NCAC in the News

Check out some local coverage of schools around the NCAC:

Tourney Time
** Wooster men's basketball coach Steve Moore is featured on the cover of the sports page in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer.

** The Wooster Daily Record talks about the competitiveness of the conference and what the Fighting Scots need to do to host the NCAC Tournament semifinals and championship game.

** The Paper of Montgomery County talks about how Wabash basketball needs to focus on the little things in tonight's NCAC Tournament quarterfinal matchup at Kenyon.

** Wittenberg's Brandon White explains how the men's basketball team needs a spark in the Wittenberg News Sun.

Allegheny Selects New President
** Allegheny selected James H. Mullen to succeed current president Richard Cook, who is retiring at the end of this year. Coverage in the Erie Times-News and in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Wittenberg-Wooster Rivalry Produces Great Men's Basketball Games

Tonight's Wittenberg at Wooster game has the potential to be a great game - but so does every meeting between the two storied programs. Last month, the Tigers topped the Fighting Scots by a single point in a thrilling 87-86 victory.

Tonight's game will affect both the conference championship and the seeding of the upcoming NCAC Tournament. As if the atmosphere in Timken Gymnasium wouldn't be electric enough, the Wooster athletic department is encouraging all Scots' fans to wear white in support of the team.

Fans who can't make it to Wooster can follow the game online:
Wooster links: Live Stats/Live Audio/Free Video
Wittenberg links: Live stats/Live Audio

The rivalry between the two squads always attracts a lot of attention. Here are a few of the latest articles to set the mood for tonight's 7:30 tipoff:

** D3hoops.com talks to two players experiencing this rivalry for the first time in Passing Down a Rivalry

** The Springfield News-Sun looks at the Top 10 Witt-Wooster Games This Decade and also how the two teams bring out the best in each other.

** Wooster has a game-day preview posted on its athletic site - including a history of the rivalry.

Earlham Plans Busy Saturday

Earlham has packed a lot into its annual Community Day on Saturday - a pair of basketball games, a tennis match, National Girls and Women in Sports Day and a Think Pink event.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted with the proceeds supporting the Lamar Lundy Fund benefiting the Townsend Center.

The first event of the day gets underway early in the morning. Registration for National Girls and Women in Sports Day begins at 9:30 a.m. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Girls from 3rd-to-8th grade can take part in swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer and camp games. Lunch will be served and participants can then attend the women’s basketball contest.

Think Pink will be a part of the women’s basketball game against NCAC foe Kenyon at 1 p.m. Fans are asked to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness.

Basketball Senior Day - There are two seniors on the women’s team, Whitney McBurrows and Samantha Lurie, and three on the men’s squad, Nick Welsh, Neil Collins and Terrel Brown. The five players along with one cheerleader will be recognized on Saturday. The men’s contest against Ohio Wesleyan University is set for 3:00 p.m.

Tennis Match - the Earlham women’s team will open the spring season with a match against Wilmington at 1:00 p.m.

Wittenberg LAX Standout Heads to England

Wittenberg freshman Matt Lord will make his collegiate debut in two weeks when the Tigers host Tri-State. In three months, he'll make an even bigger entrance onto the world's stage.

Lord, whose father was born in England, was selected to play for England's U-19 National Team after a tryout in Philadelphia last month. He heads to the United Kingdom in May to train with the team. The 2008 U-19 World Games are scheduled for July in Canada.

Click here for the full story

Kenyon Women's Basketball Clinches NCAC Championship

The Kenyon Ladies clinched their third NCAC Championship on Wednesday after defeating Denison69-48. As champs, Kenyon earns the top seed in the upcoming NCAC Tournament and will host the eighth seed in a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Should the Ladies prevail in that game, they would then host the Tournament semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-Mar. 1.

