Casey Clagett

Mike Herzog

Things just keep getting better for the Tiger men's tennis team. They hope the best is yet to come.

Wittenberg is riding an 11-match win streak and is unbeaten in two North Coast Athletic Conference West Division matches this year heading into a pivotal week. Thanks to rainouts earlier in the season, the Tigers played and defeated nonconference foe Otterbein on Monday at the Albright Tennis Courts, the first of four matches on the week. Northern Kentucky comes calling on Wednesday, followed by the two biggest matches of the season - at Denison on Friday and home to Wabash on Saturday. The Big Red are the defending NCAC champion and a perennial national title contender - making them a team the Tigers must defeat if they hope to advance to the NCAA tournament as a team for the first time ever.

Over the last week, the Tigers continued to roll forward, defeating NCAC West rivals Ohio Wesleyan and Earlham 7-0 and 6-1 respectively. They also tacked on a nonconference win over NCAC participant Oberlin and yesterday's win over Otterbein. Perhaps most encouraging, the Tigers' were perfect in 12 doubles matches during that time.

With the NCAC tournament on the horizon, the Tigers have three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) is tops with a 19-2 mark at No. 1 singles, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 13-3 record and senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 10-1 mark. In doubles, Wittenberg's pairings have been moved around, but the original No. 3 tandem of junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) and junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) has the best record of 10-3. The current lineup of Clagett and Hodgkiss-Lilly at No. 1 doubles, sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and Postma at No. 2 doubles, and Cusick and Herzog at No. 3 doubles has not lost a match, combining for a 14-0 record.

Next:
4/17 vs. Northern Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
4/19 @ Denison, 3:30 p.m.
4/20 vs. Wabash, Noon

Ryan Born

The Tiger baseball team are heating up along with the weather. With seven NCAC West Division games on the docket for the next 13 days, the timing couldn't be better.

Last week was a slow one for the Tigers as they had to cancel a nonconference game against Kenyon, defeated Division I rival University of Dayton 14-10 on Thursday and then watched the rain fall all weekend at NCAC West foe Earlham. When things finally cleared on Monday, the Tigers topped the Quakers 6-4 and 4-1 to sweep a doubleheader and take sole possession of first place. The wins ran the Tigers' modest win streak to four straight heading into a road game at Mt. St. Joseph on Tuesday, another rescheduled game opposite Earlham on Thursday and then a huge three-game series against Denison at home on Saturday and Sunday.

Against Dayton, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-0 lead before the Flyers rallied for eight runs in fifth and sixth innings to put the pressure on. Junior Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) and sophomore Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) combined to shut the Flyers down in the final three innings, however, to preserve the win. Junior first baseman Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) had a huge game, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, four runs scored, five RBI and 15 putouts in the field, a performance that earned him NCAC Player of the Week honors. He was joined in the offensive barrage by senior outfielder Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain), who went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI, senior catcher Nate Williams (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), who went 3-for-6 with three runs batted in, and freshman infielder Brandon Godzik (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia Butler), who also collected a trio of base knocks. Hirsch's strong day at the plate moved him up to fourth in the latest NCAC statistics with a .456 batting average.

After a frustrating weekend of heavy rains and aborted attempts to travel to Richmond, Ind. to play neighboring league rival Earlham, the Tigers finally got back on the field on Monday and swept an important doubleheader. In the opener, senior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) went 4-for-4 with three runs scored to power the Tigers to a 6-4 win. Freshman Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) and Robinson teamed up to handle the pitching duties. In the nightcap, junior Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville) had his best outing of the season, yielding just three hits and one earned run while walking no Earlham batters and striking out four. The Tigers got an offensive boost from senior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork), who had two hits and two RBI.

Next:
4/16 @ Mt. St. Joseph, 7 p.m.
4/18 @ Earlham, 6 p.m.
4/20 vs. Denison (DH), Noon
4/21 vs. Denison, 1 p.m.

Nick Dewald	Kristen Mumper

It was another good week for the Tigers, as they convened for a meet on their home track for the final time in 2002 last Friday. Both the men and women claimed first-place team finishes in the Wittenberg Challenge, a competition that was shortened by thunderstorms.

For the men, junior Nick Dewald (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) ran a strong time of 10:12.37 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to win the event by 22 seconds. Sophomore Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) captured the discus and hammer, followed closely by teammate, senior Chris Silliman (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), in both events.

For the women, sophomore Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) and senior Sarah Weide (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) topped the field in the 800. Sophomore Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) swept the long jump and triple jump and sophomore Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill) posted a first in the javelin and a second in the shot put.

Next: 4/19-20, All-Ohio Championship
@ Ohio Wesleyan

Alex Nichols	Dan Patterson

It was the toughest of weeks for a relatively young, aspiring Tiger men's lacrosse team. In two games last week, victory was in their clutches both times only to lose the games - to arch-rivals Kenyon and Wooster, no less - by a combined total of just four goals.

The Tigers headed to Kenyon on Wednesday, April 10 riding a four-game win streak in which they had outscored their opposition 72-3. The Lords are one of the league's best teams, in contention with national powers Denison and Ohio Wesleyan for the conference crown and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament next month. The Tigers, as they have all season, hung tough throughout, surrendering an early 2-0 lead and eventually falling 12-9, despite a late comeback attempt. In the game, senior Alex Nichols (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) had three goals, junior Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) added a goal and two assists, freshman Cory Essig (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) had two goals and an assist and sophomore Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) notched a goal and an assist.

Against Wooster on Saturday, the unthinkable happened as the Tigers coughed up a 10-9 lead in the final 11 seconds to lose 11-10. The winning goal bounded into the net with one second left on the clock, deflecting off a Wooster player's helmet.

