SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers had come close for three straight years. In 2014-15, the Tigers finally enjoyed a breakthrough, culminating with a dominating performance in the Noth Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Series.
Wittenberg posted the best score in each of the series' four rounds, with the fourth and final round serving as an exclamation point. The Tigers carded a school-record 300 at historic Springfield Country Club to finish with a four-round total of 1,250 strokes, 98 over par and a whopping 71 strokes ahead of runner-up DePauw.
Wittenberg posted scores of 310 and 318 to take NCAC Championship Series #1, hosted by Kenyon at Apple Valley Golf Club on April 25-26, and the Tigers followed up with rounds of 322 and 300 to run away with NCAC Championship Series #2. DePauw was second both weekends, tying Denison with a two-day total of 670 in Series #2.
Sophomore Macy Hubbard (Mason, Ohio/Mason) led the way for Wittenberg, carding rounds of 75 and 73 to take the top spot in NCAC Championship Series #2. For the Championship Series as a whole, Hubbard was tremendously consistent, posting a four-round total of 299 to win medalist honors by a whopping 13 strokes.
Hubbard's closest pursuer in the individual standings was freshman Jane Hopkinson-Wood (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School), who finished fourth in NCAC Championship Series #2 and second in the overall series. A medalist four times during the 2014-15 school year, Hopkinson-Wood became the first Tiger woman to pick up NCAC Player of the Year honors.
Senior Nicole Waers (Canton, Ohio/Perry) finished third in NCAC Championship Series #2 with a two-round total of 155. Rounding out the Tigers in the 35-player field, juniors Maggie Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and Allie Lawwill (Springboro, Ohio/Middletown) tied for sixth place with matching totals of 162.
Waers tied for third in the final series standings with a four-round score of 317 and Smith took sixth with a total of 322.
The Championship Series title earned Wittenberg the NCAC's automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament, which will take place May 12-15 at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. It will be the Tigers' first appearance in the national competition after narrowly missing out on an at-large selection each of the last three years.
Written By: Ryan Maurer