The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrapped up the 2005-06 season at the Kenyon Invitational last weekend after turning in the best overall team performance in school history at the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference championships Feb. 9-11 in Canton, Ohio.

The season has ended for all of the Tiger swimmers except one - senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County). For the fourth straight year, Searcy has earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Championships, which are scheduled for this year for March 9-11 in Minneapolis, Minn. Searcy, who has five honorable mention All-America awards in her career, became just the fourth female Wittenberg swimmer to reach the national meet all four years of her career when she placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the NCAC Championships in a time of 17:20.75. The time was good for an automatic berth in the national meet, and it remains sixth in the pre-meet seeding.

Searcy will likely swim in two other events - the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard Individual Medley - at the NCAA meet.

On the down side, senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) recorded two NCAA provisional qualifying times, but for a third straight year she did not merit selection to the national meet.

For the second straight year, no Tiger men's swimmers or divers qualified for the national meet, even though the team put together a strong fifth-place finish in the NCAC meet. Most of the Tigers' top competitors in 2005-06 were underclassmen, buoying hopes for a return to the national meet as soon as next season.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 3/9-11 NCAA Women's Championships
@ University of Minnesota

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams both made history at last weekend's North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet, especially the Tiger women. Wittenberg placed third in the women's competition, the best finish for either the men or women since the university joined the NCAC in 1989 - in the process aligning itself with perennial national powerhouse programs Denison and Kenyon. The Tiger men improved one spot from 2005 with a fifth-place finish.

Head Coach Natalie Koukis was rewarded for her efforts with NCAC Women's Coach of the Year honors after the breakthrough third-place finish, which came on the heels of five straight fourth or fifth place finishes. She also guided a young Tiger men's squad to within a razor-thin margin of 42 points of fourth-place Wooster.

The Tiger women not only performed well as a team, but several individuals made waves as well. Leading the charge was senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who assured herself of a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Championship meet with an All-NCAC performance (the top three finishers in each event earn All-NCAC honors). Searcy, who has five honorable mention All-America awards in her career, became just the third female Wittenberg swimmer to reach the national meet all four years of her career when she placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a time of 17:20.75. The time was good for an automatic berth in next month's NCAA Division III Championship meet in Minneapolis, Minn.

Searcy also earned a provisional qualifying time in the 500-yard freestyle, placing fourth in a time of 5:07.69. In addition, Searcy placed ninth in the 400-yard Individual Medley.

Searcy was also a part of two of the three Wittenberg relay teams that broke school records during the weekend. Searcy, senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington), sophomore Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) and sophomore Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) turned in an All-NCAC third-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay, touching the wall in 7:55.59 to break a five-year-old school record.

The 200-yard freestyle relay quartet of Yeakley, Smith, freshman Jenny Riehle (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) and junior Colleen Costigan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) established a new university standard of 1:39.53 with a fourth-place finish. Finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay of Searcy, Yeakley, Smith and Riehle captured fourth place with a school-record time of 3:37.37. Yeakley capped her weekend with a pair of NCAA Division III provisional qualifying times in individual events. In placing seventh in the 100-yard backstroke, Yeakley turned in a time of 59.90, good for provisional national qualification. She took fifth place in the 200-yard backstroke with a provisional time of 2:09.6. Now with provisional qualification for the third straight year, Yeakley will attempt to lower her times at the Kenyon Invitational on Saturday in hopes of securing a position in the national meet for the first time in her collegiate career.

Not to be outdone, sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) put the finishing touches on a breakout season with NCAC Diver of the year honors. Roth finished second in the 1-meter diving competition to earn All-NCAC honors for the first time in her career, and she followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the 3-meter event.

On the men's side, the Wittenberg highlight was turned in by an All-NCAC performance by junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden). The 2004 NCAC Diver of the Year, Nicely placed third in the 1-meter diving competition and sixth in the 3-meter event. The third-place finish in the 1-meter event was Nicely's fourth All-NCAC honor, and it came in most spectacular fashion as he shattered a 15-year-old school record with a score of 384.64.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 2/18 @ Kenyon Invitational

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams are on the final leg of a very long relay event - the marathon that is the annual collegiate regular season. The Tigers put the finishing touches on the 2005-06 dual meet campaign this weekend with a home event against NCAA Division I Wright State on Friday and then a road dual against NCAA Division III national powerhouse Case Western Reserve on Saturday.