Senior Anne Dugan celebrated the team championship and also marked a personal accomplishment, becoming the seventh Kenyon women's basketball player to score 1,000 points in her career. She entered the night with 997 points in her outstanding career at Kenyon. The crowd began buzzing after her first bucket in the paint at the 16:17 mark of the first half put her on the brink of history. Forty-one seconds later, Dugan muscled her way to the hoop to reach the 1,000-point plateau. The last Lady to accomplish the feat was Katy Zeanah ('06), who finished her career with 1,179 points.

OWU Remembers 1988 Men's Basketball National Championship

On Saturday, Ohio Wesleyan will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Battling Bishops’ men's basketball national championship.

Festivities begin with the annual Ohio Wesleyan alumni game at 1 p.m. Typically an alumni-versus-junior varsity event, this year’s match-up could become an alumni-versus-alumni game, given the higher-than-normal level of alumni participants anticipated.

The Ohio Wesleyan-Hiram varsity game follows at 3 p.m., and at halftime of that game, the members of the 1988 championship team in attendance will be recognized. Three of the starters from that team, Scott Tedder ’88, Lee Rowlinson ’88, and Casey Lee ’88, as well as head coach Gene Mehaffey, are scheduled to attend. Also scheduled to attend are Dirk Miller '91, Dave Parker ’89, Marc Sherwood ’90, and Dale Eilrich ’91.

After the varsity game, there will be a reception in the Benes rooms of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center. The cost for the reception is $15, and reservations can be made online here.

Saturday is Coaches vs. Cancer Day at Wooster

Saturday's Wabash at Wooster game will be a "Coaches vs. Cancer" day. Thee coaching staff's of both teams will wear white sneakers with their normal attire to raise awareness for the National Association of Basketball Coaches' charity.

Fans are also encouraged to wear white sneakers, and make monetary donations at the main entrance, which will go to the American Cancer Society.

2007 D3Kicks.com All-American Teams

Women's 2007 All American Teams

Women's All American Second Team
Meghan O' Rourke (WIT) - Senior - Goalkeeper

2007 D3Kicks.com All Region Teams

Men's 2007 D3Kicks.com All Region Teams

Great Lakes Region Men's First Team
Matt Borland (WIT) - Junior - Midfielder

Great Lakes Region Men's Second Team
Ryan Larkin (ALL) - Senior - Goalkeeper
Eric Sloan (ALL) - Senior - Defender
Nick Skoczen (OWU) - Senior - Midfielder
Felix Hoffmann (KEN) - Freshman - Forward

Great Lakes Region Men's Third Team
Jeremy Fischer (KEN) - Sophomore - Defender
Shane Price (WIT) - Junior - Forward

Women's 2007 D3Kicks.com All Region Teams

Great Lakes Region Women's First Team
Meghan O'Rourke (WIT) - Senior - Goalkeeper
Jean Arnold (KEN) - Senior - Defender
Suzanne Medwid (WIT) - Junior - Midfielder
Michelle Corbett (OWU) - Junior - Forward
Sarah Ash (DEN) - Junior - Forward

Great Lakes Region Women's Second Team
Amanda Farrell (WIT) - Senior - Midfielder

Great Lakes Region Women's Third Team
Karman Duchon (ERL) - Freshman - Forward

Push Me, Pull Me: Collaboration and Competition in Art, Sports and Life

Musicians and athletes certainly confront the necessity of collaboration, striving to work together to produce a result that is greater than the sum of its parts. These same performers face competition, as well, as they endeavor to perform at their own highest level. A similar tension can be found in classroom situations, in the work force, in interpersonal relationships and on a biological and evolutionary level.

In order to explore this concept, the Oberlin Heisman Club will host its second annual spring symposium - Push Me, Pull Me: Collaboration and Competition in Art, Sports and Life on Saturday, March 1 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m., in Craig Lecture Hall.

The lead speaker is Timothy Weiss, the Ruth Strickland Gardner professor of music and an associate professor of conducting in the Conservatory. He will speak about challenges facing performers of all types when it comes to collaboration and competition.

