All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu

Wittenberg Spring Sports Athletes Claim 34 North Coast Athletic Conference Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A solid spring sports season has reaped individual rewards for 34 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks. Read More ...

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Scott Aker

The Wittenberg men's golf team placed fourth in the competitive North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend at Harrison Hills Golf Club in Attica, Ind. Ohio Wesleyan, a top 10 in the nation a year ago, won the tourney, followed by nationally ranked NCAA Division III Tournament qualifier Allegheny and perennial powerhouse Denison. The Tigers finished four strokes behind the Big Red.

Sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) led Wittenberg with a two-day total of 153, good for an eighth-place tie. The finish earned him second-team All-NCAC honors, the first postseason award of his career.

Senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) capped his collegiate career with another outstanding finish, carding a 154 for a tie for 11th place and earn second-team All-NCAC honors. Bonar wound up a three-time All-NCAC honoree, topped by his third place finish in 2004. Bonar led the Tigers in scoring average for a fourth consecutive year.

Junior Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and freshman Brandon Sweaney (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) tied for 16th place with matching 158s to round out the Tiger scorers for the weekend.

Next: Season Complete

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2005 Men's Golf All-NCAC Awards Announced
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Wittenberg's Scott Aker earned second-team All-NCAC honors after placing eighth at the conference championship tournament on April 29-30. Read More ...

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Scott Aker

The Wittenberg men's golf team didn't quite get in all of the prep work desired for the 2005 North Coast Athletic Conference championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Wabash College, but it will have to do. The alternative would have been to spend another cold, wet day on the course over one of the worst spring days (weather-wise) in recent memory.

As it was, the Tigers and 14 other teams completed one round of the Ohio Wesleyan Strimer Invitational on Saturday at Dornoch Golf Club in Delaware, Ohio. The Tigers finished seventh in the strong 15-team field, which featured many of the top teams in the Great Lakes Region.

Sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) led Wittenberg with an 82, good for a tie for 19th place in what turned out to be the final standings after Day 2 of the tournament was called as snow continued to fall. The Tigers wound up 20 strokes behind co-champions Franklin and Otterbein.

Next up is the always challenging NCAC Tournament, with Allegheny, Ohio Wesleyan and Denison, all NCAA Division III qualifiers a year ago, topping the seedings. Wittenberg is seeded fifth, the same position in which the Tigers finished a year ago.

Next: 4/29-30 NCAC Championships @ Wabash

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Meghan Lahner

The Wittenberg women's golf team had an anti-climactic ending to the 2004-05 season with a complete washout of the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational last weekend.

Three players wound up playing all 11 rounds during the 2004-05 season - juniors Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and Callie Riley (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park) and senior Meghan Lahner (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills).

Riley had the team's best scoring average at 99.6, an improvement of seven strokes over her average in 2003-04. Riley had the low round among the trio, going for an 89 in the Capital Fall Invitational, ironically the first competition of the year. Delaney, on the other hand, carded her best score as a collegian in the season's final event, the Wittenberg Invitational on April 19 at Windy Knoll.

Delaney and Riley figure to be joined atop the team's lineup in 2005-06 by returning juniors Kelly Prasser (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) and Alex Pressler (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South), both of whom missed the spring 2005 season to study abroad.

Next: Season Complete

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Brandon Sweaney

The Wittenberg mens golf team has competed well each of the last two weeks, but the Tigers havent fared as well as they would like. Heading into the final two weeks of the 2004-05 season, the Tigers placed 11th of 16 teams at the Ted Barclay Denison Invitational on April 9-10 and ninth of 16 at the Nye Intercollegiate Wooster Invitational on April 16-17.

Those two results likely cemented another year on the outside looking in for the Tigers when it comes to postseason action. However, senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) continues to excel individually.

Bonar, the teams top player in each of the last three years, is once again atop the squad in scoring average in 2004-05. He had the finest tournament finish of his collegiate career at Denison, tying for first place after a scorching second-round 68, the best individual round of his career and one of the best ever in Wittenberg history (no records available to confirm). He tied for first place before losing in a playoff to Otterbeins Andy Miller.

Junior Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) also had a terrific second day at Denison, playing the historic Granville Golf Club. After an 80 on Day 1, Schmelzer rallied with the best round of his collegiate career, a second-day 73 that put him in 32nd place overall.

As a team at Denison, the Tigers wound up on the long end of an extremely tight middle-of-the-pack. Wittenbergs two-day total of 616 put them in 11th place, but it was just 19 strokes out of second place.

At Wooster, the Tigers had a better first day than second, ending up with a two-day total of 635 but slipping from a fourth-place tie after the opening round to ninth thanks to a Day 2 total of 620. Again, the margin of error was slim and the Tigers were on the downside of things, finishing just six strokes out of fourth place.

