2014-15 SAAC Tigers of the Month
Jay Dolan
April 13, 2015 Senior goalkeeper Jay Dolan has battled through injuries to lead the Tigers into a coveted top-four position in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season standings and a spot in the 2015 NCAC Tournament. Through April 13, Dolan has appeared in eight games, making seven starts, and he has been credited with 68 saves. His goals against average is a stellar 7.36 and his saves percentage is .576, both of which rank among the best in the league. The Tigers are 6-1 in games Dolan has started, including a 10-4 win over visiting Kenyon on Senior Recognition Day that earned him NCAC Athlete of the Week honors, and Wittenberg has records of 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the NCAC heading into the final week of the regular season.
Aaron Melsop
April 13, 2015 Junior Aaron Melsop put the finishing touches on a tremendous indoor track and field season with his first career All-America honor. Melsop was one of three Tigers to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, and he took advantage of the opportunity with a tremendous mark of 22-feet, 5.25-inches (6.84 meters) in the long jump to place seventh of 15 competitors in the event. Melsop is the school record-holder in the indoor long jump, a mark he set with a jump of 7.14 meters at the 2015 All-Ohio Championships. He added 2015 All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors in the event, running his career total to four indoor all-conference awards to go along with three outdoor all-conference awards, including an individual title in the long jump at the 2014 Outdoor Championship meet.
Logan Warye
April 13, 2015 Senior Logan Warye has done it all for Wittenberg’s women’s lacrosse team, which stands 8-3 overall and perfect 5-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) through April 13. Warye ranks second on the team in goals with 44 and total points with 51, but she also tops the squad with 40 ground balls, 53 draw controls and 29 caused turnovers. Warye, who came into the 2015 season already in possession of multiple school records, has continued her assault on the program’s most hallowed records, establishing new standards for career goals (188) and career points (242) Warye is part of a senior class that has not lost an NCAC regular season game, with three challenges remaining on the 2015 schedule.
Chelsea Zang
April 13, 2015 Freshman Chelsea Zang has started her collegiate career off with a bang, impressing with both her pitching performances and her bat. Through the Tigers’ first 24 games of the 2015 season, Zang leads the team in a variety of offensive and pitching categories. With her arm, Zang has assumed the No. 1 pitcher role, limiting opponents to a 2.04 earned run average while compiling a 8-3 record and two saves in 19 appearances, including 12 starting assignments. The highlight came April 1 at Wooster as Zang threw a complete-game no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Scots. At the plate, Zang has emerged as one of the Tigers’ top run producers, posting a blistering .455 batting average with three home runs and 12 runs batted in. Zang earned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Pitcher of the Week on April 6 in recognition of her performances against league rivals Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster.
Becah Delp
March 10, 2015 Junior Becah Delp has been one of the top point-scorers for the Tiger women’s track and field team throughout her collegiate career. The 2015 indoor season has been no exception, as Delp has excelled in a variety of events, including the pentathlon. She earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors with a third-place finish in the event at the league’s championship meet. She added another All-NCAC award in the high jump with a third-place finish as she cleared 1.48 meters (after setting a meet record in the pentathlon with a jump of 1.65 meters), and she scored valuable points for the team in the long jump as well with a seventh-place finish. The Tigers wound up in fifth place in the NCAC Indoor Championships, narrowly edging out DePauw and Wooster for the spot.
Adam Kapuscinski
March 10, 2015 Senior middle distance specialist Adam Kapuscinski has blossomed in his final collegiate season, and he capped a tremendous indoor portion of the 2015 campaign with a pair of All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) awards earned at the league’s championship meet at DePauw March 6-7. Individually, Kapuscinski turned in an outstanding time of 1:58.55 in the 800-meter run to place second. He claimed a second All-NCAC award by running a leg of the third-place 4x400-meter relay team, which crossed the finish line in a time of 3:29.91. Kapuscinski’s performance was key to the Tigers as a team, as Wittenberg finished third in the NCAC Indoor Championships, its best finish in more than a decade.
