Wittenberg University has wrapped up its annual two-week break for Fire Week and Spring Break, and students and athletes alike took advantage of the time off to take part in a learning experience or continue their athletic seasons outside of campus. Let's recap what these athletes took part in for their respective teams.
BASEBALL
The Wittenberg baseball team traveled down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to take part of the Ripken Experience to play four games. They had an explosive week, winning all four of their games against Immaculata University 5-1 on March 7, St. Joseph's with a dominating 25-2 win on March 8, Bridgewater State 14-1 on March 10th and Cairn 11-1 on March 11.
By the end of their spring break trip, they had a six-game win streak, which they would extend to seven with a major win in Virginia against #19 Christopher Newport last Friday, before losing it to Christopher Newport the next day. The Tigers ended their spring break trip with a 14-3 victory over Hampden-Sydney College, ending their week winning six of their eight games.
SOFTBALL
The softball program had a very busy spring break, as they had their season opener vs. Beloit in Winter Haven, Fla., to begin a 10-game stint down south. The Spring Games at DiamondPlex for the program ended with a 7-3 overall record for the Tigers, highlighted by a win against ranked opponent #20 Rowan 3-2 on their last day of games on March 13.
GOLF
The men's and women's golf programs traveled to Savannah, Ga., for the Savannah Invitational at the Club of Savannah Harbor, with the men's program playing on March 2-3, placing 19th out of 20 teams in a very competitive field. The 'B' team competed in the Port City Classic at the Savannah Country Club, placing 14th out of 20 teams.
The women's team played the next week in Savannah, placing 19th out of the 19 teams competing. The men's team then traveled to Pinehurst, N.C., where the 'A' team competed in the Tiger Invitational, tying for 13th out of 20 teams in the final results, while the 'B' team competed in the Hampden-Sydney Invitational at Foxfire, placing 7th out of 14 teams.
TENNIS
The men's and women's tennis programs traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., where they played Stevenson on March 8, with both teams facing a loss to them. The men's team rebounded with a win against Hastings 4-3 on March 10, followed up with another victory against Berea in Kentucky to complete their spring break trip.
The men's team ended the week with a 2-2 overall record, with the women's at a 0-4 record.
LACROSSE
Both the men's and women's lacrosse programs traveled to Tennessee during the break, with the men's going to Memphis to play Rhodes and Otterbein. The team fought hard but ultimately fell to both teams, losing 17-6 to Rhodes on March 10 and 10-7 to Otterbein on March 13. The women's team traveled to Sewanee and went through similar struggles, losing to Lake Forest 20-6 on March 8 and Sewanee 18-4 on March 11.
TRACK AND FIELD
Three Tigers from the men's track and field team qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Senior Cameron Elliott and sophomore Kory Davis both advanced to the finals in their respective events after the first day of the meet on March 13, while sophomore Jack Kittle won his heat but did not make the top-eight threshold for the finals.
Elliott would finish third in the 400-meter dash final, while Davis finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles final, enough for both to win All-America awards, making the duo the sixth and seventh first-team men's indoor track and field All-Americans in program history. In addition, Kittle achieved second-team All-America awards for his 12th place finish in the 400-meter dash on Day 1 of the meet, becoming the first Wittenberg student-athlete to achieve the honors.
It was a hectic but productive week for our Tigers, and they now turn their focus on the rest of their respective seasons to close out the academic year.
