Rod Emmons

The Wittenberg University men's basketball team believed all season that it was good enough to compete on a national level. Now Head Coach Bill Brown and his North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion Tigers will get their opportunity to prove it. Wittenberg, owners of a 25-3 overall record following Saturday's thrilling 58-57 NCAC tournament championship game win over archrival Wooster, will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28 with the Franklin (Ind.) College in an NCAA Division III tournament first round game at the HPER Center. A win on Thursday against unranked Franklin would advance the Tigers, who are ranked 11th in the nation by d3hoops.com, to a second round match-up on Saturday, March 2 with 10th-ranked DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. The Tigers were placed in an incredibly difficult 12-team regional bracket that includes seventh-ranked Ohio Athletic Conference champion Otterbein College, second-ranked University Athletic Association Washington (Mo.) University, sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon College and 24th-ranked Maryville (Tenn.) College. A year after the Tigers advanced to the round of 16 before losing to eventual Final Four participant Ohio Northern University, Wittenberg will have its work cut out to advance to an NCAA Division III record seventh tournament semifinals.

Wittenberg is the winningest NCAA Division III basketball program of all-time with 1,437 victories, and has made the most NCAA Division III tournament appearances of all-time. The 2002 berth is the 21st for the program since the division was created in 1975, and the Tigers have an overall record of 41-20, giving them the most tournament wins of all-time. Including seven appearances in the old college division, Wittenberg has played in 83 NCAA tournament games, winning 55 and two national titles - in 1961 and 1977. The Tigers have also made eight national semifinal appearances, including a record six in NCAA Division III. The last trip to the championship tournament came in 1994, Brown's first year as head coach of his alma mater, and the Tigers finished third.
Franklin is 20-8 overall and champion of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. This is the program's fourth NCAA Division III appearance in the last five seasons.

To reach the postseason, Wittenberg had to run a very difficult gauntlet last week, defeating three NCAC foes for a third time this season. In winning the NCAC tournament for the first time since 1996, the Tigers toppled eighth-seeded Earlham on Tuesday, fourth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan on Friday and second-seeded Wooster on Saturday. All three games were played Wittenberg's HPER Center, home of the top-seeded Tigers.
Wittenberg started a little slow against Earlham but finished strong, burying the visiting Quakers in an avalanche of post maneuvers for a 78-51 quarterfinal win. The Tigers trailed by as much as seven points in the first half and struggled to take a 36-31 lead into the locker room as halftime. But the second half was all Wittenberg as the Tigers shot 52.6 percent from the field and limited Earlham to just 25 percent shooting in outscoring the eighth-seeded Quakers 42-20 in the final 20 minutes.Wittenberg, which outrebounded the Quakers by a whopping 50-25 margin and got 37 points from its reserves against just one point for Earlham, was led by junior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), who hit for 21 points and 15 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Harris best game statistically was his 10th double-double of the 2001-02 season. Sophomore forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) had nine points in 15 minutes off the bench and senior center Brian Gratsch (Madeira, Ohio/Madeira) and freshman guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) each chipped in with eight points off the bench.

Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan in a hotly contested semifinal game, 75-69, a margin of victory that was actually the largest in three Tiger wins over the Bishops in 2001-02. The win advanced the Tigers to the NCAC championship game for the second straight year and the eighth time since joining the league prior to the 1989-90 season.

Bucheit

Walker

The Tigers, who lead the nation in rebound margin for a second straight year at more than 12 per game, topped OWU on the glass by a 41-32 margin, including a 17-8 advantage in offensive boards. Otherwise, things were amazingly even as both teams shot just under 50 percent from the field and around 40 percent from three-point range. Wittenberg was led offensively by sophomore guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams), who knocked down four first-half three-pointers en route to 13 total points in the game. Harris joined him double figures with 12 points and seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end. All 10 Tiger players who saw action in the game scored at least three points, and every one of them had at least one rebound.

In Saturday's championship game, Wittenberg held just two leads but one of them was the lead that mattered most. Trailing Wooster by two points, the Tigers were rescued by three clutch foul shots by senior guard Greg Rustad (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) with eight seconds remaining as they pulled out a 58-57 win.

Wittenberg trailed the entire first half, at one point by 10 points at 22-12, before rallying to within one by halftime. They did it by ratcheting up the defense and limiting the Scots to just two points in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

In the second half, Wittenberg showed a lot of heart, once again clamping down on the Scots and asserting itself on the boards. Freshman forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) hit several key shots down the stretch and Gratsch knocked down a clutch shot in the lane with 2:05 remaining to force a tie at 55, setting the stage for Rustad's heroics. The Tigers also got a huge performance from Walker off the bench with six points and 11 rebounds.

