The Wittenberg Tigers have strung together 12 consecutive winning seasons under the steady direction of head coach Pam Smith. Coming off an 18-8 record in 2000-01, all indications are that the Tigers are primed in 2001-02 for another run at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship.
Those indicators are many. The Tigers return 11 letterwinners and 13 players who saw action in 2000-01. Five of the eight players who started at least one game last year are back in the fold, including four of the five starters in the Tigers' NCAC tournament defeat at Ohio Wesleyan. And the team¹s top four scorers and top five rebounders will suit up again in 2001-02. Smith has few holes to plug as the new year begins, as just three letterwinners graduated - forward Jamie Brafford and guards Melissa JayJohn and Natalie Estep. Only Brafford was a regular starter in 2000-01 and none of the three played more than 16.5 minutes per game.
Leading the charge this year will be the junior guard duo of Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll), a tandem that led the Tigers in every statistical category in 2000-01. Rolf had a breakout season a year ago, leading the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and rebounding with 4.7 boards per contest. Her fine all-around performance earned first-team All-NCAC honors. Campbell, a transfer from Taylor University, fit in well and led the Tigers in minutes with 27.1 per game, three-point shooting percentage (.365 on 19-of-52 shooting), steals with 85 and floor burns (too many to count) due to her hustle.
Rolf and Campbell may be the leaders of a veteran team, but they will have plenty of help. Also returning to the starting lineup are senior point guard Meghan Gaydos (Concord, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and junior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw), who came on strong a year ago after helping the Wittenberg volleyball team to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Keller will likely be brought along slowly again this year as the Tiger volleyball team won its fifth straight conference title and competed in the NCAA tourney again. Keller, who averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 2000-01, was the 2001 NCAC Volleyball Tournament MVP.
Senior forward Jill Swary (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) also started 15 games a year ago and averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She figures to be a key frontcourt player this year, along with sophomore three-sport star Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) and junior Rebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline), who both contributed a great deal off the bench. Woessner is already a two-time All-NCAC women¹s soccer player and last spring she won the heptathlon at the conference¹s outdoor track meet. Woessner and Meers averaged 27 minutes between them a year ago, a figure that should rise with the departure of Brafford.
2001-02 Wittenberg University women's basketball seniors, (from left) Meghan Gaydos, Jen Korsberg and Jill Swary, are well-equipped for the coming season.
Photo by Koehler Photography.
Team Information
Letterwinners Returning: (10)
Tiffany Keller (F, 5-10, Jr.)
Christina Fischer (G, 5-5, So.)
Stephanie Campbell (G, 5-7, Jr.)
Amber Bishop (G, 5-6, So.)
Kate Rolf (G, 5-6, Jr.)
Jen Korsberg (F, 5-8, Sr.)
Meghan Gaydos (G, 5-5, Sr.)
Geri Woessner (F, 6-0, So.)
Jill Swary (F, 6-0, Sr.)
Rebecca Meers (C, 6-0, Jr.)
Letterwinners Lost: (3)
Jamie Brafford (F, 5-8, 6.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Melissa JayJohn (G, 5-11, 3.7 ppg, 2.2 apg)
Natalie Estep (G, 5-11, 2.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
Other Returning Players: (5)
Haley Warden (F, 5-6, So.)
Kaitlin Hiscar (G, 5-4, So.)
Amanda Lewis (F, 5-8, So.)
Meghan Bruggeman (F, 5-8, Jr.)
LeighAnn Forshey (G, 5-6, Jr.)
Preseason Freshmen Roster:
Jessica Seivertson (F, 5-9, Fr., Bellaire, Ohio/St. John Central)
Chelsea Hill (C, 5-10, Fr., North Lewisburg, Ohio/Triad)
Laura Seifert (G, 5-7, Fr., Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville)
Alison Nahrup (G, 5-9, Fr., Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame)
Robyn Heaton (G, 5-9, Fr., Medway, Ohio/Archbishop Alter)
Michelle Bauer (F, 5-10, Fr., Montpelier, Ohio/Montpelier)
Ayisha Kinamore (G, 5-4, Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain)
Meghan Lahner (F, 5-11, Fr., Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills)
Andrea Jackson (C, 6-3, Fr., Lima, Ohio/Senior)
Cara Biser (G 5-6, Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin)
Emilie Schmid (G, 5-7, Fr., Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson)
Natalie Muir (F, 6-0, Fr., Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville)