Wittenberg University Athletics - 2004-05 Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving News Releases

Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving
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2004-05 News Releases

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

March 18, 2005

Becca Searcy

The Wittenberg women's swimming and diving team had one participant in the 2005 NCAA Division III Championship meet March 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) advanced to the national meet for the third straight year and she emerged with her fifth honorable mention All-America designation.

Battling illness that hampered training for the big event, Searcy placed 14th in the 1650-yard freestyle to earn the national honor. The top eight swimmers in each event earn All-America honors, while the 9th through 16th place finishers are named honorable mention.

Searcy came into the meet with the ninth fastest time in the nation in the 1650-yard freestyle, 23rd fastest in the 500 free and 18th fastest in the 400 Individual Medley. She added a 25th place finish in the 500 free and a 29th in the 400 IM.

Searcy scored three points for the Tigers, giving Wittenberg 50th place as a team in the meet. The Tiger men do not have any competitors in this weekend's national meet, also at Hope.

Next: Season Complete

March 7, 2005

Wittenberg University Winter Sports Athletes Claim 15 North Coast Athletic Conference Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — An outstanding winter sports season has come to a close for the 2004-05 school year, but not before 15 Wittenberg University student-athletes reaped rich rewards for their efforts as they were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams. Read More ...

March 4, 2005

Becca Searcy

The Wittenberg women's swimming and diving team will have one participant in the 2005 NCAA Division III Championship meet March 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) has advanced to the national meet for the third straight year, where she will be the lone Tiger in the meet.

Searcy, who has four honorable mention All-America designations already to her credit, is ranked ninth in the nation in the 1650-yard freestyle, 23rd in the 500-yard freestyle and 18th in the 400-yard Individual Medley coming into the national meet. The top eight finishers in each event claim All-America status.

Junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and sophomore Jen Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) both earned provisional qualification into the meet, but neither made the final cut for the second straight year.

No Tiger men's swimmer posted a qualifying time in the 2004-05 season. It will be the first time 1992 that Wittenberg is not represented in the men's national meet.

Next: 3/10-12 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Women)
3/17-19 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Men)

February 25, 2005

Lindsay Smith

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the wraps on the 2004-05 regular season last weekend, but not before several individuals built momentum for the postseason and beyond.

Three Tiger women have met the provisional qualify times for inclusion in the NCAA Division III Championship meet March 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Mich. No Tiger men reached the qualifying standards, although freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) did turn in several times that were very close, hopefully setting the stage for continued improvement in 2005-06.

For the women, juniors Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ohio/Shelby County) and Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) all posted NCAA B Cut times, with Searcy the only one already guaranteed of an invite to the national meet thanks to three different qualifying times.

Searcy, who will be making her third straight appearance in the NCAA meet, currently ranks 19th in the 500-yard freestyle with a top time of 5:08.30, eighth in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:25.91 and 11th in the 400-yard Individual Medley with a time of 4:36.46. Last year, she competed in all three events at the national meet and claimed two honorable mention All-America honors.

Yeakley is ranked 18th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.54, which set a school record at last week's Case Western Reserve University Veale Invitational. Also in the 100 back, Mulligan checks in with a time of 59.83, which ranks her 24th nationally.

Rounding things out, freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) recorded a time of 25.01 in the 50 free at Case Western. That time was not only a personal-best for Smith, but it broke a school record as well. She was within a half-second of reaching the provisional qualifying standard in the event.

The final invite list for the women's championship meet will be posted by next week. The men's event will be solidified the week after that. Wittenberg will not have a competitor in the men's meet for the first time in more than a decade.

Next: 3/10-12 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Men)
3/17-19 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Women)

February 18, 2005

Becca Searcy

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams turned in solid finishes at the North Coast Athletic Conference championships Feb. 10-12 in Canton, Ohio. The Tiger women placed fourth for the fifth straight year, behind Kenyon, Denison and Wooster, three of the top 10 teams in the nation. The Tiger men placed a deceiving sixth, just 30 points out of fourth place, in a meet that featured several of the top teams nationally and dozens of NCAA Division III qualifying times in both the men's and women's competitions.

