Wittenberg University Athletics - Women's Lacrosse 2005 News Releases

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2005 News Releases

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

May 26, 2005

Wittenberg Student-Athletes Jenny Burns and Emily Figel Named To Academic All-District Teams
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University student-athletes Jenny Burns and Emily Figel, both members of the class of 2005, were honored for their performance on the fields of play and in the classroom with CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV honors. Both were selected in the women's at-large college division. Read More ...

May 13, 2005

Wittenberg Spring Sports Athletes Claim 33 North Coast Athletic Conference Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A solid spring sports season has reaped individual rewards for 33 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks. Read More ...

May 13, 2005

Four Tigers Earn 2005 All-NCAC Honors
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Wesleyan senior midfield Carrie Williams (Hingham, MA/Hingham) and Denison junior defenseman Molly Lamdin (Darien, CT/Darien) have been named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year to highlight the 2005 All-North Coast Athletic Conference women's lacrosse selections. Read More...

May 5, 2005

Melissa Jackson

The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team put the finishing touches on the season with an 18-6 loss at Denison on Saturday. The Tigers finished the campaign with a 6-8 overall record and a mark of 2-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The Tigers hung tough through the first half and trailed just 7-4 at halftime against the NCAC regular season champions. But in the final 30 minutes, the Tiger defense was besieged as Denison poured in 11 goals on just 13 total shots.

Wittenberg picked up four goals from sophomore Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), the fourth time this season she has scored four or more goals in a game, and single tallies from sophomore Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and junior Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial). Assists were credited to freshman Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and sophomore Michelle Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls).

The six wins in 2005 were a significant improvement over the 2004 total of two, while the loss total of eight was a match for a year ago (with four extra games played).

Next: Season Complete

April 29, 2005

Emine Cirpili

The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team is heading toward the final game of the season with some momentum, gained thanks to a pair of one-goal North Coast Athletic Conference victories in the last week.

On Saturday, Wittenberg traveled to Oberlin and came away with a 5-4 win in the cold and snow of northern Ohio. Freshman Emine Cirpili (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) scored the game-winner at the 49:39 minute mark. That followed two straight goals by Oberlin that had wiped out a 4-2 Wittenberg advantage.

Tiger goal-scorers included Cirpili, freshman Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), sophomore Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and two from sophomore Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman).

The Tigers also picked up a solid game from sophomore Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), who made her return for a full game in goal for the first time in three games due to injury. She finished with six saves.

On Wednesday, the Tigers made Senior Night a pleasant one with a 9-8 home win over Kenyon. The Tigers improved to 6-7 overall, in the process tripling their win total from 2004. The win moved the Tigers to 2-3 in the NCAC and moved Wittenberg ahead of the Ladies in the conference standings. The Tigers round out the conference regular season with a game at undefeated league-leader Denison on Saturday.

Wittenberg rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to close the first half with six straight goals. Kenyon rallied with two goals in the final 1:51, but Jackson's goal at the 6:25 mark of the final stanza turned out to be the difference.

Offensively, the Tigers picked up a three-goal, one-assist game from senior Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) in her final home game in the Red & White. Jackson, sophomore Michelle Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) and Cirpili added two goals each, while Cupples was credited with two assists and Hanners, Jackson and Cirpili added one helper each.

The key on defense was Bucheit's play as she turned away 18 shots. Senior Carrie Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian), a defender who has started every game the last four years, also played her final home game for the Tigers.

Next: 4/30 @ Denison, 1 p.m.

April 20, 2005

Kari Thomas

The 2005 Wittenberg University womens lacrosse team hasnt always found that magical winning formula, but they have been competitive for the most part as they build with a relatively young team.

The Tigers have ridden a four-game losing streak to a 4-7 overall record, including a mark of 0-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. In recent weeks, the Tigers were defeated 16-3 by defending conference champion Wooster on April 7, lost at Allegheny on April 10 by an 11-7 score and then saw their rally fall short in an 18-13 home loss to Ohio Wesleyan on April 16.

The improvement from 2004 is obvious, despite the win total being just slightly better than last year, and the statistics bear that out. The team leaders in goals scored a year ago - sophomores Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) - each had 15 goals in 2004. This year, each has 24 scores, and they trail 2003 third-team All-America honoree Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who leads with 25 goals and 36 total points.

The goal of reaching the four-team NCAC Tournament, scheduled for May 6-7 at Kenyon, is still within reach, but the Tigers must win their remaining three games and possibly hope for some help. The Tigers play at Oberlin on Saturday, host Kenyon on April 27 and then hit the road again for a tough test at Denison on April 30.

Next: 4/23 @ Oberlin, 1 p.m.

April 5, 2005

Jenny Burns

The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team is off to a solid start to the season, and as the Tigers make the turn and head for the home stretch, optimism abounds that this young group has a chance to do some damage in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Most recently, the Tigers dropped a 14-10 decision to St. Vincent, an NAIA scholarship program, in their home opener on Saturday. The Tigers got off to a solid start, taking a 6-4 lead midway through the first half, but St. Vincent rallied with a 9-2 spurt to take command of the game.

