Wittenberg Student-Athletes Earn Academic Honors

Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University’s Department of Athletics can boast of a variety of outstanding team and individual athletic accomplishments during the 2012-13 school year, in addition to another stellar performance by Tiger student-athletes in the classroom.

For starters, Craig Osterbrock, class of 2013 from Wilmington, Ohio, and Kellen Morrissey, class of 2013 from Aurora, Colo., have earned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Student-Athlete Awards, presented annually to Wittenberg student-athletes who perform with distinction both in the classroom and on the playing field. One male and one female student-athlete from each of the NCAC’s 10 member institutions are selected for the award annually.

Osterbrock is on his way to earning his fourth varsity letter as a member of the Tiger men’s golf team. Majoring in English and minoring in Spanish, Osterbrock has maintained a tremendous grade point average while excelling on the course for the nationally ranked Tigers and participating in numerous campus activities.

After winning the 2011 NCAC Championship Series and the Bob Nye Award as the conference championship medalist, Osterbrock repeated the feat in 2012 and also added the Dick Gordin Award as the NCAC Player of the Year. His name appears frequently in the program's record book, including a collegiate-best round of 67 in 2010 that is one stroke shy of the school record. He holds the program mark for two-day score after carding a 135 over two rounds of the Golfweek Fall Invitational in September 2010.

Morrissey has been a two-sport standout in the midfield for the Tiger women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams. She earned three All-NCAC awards and three All-Great Lakes Region honors in field hockey, and she capped her career with an appearance in the prestigious National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Senior Game in November 2012.

Morrissey has been just as dynamic in lacrosse, earning first-team All-NCAC honors each of the last two seasons. In 2012, she helped the Tigers to their best season in program history as the Tigers posted records of 12-5 overall and 6-0 in the conference.

Off the field, Morrissey has been active on campus in numerous honoraries, clubs and organizations. She is a member of Delta Gamma sorority and Wittenberg’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she participated in a community service trip to the impoverished kingdom of Lesotho in Africa. And most importantly, Morrissey has excelled in the classroom while working toward a major in mathematics, with minors in business and education.

In addition, 27 Wittenberg student-athletes have been selected for induction into Chi Alpha Sigma, a National College Athlete Honor Society that recognizes student-athletes for their ability to excel in both academics and athletics. Nominees must have at least a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, have earned at least one varsity letter and have achieved junior or senior academic status.

Wittenberg’s 2013 Chi Alpha Sigma inductees are:

• Mallory Skrobot, class of 2014 from Dublin, Ohio (Field Hockey/Lacrosse)
• Colby Clark, class of 2014 from Miamisburg, Ohio (Football/Baseball)
• Karlos Marshall, class of 2013 from Springfield, Ohio (Football)
• Brian Ringholz, class of 2014 from Bellevue, Ohio (Football)
• Zack Leahy, class of 2014 from Rossford, Ohio (Basketball)
• Tyler Yaple, class of 2014 from Dublin, Ohio (Golf)
• Taylor Burmeister, class of 2014 from Blue Island, Ill. (Swimming)
• Sam Wilke, class of 2014 from Cincinnati, Ohio (Tennis)
• Nick Ludwig, class of 2013 from Lewis Center, Ohio (Tennis/Track)
• Alexander Tatusko, class of 2014 from Westport, Conn. (Cross Country/Track)
• Wade Westbrook, class of 2014 from Columbus, Ohio (Cross Country)
• Laura Rose, class of 2014 from Riverside, Ohio (Softball)
• Rachel Ross, class of 2014 from Westerville, Ohio (Softball)
• Andrea Behling, class of 2014 from Columbus, Ind. (Volleyball)
• Jordan Mungovan, class of 2013 from Fort Wayne, Ind. (Volleyball)
• Alex Dressman, class of 2014 from Cincinnati, Ohio (Lacrosse)
• Francine Murzynski, class of 2014 from Mentor, Ohio (Lacrosse)
• Erin Rowell, class of 2014 from Evanston, Ill. (Soccer)
• Ward McNulty, class of 2013 from Glencoe, Ill. (Swimming)
• Sarah Wilson, class of 2014 from Aurora, Colo. (Swimming)
• Andrea Gaietto, class of 2014 from Tiffin, Ohio (Tennis)
• Caity Valley, class of 2013 from Springfield, Ohio (Track)
• Cara Vendeville, class of 2014 from Perry, Ohio (Track)
• Chelsey Williams, class of 2013 from Fort Wayne, Ind. (Cross Country)
• Becca Agnor, class of 2014 from Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Cross Country/Track)
• Shannon Kelleher, class of 2014 from Hilliard, Ohio (Cross Country/Track)
• Molly King, class of 2014 from Springfield, Ohio (Cross Country)

“These student-athletes embody the mission of Wittenberg and the North Coast Athletic Conference in their tremendous academic and athletic achievement,” said Assistant Director of Athletics Ali Teopas, who serves as Wittenberg’s Chi Alpha Sigma advisor. “Congratulations to each of these student-athletes for the excellence they display in the classroom and on the playing field.”

Written By: Ryan Maurer