The meet highlight for the Red & White was clearly provided by junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who placed in the top five in three individual events and earned provisional qualifying times each time, including an NCAA "A" Cut time of 17:26 in the 1650-yard freestyle, good for third place and All-NCAC honors.

Junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) turned in the first All-NCAC finish of her career by taking third place in the 100 backstroke in an NCAA "B" Cut time of 59.54. She also placed sixth in the 200 back.

Sophomore Jen Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) was also outstanding in both backstroke events, placing sixth in the 100 and seventh in the 200. It's an indication of the phenomenal depth in the NCAC field that Mulligan was one of six individuals to earn NCAA "B" Cuts in the 100 back.

Also of note individually was freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), who turned in strong performances in the 50 and 100 free and the 100 butterfly. She turned in a pair of 10th place finishes in the freestyle events.

In the women's relays, the Tigers were consistent but also unable to break through for an All-NCAC finish. Yeakley, junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), Mulligan and Smith placed fifth in the 400 medley relay, sophomore Shantel Sechrist (Saltsburg, Pa./Saltsburg), Conner, Mulligan and Smith placed fifth in the 200 medley relay, Searcy, sophomore Hillary Clark (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), freshman Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) and Yeakley came in fourth in the 800 free relay, and Kaitlin Clark, Searcy, Yeakley and Smith took fifth in the 400 free relay.

Rounding things out for the women was freshman Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest), who placed fourth in the 3-meter diving competition and seventh in the 1-meter.

On the men's side, the team's points leader was freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), who finished 10th in the 400 IM and fifth in the 1650 free, the latter being the best individual finish for a Tiger men's swimmer. The best individual finish overall came from sophomore Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), who placed third in the 3-meter diving event and sixth in the 1-meter event. It was the second straight year he has earned All-NCAC honors.

Sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) turned in several outstanding finishes, including a pair of 12th places in the 50 and 100 free. In addition, senior Jonathan Newcomer (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) place 11th in the 100 back and 18th in the 200 back, and freshman Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) placed 12th in the 400 IM.

One top-five relay finish was turned in by Newcomer, sophomore Ben Weible (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), senior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) and junior Dan McGuire (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) in the 200 medley relay.

Several swimmers will take one last shot at qualifying for the national meet this weekend at at the Case Western Reserve Veale Invitational. Searcy is the only Tiger swimmer assured of a spot in the national meet, while Yeakley and Mulligan are provisionally qualified and likely will have to improve upon their times at Case Western.

Next: 3/10-12 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Men)
3/17-19 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Women)

February 4, 2005

Courtney Roth

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams have reached the big moment, and after three meets in the last two weeks as primers, first-year Head Coach Natalie Koukis has high hopes that the Tigers are ready to make a big splash at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet in Canton, Ohio, Feb. 10-12.

The dual meet season concluded with meets against Ohio Northern at home on Jan. 21, Wright State on the road on Jan. 28 and Case Western Reserve at home on Jan. 29. The men beat ONU but lost the last two for a 6-6 finish to the 2004-05 dual meet season. The women beat ONU and CWRU and lost to NCAA Division I Wright State to cap their duals campaign at 8-3 overall. For the women, the strong finish in the dual meets buoyed hopes for an equally strong finish in the conference championship meet, which will feature three of the top 10 teams in the nation in Kenyon, Denison and Wooster. The Tigers have been slowly making up ground on the league's heavy-hitters in recent years, including a school-record point total in 2004 en route to a fourth-place finish.

Against Ohio Northern, the Tiger women won 129-98 as sophomore Katie Spittler (Lexington, Ky./Catholic), junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), sophomore Shantel Sechrist (Saltsburg, Pa./Saltsburg), freshman Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands), freshman Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest), sophomore Colleen Costigan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), sophomore Jen Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends), junior Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy) and junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) all claimed individual victories.

Against Wright State, Searcy won three times, including the 1650-yard freestyle in which she posted an NCAA B Cut time, while junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) also claimed an individual first. Rounding things out, Searcy was good for three more wins in a 137-101 victory over Case Western. She was joined in the winners' circle by freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) and Roth with two wins and Yeakley and Conner with single victories.