Wittenberg was paced by senior Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who scored four times and added an assist. Sophomores Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Michelle Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) added two goals apiece and freshman Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) had a three-point night with a goal and two assists.

The Tigers doubled their win total from the 2004 season after a 16-11 win at Notre Dame College (Ohio). Freshman Emine Cirpili (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) had her first four-goal game to lead the offense, and Burns ran the attack well with two goals and four assists. In combination with her performance against St. Vincent, Burns was named NCAC Player of the Week.

Rounding things out, Hanners and Thomas added two goals and two assists each, junior Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) finished with one goal and two assists, sophomore Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) chipped in with three scores and Cupples rounded things out with one goal and one assist.

Win No. 3 on the season came against the College of Notre Dame in a hard-fought 12-10 decision at Kenyon College. Jackson scored a career-high tying six goals to lead the offense, while Thomas and Burns added two goals apiece. In goal, sophomore Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) was solid, turning away 12 Notre Dame shots to preserve the victory for Wittenberg.

To cap things in this report, the Tigers lost a pair of hard-fought, evenly-played road games on March 19 and 20, 12-8 at Lynchburg and 8-7 at Bridgewater.

Thomas led with three goals and one assist at Bridgewater. Jackson led the Tigers against Lynchburg with three goals and one assist in the game.

For the season, the Tigers are getting offensive production from a variety of players, led by Jackson with 21 goals and 25 total points. Thomas has 18 goals, seven assists and 25 total points and Burns is right behind with 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 total points. All three are on pace to more than double their 2004 totals in goals, assists and points.

Next: 4/7 @ Wooster, 4:30 p.m.

March 18, 2005

Melissa Jackson

The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team has already matched its win total from all of the 2004 season. With that out of the way, the Tigers now set their sights on greater achievements the rest of the season, starting Saturday at Lynchburg.

Wittenberg started the season with a 16-8 victory over Roger Williams College in a game played in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Tigers captured a commanding 8-1 halftime lead and then cruised home with eight more second-half goals. Sophomore Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) was the offensive star as she scored seven goals, two in the first half and five in the second, and added two assists for nine total points. The school record for goals in a game is nine, and Jackson's total of seven ties her with four other players for the second-highest total in school history.

Senior Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) added two first-half goals and three assists, sophomore Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) finished with four goals, sophomore Michelle Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) contributed one goal and one assist, freshman Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) opened her collegiate career with two goals and three assists and freshman Alison Voigt (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) rounded things out with an assist. In goal, the Tigers got a solid performance from sophomore Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), who turned away 13 shots.

The next day, Wittenberg came back to earth in a 15-2 loss to sixth-ranked Cortland State, the defending champion of the State University of New York Athletic Conference. Bucheit made 20 saves in the game for Wittenberg, compared to two saves for her Cortland State counterpart. Wittenberg's goals came from Thomas and Burns, both in the second half after the Tigers fell behind 9-0 by halftime.

Wittenberg capped its week in Florida with a 12-6 victory over Gordon.

The Tigers took a 6-2 lead into the halftime break and then finished up strong with six more goals in the second half. Hanners and Burns each found the back of the net three times in the game, while Jackson and Thomas added a pair of scores each. Cupples and freshman Emine Cirpili (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) also scored goals. Junior Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) finished with two assists to lead the Tigers.

Next: 3/19 @ Lynchburg, 1 p.m.

March 4, 2005

Carrie Happ

The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team enters the second season under Head Coach Katherine Haney with plenty of optimism and the expectation that significant improvement is on tap in 2005.

Leading the charge for the Tigers are a pair of seniors, one on offense and one on defense. On attack, Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), a first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference and third-team All-America selection in 2003, returns to help run the show as one of the team's captains. On the other end of the field, three-year starter and 2004 field hockey NCAC Defensive Player of the Year Carrie Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian) is the anchor and one of the team's captains.

Sophomore attacker Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) is a key returning letterwinner after earning second-team All-NCAC and second-team All-Great Lakes Region. She and sophomore attacker Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) were the team's leading scorers in 2004.

Junior captain Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), an All-NCAC honoree in both soccer and lacrosse (second-team) in 2004, will balance out the leadership in the midfield. She will be joined by several newcomers, including freshmen Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and Emine Cirpili (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), both of whom are expected to make significant contributions.

Happ and junior Ann Lutz (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville), transfer from Roanoke College, will spearhead the team's defensive effort in 2005.

In goal, sophomore Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) is back in the fold after playing all 600 minutes for the Tigers in 2004. She stopped more than 51 percent of the shots she faced and earned second-team All-NCAC recognition following the season.

The Tigers open the 2005 season with three games in West Palm Beach, Fla. next week. The home opener for Wittenberg is still a full month away, April 2 against St. Vincent.

Next: 3/7 vs. Roger Williams, 9:30 a.m.
West Palm Beach, Fla.