The Tigers split a home dual with Ohio Northern last Friday, defeating the Polar Bears handily on the women's side but losing to one of the top teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference in the men's competition, 116-111. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg's men lost another heartbreaker, this time to Transylvania, 122-114, in addition to a decisive setback against Emory in a meet hosted by the University of Kentucky. The Tiger women improved their dual meet record to 9-2 with a win over Transylvania but a loss to Emory, which won the national title a year ago.

For the women, sophomore Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) and senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) were all double-winners against Ohio Northern as the Tigers captured first place in 12 of the 14 events.

In the meet against Transylvania and Emory, the highlight was provided by senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who earned an NCAA B Cut in the 1650-yard freestyle. A three-time NCAA Division III Championships qualifier, Searcy is hoping to improve upon her performance in the national meet each of the last three years, which resulted in five honorable mention All-America designations.

For the men, junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) took a pair of firsts against Ohio Northern and Transylvania. He and Roth, who also defeated all opponents from ONU and Transylvania, were unbeaten in dual meet diving competitions before finally losing to Emory on Saturday. Sophomore Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and sophomore Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) were both individual winners in the meet against ONU.

After this weekend's dual meets, the Tigers have a week off to prep for the annual North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet Feb. 9-11 in Canton, Ohio. The Wittenberg women have been fourth in the meet the last three years, while the Tiger men slipped to sixth place a year ago.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 1/27 vs. Wright State
1/28 @ Case Western

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.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

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

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams recently returned from their annual winter break "vacation" to South Florida. Rather than lying around on the beach, however, these athletes got after it in the pool, setting themselves up for what they hope will be an outstanding stretch run to the 2005-06 season.

The Tiger women improved to 7-0 on the dual meet season with a 49-26 victory over Monmouth (Ill.) at the Pine Crest Academy training facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In addition to the unblemished dual meet record through the first half of the 2005-06 season, the Tigers captured first place in the DePauw Invitational last month.

The Tiger men improved to 5-3 on the dual meet season with a 50-25 victory over Monmouth, also in Florida. Wittenberg placed second in a tough field at the DePauw Invitational, despite a young team that includes a host of point-scorers in the freshman and sophomore class ranks.

Those outstanding dual meet records are sure to be put to the test in the coming weeks, however, starting with a daunting road test on Saturday against perennial national powerhouse Denison. The Big Red have been in the top two in the North Coast Athletic Conference and among the top five in all of NCAA Division III for more than a decade.

The rest of the January meet schedule leading up to the annual NCAC Championship meet in Canton, Ohio, Feb. 9-11, figures to be just as challenging. The Tigers will square off against Ohio Athletic Conference favorite Ohio Northern, national powers Case Western Reserve, Transylvania and Emory, and NCAA Division I scholarship program Wright State, all by Jan. 28.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 1/14 @ Denison

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams served notice over a busy weekend that they are a program on the rise. Riding a wave of season- and personal-best performances, the Tiger men finished second in a strong 11-team field at the DePauw Invitational, while the Tiger women captured the DePauw Invitational title for the second straight year.

In addition, sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) continued her phenomenal performance, taking first place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions at the Wabash Diving Invitational. Junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) placed second in the 3-meter and eighth in the 1-meter men's diving competitions.

The Tiger women picked up outstanding performances from athletes across a wide range of events, and their depth was the key in overcoming a tough challenge from the host DePauw Tigers. Wittenberg finished 90 points better than DePauw and well ahead of the next group of teams, which included established programs Transylvania, Centre and Illinois Wesleyan.

In the sprint freestyle events, sophomore Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) and freshman Jenny Riehle (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) earned a lot of team points with their strong finishes. Smith placed second in both the 100 and 50-yard freestyle events, while Riehle took fifth and third respectively. Smith finished eighth in the total individual points standings.

As always, the Tigers' top point-scorer was senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who is approaching the NCAA B Cut standards in several events in a bid to join the select company of four-time NCAA qualifiers in Wittenberg history. Searcy placed first in the 500 freestyle, second in the 400 Individual Medley and first in the 1,650 freestyle en route to a third-place finish in total individual points, just three back of the DePauw swimmers who shared that crown.

Senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) also had a tremendous meet, finishing fifth in the total individual points standings after taking second in the 200 IM, second in the 200 backstroke and first in the 100 backstroke.

Top-five finishes were also turned in by senior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, junior Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) in the 100 and 200 backstroke events, sophomore Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) in the 400 IM and 200 freestyle, junior Shantel Sechrist (Saltsburg, Pa./Saltsburg) in the 100 backstroke and sophomore Katie Spittler (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) and senior Leslie Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Mercy) in the 1,650 freestyle.

On the men's side, junior Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) and sophomore Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) were the Tigers' top two individual performers, but once again it was depth that was a factor in the outstanding team finish.

Reiss finished fourth in the 200 IM and second in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events en route to finishing eighth in the total individual points standings. Schramm topped the field in the 500 freestyle, and he added a second place finish in the 400 IM and a third in the 1,650 freestyle on his way to finishing fifth in the total individual points standings.

Other quality performances abounded, including top-five finishes by sophomore Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, junior Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) in the 100 freestyle, freshman Mike Finlay (Marietta, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) in the 50 free, freshman Ryan Hamilton (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Charisland Academy) in the 200 free and freshman Chris Banas (Huntington Woods, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) in the 1650 free.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams are off to an outstanding start as they near the end of a whirlwind season-opening six-week stretch. The Tiger women are 4-0 in dual meets and the men are a deceiving 2-3 in duals.

In the last two weeks, the Tiger men have defeated Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin and lost to Wabash and DePauw. Of the team's three losses, two have been 13 points - against Wooster in the season opener and Wabash - a narrow margin in the world of dual meet swimming and diving.

The Tiger women, on the other hand, have been rolling. In winning four dual meets, Wittenberg has won by at least 31 points against quality opponents Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, DePauw and Oberlin. Both teams are scheduled for another busy weekend ahead, starting with a Thursday night meet at Hiram, followed by a Saturday afternoon competition at Wilmington.

Leading the way for the women is senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who has won at least two individual events and at least one relay in each of the first four dual meets. Searcy is hoping to become on a select few Wittenberg swimmers ever to qualify for the national meet all four years of her college career.

In 2005-06, the dual meet wins for the Tiger women have truly been a team effort. Coming off an 8-3 record in 2004-05, the Tigers are getting contributions from many athletes, including familiar faces like senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and juniors Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) and Katie Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic) and newcomers like Jenny Riehle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon), who took first place in the 50-yard freestyle against Ohio Wesleyan.

The Tiger men are paced for a second straight year by sophomore Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), who is consistently turning in winning times through the early portion of the 2005-06 season after recording an NCAA B Cut mark as a freshman. In addition, strong first-place swims have been recorded by junior Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll), sophomore Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and freshmen Andy Bates (Lawrenceburg, Ind./East Central) and Ryan Hamilton (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Charisland Academy).

Also of note, the diving performances by junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) and sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) continue to be first rate. Neither has lost an event in a dual meet yet this season, and Nicely's scores have been particularly impressive, including a 232 against Oberlin in the 1-meter event.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

The Wittenberg men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have kicked off the 2005-06 season with a strong finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays on Oct. 22 at Kenyon and a split against arch-rival Wooster in an Oct. 29 dual meet.

At the NCAC Relays, the Tiger women placed fourth, just four points behind Allegheny in the chase to follow national powerhouses Kenyon and Denison. The Tiger men placed fifth, tied with Allegheny with 78 points.

The Tigers’ best finish in the NCAC Relays was turned in by the quartet of senior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), senior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), sophomore Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) and freshman Mackenzie Yamamoto (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) in the 200-yard breaststroke event. Wittenberg placed fifth in that event.

On the men’s side, the best finish was also in the 200-yard breaststroke relay as the quartet of junior Ben Weible (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), sophomore Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), sophomore Jordan Brown (Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek) and junior Matt Reiss (Beavercreek, Ohio/Dayton Carroll) finished sixth.

Against Wooster, the Tiger women won 136-101 behind Searcy and her three individual wins. Also of note were a pair of diving wins by sophomore Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) and first-place finishes by senior Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and junior Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends).

The Tiger men fell 126-113 to Wooster. Junior Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) won both diving events, while Ryan and Corey Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and sophomore Nick Pierson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) all enjoyed individual victories during the meet.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

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.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.

Next: 10/22 NCAC Relays @ Kenyon