 and 5-4 on April 28.

Wittenberg got off the slide last night in a home doubleheader against Thomas More College. The Tigers swept both games 9-3 and 11-5.
Senior first baseman Carisa Clagg (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) entered the week atop the NCAC in hitting (.427) and triples (five). Senior outfielder Kristin Kallendorf (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) ranked third in runs scored (26) and sixth in hitting (.376), while freshman pitcher Carmen Montgomery (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was among the hitting leaders at .338.

Sophomore infielder Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) leads the NCAC with 10 stolen bases in as many attempts. She is one of three Tiger players who haven't been caught stealing yet this season. Montgomery leads the league in wins (15) and is seventh in earned run average (2.08).

Next: NCAC Championships @ Denison
May 5-6

Men's Lacrosse (5-6, 1-4 NCAC)
Coach: Vinnie Lang
 
 

Mario Cassani

Shawn Egan

The Tigers suffered a pair of losses last week, falling 19-4 to Ohio Wesleyan and 10-7 to Wooster. Wittenberg will finish fifth out of six teams in the NCAC in 2001. Sophomore attacker Zach Kulow (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) had three goals against Wooster while sophomore attacker Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) had two goals and two assists and senior attacker Mario Cassani (Chesterfield, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) added three assists.

Cassani ranks fourth in the NCAC in points (42) and goals (27). Patterson is sixth in assists (16) while senior midfielder Shawn Egan (Roswell, Ga./Innocent Episcopal) is seventh in goals (21).

Next: @ Kenyon (May 2)

 

For the fourth straight week, at least one Wittenberg athlete was named NCAC Player of the Week in their respective sport. And for the second time in that four-week stretch, the number of Tigers earning such recognition numbered three. Senior Josh Guerrieri (Avon, Ohio/Avon) of the men's track and field team won the North Coast Athletic Conference men's decathlon with a total of 6,420 points. He broke his own school and conference records in the event and met the NCAA Division III automatic national qualifying standard. Freshman Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) won the North Coast Athletic Conference women's heptathlon with a total of 4,145 points. Like Guerrieri, she set the school

 record for points in the event, and she met the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying standard. Woessner was also the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in women's soccer last fall and a regular contributor to the women's basketball squad. She is the first three-sport women's athlete at Wittenberg in several years.

Finally, senior Kati Robbins (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) was named NCAC Player of the Week in women's lacrosse after breaking the Wittenberg and NCAC record for assists in a season. It was her second such honor this season.
Robbins has 39 assists on the season, breaking the old conference mark of 36, and also leads the conference in points with 81, while ranking fifth in goals (42).

 

Wittenberg University senior Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) has won one last award in his illustrious collegiate career. A 6-foot-5 wing, Taylor was named second-team NCAA Division III All-American by the Lutheran Brotherhood late last week. That follows on the heels of a second-team All-America selection by the National Basketball Coaches Association in late March. Taylor, the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2000-01, led Wittenberg in scoring and three-point shooting. A three-time all-conference player, Taylor captained the Tigers to a 24-4 overall record, a regular season NCAC title and a berth in the NCAA Division III regional semifinals. He concluded his career as the ninth-leading scorer in Wittenberg history.

Upcoming Tiger Sports Action:
For the week of May 1-6

Tuesday, May 1
Women's Lacrosse vs. Ohio Wesleyan
(NCAC Quarterfinals), 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 2
Men's Lacrosse @ Kenyon, 5 p.m.

Friday, May 4
* Men's and Women's Track & Field @ NCAC Championship (Ohio Wesleyan), All Day
* Men's Tennis @ NCAC Championships (Oberlin), All Day
* Women's Lacrosse @ NCAC Semifinals (Kenyon), TBA

Saturday, May 5
* Men's Tennis @ NCAC Championships (Oberlin), All Day
* Men's and Women's Track & Field @ NCAC Championship (Ohio Wesleyan), All Day
* Baseball @ Ohio Wesleyan
NCAC Semifinals, 1 p.m. (DH)
* Softball @ NCAC Championship
Tournament (Denison), All Day
* Women's Lacrosse @ NCAC Finals
(Kenyon), TBA

Sunday, May 8
* Softball @ NCAC Championship
Tournament (Denison), All Day
* Baseball @ Ohio Wesleyan
NCAC Semifinals, 1 p.m. (if necessary)