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Office: (937) 327-6496
E-mail: nriker@wittenberg.edu
Wittenberg Record: 83-41-19 (2002-present)
Career Record: 94-48-20 (2000, 2002-present)
| Postal Address: Wittenberg University P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501 |
Package Shipping Address: Wittenberg University 225 Fountain Ave. Springfield, Ohio 45504 |
Norm Riker was selected as Wittenberg University women's soccer coach in March 2002, becoming the program's seventh head coach since it became a varsity sport in 1986.
Riker has turned the Tigers into a force in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), one of the preeminent women's soccer conferences in all of NCAA Division III. Since a breakout 2004 season, Wittenberg has enjoyed the most successful five-year run in program history with a 69-19-18 record, including five straight top-three finishes in the NCAC regular season title chase. The Tigers have been ranked in the top 10 in the Great Lakes Region for most of the last five seasons and broke into the national top 25 briefly in 2005 and 2006 before putting together the best season in school history in 2007.
In 2006, the Tigers enjoyed a breakout year by winning their first NCAC Tournament title and their first NCAA Division III Tournament game in school history. The ride ended with a 15-3-4 overall record after a shootout loss to Denison in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The next year, Wittenberg took both the NCAC regular season and tournament crowns and advanced two rounds in the national tournament before losing 1-0 to Ithaca at York (Pa.). The Tigers won a program-best 18 games and were ranked in the top 25 throughout the season. Even after losing the finest senior class in school history to graduation, Wittenberg went 11-4-6 in 2008 and won its third straight NCAC Tournament title.
In his first season at the helm, Riker led an injury-depleted team to records of 6-12 overall and 3-5 in the NCAC, which included four nationally ranked teams in 2002. The program made two games' improvement in 2003 and hung tough again with some of the finest teams in the nation. The improvement continued in 2004 when Wittenberg posted an 11-4-5 record, beating nationally ranked Denison on its way to reaching its first-ever NCAC Championship game.
Riker, who was honored with 2004 NCAC Coach of the Year honors, followed that up with a 2005 season that was one of the finest in school history. Wittenberg started the season with eight straight wins and eventually posted a 14-5 overall record. Four of the five losses were to teams that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament, and the Tigers earned victories over three teams that made the national field.
Prior to his arrival at Wittenberg, Riker was the interim head coach of the women's soccer team at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for the 2000 season, and he also served as the men's lacrosse assistant coach. During the 2000 season, Riker led Vassar to its second Northeast Regional ECAC Championship. He served as an assistant in both programs from 1994 to 1999 and again in 2001, and he also served as the building manager of Walker Fieldhouse on the Vassar campus.
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Norm Riker with his daughters Isabelle (left) and Sofia.
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Riker served as an assistant men's lacrosse coach from 2004-08 after a year working as an assistant in the women's lacrosse program. He helped the Tiger women's lacrosse team to an 8-6 record in his only year with that program, including a 5-2 mark in the NCAC, which was good for a program-best third place. Riker now assists with intramurals in the spring semester.
A native of Block Island, R.I., Riker was a four-year lacrosse letterwinner at Springfield College (Mass.) after an outstanding high school career in both soccer and lacrosse. He was a captain of Springfield's lacrosse team as a senior, and he was selected to participate in a pair of senior all-star games. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Springfield, attained in 1992, and he has since attained a master of professional studies in humanistic education from the State University of New York, New Paltz.
Riker lives in Springfield with his wife, Gabrielle, and their children, Isabelle and Sofia.
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Suzanne Medwid joins the Wittenberg women’s soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach following a distinguished four-year career as a student-athlete.
Medwid led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAC regular season championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2006 as a sophomore, kicking off a string of three consecutive appearances in the national tournament. That streak included the team’s deepest run into the postseason and best overall record in program history, with an NCAA Round of 16 appearance and a sparkling 18-3-3 overall record in 2007.
In the process, Medwid picked up All-NCAC honors in each of her four years, including three first-team designations. She also earned three All-Great Lakes Region nods to go with two National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III All-America nominations.Medwid was recognized by her teammates as a two-year captain, 2008 co-most valuable player and 2005 most valuable defensive player. For the last two years, she has served as a counselor at the Cape Cod Sea Camps and now assists Tigers head coach Norm Riker with the Springfield Thunder club soccer teams.
Medwid graduated from Wittenberg in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She was a four-time member of the Dean’s List and a member of Delta Gamma sorority while a student.
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Justin Jenkins joins his alma mater’s men’s and women’s soccer coaching staffs for the 2009-10 season as an assistant coach following an outstanding career as a student-athlete.
Jenkins led the Tiger defense as a four-year starter at center back. He earned All-NCAC recognition three times, including 2005 Newcomer of the Year, along with a first-team All-Great Lakes Region award and All-Ohio honors following his senior campaign.
As a team captain in 2008, Jenkins helped lead Wittenberg to its best season in school history. After breaking records for both wins in a season (16) and consecutive victories (13), Wittenberg reached its first-ever NCAC Tournament title game and earned its first NCAA Division III Tournament berth in 12 years.
Jenkins continued his playing career as a starting defender/midfielder for the Cincinnati Kings in the Professional Development League in the summer of 2009.
Jenkins holds an F License in Coaching and has coached camps for both Buckeye Soccer and Team Ohio/OFC. Jenkins also trained a U-13 club team in Springfield and provided individual training to youth players. Justin resides in Dublin.
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Springfield native Mandi Wroblewski returned to her hometown and joined the Wittenberg women's soccer coaching staff in 2006. She has been an important contributor to the program, helping the Tigers to three straight NCAC Tournament titles and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, including a run to the Round of 16 in 2007.
Wroblewski was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter for the powerhouse Otterbein College women's soccer program. A midfielder, Wroblewski earned all-conference and Academic All-Ohio honors during her collegiate career, and she was an academic all-conference selection in 2004. The Cardinals won two Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles and two OAC Tournament crowns in her four years in the program. In two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, Wroblewski helped Otterbein to two wins in the 2005 tournament.
A graduate of nearby Northwestern High School, Wroblewski was a four-year starter for the Warriors, helping the team to multiple conference titles. As a senior, Wroblewski earned all-state honors and was named the Springfield News-Sun Player of the Year.
Wroblewski earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from Otterbein in 2006. She recently took over as head coach of the Graham High School girls soccer team.
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