Individually, Bonar was again the leader of the pack for the Tigers as he placed seventh with a two-day total of 153. Freshman Brandon Sweaney (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) enjoyed his best day as a collegian with a 159, good for 23rd place.

Next: 4/23-24 @ Ohio Wesleyan

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Ann Delaney

The Wittenberg womens golf team is heading toward the finale of the 2004-05 season this week in hopes of showing continued improvement and building some momentum for the 2005-06 school year.

The problem right now is depth, and the lack of it showed in recent tournaments at Ohio Northern, Mount Union and Otterbein. The Tigers placed ninth of 10 teams at Ohio Northern, entered only three individuals at Mount Union and thus did not get a team score and placed eighth in the eight-team field at Otterbein. Rounding things out, the Tigers placed fourth in the five-team field at the Wittenberg Invitational.

At Ohio Northern, the Tigers top scorer was junior Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove), who placed a respectable 18th with a round of 96. At Mount Union, all three Tiger players finished with their best two-day totals of the school year. Delaney posted a two-day total of 194 to lead the Tigers. At Otterbein, the top Tiger was junior Callie Riley (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park), who carded a strong 96 on Day 1 and finished in 30th place. And to cap things, Delaney had her best round as a collegian, carding a 91 to finish 12th in the Wittenberg Invitational at Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield.

The season wraps up this weekend at the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational.

Next: 4/23-24 @ Baldwin-Wallace

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Women's Golf Hosts Annual Invitational On April 19 At Windy Knoll Golf Club
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University women's golf team is hosting its second annual spring invitational tournament at Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield on Tuesday, April 19. Action gets under way for all seven schools represented in the competition at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start. Read More ...

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Scott Aker

The Wittenberg men's golf team is off to a solid start to the 2005 spring season, although time is already running short for the Tigers to post the necessary scores to earn an invitation to participate in postseason play.

The season opened with an eighth-place finish out of 16 teams at the Muskingum Invitational March 25 and 26. It was a crowded field filled with quality teams, almost all of whom imporved on Day 2. The Tigers, however, carded a second-day 310, nine strokes lower than the previous day, to slip to eighth.

Sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) led the way with a collegiate best 68 on Day 1. Combined with his second-day 79, Aker placed 19th with a 147.

Last week's Kenyon Spring Invitational was shortened to 18 holes due to a spring snowstorm in eastern Ohio. The Tigers made a marked improvement, capturing fourth in a 12-team field.

Playing in tough conditions on a tough Apple Valley Golf Club course, the Tigers were led by Aker's 78, which included a one-over 37 on the back nine. That was good for sixth place. Senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) finished ninth with a 79.

The Tigers have more tournaments in the spring season to make a push toward the postseason, starting this weekend with a key event at Denison at historic Granville Golf Club. Several other North Coast Athletic Conference schools are entered in the event.

Next: 4/8-9 @ Denison

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Callie Riley

The Wittenberg women's golf team kicked off the 2005 spring season last weekend at the Capital Purple and White Invitational. The Tigers finished ninth out of 10 teams in the event after snow in the Columbus area cancelled Saturday's Round 2 at Foxfire Golf Club.

The Tigers were led by junior Callie Riley (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park), who carded a 99 to finish 22nd. Junior Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and senior Meghan Lahner (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) each posted scores of 100, good for 27th place.

The Tigers have a busy couple of weeks ahead, starting with a one-day event at Ohio Northern on Thursday.

Next: 4/7 @ Ohio Northern

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Andy Bonar

The Wittenberg men's golf team had a disappointing conclusion to what had been a tremendous fall season, finishing seventh out of 10 teams at the Mount Union Invitational last weekend. That tournament put the finishing touches on the fall season.

Playing against another strong field, the Tigers were in the running after Day 1 with a fourth-place score of 307. However, Day 2 didn't go nearly as well as the Tigers shot a 321, their lowest one-day total of the fall season, to drop to seventh place.

Wittenberg was paced by senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), who finished in a three-way tie for second place at 150. The Tigers' other three scorers in the tournament were consistent, but they didn't turn in cards with low enough marks to get the team in the running for the title. Junior Dane Sandridge (Westfield Center, Ohio/Lodi Cloverleaf), sophomore Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) posted scores of 159, 159 and 160 respectively.

The Tigers will be back in competition next spring, starting with a Spring Break trip in mid-March. A full spring season schedule will be online soon.

Next: Fall season complete

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Erica Bodnar

The Wittenberg women's golf team put the finishing touches on the 2004 fall season last weekend with a fourth-place finish at the Mount Union Invitational.

The Tigers put four scorers under 110 in the one-day event, but this time no player went for a low score to finish in the top 10 individually. The top scorers were junior Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and sophomore Erica Bodnar (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) with matching 99s. Junior Callie Riley (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park) posted a 101 and senior Meghan Lahner (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) carded a 106. In addition, junior Alex Pressler (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) scored a 108 and finished in the top 20 individually, although her score didn't count toward Wittenberg's team total of 406.

