Wittenberg Field Hockey Clinches Conference Championship

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Rebecca Russ

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Jill Hobelman

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Heather House

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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.


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