Harris was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Next: 2/28 vs. Franklin, 7:30 p.m.
 

Stephanie Campbell

While the week didn't end the way Head Coach Pam Smith and her team envisioned, it was still an exciting and wild ride for the Tigers. Smith got her 300th career win on Tuesday in a quarterfinal victory over Wooster and the Tigers, the regular season NCAC champions with a 14-2 record, advanced all the way to the tournament title game on Saturday before falling in heart-breaking overtime fashion to defending champion Ohio Wesleyan. The week began with a narrow escape in the quarterfinals as top-seeded Wittenberg rallied from seven points down in the second half against eighth-seeded College of Wooster to win 76-69 and advance to the semifinals.  The entire game was a surprising struggle for the Tigers, who walloped Wooster 111-58 less than two weeks earlier. Junior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) poured in a game-high 21 points, including 15 important tallies in the first half. Joining Campbell in double figures were junior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) with 14 points, junior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) with 12 points and junior forward

Since taking over a struggling Wittenberg program prior to the 1986-87 season, Smith has guided the Tigers to ten 20-win seasons, six appearances in the NCAA tournament and eight NCAC regular season championships. The team enjoyed a breakout 1989-90 season by going 26-3 and winning the NCAC in its first season as a league member, and since that time the Tigers have posted 13 straight winning seasons. Wittenberg has never finished lower than third in an NCAC regular season.

A 1999 Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, Smith was recognized after the game with a proclamation from the Mayor of Cincinnati, her hometown, and on Friday was presented with a similar proclamation by Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland. The 1978 Greenhills High School graduate was a record-setting forward at Wittenberg during her playing days, a three-time team Most Valuable Player and an Academic All-America selection. She still holds the record for scoring average in a season at Wittenberg.

In Thursday's semifinal game against Allegheny, the smaller Tigers cobbled things together nicely for a 75-58 victory. Wittenberg shot just 31 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free throw line for the game, but the Tigers limited Allegheny to 28 percent shooting from the field in the first half, forced 23 turnovers in the game and outrebounded the Gators 49-41. In the process, Wittenberg slowly wore down Allegheny, winning for the second time in three meetings this year.
 

A 16-3 Wittenberg run midway through the first half expanded a 14-13 lead into a 30-16 cushion and started the Tigers on their way. Allegheny closed to within three points in the second half, but Wittenberg had an answer every time. More often than not, Rolf provided the answers for the Tigers as she dropped in 16 points, including three three-pointers, despite foul trouble. Joining Rolf in double figures were freshman guard Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) with 14 and Keller with 10.

2002 Women's Basketball Team

Then came Saturday's championship game and perhaps the cruelest of all destinies. In a tale of two halves and then overtime, defending champion and No. 2 seed Ohio Wesleyan rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat Wittenberg 81-75 in overtime to capture the NCAC's automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth.
 

In the first half, Wittenberg raced out to a double-digit lead and by halftime the Tigers had stretched their advantage to 45-29. The Tigers were dominating on the glass, outrebounding the taller, more experienced Bishops 25-18, including 11 offensive boards. But then came a furious second half rally by OWU, which took the lead for the first time at the 4:02 mark of the second half.

With the momentum on the other side, the Tigers finally fought back but still trailed by three points with six seconds left in the game. That's when Campbell drove the length of the court and buried a game-tying three-pointer just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

In the extra session, Ohio Wesleyan continued to pound the ball inside as it had done throughout the second half and took control. Wittenberg took an early three-point lead on a long jumper by Schmid, but OWU's post play was ultimately too much. Wittenberg was paced by Kate Rolf with 21 points, Campbell with 13 and Keller with 11.

Next: Season Complete
 

It was another strong week for the Wittenberg track and field teams at the DePauw/SCAC Invitational. The Tigers finished second in the men's competition and fourth in the women's. On the men's side, there was another outstanding performance from senior Chris Silliman (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who earned NCAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week honors for his school record mark of 48-10 in the 35# weight throw. That throw is the best in the conference heading into next weekend's NCAC Indoor Track and Field Championship meet at Denison. Silliman was hardly alone in putting up big numbers at DePauw. Junior Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), freshman Tim Nguyen (Groveport, Ohio/Madison) and freshman Clyde Mayer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) all had personal bests in finishing second, fifth and seventh respectively in the shot

Kelly Zilli

Also on the men's side, sophomore Dorian Dixon (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) and freshman Mike Rill (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) turned in personal bests in the 35# weight throw, freshman T.J. Falzone (Rivrton, Conn.), Ivery and sophomore Alex Yurovitsky (Richmond Heights, Ohio/Richmond Heights) had personal bests in the  55 meters, with Falzone and Yurovitsky adding top times in the long jump and triple jump respectively. Sophomore Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek) chipped in with a second place finish in the high jump with a personal best of 5-8, freshman Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian) finished fourth in his first-ever 400 meter race, and junior Scott Huntoon (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) had a season best in the 5,000.