AJ Burt, Stephen Stuthers, Jared Crum, James Dumstorf
March 10, 2015 Seniors AJ Burt, Jared Crum and James Dumstorf and junior Stephen Stuthers have been big point-scorers for Wittenberg men’s swimming and diving throughout their collegiate careers, and Burt, Dumstorf and Stuthers all posted NCAA provisional qualifying times during the 2014-15 season. At the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship meet Feb. 13-15, these four also teamed up to break a pair of long-standing school records. On the first night of the meet, the four swimmers teamed up to finish fifth in the 400-yard medley relay to break a 14-year-old record held by All-Americans Aaron Edsall, Jeremy Lazarus, Steve Rader and Bob Rafferty. The next night, the quartet was back at it in the 200-yard medley relay, placing fifth with a time that break the school record set two years earlier.
Darbie Zirkle
March 10, 2015 Coming into the 2014-15 season, Darbie Zirkle had scored 182 points in her collegiate career. By the end of a breakout senior season, Zirkle had broken school records for points and steals in a season en route to first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors. In leading the Tigers to their first NCAC Tournament title and NCAA Division III Tournament victory since 2004, Zirkle led the Tigers with 16.4 points per game, topped the league by a wide margin with 97 steals, and ranked among the team leaders in assists with 69 and rebounds with 5.2 per game. Wittenberg finished the season with records of 24-7 overall and 12-4 in the NCAC, good for second place behind nationally ranked DePauw.
AJ Burt
January 29, 2015 Senior AJ Burt has turned in an outstanding senior season for the Tiger men’s swimming & diving team, highlighted by a trio of first-place finishes at the Transylvania Invitational in December. At that competition, Burt touched the wall first in the 500-yard freestyle, the 400-yard Individual Medley and the 200-yard breaststroke. Burt’s time of 4:05.83 in the 400-IM was good for an NCAA B Cut, and his time of 2:06.66 in the 200 breast also met the NCAA qualifying standard and broke a school record. He is ranked in the top 50 in both of those events as of Jan. 28. Burt will lead the Tigers, who posted a dual meet record of 6-2 and finished second in the Transylvania Invitational, into the NCAC Championships Feb. 11-14 at Denison.
Katelyn Haralamos
January 29, 2015 Senior Katelyn Haralamos is one of four outstanding seniors leading the Wittenberg women’s basketball team into the 2014-15 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title chase. Through Jan. 28, Haralamos is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, both good for second on the team. She leads the Tigers, who have records of 13-5 overall and 5-3 in the NCAC through Jan. 28, in shooting percentage at 49 percent and three-point shooting percentage at 44 percent, which ranks second in the league. Haralamos, a two-time All-NCAC honoree and the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic MVP in 2012 and 2014, also leads the Tigers with 47 assists and 33 three-pointers.
Brea Medlock
January 29, 2015 Junior Brea Medlock continues to produce a steady stream of outstanding times and finishes for the Tiger women’s indoor track and field team. Medlock started the season with a personal-best time and third-place finish in the 200-meter dash and a blue ribbon in the 400-meter dash at the Tiffin Alumni Open in December. She followed that by anchoring the winning 4x200-meter relay at the Otterbein Invitational, in addition to a sixth-place finish in the 800 meters. Most recently, Medlock was a member of a pair of first-place relays at the Denison Lid-Lifter, where she also placed third in the 400-meter dash.
Cody Phillippi
January 29, 2015 Sophomore point guard Cody Phillippi has picked up his game in the middle of the 2014-15 season, and in the process he has led the Tigers back into contention in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Phillippi leads the Tigers in scoring with 10.8 points per game, thanks in large part to four double-figure games in his last five. Phillippi ranks third on the team with 25 assists and second in steals with 17, and he is shooting a team-best 84 percent from the free throw line, which ranks fifth in the NCAC. Through Jan. 28, Wittenberg stood 6-11 overall and 4-6 in the league, good for a four-way tie for fifth place.
