Rachel Dunn
Setting the Scene:
The relatively young Wittenberg field hockey team put together another fine season in 2005, despite significant personnel losses following the program's third straight conference championship in 2004 and two coaching changes in a span of 12 months. The Tigers, however, returned plenty of experience, including 12 letterwinners and five full-time starters in 2005, and the result was another North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title contender.
First-year Head Coach Diana Kuser led the Tigers to an 8-4 record in the NCAC, good for a second-place tie in the regular season standings, just one game behind conference champion Oberlin. Overall, Wittenberg finished with a 10-8 record overall.
After a slow start, the Tigers battled back before losing to Wooster, 2-1, in the NCAC tournament semifinals. The loss marked an end to the Tigers' three-year run atop the NCAC, both regular season and tournament. The tourney defeat was the first for Wittenberg in the four-year history of the NCAC tournament. Not coincidentally, it was also the first conference tournament game the Tigers had to play on the road.
Case For The Offense:
Offensively, the Tigers were paced by Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson), Julia Wickham (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), Holly McHugh (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) and Mackenzie Huber (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame).
A year after finishing second on the team in goals, Barrett stepped up in her junior season to bang home 11 goals to lead the Tigers. Without graduated All-American midfielder Blair Ufer, however, Barrett's overall scoring total dropped from 35 to 23 in 2005.
McHugh enjoyed a breakout 2005 campaign, pushing forward more than either of her first two years in the Red & White to finish with 16 total points, second-most on the team. McHugh had eight total points in two seasons before finishing with six goals and four assists in 2005.
Dunn, a sparkplug on the Wittenberg defense, added nine points to run her career total to 30. Huber was the Tigers' top offensive freshman with seven points, including five assists, which tied for the team lead. Wickham, the 2002 NCAC Newcomer of the Year as a student-athlete at Kenyon, turned in another steady season with four goals, five assists and 13 total points to rank among the team leaders in all three offensive categories.
Super Senior:
The Tigers featured just one senior on the 2005 roster. Wickham was a tremendous offensive performer for Wittenberg during her three years in the Red & White, finishing with 50 total points. Her speed in the offensive end is sure to be missed in 2006.
Julia Wickham
Postseason Awards:
Wickham, who gained first-team All-NCAC honors in 2004, added another first-team selection for her efforts in 2005, and she was also named first-team All-Great Lakes Region Team. McHugh capped her fine junior season with first-team All-NCAC honors as well.
Barrett, the team's leading scorer, earned second-team status in 2005. Dunn returned to the second team for a third consecutive year, and goalkeeper Nicole Irvin (Gettysburg, Pa./Littlestown) was also named second-team all-conference after turning in a league-leading 106 saves, good for an .874 save percentage.
Honorable mention honors went to Beth Vonderbrink (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), who turned in a team-best five defensive saves.
Bright Future:
With a roster stocked with young players, the Tigers have a bright future. Wittenberg is slated to return 11 letterwinners in 2006, including eight starters. Many of these players are underclassmen, forming a foundation for continued success for the Wittenberg field hockey program.
In addition to Dunn, McHugh and Barrett, other 2005 starters scheduled for a return in 2006 are forward Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), forward/midfielder Claire Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), midfielder Sadie Mummert (Hanover, Pa./Littlestown) and defender Whitney Marshall (Barre, Mass./Quabbin Regional).
The Coach:
Diana Kuser was named Wittenberg's field hockey head coach in February 2005. She had previously served as the assistant coach at NCAC rival Kenyon College. This is her first head coaching assignment.
Kuser was a four-time Great Lakes Regional All-American, at three different positions, and a three-time All-Big Ten selection. She also helped lead Ohio State to the program's first Big Ten regular season and tournament championships in 2001 and its second appearance ever in the NCAA Division I Tournament.