Fortunately for Wittenberg, that game did not count toward the NCAC standings, unlike the Kenyon game, which left the Tigers at 1-2 in conference play. In the game, Essig found the back of the net three times and added an assist. Nichols contributed a goal and two assists, while junior Tom McHugh (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) had two goals and senior Justin Bitner (Lansing, Mich./Waverly) added a goal and an assist.

Despite the bad bounces, Tiger goaltender Kyle Prussing (New Concord, NH/Concord-Carlisle) leads the NCAC in save percentage at 62.7. Patterson seventh in points per game with 3.67 and fourth in assists per game with 2.11, while Essig is ninth in points at 3.57 and seventh in goals with 2.57.

Four of Wittenberg's five losses this season have been by three goals or less, and two have been by a single goal. The Tigers will have three opportunities to turn things back around this week as they travel to Denison for a make-up game on Tuesday and then enjoy a two-game weekend homestand against Colorado College and Wheeling Jesuit.

Next:
4/16 @ Denison, 5 p.m.
4/19 vs. Colorado College, 7 p.m.
4/20 vs. Wheeling Jesuit, 7 p.m.

Erin Jacobsen

The Tiger women's lacrosse team remains in the thick of things in the 2002 NCAC race after beating Earlham last Wednesday and then losing to Denison on Saturday. That left the Tigers a half-game out of the top spot with a 3-1 NCAC mark with important conference match-ups upcoming against Wooster, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan. This week is relatively quiet with only a Saturday home date opposite the Scots on the docket.

Last week, freshman Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and junior Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) each scored three goals against Earlham, while junior Mollie Stone (Damascus, Md./Damascus) and senior Erin Jacobsen (Fairport, NY/Penfield) each chipped in with two tallies. The win was Wittenberg's third straight in conference play and put them briefly alone atop the standings.

Then came a big game against perennial title contender Denison on Saturday and, unfortunately, a slow start for the Tigers. Down 8-2 at halftime, Wittenberg rallied in the second half but ultimately fell 19-8. Romanowski, last week's NCAC Player of the Week, had five goals and an assist in the loss.
Romanowski leads the NCAC in scoring with 4.44 points per game, ranks second in goals with 3.67 per outing and stands fifth in assists at 0.78 per contest. Burns is third in assists at 1.00 and Jacobsen is fourth in goals at 2.22.

Next:
4/20 vs. Wooster, 1 p.m.

Norah Gillman

Mother Nature was once again the big winner last week as the Tigers managed to get just one doubleheader in. They did get a few players healthy, however, which could be the biggest victory of all.

In their lone action for the last 10 days, the Tigers split a key doubleheader with visiting Ohio Wesleyan on April 9. In the opener, freshman Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) pitched nine strong innings before the Wittenberg defense caved in behind her in the 10th and opened the door for a 7-1 extra-inning OWU victory. In the nightcap, the Tigers got another strong pitching performance, this time from freshman Christy Cartaya (Mason, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame), who went the distance in a 3-1 win.

Freshman Jenny Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) keyed the offense in the win, collecting two hits and two runs, while junior Beth Walters (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales), sophomore Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and sophomore Daena Sisk (South Bend, Ind./Marian) all drove home runs.

Inclement weather has created an interesting scenario for the Tigers, who can get right back into the NCAC race with a strong week. Kenyon visits on Wednesday for a doubleheader, then Wittenberg travels to Hiram and Oberlin for a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend.

Next: 4/17 vs. Kenyon, 3:30 p.m.
4/20 @ Hiram, 1 p.m.
4/21 @ Oberlin, 1 p.m.

Emily Figel	Shannon Oliphant

The Tigers split their week, falling to perennial title contender and likely NCAA participant Denison on Tuesday, April 9 and then rebounding for a 9-0 sweep of visiting Earlham on Sunday, a match that was suspended Saturday due to rain.

The loss to Denison wasn't without its Tiger highlights, however, as the top three singles positions all were won by Wittenberg players.

Wittenberg's top two players are both among the best in their respective NCAC flights currently. Freshman Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) is first at the No. 1 singles position with a 15-3 overall mark and 4-0 in the NCAC, while junior Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) is 11-4 overall and 4-0 in the NCAC, good for the second-best mark among conference competition.

This figures to be a busy and important week for the Tigers, who have nonconference matches on the slate for Wednesday against Northern Kentucky and Thursday against Otterbein. Then conference foe Wooster comes calling in a key NCAC match on Saturday, just one week before the tournament is set to take place at Oberlin. All three matches are at home at the Albright Tennis Courts.

Next: 4/17 vs. Northern Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
4/18 vs. Otterbein, 3:30 p.m.
4/20 vs. Wooster, Noon

Andy Bonar	Jon Orr

Like most of the other Tiger spring sports teams, last week was a wet one for the golfers. They managed to get in one round of the Denison Spring Invitational before watching the rain fall on Sunday and heading home just eight holes into the second round.

It was a decent finish for the Tigers, despite the fact that the final ledger shows that they finished 11th of 18 teams in the loaded field. Freshman Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) showed the way for the Tigers with a 76, which was good for 19th place. Junior Jesse Fyffe (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) was next with a 79, sophomore Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) posted a solid 80 and juniors Steve Spittle (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Jonathan Orr (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) rounded things out with matching 81s.

This week the Tigers will get another look at the NCAC competition at an invitational tournament in Wooster. Following next week's Ohio Wesleyan Invitational, the 10 conference teams square off in Mount Vernon for the NCAC championship on May 3-4.

Next:
4/19-20, Wooster Invitational