Finally, two relays turned in strong times, the 800 foursome of Rumschlag, Toman, sophomore Matt Frost (South Vienna, Ohio/Northeastern) and Demetrius Ellison (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity) and the 1600 quartet Thompson, Yurovitsky, sophomore Mike Torsell (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) and Ellison, which has the top time in the NCAC.

On the women's side, sophomore Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) was named NCAC Women's Track Athlete of the Week for her meet record time of 61.23 in the 400. Another meet record was turned in by junior LaRissa O'Neal (Indianapolis, Ind./Broad Ripple) in the pole vault. Personal bests among the women included sophomore Jenny Brill (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and junior Natasha Malackany (Canton, Ohio/Perry) in the 5,000 and sophomore Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) in the pole vault and long jump. Mumper's mark of 16-9.5 in the long jump was also a meet record.

Finally, two relays turned in strong times. The 800 relay foursome of freshman Ashley Allen (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison), freshman Tina Valerius (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame), O'Neal and freshman Marissa Davoll (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) and the distance medley relay quartet of senior Sarah Weide (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Mary Blonder (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), Davoll and Zilli.

3/1-2 @ NCAC Indoor Championships
Hosted by Denison
 

The Wittenberg swimming and diving teams are now officially in the home stretch of the 2001-02 season, and with just the NCAA Division III Championship Meet remaining, several swimmers are still awaiting word on their postseason fates. Two Tiger swimmers have already qualified for the national meet, both for a second year in a row. Senior Rachel Juergens (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) and sophomore Steve Rader (Painesville, Ohio/Cleveland St. Ignatius) will both be competing in the championship meet, slated for March 14-16 for the women and March 21-23 for the men at Miami University. Juergens has qualified for the NCAA meet in the 1650-yard freestyle, the 500 free and the 400 Individual Medley. Her times in the 500 free and 400 IM, which was a school record, are strong NCAA "B" cuts and are expected to stand up against the top times in the nation. In the 1650 free, she made an NCAA National automatic cut with a time of 17:24 at the NCAC Championship meet. Juergens has set no less than nine school records in her two years as a Tiger.

Steven Rader

Senior Paula Hauser (Mason, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame), an NCAA qualifier a year ago who finished sixth in the 200 breaststroke and seventh in the 100 breaststroke, both of which are NCAA "B" cut but are not expected to get her to nationals. Senior Melissa Beck (Williamsville, N.Y./Carmel (Ind.)) bettered her time in the 100 fly at last weekend's Case Western Reserve last chance meet to earn an NCAA "B" cut, but she also is not expected to advance for a second straight year.

Elizabeth Bradley (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) had a great meet at Case Western, swimming a lifetime-best time in the 1650 free and dropping 10 seconds in just one week. She is not, however, qualified for the NCAA meet.

Back on the men's side, senior Jeremy Lazarus (Moens, France/Ferney-Voltaire), a national qualifier a year ago, has made an NCAA "B" cut in the 100 breast, but he also is not expected to advance. And rounding things out, sophomore Alex Berger (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) finished fourth in the 100 breast at the NCAC meet and has a "B" cut in the event, but he also is not expected to move on.

Next: (Women) 3/14-16 @ NCAA Meet
                                            Miami University
           (Men) 3/21-23 @ NCAA Meet
                                            Miami University

Thursday's NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament first-round game against Franklin College is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Wittenberg's HPER Center with the winner scheduled to travel to DePauw University on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game. 

There will be no pre-sale of tickets this week. Instead, all tickets will be sold prior to the game on Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. No passes of any kind will be accepted. Prices are $3 for students and children under the age of 18, $4 for general admission and $5 for reserved seating.
 

Upcoming TigerSports Action:

February
28 Men's Basketball
        NCAA Division III Tournament
        vs. Franklin College                7:30 p.m.
March
1    Track & Field
        NCAC Championships
         @ Denison                        2 p.m.
2    Track & Field
        NCAC Championships
        @ Denison                        10 a.m.
        Men's Basketball*
        NCAA Division III Tournament
        @ DePauw                        7 p.m.

* If necessary.