For the men, there was a 129-105 win over Ohio Northern, followed by a pair of fairly decisive losses. Still, there were plenty of individual highlights, starting with two individual wins apiece against ONU by sophomores Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) and Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden). Also touching the wall first were sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central), freshman Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) and senior Jonathan Newcomer (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area).

After getting shut out against Wright State, the Tigers rebounded with individual victories from senior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell), freshman Corey Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon).

Next: 2/10-12 @ NCAC Championships

January 21, 2005

Mary Workman

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams started the stretch run of the 2004-05 season with strong performances last weekend against Transylvania and Denison. The Tiger men and women both defeated Transylvania at home on Friday and both lost to national powerhouse Denison at home on Saturday.

The women, who are now 6-2 in dual meets, picked up a pair of individual wins from two different athletes, junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) and freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) in Friday's 132-105 win over Transylvania. In a 98-128 loss to Denison, sophomore diver Mary Workman (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf) was the Tigers' lone double winner, although Searcy lowered her NCAA B Cut time in the 400-yard Individual Medley and junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) added a victory in the 200 breaststroke.

The men, who are now 5-4 in duals, had a trio of double-winners in the 134-93 victory over Transylvania. Sophomore Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) all took two victories. In the 84-150 defeat against Denison, the Tigers got a victory from Nicely, the defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion in both diving events.

No rest for the weary, however, as Ohio Northern pays the HPER Center Natatorium a visit Friday. Two more dual meets next weekend against Wright State and Case Western Reserve round out the tune-ups for the NCAC Championship meet Feb. 10-12 in Canton, Ohio.

Next: 1/21 vs. Ohio Northern, 6 p.m.

January 13, 2005

Betany Yeakley

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams haven't been involved in a competition since Dec. 4 at the DePauw Invitational. That doesn't mean the teams have been sitting around simply enjoying the holiday season.

No, they've been working out in preparation for the stretch run of the 2004-05 season, which starts this weekend with home meets against Transylvania on Friday and perennial powerhouse Denison on Saturday. Along with the usual on-campus workouts, the teams enjoyed their annual Florida training trip over the New Year's holiday. A lot of hard work was mixed with fun in the sun as the Tigers prepped for the final weeks of the campaign.

Junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) has once again been the team's standout through the first half of the season, and she is currently the only Tiger swimmer with an NCAA "B" Cut time. Already a two-time honorable mention All-American, Searcy hopes to be joined by several teammates at this year's NCAA Division III meet. Among the top contenders for qualification for the national meet are junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends), all of whom have achieved B Cut times in past years.

On the men's side, the Tigers are in a rebuilding year, but there have been strong performances turned in throughout the early portion of the schedule and expectations are high that many of the youngest swimmers will mature quickly as the season winds to a close. Leading the charge are sophomore diver Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), who looks to defend his two NCAC titles next month, and freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), who was outstanding in distance freestyle races early in the season.

Next: 1/14 vs. Transylvania, 6:30 p.m.
1/15 vs. Denison, 1 p.m.

December 23, 2004

Dan McGuire

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the wraps on the first half of the 2004-05 season with a pair of impressive finishes at the annual DePauw Invitational. The Tiger women captured first place in a nine-team field, outpacing the host team among several other perennial powerhouses. The Tiger men took third place behind nationally ranked DePauw and North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wabash.

The women had four of the top 10 individuals in the meet, in terms of team points scored. Junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) led the way thanks to a trio of first-place finishes, followed by sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) in second, junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) in fourth and junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) in sixth.

Individuals winners included Searcy in the 500-yard freestyle and 400 Individual Medley with an NCAA B Cut time and the 1650 free, Mulligan in both backstroke events and Conner in the 200 breaststroke. Every team member had at least one season-best time, and many had lifetime bests, according to first-year Head Coach Natalie Koukis.

Along with the individual winners, the Tigers won the meet with depth, as evidenced most by the 200 back in which they had six of the top eight finishers.

On the men's side, the Tigers had two individuals finish among the top 10 point-getters: senior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) in eighth place and freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) in ninth.

