Posted: Jun 04, 2004
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Kristyn Russell
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Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University men's and women's tennis teams both
posted winning records in 2003-04, and both achieved at least some
of the success the program has enjoyed previously.For the Tiger women, it was the third winning season in the last four years, and the team's fourth place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament marked the fourth straight year that Wittenberg made it into the top four in one of the strongest conferences in the nation each year. The Tiger women finished with a solid 11-4 overall record, including an NCAC regular season mark of 3-2. Every one of the six players who made up the regular singles lineup finished at .500 or better. All three regular doubles teams also finished with winning marks.
The Tiger men made it five straight winning seasons, although 2003-04 was the first campaign since 1999 that Wittenberg finished with less than 10 victories. The Tigers wound up 9-6 overall and 3-1 in the NCAC West Division, good for a three-way tie for first place with Denison and Ohio Wesleyan. Playing shorthanded in the NCAC Tournament, however, the Tigers dropped to sixth place, their lowest finish since 1999.
Postseason Honors:
For the women, junior Emily Figel (Fort
Wayne, Ind./Homestead) was named to the
All-NCAC second team, the third straight year she has been honored
by the conference. Playing No. 1 exclusively for the third straight
year, Figel finished with a 10-9 overall record and a 3-2 mark in
NCAC regular season action. Figel and
senior Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown,
Ohio/Lake) earned second-team honors in doubles
after finishing 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC regular season.
Rounding things out, junior Sarah Fassler
(Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), who finished 12-3 at
second singles, claimed All-NCAC Honorable Mention honors. It was
the second straight year with Honorable Mention honors for
Fassler.On the men's side, sophomore Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.Va./Central Catholic) received Honorable Mention for his singles play as he alternated between first and second singles. He finished 6-14 overall.
Super Seniors:
For the men, just one starter departs via graduation in 2004,
No. 1 singles and doubles standout Duby Lakos
(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage). Lakos was a two-time
All-NCAC selection in his career, and he finished 47-34 in singles
and 47-32 in doubles overall. In 2003-04, Lakos went 8-8 in singles
and 7-9 in doubles. The women will lose two starters and three
players overall off the roster. Nowakowski was a four-year starter
and an All-NCAC honoree for the first time in 2004 in doubles with
Figel. She played the No. 5 singles position in 2003-04 and
finished with a mark of 11-7 overall. For her career, Nowakowski
posted three winning singles records in four years and compiled an
overall mark of 40-36 and in doubles she finished 36-38
overall.The other senior starter was Megan Maher (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), who was also a four-year letterwinner and starter. She finished her career with a singles record of 29-40 and a doubles mark of 19-32. Also graduating after playing just a few times in her career is Valerie Allen (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain).
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Matt Treblas
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A Bright Future:
Eight men played at least nine singles matches for the Tigers
in 2003-04, and seven of them were underclassmen, boding well for a
return to prominence for the team a year from now. Five of those
returning players finished with singles records of .500 or
better.The best overall record was turned by sophomore Nick McLean (Port Clinton, Ohio/Port Clinton), who posted a 14-3 singles mark while playing positions 3 through 6 at various times during the campaign. Junior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) added a 10-4 overall singles record while playing positions 4 through 6. Sophomore Steve Wilson (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee)finished 9-6 overall at the fourth and fifth singles spots. Junior Matt Treblas (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) went 11-11, primarily at No. 3 singles. Sophomore Brian Pierce (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) posted a mark of 5-4 while playing primarily lower courts in singles. Freshman John Shields (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) chipped in with a 7-8 overall singles mark on various lower courts and Hutton capped things with his aforementioned singles record. He was the team's second singles player for the majority of the season, a year after finishing above .500 at the No. 6 singles spot.
On the women's side, the lineup was much more consistent, and so were the results more often than not. The team's top four players are all slated to return to the lineup in 2004-05, led by three-time first-team All-NCAC choice Emily Figel, a junior and a member of the NCAC's 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team.
After posting a team-best 12-3 singles record at No. 2 singles, Sarah Fassler will return for her senior season as well. Sophomore Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) had a sparkling 14-5 overall record in singles and an 11-7 overall mark in doubles with freshman Emma Robinow (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs). Robinow manned the No. 4 singles spot, and she was a very respectable 11-7 overall.
The Coach:
Dave Engle (Bowling Green '68) has been
the head coach of men's tennis at Wittenberg University since 1998
and women's tennis since 1997.On the men's side, Engle has a career record of 90-52, including 23-12 in the NCAC regular season. In the four years since the NCAC split into two men's divisions, the Tigers have lost just four regular season conference matches and have placed third or better in the conference tournament three of the last four years. For the women, Engle's record stands at 69-90, including a record of 26-30 in the NCAC regular season. His teams have made steady improvement, posting double-digit victory totals in each of the last five seasons.