Tigers Suffer Tough Loss At The Hands Of Denison

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Matt Reiss

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams kicked off the second half of the 2005-06 season with a tough loss at Denison on Jan. 14. The Big Red rank among the best in the nation currently as they prepare for another run at the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III.

The Tiger women dropped their first dual meet of the year by a final score of 122-92. Senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) won the 1650-yard freestyle in a time of 18:00.21, sophomore Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) took the top spot in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 55.88 and sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) remained unbeaten in dual meets this year with first-place finishes in the 1- and 3-meter diving competitions.

On the men's side, the Tigers got a strong performance from junior Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll), who placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.04. In addition, junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) captured the top spot in both the 1- and 3-meter diving events, keeping him perfect in dual meets this season.

The Tigers' tremendously challenging second half of the dual meet season continues Friday with a home meet against Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse Ohio Northern, followed by a tri-meet against University Athletic Association power Emory and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference favorite Transylvania on Saturday at the University of Kentucky. The road gets no easier next weekend as the Tigers get a final tune-up for the conference meet in February with duals against Wright State at home and Case Western on the road.

Next: 1/20 vs. Ohio Northern
1/21 vs. Emory/Transylvania @ University of Kentucky