A panel discussion will follow. Participants on the panel will include:
Blake New (Head Men’s Soccer Coach),
Nusha Martynuk (Professor of Dance),
Peter Slowik (Professor of Viola, Oberlin Conservatory)
Cameron Leverett, ‘06 (Life Insurance Underwriter and Corporal and COC Watch Chief, US Marine Corps Reserve).

George Smith '87, a bureau reporter for ESPN news, will moderate the discussion, as he did last year. The panel will explore the concepts of collaboration and competition as they apply to their individual areas of expertise and experience.

The symposium is one of the ways the Heisman Club is expanding its efforts beyond athletics, into the broader Oberlin community. Historically an athletic booster club of sorts, the Heisman Club was founded in 1978 with the objective of strengthening Oberlin’s athletic program. Through the years, the club has funded major capital improvements, sponsored awards programs for athletes, and provided general financial support to the athletics department and coaches.

Along with Athletic Director, Joe Karlgaard, the Club now believes the Athletic Department should promote wellness, general fitness, active lifestyles, and lifetime sports, as well as varsity and intramural sports. Furthermore, the Oberlin community is teaming with performers in many arenas: on the playing fields, in the labs and classrooms, in the Conservatory, in Warner and Hales gyms, and so on. The efforts of the Heisman Club now include helping those performers discover and appreciate their common goals.

Lunch will be served. The program will conclude at 3 pm.

For more information or to register, contact Carla Freyvogel at aida1898@yahoo.com.

Around the NCAC

** Denison women's basketball established a new school record by hitting 15 three-pointers in a 79-60 win at Earlham last night. The Big Red connected on 15-of-36 tries - amazingly half of the team's 30 field goals in the game came from long range. The previous mark was 11, which was accomplished three different times. They also set a new record for attempts - the old number was 32, set in the 2003-04 season against Hanover.

** Championship football coach Steve Specht freely admits he has stolen some of his best ideas from Earlham and put them into practice winning two Division I Ohio high school football championships in the last three years at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. The 1990 Earlham graduate played football and baseball for the Quakers, and he took several concepts from his head coaches, especially head football coach Frank Carr, currently Earlham's Athletics Director.

** Hiram will host a free Girls’ Sports Clinic for girls in grades 3-6 on Saturday in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The clinic will be held in the Coleman Sports Center from 11:30 am -12:30 pm, with registration beginning at 11:00 am, and is open to the first 100 registrants. The day will feature coaches and players from women’s soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball, giving the opportunity for participants to experience all four sports. For more information or to register for this event, please click here.

** Oberlin baseball added Brett Higgins as a volunteer assistant coach for 2008. He will serve as the Yeomen’s hitting instructor and will also work with Oberlin’s catchers and outfielders. Higgins brings a wealth of experience from NCAA Division II and the Seattle Mariners’ Class A affiliate Everett AquaSox in Everett, Washington. For more information click here.

** New Wabash football coach Erik Raeburn is settling into his new job in Crawfordsville.

** Wittenberg men's basketball coach Bill Brown earned his 400th career victory when the Tigers defeated the host Hiram Terriers last Saturday (Feb. 2), 91-85. Now in his 21st season as a head coach and his 15th directing his alma mater's men's basketball program, Brown's career record stands at 400-180 in 21 seasons, including 15 at Wittenberg, five at Kenyon and one at Wooster. His record at Wittenberg is a sparkling 340-81, including this season's 13-6 mark.

**

Women's Basketball Thinks Pink!

Edited: Feb. 12

No matter their individual team colors, NCAC women's basketball players will all be sporting pink over the next several weeks.

The conference is one of 19 nation-wide to participate as a group in the WBCA's Think Pink program. Overall, more than 800 high schools and colleges will participate this season.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to all events to show their support. Check the schedule below for dates and details as they become available.

