Eddie Vallery
Erin Slattery
Meredith Price
Maggie Amorello
Mary Pfeifer
Michael Condon
Springfield, Ohio — One of the most successful fall sports seasons in Wittenberg history was capped by a tremendous haul of postseason awards from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).
Announcements regarding All-NCAC teams for field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball have been sent out separately from the conference office over the last two weeks. All-conference honors for cross country were determined by individual finishes in the NCAC championship meet on Oct. 31 at Ohio Wesleyan University.
Three student-athletes and one coach earned special awards to headline the parade of all-conference selections. Player of the Year awards went to Eddie Vallery, class of 2011 from South Solon, Ohio, in football, Meredith Price, class of 2011 from Highland Park, Ill., in field hockey and Maggie Amorello, class of 2011 from Sutton, Mass., in women's soccer. Ironically, all three awards were Defensive Player of the Year honors.
In addition, football Head Coach Joe Fincham earned his sixth NCAC Coach of the Year designation in 14 years leading the Tigers.
Fincham's squad put together the 18th undefeated regular season in the program's history, including a 7-0 mark in the NCAC. That was good for the seventh title of Fincham's head coaching career, including five outright, and it earned the Tigers their 13th NCAA Division III Tournament berth.
In addition to Vallery, who broke the school record for sacks in a season with 16.5, nine Tigers made the first team: tailback Corey Weber, class of 2011 from Pataskala, Ohio; center Dillon Hollin, class of 2010 from Prospect, Ky.; offensive guard Jeremy Block, class of 2011 from Pittsburgh, Pa.; defensive tackle Adam Kattoua, class of 2011 from Upper Arlington, Ohio; linebacker Brad McKinley, class of 2011 from Hilliard, Ohio; linebacker Kyle Lohrman, class of 2010 from Loveland, Ohio; safety Trent Brunic, class of 2010 from Indianapolis, Ind.; and punter Trevor Cochran, class of 2011 from Newark, Ohio.
Second-team honorees included quarterback Aaron Huffman, class of 2010 from Newark, Ohio; offensive tackle Ryan Metzger, class of 2010 from Williamsport, Ohio; defensive tackle Taylor Scherer, class of 2010 from Crestwood, Ky.; cornerback Brandyn Brown, class of 2010 from Louisville, Ky., cornerback Keenan Freeman, class of 2010 from Fairborn, Ohio; and kicker Zack Harris, class of 2010 from Columbus, Ohio.
The honorable mention list included wide receiver Patrick Williams, class of 2010 from Plainfield, Ind.; tight end Cody Parsell, class of 2010 from Caledonia, Ohio; and defensive tackle Lance Phillips, class of 2010 from Wellston, Ohio. (NCAC Press Release)
The volleyball program was a national power again in 2009, finishing with records of 24-8 overall and 16-0 in the NCAC to capture a 12th league title in the last 13 years (and fourth straight with an unbeaten record). The Tigers added their 12th NCAC Tournament title in the last 13 years to earn a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The season came to an uncharacteristically early end, however, when Wittenberg lost in the first round of the national competition for the first time since 1999.
First-team all-conference recognition went to setter Erin Slattery, class of 2010 from Chagrin Falls, Ohio; middle hitter Kate Snead, class of 2010 from Westerville, Ohio; and middle hitter Katie Sumner, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio. Right-side hitter Amy Cox, class of 2011 from Newark, Ohio, earned second-team honors. (NCAC Press Release)
The Tiger field hockey program finished with records of 12-6 overall and 10-2 in the NCAC, good for a first-place tie in the regular season standings. Despite a first round NCAC Tournament loss, the Tigers received the program's eighth bid to compete in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Price, who contributed three goals and three assists while ranking among the team leaders in defensive saves, was joined on the first team by forwards Boo Vernon, class of 2011 from Lake Bluff, Ill., and Elizabeth Dwyer, class of 2012 from St. Louis, Mo., midfielder Tori Casanta, class of 2011 from Mason, Ohio, and goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma, class of 2012 from Grand Rapids, Mich. In addition, Kelley Herde, class of 2011 from Louisville, Ky., was a second-team choice. (NCAC Press Release)
The women's soccer team put together another stellar season, finishing 12-5-5 overall and 4-2-2 in the NCAC before winning a fourth straight conference tournament crown. The Tigers advanced to their fourth straight NCAA Division III Tournament before bowing out in the second round to Calvin College.
Amorello, who spearheaded one of the top defensive units in all of NCAA Division III, was joined on the first team by forward Sheryl Chambers, class of 2012 from Victorville, Calif. Forward Kailey Striebel, class of 2013 from Kettering, Ohio, and midfielder Rachael Radel, class of 2010 from Columbus, Ohio, were selected for the second team.
Rounding things out, defender Kelly Foley, class of 2011 from Dublin, Ohio, and goalkeeper Melissa Gartner, class of 2013 from Cincinnati, Ohio, earned honorable mention awards. (NCAC Press Release)
The women's cross country team captured second place in the 2009 NCAC Championships, the best finish in school history. That was followed by a seventh-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional meet two weeks later and a run in the NCAA Division III Championship meet by Mary Pfeifer, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio. She finished 67th, the second-best finish in program history.
Pfeifer and Darcy Dubuc, class of 2012 from Grand Haven, Mich., claimed first-team all-conference honors after finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, in the NCAC meet. Anna Henry, class of 2012 from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, picked up second-team honors in recognition of her 10th-place finish, and Biz Goodbarn, class of 2013 from Highlands Ranch, Colo., rounded things out with a 21st-place finish, good for a spot on the honorable mention list. (NCAC Press Release)
An injury- and graduation-depleted men's soccer team finished with records of 3-13-2 overall and 2-5-1 in the NCAC. Second-team honors went to defensive back Michael Condon, class of 2010 from Powell, Ohio, while midfielder Brian Glenn, class of 2010 from Lewis Center, Ohio, and defender Spencer Hogue, class of 2011 from Dublin, Ohio, earned honorable mention awards. (NCAC Press Release)
Finally, the men's cross country teams finished eighth in the NCAC Championships. Kevin Frick, class of 2011 from Columbus, Ohio, became the first Tiger runner to earn all-conference honors since 2001 as he placed 16th to earn honorable mention. (NCAC Press Release)
Written By: Ryan Maurer
076-09