The Tigers will be back in competition next spring, starting with a Spring Break trip in mid-March. A full spring season schedule will be online soon.

Next: Fall season complete

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Andy Bonar

The Wittenberg men's golf team posted another strong finish last weekend, taking fourth place in the loaded Denison Fall Invitational. The Tigers rallied from eighth place in the 14-team competition after Day 1, shooting one of the best team scores of Day 2 to move into medal contention and beat out several top regional contenders.

Of the three teams to defeat Wittenberg, two were perennial NCAA Division III Tournament participants Ohio Wesleyan (third) and Otterbein (first). The Tigers were just five strokes behind the Bishops, who were North Coast Athletic Conference champions each of the last two years. Finishing behind Wittenberg were Wooster, Denison and Muskingum, three of the teams the Tigers will be battling with in the spring for the three Great Lakes Regional berths in the national tournament.

The Tigers' top finisher was senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), who placed fifth with a two-day total of 148. That included a one-over-par 72 on the second day of the competition.

Sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) finished 14th with a 150, junior Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) carded a 153, good for 23rd place, and junior Dane Sandridge (Westfield Center, Ohio/Lodi Cloverleaf) took 49th with a 160.

The Tigers round out their four-tournament fall schedule with a date at Mount Union on Saturday.

Next: 10/2 at Mount Union Inv.

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Ann Delaney

The Wittenberg women's golf team continues to search for consistency as the 2004-05 fall season comes to a close. In the third of five fall tournaments last weekend, the Tigers placed fifth out of five teams in the Ohio Northern Invitational.

For the third straight tournament, the Tigers put one player under 100 but the other three scores that counted toward the team total were above that plateau. Junior Callie Riley (Orlando/Winter Park, Fla.) carded a 94 to finish seventh in the tournament.

Also scoring for the Tigers were junior Ann Delaney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) with a 101, sophomore Erica Bodnar (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) with a 106 and junior Kelly Prasser (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) with a 108.

Next up for the Tigers is the Mount Union Invitational at Riceland Golf Course in Orrville, Ohio, on Saturday. Wittenberg wraps things up at Denison on Oct. 10.

Next: 10/2 at Mount Union Inv.

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Kris Schmelzer

Rarely does a team that plays the majority of its annual schedule in the spring make big news during the fall "non-traditional" season, but the Wittenberg men's golf team did just that recently. The Tigers took advantage of home course advantage in the Wittenberg Invitational to capture first place.

While claiming the top spot in a strong 11-team field is always noteworthy, it was more so in this case because it was the first tournament win for the Wittenberg men's golf program since 1997, when the Tigers took team medalist honors at Hanover. A week after turning in a solid seventh-place finish at the Ohio Valley College Invitational on Sept. 12, Wittenberg claimed first place by one stroke over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wooster. Unlike the previous week, when the 15-team field was exclusively NCAA Division II and NAIA scholarship programs, Wittenberg took first place at its own invitational while facing many of the same teams vying for national qualification consideration out of the always competitive Great Lakes Region.

Junior Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) had his best finish as a collegian in the event, which was played at Windy Knoll Golf Club on Saturday and Reid Memorial Golf Course on Sunday, as he finished second with a 153. Also making the top 20 were senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) with a 155, good for fourth place, and sophomore Scott Aker (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with a 157, good for 10th place. All five Tiger golfers placed in the top 27 on the weekend.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday and Sunday at the Denison Fall Invitational at Granville Golf Club. Several of the top teams in the NCAC are entered in the competition, making it a key early season event.

Next: 9/25-26 at Denison

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Callie Riley

The Wittenberg women's golf team is off to a solid start to the 2004-05 season, with several outstanding individual scores and team scores substantially better than at this time a year ago already on the books.

The Tigers started the season with a third-place finish in the five-team Capital Invitational on Sept. 12. While Wittenberg finished 32 strokes behind first-place Wilmington, the Tigers were just two strokes back of Muskingum for runner-up honors. Junior Callie Riley (Winter Park, Fla./Orlando) posted her best collegiate score with an 89 to finish tied for second. Last weekend, Wittenberg placed sixth in the eight-team Wilmington Invitational. This time, the Tigers were 35 strokes off the pace, set by Ohio Northern, but just two strokes behind fifth-place Capital. Sophomore Erica Bodnar (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) carded a collegiate-best 87 to pace the Tigers and place fourth in the tournament.

This weekend, Wittenberg travels to Ohio Northern for their third of four fall tournaments.

Next: 9/26 at Ohio Northern

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Wittenberg Men's Golf to Host Invitational Tournament This Weekend
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University men's golf team will host the Wittenberg Invitational on Sept. 18 and 19 at two courses in Springfield. The teams will tee it up Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Windy Knoll Golf Course and Sunday at noon at Reid Park North Golf Course. Read More ...

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