Kaitlyn Black
November 26, 2014 Freshman diver Kaitlyn Black has put together a tremendous start to her collegiate career, going without a loss through the first month of her inaugural season in the Red & White. In winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at each of the Tigers women’s swimming and diving team’s first four meets of the 2014-15 season, Black has played a key role in Wittenberg’s 4-2 start to the campaign. Black has topped the field against Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, Wilmington, Transylvania, Ohio Northern and Oberlin. In addition to the Transylvania Invitational, Black has three dual meets remaining in January.
Kiah Murray
November 26, 2014 Senior libero Kiah Murray saved her best for last as a Wittenberg Tiger, growing into her starting role as the 2014 season progressed and providing fiery leadership and clutch defense to the fourth-ranked team in the nation. Murray topped the Tigers with a career-high 555 digs in 2014, which pushed her career total to 1,074. Her exploits, which included All-Tournament Team honors at the Trinity National Invitational and the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, helped Wittenberg to another tremendous season in 2014. The Tigers finished with records of 29-4 overall and 8-0 in the NCAC, good for the 19th league title in a row and the 20th since 1993, and Wittenberg advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16 before losing 3-2 to eventual national champion Hope.
Corey Stump
November 26, 2014 Junior wide receiver Corey Stump battled through injuries to turn in a tremendous first season as a starter for the Tiger football team. After Wittenberg graduated its quarterback and top three wide receivers following the 2013 season, Stump caught 45 passes for 686 yards and five touchdowns for the Tigers as he played a pivotal role in the Tigers’ re-built passing attack in 2014. Those totals ranked second on the team, but they do little to explain how important his acrobatic receptions were to the Tigers’ success in 2014, which included a 9-2 overall record, a third consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference title and a berth in the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament. His shining moment came in Wittenberg’s league-clinching 21-15 win over arch-rival Wabash, as Stump came up with five catches for 39 yards, including a phenomenal effort on third-and-18 in the fourth quarter that resulted in a key conversion.
Stephen Stuthers
November 26, 2014 Junior Stephen Stuthers is off to a fine start to the 2014-15 season, as is the Tiger men’s swimming & diving team, which has compiled a dual meet record of 5-1 through the first month of competition. Stuthers is one of the primary reasons for the Tigers’ rebound from a record of 3-8 in the 2013-14 season as Wittenberg has already avenged losses to Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan. The season opening win at Wooster was a particular high point for Stuthers, who won the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 1,000-yard freestyle. That performance, which set the stage for a clutch swim by the 200-yard freestyle relay team to sew up the victory in the final event, earned Stuthers North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week honors.
Brian Boutin
October 17, 2014 Senior forward Brian Boutin has played at an extremely high level for the Tiger men’s soccer team, which has compiled records of 5-6-1 overall and 0-3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) through Oct. 14. Boutin leads the team with five goals, three assists and 13 total points after starting the season with just two goals and four total points in his entire collegiate career. The biggest week of his career came Sept. 15-21, when Boutin led Wittenberg to shutout victories over Mount St. Joseph, Defiance and Earlham. After scoring goals in all three games, Boutin was named NCAC Player of the Week.
Jon Osman
October 17, 2014 Sophomore Jon Osman has consistently led the Wittenberg men’s cross country team, posting the best time in four of the first five meets of the 2014 season. A year after earning honorable mention All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors in his inaugural collegiate campaign, Osman’s season highlight came at the NCAA Division III Pre-National Meet, hosted by Wilmington College at The Golf Center at King’s Island in Mason, Ohio. He posted a personal-best time in the 8K of 24:50.08 to finish 34th in a field of 375 runners, and he was honored by the NCAC with Athlete of the Week recognition on Sept. 29.
