LEBANON, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers took a huge step toward solidifying their best finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in more than a decade with a third-place finish at the Wabash Invitational, the fourth 2008-09 NCAC Championship Series event.
After finishing behind only nationally ranked powers Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw (a non-conference opponent) in the Wabash Invitational, Wittenberg now stands second in the season-long competition, 75 strokes behind the Battling Bishops heading into the NCAC Tournament on May 2-3. More importantly, the Tigers moved 10 strokes past Allegheny with their strong performance at Wabash, although the Gators, who have finished second in the conference each of the last two years, will have home course advantage in the final tourney at Meadville Country Club.
Powered by a freshman-dominated lineup, the Tigers stood third after the first day of the competition, just 10 strokes off the pace set by Ohio Wesleyan and seven behind DePauw. After perfect sun-filled playing conditions on Saturday, the weather turned colder and wetter on Sunday, and the scores rose for every team. The Tigers turned in the second-best team score of 318, 15 strokes higher than what they posted on Day 1 but even with DePauw. OWU, with five of the top six individual finishers, won the event handily with a 592, followed by DePauw at 614 and Wittenberg at 621. Allegheny was next at 632 and Denison rounded out the top half of the standings with a 636.
A pair of 75s were turned in by freshmen Jordan Millice (Cable, Ohio/Triad) and Brian Rolland (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) to lead the Tigers on opening day, as the freshman tandem was tied for eighth place. Millice stayed strong on Day 2 to finish in eighth place with a 154, tied with Tiger freshman Ricky Boerner (Hilliard, Ohio/Watterson), whose 78 didn't on Day 1 didn't even count toward the team total. Boerner posted a 75 on Day 2.
Right behind them was senior Chad Summe (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) with a 157 for 12 place, followed by freshman Ben Smith (North Bend, Ohio/Elder) with a 160 for 18th on the par-72, 7317-yard Trophy Club Golf Course.