CLAYTON, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers continue to impress. A week after moving within one stroke of perennial powerhouse Allegheny for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings through the first two tournaments of the annual championship series, the Tigers finished third in a strong field at the DePauw Small College Classic.
Wittenberg finished with a team score of 616, trailing only national title contenders DePauw and Otterbein, both of which broke the 600-stroke mark to lead the 12-team field. As usual, the Tigers were paced by freshman Ricky Boerner (Hilliard, Ohio/Watterson), who carded a 69 for the best second round in the 74-player field. His two-day total of 148 was good for all-tournament team honors, while the 69 is Wittenberg's first sub-70 round in nearly a decade.
Boerner had plenty of help, starting with senior Chad Summe (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) with a 156, good for 18th place. Senior Garrett Smith (Powell, Ohio/Worthington Christian) and freshman Ben Smith (North Bend, Ohio/Elder) contributed matching 157s for a 21st-place tie, followed by senior Jeff Hochstetler (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) with a 159 for 34th.
The Tigers put the wraps on the fall season with a revision to the original schedule. The Wittenberg Invitational at Windy Knoll on Tuesday is now the final event after the 36-hole Ohio Northern Fall Invitational on Oct. 11 was cancelled.