Rebecca Russ
Jill Hobelman
Heather House
Emily Duh
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Wittenberg University clinched the North
Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 6-1
victory over Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday, Oct. 29. In the regular
season finale, which also served as Senior Recognition Night, the
Tigers demolished their visitors with a season-high six goals to
improve to 15-3 overall and 10-2 in the NCAC.
Wittenberg, which is ranked No. 17 in the nation in the latest
National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, is the No. 1 seed
for the first-ever NCAC Field Hockey Tournament and will host
fourth-seeded Oberlin at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2 in a semifinal
game at Edwards-Maurer Field.
Senior forward Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa/Saucon
Valley) was again the offensive star of the show against
Ohio Wesleyan. A two-time All-NCAC selection and two-time Great
Lakes Region All-American, Duh entered with 18 goals for the
season. By games end, she had scored four more goals and had moved
to third on the Wittenbergs season goals scored list. She also
ranks third in season points scored and has already taken the top
spot on the season shots list. Sarah Wallace (Reston,
Va./South Lakes) and Blair Ufer (Ann Arbor,
Mich./Pioneer) also scored goals.
The teams four seniors were specially recognized on Tuesday. In
the last four years, Wittenberg is 53-22 overall and 36-12 in the
NCAC. All four seniors were members of two NCAC regular season
championship teams (2000 and 2002).
Duh has participated in 73 games and ranks among the schools
greatest offensive players with 95 career points (third in school
history), 38 career goals (tied for third), 19 career assists
(third) and 385 career shots (second). She leads the NCAC in goals
(22) and total points (51) this season, and she ranks among the
leaders in the nation in both categories as well.
Defender Jill Hobelman (St. Louis, Mo./Villa
Duchesne) has started 38 games and participated in 50
games since transferring to Wittenberg from the University of Rhode
Island in 2000. She has recorded eight shots on goal and three
assists in her career. Fellow defender Heather House
(Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) has played in every game since her
sophomore year, starting 57 straight. A two-time All-NCAC selection
and a two-time Great Lakes Region All-America, House has
participated in 69 games and started in 60 of them in her
career.
Sweeper Rebecca Russ (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart
Academy), has also played in 69 games, starting 60 of
them, and like House, has started in 57 straight games. She has 19
career defensive saves, which ties her for first in program
history, and she has scored two goals and six assists in her
illustrious career. Russ is a two-time All-NCAC and Great Lakes
Region All-America selection, and she became just the fifth player
in school history to earn national All-America status a year ago
when she was named to the third team. She was selected as the teams
Most Valuable Player as a junior, and this year she has spearheaded
a defense that established a school record by allowing just seven
goals against NCAC opponents.
In addition, junior forward Katie Babcock (Phoenix,
Md./Dulaney) is second on the team with six goals and one
assist in 2002. Freshman midfielder Emma Rufleth (Clinton,
Conn./The Morgan School) is second on the team with 14
total points, including four goals and six assists. Defensively,
sophomore goalkeeper Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway
Brown) has also been superb and ranks among the NCAC and
NCAA Division III leaders in saves percentage. She has recorded
nine shutouts, which ranks among the best goalkeeping performances
in school history.
048-02