Cody Nicely
GREENCASTLE, Ind. - Just days after the first collegeswimming.com national poll came out and put Wittenberg's men's and women's swimming and diving teams among the best in the nation, the Tigers lived up to the hype with a pair of second-place finishes at the DePauw Invitational. In addition, Wittenberg's divers turned in outstanding finishes at nearby Wabash during its annual Diving Invitational.
As a result, the first half of the 2006-07 season ended on a high note for the Tigers, who were ranked 17th among NCAA Division III men's teams and fifth among NCAA Division III women's teams. Wittenberg's men placed fourth behind three of the top six teams in the nation in the NCAC Relays, followed that with a 4-3 dual meet record against a strong schedule and then placed 2nd in the 10-team DePauw Invitational. Only the host Tigers, ranked second nationally, placed ahead of Wittenberg.
On the women's side, things are looking even brighter. The Tigers opened with a best-ever second place finish in the NCAC Relays and then posted a 5-1 mark in the early portion of the dual meet schedule. The first half wrapped up with a second place finish in the DePauw Invitational, a tantalizing eight points short of the host Tigers, who handed Wittenberg their only dual loss - a 150-148 decision on Nov. 4.
For the Wittenberg women, it was depth and balance that proved to be the team's greatest strength. While freshmen Adeline Brym (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington) and Katie Johnson (Springfield, Ohio/North) ranked fourth and fifth respectively in total points scored with more than 50 each in the DePauw Invitational, a total of nine Tigers scored at least 38 points to place among the top 25 in the meet. Nowhere was that depth more evident than in the 200-yard freestyle relay, which took second place and nearly earned an NCAA B Cut. The quartet of Bryn, freshman Janna House (St. Thomas, Ontario/Central Elgin Collegiate Institute), junior Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) and freshman Kristin Elber (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) broke a school record with a time of 1:39.45.
For the Tiger men, five athletes scored 39 points or more in the meet to finish among the top 19 in the meet. Leading the charge, as he has all season, was freshman Neil Anderson (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), who was part of a three-way tie with a meet-best 60 individual points. Senior Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Carroll) added 47 points to finish in the top 10 as well.
While Wittenberg was making waves in the DePauw pool, the Tiger divers were making a splash of their own a short distance away. Senior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) was the biggest story with third-place finishes in both the 3-meter and 1-meter competitions. It wasn't the finish that made news, however, it was the point totals. Nicely scored 398.25 in the 1-meter event and 398.10 in the 3-meter to break a pair of school records.
On the women's side, freshman Lauren Stets (Westerville, Ohio/North) was the Tigers' best story as she turned in finishes of third and fourth place. She had personal-bests of 344.45 in the 1-meter event (third place) and 302.20 in the 3-meter event (fourth place).
The student-athletes turn their attention to the first part of that equation for the next two weeks while continuing their training. The second half of the season kicks off with the annual Florida training trip in early January. The dual meet season resumes on Friday, Jan. 12 against Transylvania.