Wittenberg Football Qualifies for NCAA Division III Playoffs

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers were rewarded for all of their hard work on the gridiron in 2001 with a berth in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. On Sunday, the Tigers learned that they had been assigned the No. 5 seed in the North Region bracket, but in a surprising twist Wittenberg will hit the road this weekend to play at No. 3 seed Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas at noon (1 p.m. EST) Saturday, Nov. 17.

Wittenberg, ranked No. 11 in the country with a 9-1 overall record and champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 7-0 record, is coming off a bye week. The Tigers wrapped up their regular season last week with a 38-3 victory over Earlham - a game in which junior tailback Daniel Grove rushed for more than 100 yards for the sixth time in 2001 and senior wide receiver Michael Aljancic established school records for receptions in a season and a career. In that game, the senior class became the first in school history to win every conference game in their four years (28-0) and the Tigers wrapped up an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAC title - fourth straight outright, also a conference record. The Tigers only loss in 2001 came on Sept. 15 at Alma College, which ended a school-record 33-game regular season win streak.

Hardin-Simmons concluded the 2001 season with an 8-1 overall record, including a 7-0 mark in the American Southwest Conference. The Cowboys are ranked No. 7 in the nation by the American Football Coaches Association a year after advancing to the NCAA semifinals. Hardin-Simmons only loss in 2001 came against Menlo in its opening game, a loss that snapped a 30-game regular season win streak, and the Cowboys senior class became the first in school history to win every ASC game in their careers (31-0).

This will be the Tigers fourth straight trip to the NCAA Division III Playoffs and 10th overall since the division was created in 1973 (Wittenberg also won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in 1969 as a member of the NCAA College Division). In 1998, the Tigers defeated Millikin and former Wittenberg head coach Doug Neihbur before falling to eventual national champion Mount Union, 21-19, in Alliance, Ohio. In 1999, the Tigers opened with a big win over Alma before falling in the second round to Ohio Northern. And last year, Wittenberg rolled to home wins over Aurora College and Hanover College before losing to Mount Union.