SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers broke 290 as a team for the first time in program history, taking first place in the third 2009-10 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Series event at Springfield Country Club.
In the process, the Tigers shattered the school record of 291, established twice during the fall portion of the season. After taking a three-stroke lead on a cold, blustery Day 1 with a 307, Wittenberg lapped the field with a blistering three-under par 285 on Day 2 to finish 16 strokes ahead of Ohio Wesleyan.
Wittenberg is now 39 strokes ahead of the Battling Bishops with one event remaining, the 54-hole NCAC Championship event, hosted by Kenyon May 1-2 at Mount Vernon Country Club. The Tigers are in excellent position to claim their first NCAC title since 1992, in the process earning their first NCAA Division III Tournament berth since 1993.
The second-day charge was led by sophomore Jordan Millice (Cable, Ohio/Triad), who established a new collegiate best with a four-under par 68. That matched the score freshman Craig Osterbrock (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) posted a week earlier at DePauw's Katman Klassic, good for the second-best in school history.
Millice's hot finish gave him a five-stroke victory individually as he carded a two-day total of 142. Osterbrock was next among the Wittenberg players with a 151 after following up his 81 on Day 1 with a two-under par 70 for 151 overall. Three Tigers tied for sixth with matching 152s - junior Bleu George (Lancaster, Ohio/Fisher Catholic), sophomore Ricky Boerner (Hilliard, Ohio/Watterson) and sophomoreBen Smith (North Bend, Ohio/Elder).
The good news didn't stop there, however. Five Wittenberg players competed as individuals in the event, and three of them placed among the top 16 individually. Freshman Jonny Price (Dublin, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and freshmanBradley Shepherd (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson) tied for 10th at 153, followed by senior Steve Nevius (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with a 156, good for 16th.