Event highlights included Troxel's fourth-place finish in the 200 IM, second in the 200 breast and third in the 100 breast, Schramm's third in the 500 free and second in the 400 IM, sophomore Matt Reiss' (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) fourth in the 500 free and third in the 1650 free, sophomore Sean Wolf's (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) fourth in the 100 free, and senior Jonathan Newcomer's (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) third-place finishes in the two backstroke events. Also of note was junior Dan McGuire's (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) performance on the last leg of the 200-free relay, in which he turned in a personal-best time of 20.94, one of the top times in school history covering 50 yards.

The Tigers head to Florida for their annual training trip next week and then resume competition with a home dual meet against Transvylvania on Jan. 14. Wittenberg will be very busy for the month that follows, ending with the NCAC Championships Feb. 10-12 in Canton, Ohio.

Next: 1/14 vs. Transylvania, 6 p.m.

November 29, 2004

Katie Spittler

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams will put the wraps on the fall portion of the 2004-05 season with a trip to DePauw for an annual invitational meet Dec. 3-4. In their final tune-up for that highly competitive event at DePauw, the Tigers captured a pair of dual meet victories over Hiram as the men scored a 122-111 decision and the women were 139-95 victors.

Against Hiram, the men's meet was the far more dramatic of the two. In improving to 4-3 in dual meets in 2004-05, the Tigers won the meet with a first-place finish in the final event, the 400-meter relay. The quartet of sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central), junior Dan McGuire (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria), senior Jonathan Newcomer (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) and freshman Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) touched out Hiram for 11 points and the team win. Individual victories were earned by Wolf in the 50-yard freestyle, freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) in the 1,000 free and sophomore Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) in both diving events.

The women's meet was already decided by the time the Tigers swept the top two spots in the 400 relay. It was ensured by both depth and winning swims by sophomore Katie Spittler (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) in the 1,000 free, freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) in the 50 free, junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) in the 100 backstroke, junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) in the 500 free and freshman Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) in both diving events.

Next: 12/3-4 @ DePauw Invitational

November 19, 2004

Blake Troxel

The Tiger Swimming and Diving Teams competed in several competitions last weekend. The men swam Wabash College and Oberlin College, while the women competed against Oberlin.

Friday night's competition against Wabash was a close match. The Tigers fell to the Little Giants by a score of 110-131.

Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) lead the day with an impressive win in the 50-yard freestyle, 23.07. Wolf also finished second in the 100 free, bringing in a season best time of 50.98. Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) pulled in the only other first place finish in the 200 Individual Medley, 2:07.88.

For the second week in a row, Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) remained undefeated in one-meter and three-meter diving.

Other mentionables were Jon Newcomer (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) , Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) , Cory Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and Matt Reis (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) .

On Saturday, the men's and women's team traveled to Oberlin, Ohio to compete with NCAC member Oberlin College.

The Tiger's proved to be too tough for the Yomen and Yoewomen as the men scored 152 points to Oberlin's 85, while the women dominated 146-67.

Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) and Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy) lead off the meet by taking the top two places in the 1,000 free. Searcy finished with a 11:05.38, while Banas was close behind with a 11:08.60.

In the 500 free, Katie Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic) not only captured the first place points but also had a personal best time of 5:21.13.

Newcomer Kaitlyn Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) took first place in the 200 free, 2:05.18, while junior veteran Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) had top honors inthe 200 backstroke, 2:16.94.

In the final relay event the Tigers swept the Yoewomen by taking first, second and third. Those contributing to relays included Clark, Searcy, Yeakley, Spittler, Banas, Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) , Jenna Davis (Bridgman, Mich./Bridgman) , Colleen Costigan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) , Jen Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) , Jen Kay (Strongsville, Ohio/Magnificat) , Sarah Norman (Independence Ohio/Independence) and Meghan Jewett (Batavia, Ohio/Cincinnati McNicholas) .

In the men's half of the competition, the Tigers were able to claim the top three spots in 5 of 13 events, as well as win both relay events.

First place swims came from Reiss in the 1,000 free, 11:24.79, Wolf in the 50 free 23.07, Newcomer in the 200 back, 2:13.28, Ryan Schramm in the 500 free, 5:11.89 and Troxel in the 200 Breastroke, 2:29.03.

Next: 11/20 vs. Hiram, 1 p.m.

