2009-10 SAAC Tigers of the Month

	Adeline Brym Women's Swimming and Diving (3/5/10): After missing the first half of the 2009-10 season while studying at Duke's Marine Biology Lab in North Carolina, Brym rounded right back into her All-American form, leading the Tigers in individual points at the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet. Brym placed seventh in the 200-yard backstroke, and her time in the event the following week moved her into the top-15 nationally. She also swam the anchor leg on a school record-breaking 200-yard freestyle relay, which finished third and earned All-NCAC honors for the four swimmers involved. She also placed 12th in the 500-yard freestyle while becoming one of a ridiculous 13 swimmers in the event to record an NCAA qualifying mark. Brym has a total of four NCAA B cuts to her credit in 2009-10, the other two being the 200-yard freestyle relay and the individual 200-yard freestyle, in which she placed sixth at the NCAC meet.
	Carrie Dyer Women's Basketball (3/5/10): When the 2009-10 women's basketball season hit the stretch run, senior wing Carrie Dyer who stepped up to play the best basketball of her collegiate career. In back-to-back games to close the regular season, Dyer reached new career highs for scoring, going for 24 points in a loss to Wooster and 26 points in a win over Earlham as the Tigers finished with a 15-1 NCAC record and the program's first title since 2006. Including three NCAC Tournament games, Dyer led the Tigers in scoring in five of the season's last eight games to boost her season scoring average to 13.6, second-best on the team. Dyer was named to the NCAC All-Tournament team and first-team All-NCAC following the season.
	David Nowicki Men's Basketball (3/5/10): Senior point guard David Nowicki was a model of consistency for the Tigers, the catalyst for the program's return to prominence in 2009-10. A starter in all 28 games, Nowicki led the Tigers in minutes at 26 per game, and he became the first student-athlete since 2001-02 to top 100 assists in a season. His 105 assists and assist/turnover ratio of 105/34 were both tops in the North Coast Athletic Conference and ranked in the top 30 nationally. For the season, Nowicki averaged 6.5 points per game while hitting nearly 43 percent of his three-pointers and nearly 76 percent of his free throws. He also tied for the team in steals with 38, while also contributing 3.2 rebounds per contest.
	Chris Culkin Men's Swimming and Diving (3/5/10): Junior Chris Culkin capped a tremendous 2009-10 season with a record-breaking performance at the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship meet on Feb. 13 in Canton, Ohio. Culkin posted a time of 16:34.68 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, which was good for fifth place and significant team points for the Tigers. En route to the strong finish, Culkin broke a 23-year-old record in 100-yard freestyle with a time of 9:53.72. Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor inductee Paul Sutter had held that record since 1987.
	Katherine Hueter Women's Basketball (1/25/10): Wittenberg's women's basketball team hit the halfway mark of the 2009-10 North Coast Athletic Conference title chase in first place with a perfect 8-0 record, thanks in no small part to the fine play of junior wing Katherine Hueter. With her team dragging a bit coming out of an emotionally draining holiday break, Hueter put the Tigers on her back with career highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds at defending NCAC champion Denison on Jan. 5 to earn NCAC Player of the Week honors. That win jumpstarted a six-game winning streak. For the season, Hueter was among the team leaders in every key offensive and defensive statistic - most importantly, through Jan. 25 she led the Tigers in turnover margin with 42 assists to 37 turnovers.
	Chris Sullivan Men's Basketball (1/25/10): The emergence of junior guard Chris Sullivan as a consistent perimeter scoring threat has been perhaps the biggest key to the Tigers' return to the North Coast Athletic Conference title chase in 2009-10. Through Jan. 25, Sullivan led the Tigers in scoring at 12.4 per game, including a 27-point outburst against Ohio Wesleyan on Jan. 6. En route to that career-high point total, Sullivan hit 8-of-10 shots from the field, including a phenomenal 7-of-8 from three-point range. He was named NCAC Player of the Week for his strong play.
	Neil Anderson Men's Swimming and Diving (1/25/10): A standout and team leader in the middle distance and butterfly events, senior captain Neil Anderson is once again a threat to claim All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors and qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. A national championship provisional qualifier in each of his first three years at Wittenberg, Anderson has the team's top times in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly heading into the home stretch of the 2009-10 season.
	Keaton Hannon Women's Swimming and Diving (1/25/10): A standout and team leader in the butterfly and individual medley events, sophomore Keaton Hannon is primed to build upon her All-North Coast Athletic Conference performances of a year ago. A national championship provisional qualifier as a freshman, Hannon has the team's top times in 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. Her time in the 100-yard butterfly has meet the NCAA Division III B Cut standard.
	Mary Pfeifer Women's Cross Country (12/15/09): In just two years, the Wittenberg women's cross country program has reached the greatest heights in program history, moving all the way up to third in the NCAC and seventh in the Great Lakes Region in 2009, both representing the best finishes in school history. This has been accomplished with an extraordinarily young team, including sophomore Mary Pfeifer, who became just the second Wittenberg runner (male or female) to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. A first-team All-NCAC standout in each of her first two years of collegiate cross country, Pfeifer added all-region honors and then placed 67th in the 2009 national championships, the second-best finish in program history.
