Posted February 7 2001, 11:02 am
Posted by: Ryan Maurer
Winter sports teams hit the home stretch with
conference championships on the line
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MEN'S BASKETBALL (17-2, 11-1 NCAC)
Coach Bill Brown (eighth season)
Wittenberg recorded a pair of wins to maintain its share of first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference last week. The Tigers defeated visiting Earlham, 81-65, on Wednesday, Jan. 31 and then struggled before scoring an 85-81 win in overtime at Hiram on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Wittenberg remains tied for first in the NCAC with Wooster and assuming neither team slips in its next three games, appears headed for a showdown in the regular season finale Feb. 17 in the Scots' home gymnasium. It is possible that that game will decide the No. 1 seed and home court advantage for the NCAC Tournament, which starts Feb. 20.
This week, the Tigers will host Wabash on Wednesday and Allegheny on Saturday in their final two regular season home games. The Little Giants promise to provide stiff competition as one of several teams in hot pursuit of the NCAC leaders, while the Gators come in as Wittenberg's 2001 Senior Day opponent. On that occasion, the Tigers will honor four seniors who have compiled a stellar 73-24 career record - Kyle Krauss (Deshler, Ohio/Patrick Henry), Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen), Chris Fillmore (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) and Alex Welp (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville).
In the win over Earlham, the Tigers shot 54.2 percent from the field for the game but paid a heavy price for the victory. Senior point guard Kyle Krauss (Deshler, Ohio/Patrick Henry) suffered a broken right hand five minutes into the game and is out indefinitely.
Krauss' backup, freshman Mark Borland (Ketttering, Ohio/Alter), stepped in and scored a game-high 20 points in just 17 minutes. He also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Senior center Chris Fillmore (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) added 16 points, sophomore backup center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) added 14 and sophomore forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) had 11 points for Wittenberg.
Hiram was a team that had lost seven of its last eight games, but that wasn't the team that greeted Wittenberg on Saturday. The Tigers first lead of the game came at 42-40 on a pair of Borland free throws with one second left in the first half.
Wittenberg charged back from a five-point deficit with four minutes left in regulation, only to blow a five-point lead with 11 seconds left, sending the game into overtime tied at 76. But junior guard Chad Mossing (Maumee, Ohio/Springfield) hit a three-point goal with 239 left in overtime to put the Tigers up for good.
Mossing, who had just two field goals in the previous four games, drilled six three-point goals and scored a team- and season-high 18 points to lead Wittenberg. Senior forward Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) scored 17 points, i ncluding 14 in the second half. Junior guard Greg Rustad (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) scored 13 points and contributed some valuable minutes at point guard in the second half.
The Tigers, who have now won nine straight games and are undefeated at home this season, were again ranked second in last week's NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional rankings. In the most recent Division III national statistics (through Jan. 28), Wittenberg was ranked first in rebound margin, second in scoring margin (behind Wooster), fifth in field goal percentage defense and 19th in three-point goal percentage. Individually, Taylor was fourth in three-point field goal percentage.
Next vs. Wabash (2/7)
vs. Allegheny (2/10) - Senior Day
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Women's Basketball (13-7, 7-5 NCAC)
Coach Pam Smith (15th season)
Wittenberg split a pair of home games within 24 hours last weekend, losing 68-60 to NCAC leader Allegheny on Friday, Feb. 2 and coasting to a 74-43 win over Hiram on Saturday, Feb. 3. The Tigers remain in fifth place in the conference, one-half game behind fourth-place Denison and one and a half games in back of third-place Earlham.
The Tigers will spend this week on the road, traveling to Kenyon on Wednesday, then playing at second place Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday.
Wittenberg trailed 33-25 at halftime against Allegheny but rallied to tie the game at 47 with 8:26 left. Unfortunately, the Tigers ran out of gas after that. Sophomore guard Kate Rolf (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) scored a team-high 14 points, including 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Senior center Jamie Brafford (Monroe, Ohio/Lakota) added 11 points for the Tigers.
A mere 18 hours later, Wittenberg returned to action and rolled to an easy win over Hiram. Sophomore guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) had 12 points and Rolf 11 as 12 of the 14 Tigers who played scored. Freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) added a game-high 11 rebound, giving her an impressive two-game total of 21 for the week.
This week, the Tigers must find a way to get consistent scoring and a healthy return from sophomore forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw), who has been struggling for more than two weeks with a sprained ankle. Wittenberg heads to Kenyon on Wednesday and then perennial powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday in back-to-back road games that will go a long way toward determining whether Wittenberg will host a first-round tournament game on Feb. 20.
