Matt Borland

Jan Kehres

Mitch Cohagan

Boo Vernon

Brad Folta

Sarah Matesich

Laura Fender

Dylan Baun

Patrick Williams

Allison Walker

Ben McAnnis-Entenman

Meghan O'Rourke

Andy Vanover

Amanda Farrell

Katie Shoemaker

Steve Koppenhafer

Sarah Fetters

Springfield, Ohio — The third annual Tiger Awards, recognizing excellence in athletic and academic performance by Wittenberg University student-athletes during the 2007-08 school year, were handed out during a banquet on April 27 in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center.

More than 300 student-athletes, representing each of the university's 23 varsity athletic teams, were in attendance. The banquet, organized and led by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), included a formal dinner and awards presentation.

Ten different team and individual awards were handed out during the event, encompassing a wide range of athletic, academic and extracurricular achievements during the 2007-08 school year. The goal was to highlight and showcase accomplishments across the department of athletics.

The Most Outstanding Men's Team of the Year Award went to the soccer team. The Tigers finished 12-4-3 on the year, including a mark of 6-2-1 in the NCAC, good for one of just four North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament bids.

The volleyball team took the Outstanding Women's Team of the Year honors. The Tigers went undefeated during the regular season before making a third consecutive NCAA Division III Final Four appearance. Two players were named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Week, and two later claimed AVCA All-America honors. The Tigers finished the year with a record of 38-1 after going undefeated in the NCAC regular season and also winning the conference tournament for the 11th time in the last 12 years.

Male Athlete of the Year went to junior soccer standout Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter). The NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Borland moved up from third-team All-Great Lakes Region in 2006 to first team after leading the Tigers with five assists in 2007, part of a 21-point effort.

Senior Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/ Alliance) of the volleyball team was awarded Female Athlete of the Year. Kehres was a three-year captain for the Tigers, and she was a major part of the Tigers' undefeated regular season. She reached 1,000 career kills during the season, and she named AVCA National Player of the Week before also earning all-conference honors at season's end.

Male Newcomer of the Year went to freshman lacrosse player Mitch Cohagan (Pickerington, Ohio/North), who is second on the team in goals in 2008 with 22. Female Newcomer of the Year went to freshman Boo Vernon (Lake Bluff, Ill./Cushing Academy) as she topped the conference with 39 total points, 18 goals, six game-winning goals and 87 shots. She ranked 31st in NCAA Division III with 2.05 points per game and 20th nationally with 0.95 goals per game. Vernon was named third-team All-America for her performance.

Extracurricular Male Athlete of the Year went to sophomore Brad Folta (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) of the men's basketball team, and Extracurricular Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to senior Sarah Matesich (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic), a volleyball player. Matesich is the former Vice President of SAAC, a position she gave up to be the Vice President of Student Senate this year. Both Folta and Matesich are involved in Greek life, as well as numerous other programs on campus and in the Springfield community.

The Tiger Spirit Awards, given to one male and one female student-athlete who best supports and encourages fellow student-athletes, went to senior Dylan Baun (Mars, Pa./North Allegheny) of the men's lacrosse team and junior Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) of the volleyball team.

Most Improved Men's Team of the Year was given to men's lacrosse. For the first time since 2004, the Tigers will finish a season with more than one win in the rugged NCAC and will have a win over a team with at least 10 wins on its resume.

Most Improved Women's Team of the Year went to the soccer squad, who finished 18-3-3 in 2007, and reached the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

Junior Patrick Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) was named Record-Breaking Male Athlete of the Year. Williams set the single season receptions record at 56 on the gridiron this season. On the baseball diamond his 27-game hitting streak, which Williams started last year, may be good for a school record, though no official record for hitting streaks has been compiled yet.

The Record Breaking Female Athlete Award went to Allison Walker (Columbus, Ohio/Academy) who has set numerous throwing records this year for the track and field team.

A pair of career achievement awards were also distributed. Senior Ben McAnnis-Entenman (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) won the men's award for his work protecting the soccer goal over the last four years. In 2007, McAnnis-Entenman came out of the goal in the final minute to score on a header against DePauw. For his performance in that game, which ended in a 1-1 tie, McAnnis-Entenman, a team captain, was rewarded with NCAC Player of the Week honors.

The Female Collegiate Achievement Award honor went to senior Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), a four-year starter for the Tigers, O'Rourke holds the career shutout record at Wittenberg and in the NCAC, and she also set the school record for most shutouts in a season this year with 14. She was a captain and key contributor to the Tigers' unprecedented national tournament run.

Paco Labrador (Hiram College 1995), who led the volleyball team to its aforementioned record-breaking season and third straight Final Four appearance, took home Men's Coach of the Year honors. Women's Coach of the Year was awarded to Sarah Jurewicz (Wittenberg 1998) of the women's basketball team after she led the Tigers to a 15-11 record in her first year at the helm. Jurewicz took over the position in September 2007 under difficult circumstances after Pam Smith died of cancer in June 2007.

The top athletes academically in each of the fall, winter and spring seasons were also recognized. The fall season honors were given to football senior Andy Vanover (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) and soccer senior Amanda Farrell (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). Folta and junior track and field standout Katie Shoemaker (Arcanum, Ohio/Franklin Monroe) took home the winter season awards, while spring season student-athletes Steve Koppenhafer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), a junior on the lacrosse team, and Sarah Fetters (Woodhaven, Mich./Maumee (Ohio)), a senior on the softball squad, were recognized for their academic achievements. These athletes all carried at least a 3.5 during their traditional season.

The event marked the final event for SAAC this year. SAAC is a committee designed to keep athletes in contact with administration, as well set up networking and support between teams. SAAC representatives from each team meet bi-weekly, and will resume again next fall.

Written By: Erin Slattery '10