Kara Seidenstricker
October 17, 2014 Junior right-side hitter Kara Seidenstricker continues do it all for the fifth-ranked Wittenberg volleyball team, which has compiled records of 16-3 overall and 5-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) through Oct. 14. Seidenstricker has posted nine double-doubles, signifying double figure totals in kills and digs, highlighted by an incredible 18-kill, 18-dig performance in a 3-2 loss to Juniata on Sept. 13. Already a two-time first-team All-NCAC, two-time first-team All-Great Lakes Region and two-time All-American, Seidenstricker leads Wittenberg with 228 kills, 40 service aces and 214 digs, in addition to ranking second in blocks with 44.
Tobie Weston
October 17, 2014 Senior midfielder Tobie Weston has consistently displayed tremendous senior leadership for the relatively youthful Wittenberg women’s soccer team, which stands 5-5-1 overall and 1-2-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) through Oct. 14. Weston has already established a new personal best with four goals on the season, matching her total from 2013, and she has 10 total points to match her total from a year ago. Weston ranks second on the team in both categories. On Oct. 7, the NCAC named Weston Player of the Week after she scored one goal and assisted on another in a 2-0 win over Mancaster and followed that with two goals in a 5-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan.
Alex Andrews
September 25, 2014 The sixth-ranked Wittenberg men’s golf team is off to a tremendous start to the 2014-15 season, and senior Alex Andrews is playing a key part in it. The Tigers finished first in the 24-team Transylvania Fall Invitational to open the campaign, first in the nine-team Rosencrans-Maurer Invitational at Springfield Country Club the next day, and second in the 18-team Tournament Town Championship Preview on Sept. 22. The latter competition included 11 nationally ranked teams playing the course in Greensboro, NC, that is the site of the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Division III Tournaments. Andrews leads the Tigers with a sparkling 71.57 stroke average, meaning that he is below par overall for his first seven rounds of the season. He finished first in the Rosencrans-Maurer Invitational and has finished in the top five in each of the first three tournaments.
Zach Culvahouse
September 25, 2014 One of the biggest question marks coming into the 2014 season for the Tiger football team was the receiving corps. Junior Zach Culvahouse has provided an answer, starting immediately in his first starting assignment against Butler on Sept. 6. Culvahouse caught a school record 14 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the NCAA Division I FCS Bulldogs, breaking a mark set 50 years ago by Ron Duncan and equaled in 2007 by Patrick Williams. Culvahouse followed that up with four catches for 76 yards and two more TDs in a win over DePauw. He heads into the Tigers’ third game ranked in the top 20 nationally in receptions and receiving touchdowns per game.
Jane Hopkinson-Wood
September 25, 2014 The Wittenberg women’s golf team is breaking new ground in 2014-15, and one of the biggest reasons is freshman Jane Hopkinson-Wood. The Tigers won their first two tournaments of the year – the Denison Fall Invitational and the O’Brien National Invitational, hosted by St. Mary’s – and followed that up with a third-place finish in the DePauw Small College Classic. Along the way, the Tigers have beaten at least five teams that finished in the top 10 at the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament, including defending national champion Rhodes. Hopkinson-Wood earned medalist honors at the Denison Fall Invitational and the O’Brien National Invitational, and she added a top-five finish at the DePauw Small College Classic. Her stroke average of 76.67 leads the team.
Nicole Karavakis
September 25, 2014 Freshman Nicole Karavakis has emerged as a team leader in a short amount of time for the Wittenberg women’s soccer team, which is off to a 3-3-1 start to the 2014 season. Karavakis has started each of the Tigers’ first seven games and has played nearly every minute of every game. She plays the left defensive back position, but she is consistently joining the play in the offensive third, creating numerous offensive opportunities for the Tigers while also playing outstanding defense. She is credited with one assist on the season, but Head Coach Matt Fannon says that many of Wittenberg’s scoring opportunities have started with Karavakis, who ranks second on the team with 12 shots.