GRANVILLE, Ohio – For the third time in the last four years, the Wittenberg Tigers earned a team title at the Denison Fall Invitational, this time breaking out of a three-way tie for first place to register an eight-stroke victory.
The nine-team field assembled at historic Granville Golf Course included seven North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) teams, providing an early season look at what is likely to be a spirited battle for the top spot at the championship tournament in 2013. Wittenberg finished the opening round tied with NCAC rivals Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw, but as each of the other contenders saw their score rise on Day 2, the Tigers stepped up to the challenge, dropping five strokes off their score.
Wittenberg finished with a two-day total of 601 after posting rounds of 303 and 298 on the par-71, 6,559-yard course. Ohio Wesleyan wound up second at 609, followed by DePauw at 616 and Otterbein at 617.
The top Tiger in this one was also the newest as sophomore John Chaney (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) made his debut in the Red & White. A transfer from Eastern Michigan University, Chaney placed second in the tournament with a two-day total of 148, one stroke off the pace set by Jacob Stasiwlewicz of Columbus State.
Next up for Wittenberg were junior Ben Hogenkamp (Minster, Ohio/Minster) and senior Craig Osterbrock (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) with matching scores of 151 to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place. Junior David Wetterich (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) was next with a 152, good for a ninth-place tie.
All 11 players on the Wittenberg roster were entered in the tournament and finished 31st or better in the 73-player field. Three players entered as individuals tied for 18th place: senior Bradley Shepherd (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson), junior Jack Uecker (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) and sophomore Jared Wissinger (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson).