ROCHESTER, NY - The Wittenberg Tigers are halfway home in the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament. Not only have the Tigers made the 15-team cut for the sixth time in the last seven years, but Wittenberg finds itself right in the thick of another national title chase.
Wittenberg dropped one spot on Day 2 of the 41-team competition, but the Tigers are a manageable 16 strokes off the lead held by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for a second straight round. Wittenberg are in the middle of a tightly bunched pack of teams between second and ninth place, with just nine strokes separating eight teams.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps leads the way with a two-round total of 585, followed by Washington & Lee at 594, St. Thomas at 597, defending champion Methodist at 597, Huntingdon at 600, and a pair of longtime Ohio rivals, Wittenberg and Otterbein tied for sixth at 601.
Wittenberg played its second round on what was statistically the more accommodating course at Mendon Golf Club, which played to par-71 and 6,645 yards. The 15 teams that remain in the field will return to Midvale Country Club, which is playing par-72 and 6,632 yards, a course that bears some similarities to Wittenberg's home course at Springfield Country Club.
"It was a solid day for our guys, and I think they are in a good place mentally for the final two rounds," said Tiger Assistant Coach Andy Bonar, who is leading the men while Head Coach Jeff Roope guides the women at their national tournament in Houston. "We have high hopes for the next couple of days, especially on a golf course that the players like and feel comfortable playing."
Wittenberg was led for a second straight day by junior Garrett Brickley (Pickerington, Ohio/North), who is in fifth place in the 210-player field with a two-round total of 145. All five Tigers carded scores below 80 on Day 2.
Senior Sam Geise (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) is next individually for Wittenberg in 26th place with total score of 149. The rest of the lineup includes freshman Isaac Hartley (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) in 36th place with a 151, junior Mark David Wright (Westerville, Ohio/Tree of Life) in 77th with a 156, and freshman Colin Laszlo (Waipahu, Hawaii/Punahou) in 156th with a 164.
Written By: Ryan Maurer