	Erin Slattery Volleyball (12/15/09): After winning every NCAC regular season match in her four years, senior setter Erin Slattery capped her illustrious collegiate career with first-team all-conference, first-team all-region and honorable mention All-America honors. She also picked up third-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV honors, in recognition of her athletic and academic achievements, as well as her leadership as a 2009 team captain. Slattery ranked among the NCAC leaders with 555 assists on the season, in addition to a team-leading 26 aces and 181 digs, which ranked fourth on the team. Slattery ranks fifth in school history in career assists.
	Eddie Vallery Football (12/15/09): The 2009 season will go down in the annals of Tiger football history as one of the best in school history. Individually, the performance of junior defensive end Eddie Vallery clearly ranks as one of the best - if not the best - in the illustrious history of the winningest small college program in history. Vallery was named first-team All-America by d3football.com, the American Football Coaches Association and the Associated Press, becoming the first Tiger to make the latter team since 1998. He was named Defensive Player of the Year by the NCAC and d3football.com for the Great Lakes Region and all of NCAA Division III after recording 73 tackles, including 22 for loss. His 16.5 tackles for loss were a school record.
	Gregg Hill Men's Basketball (12/15/09): The Tigers got off to a hot start on the hardwood in the 2009-10 season, winning four straight out of the gates (including a tournament title at Gettysburg) and compiling a 5-2 record through Dec. 15. The team leader was unquestionably senior guard/wing Gregg Hill, highlighted by his 34-point outburst on Nov. 24 against Capital. That was the third-highest point total in a decade for a Wittenberg men's basketball player, accomplished with maximum offensive efficiency. Hill hit 10-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
	Kimmie Dyer Volleyball (10/30/09): In her first season as a starter at the all-important outside hitter position, Kimmie Dyer was a consistent bright spot for the nationally ranked Tigers. In helping the Tigers to records of 24-8 overall and 16-0 in the NCAC regular season - and, more importantly NCAC regular season and tournament titles and the 15th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in program history - Dyer finished as the team leader with 221 kills, while also ranking second in service aces and digs and fifth in blocks.
	Jenny Schaafsma Field Hockey (10/30/09): The Wittenberg field hockey team struggled through the first third of the 2009 season, falling to 1-2 in the NCAC after a 7-2 loss to Wooster on Sept. 19. The Tigers caught fire after that, going 9-2 the rest of the way in the regular season, largely thanks to a much-improved defense. The catalyst was sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma, who posted five shutouts and finished with a 9-4 record in 15 games, 11 of them starting assignments.
	Aaron Huffman Football (10/30/09): The Wittenberg football squad didn't just win games during the 2009 regular season, it dominated in a way not seen at Edwards-Maurer Field in nearly a decade. While the Tigers have been stellar in all phases of the game, the offense has made the biggest improvement from 2008, thanks in no small part to the play of senior quarterback Aaron Huffman. By the end of the regular season, Huffman broke a 45-year-old school record for career passing yards, moving past National College Football Hall of Famer Charlie Green.
	Matt Erenpreiss Men's Swimming and Diving (10/30/09): The Wittenberg men's swimming and diving team is off to a 5-1 start to the 2009-10 dual meet season, and one of the most significant reasons is the performance of its divers. Senior Matt Erenpreiss, in particular, started strong with a second-place finish in the three-meter event at the NCAC Relays and has never looked back. A week later, he won the one- and three-meter events against Wooster, compiling 277.7 points in the one-meter to set school and pool records and also earn provisional qualification for the NCAA Division III Championships.
	Boo Vernon Field Hockey (9/30/09): The Wittenberg field hockey Tigers are off to a 5-3 start to the 2009 season, thanks in large part to the work of junior forward Boo Vernon. Already a two-time all-conference honoree, Vernon has 11 goals, six assists and 28 total points, all tops on the team and among the best in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Among her 11 goals, three have been credited as game-winners. Vernon isn't just an offensive demon - she has one of Wittenberg's 12 defensive saves on the season.
	Melissa Gartner Women's Soccer (9/30/09): Freshman goalkeeper Melissa Gartner has stepped between the pipes for the Tigers and has been rock solid. In 10 starts, she has been a part of nine shutouts, including a string of seven in a row to open the 2009 season, which tied a school record for consecutive shutouts. In nearly 900 minutes of action, Gartner has allowed just two goals - both in a 2-0 loss to Capital - and has made 15 saves in helping Wittenberg to a 6-1-3 overall record. Her 0.21 goals against average leads the North Coast Athletic Conference and ranks among the best in all of NCAA Division III.
	Bleu George Men's Golf (9/30/09): The first-ever NCAC Golfer of the Week, junior Bleu George made quite an impact on the Tigers in his first month in the Red & White. He opened with a blistering 66 in the first round of the Denison Fall Classic, the lowest round shot by a collegiate golfer at Granville Golf Club in at least a decade and the best-ever round for a Wittenberg golfer (male or female). He went on to win that tournament with a two-round total of 136, also a school record, as the Tigers won the competition with a two-day total of 587, another program best. George leads the Tigers, ranked nationally for the first time in more than a decade after winning three of the first four tournaments of the fall season, with a stroke average of 74.0.
	Eddie Vallery Football (9/30/09): Through the first three games of the 2009 season, junior defensive end Eddie Vallery has spearheaded the top-ranked defense in all of NCAA Division III. He has accumulated 23 total tackles, including eight for loss (63 yards), and he is on pace to shatter the Wittenberg record for sacks in a season, having amassed seven through less than one-third of the campaign. Vallery, who also has four passes broken up, a forced fumble and a blocked kick, has earned NCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and has been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week twice.