Courtney Roth
Springfield, Ohio — A solid 2006-07 winter sports season wrapped up for the Wittenberg University Tigers over the last two weeks as the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) awarded 19 Wittenberg student-athletes with postseason honors. Five Wittenberg student-athletes were selected to the men's and women's basketball All-NCAC teams, while another 14 claimed their awards based on individual finishes at championship events for men's and women's swimming and diving (Feb. 8-10) and men's and women's indoor track and field (March 2-3).
The Tiger men's basketball team lost momentum at the wrong time, losing two of its last three games to finish the season with a 22-5 overall record but no opportunity to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament despite a top-10 ranking all season. Wittenberg finished second in the NCAC regular season title chase before losing in the conference tournament semifinals to Ohio Wesleyan.
Post Dane Borchers, class of 2007 from Russia, Ohio, was selected first-team All-NCAC after making the second team each of the last two years. He led the Tigers in scoring, blocked shots and rebounding.
Wing Gregg Hill, class of 2009 from Redford, Mich., picked up his first all-conference award as he was named to the second team. Despite an injury early in the season, Hill was the second-leading scorer on the team in his first season as a starter.
On the women's basketball side, the Tigers tied for second in the NCAC regular season standings with an 11-5 record. Wittenberg bowed out of the NCAC Tournament in the semifinals and finished the 2006-07 season with an overall mark of 15-11.
Post Katie Gregorevich, class of 2008 from Northfield, Ohio, garnered first-team All-NCAC honors as she moved up from the second team spot of a year ago. Gregorevich was the Tigers' leading scorer.
In addition, post Kathy Hittle, class of 2007 from Noblesville, Ind., capped her outstanding career in the Red & White with second-team All-NCAC honors. It was the third straight year that Hittle, who led the Tigers in rebounding and blocked shots, claimed postseason awards from the conference. She was joined on the second team by Rachel Clark-Haggy, class of 2007 from South Charleston, Ohio, who posted career-highs in scoring and rebounding during the 2006-07 season.
Track and swimming athletes earn All-NCAC recognition with a top-three finish in the NCAC championship meets.
In swimming and diving, the Tiger women took third place and the Tiger men finished fifth, both for a second consecutive year. The most decorated individual for a second straight year was Courtney Roth, class of 2008 from Gurnee, Ill., who captured NCAC Diver of the Year honors. After finishing second in the 1-meter and fourth in the 3-meter diving competitions in 2006, Roth captured All-NCAC honors with first-place finishes in both events in 2007.
Also on the women's side, All-NCAC honors went to the 200-yard freestyle relay foursome of Kristin Elber, class of 2010 from Brunswick, Ohio, Adeline Brym, class of 2010 from Mansfield, Ohio, Janna House, class of 2010 from St. Thomas, Ontario, and Lindsay Smith, class of 2008 from Mount Vernon, Ohio. They captured third place and set a school record in the process.
Brym added All-NCAC honors with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:55.89, which just narrowly earned her provisional qualification to the NCAA Division III National Championship meet. She lowered that time later in the evening with her leadoff leg of the 800 free relay as she touched the wall in 1:55.77.
Brym was one of three Tigers to gain provisional qualification into the national meet, but none made the final cut.
The women's 800 free relay also placed third and set a school record, bringing All-NCAC honors to Brym, Emily Roesch, class of 2010 from Oakland, Mich., House and Smith. Rounding things out, the quartet of Brym, Elber, House and Smith touched the wall third in the 400 free relay, posting another school record in the process.
Nicole Bailey
On the men's side, the highlight was unquestionably the meet-ending 400 free relay as the Tigers turned in a third-place finish to earn All-NCAC honors for Ryan Hamilton, class of 2008 from Mount Vernon, Ohio, Neil Anderson, class of 2010 from Lakewood, Ohio, Sean Wolf, class of 2007 from White Lake, Mich., and Brian Harris, class of 2008 from Harrisonburg, Va. With a time of 3:11.49, the relay finished just off both a school record and an NCAA B Cut.
In track, the Tiger men finished seventh in the championship meet, and the Tiger women finished fifth.
Nicole Bailey, class of 2008 from Cincinnati, Ohio, was the individual standout of the indoor season for the Tigers after she captured NCAC Indoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Year honors. She placed second in the triple jump, fourth in the long jump, first in the 55 meters and third in the 200 meters to garner a trio of All-NCAC awards.
In all, Bailey scored 29 team points by herself, and she was a contributor to five points the Tigers collected in the 4x200-meter relay. Her time of 7.30 in the 55 meters broke her own school record and earned her provisional qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship meet. She just missed the cut, however.
Two other Tiger women's players earned All-NCAC honors. Katie Shoemaker, class of 2009 from Arcanum, Ohio, placed second in the 400 meters and Allison Walker, class of 2008 from Columbus, Ohio, took second in the shot put.
The lone All-NCAC honoree for the Tiger men was Manoach Lamarre, class of 2009 from Miami, Fla., who claimed third place in the 55 meters.