Tiger Wins Fall Regional Tournament

For the third straight year, the Wittenberg women’s tennis program hosted the Omni Hotels/Intercollege Tennis Association Women’s Division III Central Region Championship at the Albright Tennis Complex.

October 8, 2002
Casey Clagett

Casey Clagett

For the third straight year, the Wittenberg women’s tennis program hosted the Omni Hotels/Intercollege Tennis Association Women’s Division III Central Region Championship at the Albright Tennis Complex. Unlike last year, however, the home court advantage didn’t carry any of the Tiger players through to the championship match.

Third-seeded Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead), a sophomore and the team’s No. 1 player who is coming off a 19-5 campaign as a freshman, reached the round of 16 before losing in straight sets to the tourney’s 11th seeded player. Senior Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), the team’s No. 2 singles player and the competition’s No. 9 seed, went one step further, reaching the quarterfinals. Last year, Figel advanced all the way to the championship match.

The fall season is now mostly completed for the women’s team, and the men are into winter workouts as well - except for senior No. 1 singles player Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs). He became the first Tiger player, male or female, to win the fall regional tourney. 2002 Omni Hotels/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s Division III Central Region Singles Championship at DePauw University.

As a result, he advanced to the Omni Hotels/ITA National Small College Championship Tournament on Oct. 17-20. The event is hosted by H.E.B. Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.