November 11, 2004

Ryan Schramm

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams are off to a solid start in the 2004-05 season. The Tiger men are 2-2 in dual meets and took sixth place in the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays last month. The Tiger women are 3-1 in dual meets and took fifth in the NCAC Relays, just a handful of points out of third place.

On Oct. 30, the Tiger men were defeated 153-84 by Wooster and the Tiger women went down to a 127-107 defeat against the Scots in their home pool. On the men's side, the lone winner of the day for Wittenberg was freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) in the 1,000-yard and 500-yard freestyle events. For the women, winners included freshman Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, sophomore Jen Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) in the 200 butterfly and junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Bloomington) in the 200 breaststroke.

Last weekend was an extremely busy one for the Tigers as they competed on Friday night in a tri-meet against Wilmington and Ohio Wesleyan in the Battling Bishops' home pool, and then traveled to DePauw on Saturday for a dual. The men went 2-1 in those three meets, defeating Ohio Wesleyan, 77-22, and Wilmington, 62-42, before losing at DePauw, 176-63. The women went 3-0 with scores of 62-48 over Ohio Wesleyan, 74-30 over Wilmington and 127-104 over DePauw.

Friday night individual first-place finishes for the Tiger men were gained by sophomore Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) in the 1,000 free, sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) in the 100 and 200 free, freshman Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) in the 100 backstroke and 200 Individual Medley, sophomore Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) in the 1- and 3-meter diving events, senior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) in the 100 fly and Schramm in the 500 free. On Saturday, the lone winner was Schramm in the 1,000 free.

Friday night individual victories for the Tiger women were accomplished by sophomore Katie Spittler (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) in the 1,000 free in a strong time of 11:01.14 and the 500 free, Searcy in the 200 free, junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) in the 100 free and 200 IM, Roth in both diving events and Mulligan in the 100 fly and 100 back. Then on Saturday, individual winners included Spittler in the 1,000 free, Yeakley in the 200 free, Roth in the 1-meter diving, Mulligan in the 100 back and Searcy in the 500 free.

Next: 11/12 vs. Wabash, 7 p.m.
11/13 at Oberlin, 1 p.m.

October 29, 2004

Kaitlin Clark

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams have opened a new era in 2004-05 as Head Coach Natalie Koukis took the reins and her team made its debut in the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays at Kenyon last Saturday. The Tiger men finished sixth in the nine-team competition, while the Tiger women took fifth out of eight teams. Both were just a few points in the complicated relay scoring system utilized in the event away from the teams directly above them in the standings.

The Tiger women are led by two-time All-American and All-NCAC honoree Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), but there is great depth on the team, including sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) and junior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), both of whom achieved NCAA "B" Cuts and top-eight finishes in the NCAC in 2004. The Tigers finished a close fourth with a school-record point total in the 2004 NCAC championships, and this year's squad may well have the firepower to break into the upper echelon of the conference standings.

A total of 15 letterwinners are back in the fold for the Tiger women. In addition to the aforementioned trio, sophomore Hillary Clark (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and juniors Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy) and Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) all have posted top-eight finishes in the extremely competitive NCAC meet in recent years. In addition, seven incoming swimmers promise to bolster an already solid team.

Searcy, Mulligan, Yeakley and freshman Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) teamed up for the Tigers' best finish in the NCAC Relays with a third place in the 400-yard Individual Medley.

The men return 11 letterwinners, highlighted by sophomore diver Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), the 2004 North Coast Athletic Conference champion, and two senior captains, Jonathan Newcomer (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) and Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell). Both have been members of highly successful relay teams in recent years,and Newcomer earned All-NCAC honors in 2004.

In addition, sophomore Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) earned All-NCAC honors in his inaugural collegiate campaign in relay events. The team is getting a big infusion of talent, one that will hopefully make up for the loss of 11-time All-American Steve Rader and four other graduated seniors, in the form of an eight-man freshman class.

Next: 10/30 at Wooster, 3 p.m.

July 6, 2004

Wittenberg University Hires Natalie Koukis As Swimming and Diving Head Coach

Natalie Koukis

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University Director of Athletics and Recreation Garnett Purnell has announced that Natalie Koukis is the choice as the Tigers' new head coach for men's and women's swimming and diving. She replaces Leslie Ramsey, who announced her resignation in April after three years in the position. Read More ...