Tigers Kick Off Season WIth NCAC Relays

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Lindsay Smith

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams kick off the 2005-06 season this weekend with the annual North Coast Athletic Conference Relays, hosted by Kenyon.

The Tigers have some lofty goals this year, bolstered by a strong veteran nucleus and a large contingent of incoming freshmen. Wittenberg is coming off another outstanding season in 2004-05, which was highlighted by strong NCAC finishes for both the men's and women's teams.

The Tiger women return 17 letterwinners, led by five-time All-American and All-NCAC honoree Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County). There is quality and quantity on the team, with junior Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) and senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), both of whom achieved NCAA "B" Cuts and top-eight finishes in the NCAC in 2004 and 2005, standing out. Yeakley also joined Searcy with 2005 All-NCAC honors. The Tigers finished a solid fourth at the 2005 NCAC championships behind three of the top swimming programs in the nation annually. This year's squad has committed to chasing after their goal to break into one of the top three places in the NCAC conference.

The 2005-06 team returns 14 swimmers who scored at last year's NCAC meet. In addition to the three individuals already mentioned, the returning scorers include sophomores Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) and Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest); juniors Hillary Clark (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Colleen Costigan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), Olivia Lyons (Pleasant Hill, Calif./Horizons), Shantel Sechrist (Saltsburg, Pa./Saltsburg) and Katie Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic); and seniors Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy), Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and Sarah Schick (Bloomington, Ind./North). Kaitlin Clark, Smith, Roth, Sechrist, Spittler, Hillary Clark, Banas and Conner have all posted top-16 finishes in the extremely competitive NCAC meet in recent years.

A strong group of incoming swimmers promises to bolster an already solid team in 2005-06, and it will hopefully push the Tigers into the top-third of the NCAC. Among the top newcomers are Mackenzie Yamamoto (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Jenny Riehle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) and Allison Reed (Duluth, Ga./Duluth), all of whom were decorated high school student-athletes.

The men return 15 letterwinners, highlighted by junior diver Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), the 2004 NCAC Diver of the Year and winner of multiple All-NCAC honors in his first two years, sophomores Ryan and Corey Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and junior Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central). Ryan Schramm just missed an NCAA B Cut a year ago, and big things are expected from he and his brother in their second go-around at the collegiate level. Wolf has been a consistent performer and points scorer at NCAC meets for the Tigers in sprint freestyle events, and he was an All-NCAC in a relay event as a freshman.

The 2005-06 team returns 14 swimmers who scored at last year's NCAC meet. In addition to the four swimmers already mentioned, sophomores Jordan Brown (Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek), Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), Jeff Smith (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central); juniors Ben Weible (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) and Mark O'Brien (Shavertown, Pa./Dallas Senior); and seniors Dan McGuire (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria), Kevin McAninch (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Lancaster) and Sean Buchan (Akron,Ohio/Revere) all contributed to the Tigers' sixth-place finish at the conference meet. The finish was deceiving considering the narrow 30-point difference between fourth place and sixth in the final standings.

The freshman class offers 10 new faces, eager to push the Tigers back into the top half of the NCAC in 2005-06. Among the top newcomers are Chris Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central), Mike Finlay (Marietta, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain), Andy Bates (Lawrencesburg, Ind./East Central) and Ryan Hamilton (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Charisland Academy), all of whom were accomplished swimmers at the high school level.

Next: 10/22 NCAC Relays @ Kenyon