Friday - Feb. 8
*ALLEGHENY hosted Wittenberg at 6:00 p.m. - All donations received at the game will go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, also a moment of silence was observed in remembrance of Pam Evans Smith, Wittenberg's women's basketball coach who passed away in June after a lengthy battle with the disease. Donations will also be collected at Saturday's 2:00 p.m. contest against Earlham.

* DENISON hosted Ohio Wesleyan - the first 100 fans received a free "Think Pink" t-shirt and student-athletes collected donations, with all proceeds going to breast cancer research. Admission to the game was free. Click for pre-game photos

* OBERLIN hosted Wooster - fans were asked to make a $2 donation upon admission and were then eligible to win a pink iPod, a copy of iLife 08, an iTunes gift card and other prizes. All proceeds will go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Breast Cancer Fund.

Saturday - Feb. 9
*ALLEGHENY hosted Earlham at 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday - Feb. 13
* KENYON hosts Denison at 7:30 p.m. - The Ladies, who will be gunning for the outright North Coast Athletic Conference title, will be wearing pink shooting shirts and a limited number of "Think Pink" t-shirts will be given away to students who attend the game.

* WOOSTER hosts Hiram at 7:30 p.m. - players will wear pink shoelaces and warm up in pink tees. The home media and game operators will all be in pink, and the game day program insert will be pink as well. Halftime will feature contests with prizes given away; pink tee shirts will be given to breast cancer survivors, who will be honored at halftime; and pink tee shirts will be tossed into the crowd at the begining of the game. All donations collected at the gate will be donated to the College of Wooster Relay for Life organization.

* WITTENBERG hosts Ohio Wesleyan at 5:00 p.m. - The Tigers will be wearing pink shoelaces while paying tribute to former head coach Pam Evans Smith, for whom the arena was recently named, and also honoring all those who have been touched personally by breast cancer. Breast cancer survivors will be recognized during a special halftime ceremony, "Think Pink" T-shirts will be sold throughout the event, and a breast cancer awareness information table will offer literature. All gate receipts from the game will be donated to Wittenberg's Pam Evans Smith Memorial Fund, created to fund scholarships annually to deserving female senior students who demonstrate leadership and academic abilities.

Saturday - Feb. 16
* EARLHAM hosts Kenyon at 1:00 p.m. - The Quakers will wear pink wristbands and pink socks. The event will also be combined with a celebration of National girl's and women in Sports day in order to reach more women. Posters with breast cancer facts will be placed throughout the building in hopes of raising awareness and educating women. The community will be admitted free to the game, however at the door, fans will be asked for $2 donations to help fight this deadly disease.

* HIRAM hosts Oberlin at 1:00 p.m. - The Terriers will wear pink t-shirts for warmup and will have information and representatives from the local Susan G. Komen Foundation. Additionally, the Terriers have partnered with Domino's pizza. The company will donate money to the Foundation for every 3-pointer the Terriers make this season.

* OHIO WESLEYAN hosts Allegheny at 2:00 p.m. - Breast cancer survivors will be introduced at halftime. The Battling Bishops also hosted the Bishops' Classic Hoops for Hope earlier this season and awarded pink trophies and pink all-tournament plaques. Players warmed up in pink shirts and all proceeds benefited breast cancer research.

OWU to Celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day Tomorrow

Ohio Wesleyan University will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day by hosting a girls sports clinic prior to the women’s basketball game against Wooster tomorrow.

OWU women's teams will host clinics from 6-7 p.m. at Gordon Field House followed by a picnic from 7-7:30 p.m. Then the Battling Bishop-Wooster women’s basketball game tips off at 7:30 p.m. in the adjoining Branch Rickey Arena.

Registration for all events will begin at 5:45 p.m. in Gordon Field House. Admission to the clinic is free for girls in kindergarten through sixth grade, and the picnic will be free of charge for clinic participants. Admission to the basketball game will be free for children under 18 and accompanying parents or guardians.