Tigers Enter Difficult Stretch with Solid Record

The Wittenberg mens and womens tennis teams are heading toward the finish line and this weekends North Coast Athletic Conference championship tournaments in hopes of competing for the top spots in one of the most competitive conferences in all of NCAA Division III.

The Tiger women are 2-3 in the NCAC but have an outstanding 11-4 overall record, with the only loss outside of the conference coming against NCAA Division I Fairfield during the teams Spring Break trip to Orlando, Fla., last month.

Leading the charge, at least in terms of overall records, are freshman Emily Okerson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) and junior Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame). Okerson, primarily playing third singles, is a team-best 17-3 overall, including a record of 4-1 in the NCAC. Russell is 14-4 while playing at the No. 4 position most of the season, and she is also 4-1 against NCAC opposition.

Okerson has teamed with senior Emily Figel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) at the No. 1 doubles position to post a 9-3 overall record.

The womens draw will be an extremely competitive and balanced one, beginning with nationally ranked Denison, the surefire No. 1 seed. Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin, both of which own wins over Wittenberg this year, and Kenyon are in a pitched battle with the Tigers for the Nos. 2-5 seeds in the tournament.

On the mens side, the story continues to be freshman Ryan Snyder (Trotwood, Ohio/Madison), whose steady play has earned him a 15-0 record since joining the team prior to the spring season. No records are available on the last Wittenberg player to record an undefeated season.

Two other Tiger men are owners of winning singles records, sophomore John Shields (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) at 14-8 and senior Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) at 10-8. Shields has primarily played the No. 4 position and Burkam has slotted in at No. 5 the majority of the time.

In doubles, Wittenberg is led by Burkam and Shields at the No. 2 position with a 9-4 record.

The Tiger men have an overall record of 10-7, including a 3-1 mark in the NCAC West Division, good for second place behind Denison. The East Division is the stronger one again in 2005, making that second-place finish in divisional regular season play that much more important. Kenyon, Oberlin, Wooster and Denison, three of which own wins over Wittenberg this season, are the favorites going into the tourney.