In the NCAC statistics, Rolf is second in free throw percentage (.820) and steals (33), while Campbell is fourth in steals (32).
Next at Kenyon (2/7)
at Ohio Wesleyan (2/10)
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Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving
Coach Bob Rueppel (sixth season)
While the Wittenberg University men's and women's basketball teams, which are both heading into an exciting home stretch of the 2000-01 season, figure to get most of the publicity, the Game of the Week still must be the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championship Meet at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio. The Tigers head into the meet with some momentum and plenty of optimism.
The story here probably won't be whether the Tigers can break through - but rather how often. Perennial national powerhouses Kenyon College and Denison University are both bringing their usual dynamic teams, leaving few openings for the rest of the conference schools to claim enough points to win the overall team titles. But Wittenberg is one of a handful of solid squads who hope to advance a large contingent of swimmers in the NCAA Championship Meets, which is scheduled for March 8-10 (women) and March 15-17 (men) in Buffalo, N.Y.
Leading the charge on the men's side is senior Aaron Edsall (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville), who takes to the pool on the campus of Canton's McKinley High School hoping to join some very select company as a four-time qualifier to the NCAA Championships. Edsall is one of the most decorated swimmers in Wittenberg history, earning three All-America titles and three honorable mention All-America titles in his illustrious career. In the NCAC, Aaron, who holds five individual school records and has been a member of five record-setting relay teams, has been conference champion in the 100-yard backstroke and a finalist in the 50 and 200 freestyle.
Edsall is the defending NCAC champion in the 100 backstroke and was also was third in the NCAC meet in the 200 backstroke last year and was an All-America in both events. Other men's swimmers besides Edsall to watch include junior Jeremy Lazarus (Moens, France) and freshman Alex Berger (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) in the breastroke events and freshman Steve Rader (Concord, Ohio/St. Ignatius) in the butterfly events.
Leading the Wittenberg women will be junior Rachel Juergens (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) who has broken a 13-year old school record in the 1000 freestyle and a Wittenberg pool record in the 500 freestyle. But the Tigers also have a pair of seniors who have Division III national experience on their swimming resumes.
On the women's side, several veterans lead the charge, while several previously unknown swimmers have put themselves in position to make next month's Big Dance. The team's lone returner who has earned All-America recognition is senior Melanie Edsall (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville), who claimed a pair of honorable mention awards in 1998. Edsall has been a part of two school record-setting relay teams in her career as well.
Among the other potential NCAA qualifiers are three school record-holders who helped the Tigers to a 7-4 dual meet record, the team's best since Head Coach Bob Rueppel came on board six years ago. Junior Paula Hauser (Mason, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) is one of the finest breaststroke swimmers in school history and holds both the 100 and 200 school standards; junior Melissa Beck (Williamsville, NY/Carmel) has been a member of two record-setting relay squads; and junior Rachel Juergens (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) has come on strong in 2000-01 to claim a pair of school records in distance freestyle events.
Next NCAC Swimming and Diving Championships at Canton, Ohio (Feb. 8-10).
Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field
Coach Steve Schutt (second season)
The Wittenberg track teams competed in both an open meet on Friday, Feb. 2 and the Midwest Elite Meet on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Ohio Northern and posted some very impressive results.
Two performers for the Tiger women's team stood out in particular. Sophomore Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) won both the 1000 (311.26) and 1500 (504.13) meter runs. She won the 1000 by more than four seconds and was named the NCAC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Freshman Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter), who teamed up with Gerstle and two other distance runners to claim the distance medley relay in school record time a week ago at the NCAC Relays at Denison on Jan. 27, won the 500 in a school record time of 121.37. She is believed to be the first Tiger women's runner to establish two school records in her first three meets as a collegiate competitor.
Next at University of Findlay (Feb. 9)
All-Ohio Championships at Findlay (Feb. 10)
Upcoming Tiger Sports Action
For the week of Feb. 5-11
Wednesday, Feb. 7
Men's Basketball vs. Wabash, 7:30 p.m.
Women's Basketball at Kenyon, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 8
Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving
NCAC Championships, Canton, Ohio
Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field
at University of Findlay Pentathlon
Friday, Feb. 9
Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving
NCAC Championships, Canton, Ohio
Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field
at University of Findlay dual meet
Saturday, Feb. 10
Men's Basketball vs. Allegheny, 3 p.m.
Women's Basketball at Ohio Wesleyan, 2 p.m.
Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving
NCAC Championships, Canton, Ohio
Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field
at University of Findlay All-Ohio Champs.