After a well-deserved Fall Break for Wittenberg Tigers students, the athletes are back in business for the back half of their fall seasons. Let's take a look at what's happening in the next week.
Football
After a close match-up at home against Kenyon for Homecoming festivities two weeks ago that resulted in another tough loss, the Wittenberg football team will travel to Delaware, Ohio, to play Ohio Wesleyan University on Oct. 17 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Tigers are currently on a five-game losing streak to begin the 2027 season, which is the first for the program since 1937, and has a 0-4 conference record. Last season when Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan competed, the Tigers dominated with a 55-17 victory, which could give some motivation for their pursuit of a first win of the season, and the first for BJ Coad as the head coach.
Men's and Women's Soccer
The men's team has a record of 1-1-1 in their last three games, falling to Kenyon on Oct. 7 with a tough 6-0 loss, followed by a big 4-0 win at home vs. conference foe Oberlin on Oct. 10, and most recently tying Wooster on the road 1-1 on Oct. 13. Overall, the program has an overall record of 4-4-5 and a conference record of 1-2-1 with four games to play in the regular season. The team will face a tough, nationally ranked #21 Denison University at home on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m., followed by a second home game later in the week on Wednesday, Oct. 21 against Ohio Wesleyan at 7 p.m.
The women's team within the past two weeks has a record of 1-2, winning on the road at John Carroll University 2-1 on Oct. 3 for a conference victory, followed by two losses at DePauw University 2-0 on Oct. 7 and at home vs. Denison 4-0 on Oct. 10. With four games to play in the regular season, the women's team's overall record is at 4-7-1 with a 1-2 conference record. The team will travel to Kenyon in Gambier, Ohio, on Oct. 17 for a noon matchup, followed by a home game later in the week on Oct. 20 against the College of Wooster at 7 p.m.
Women's Volleyball
The women's volleyball team is riding on a three-game win streak with big conference wins at Kenyon 3-1 on Oct. 3 and at home vs. Oberlin 3-0 on Oct. 10, along with a non-conference win at Earlham College 3-2 in between on Oct. 6. The Tigers are heating up at the right time, with a perfect 3-0 conference record so far, with an overall record of 9-8. The team will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., this weekend for a tri-match, competing in two non-conference matchups on Oct. 17 against Mount Union University at 1 p.m., then competing against the host team Carnegie Mellon University at 3 p.m. The team will then travel to University Heights, Ohio, for a conference matchup at John Carroll University on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
Field Hockey
The field hockey program played four conference games within the past two weeks with a record of 3-2, including a doubleheader sweep during Homecoming weekend at home that included a two-overtime thriller win vs. Wooster on Oct. 3, followed by a 4-1 victory the next day vs. Kenyon. After a tough loss at Denison University 12-1 on Oct. 10, the team celebrated their seniors for Senior Recognition Day on Oct. 11 at home, which concluded with a Tigers victory 2-1. Their most recent game ended in an overtime loss at home vs. Oberlin 2-1 on Oct. 14, landing the team with a 6-7 overall record and a 5-4 conference record. The team will compete in another doubleheader at home this weekend, playing Sewanee: The University of the South tomorrow, Oct. 17 at 11 a.m., followed by another 11 a.m. matchup vs. Meredith College the next day.
Men's and Women's Golf
The men's golf program will host the Jeff Roope Invitational at Springfield Country Club for the team's home tournament during the fall season, which will be a two-day show held on Monday, Oct. 19 and Tuesday, Oct. 20. The team most recently competed at the Blue Streak Invitational hosted by John Carroll University, which saw junior Alex Rath finish under par after rounds of 75-69-71 for a final score of 215 (-1), good for third place individually. The team overall placed 9th out of 13 teams competing.
The women's team concluded their fall season with their own home tournament this past week on Oct. 12 and 13 for the inaugural Clovernook Women's Intercollegiate at the Clovernook Country Club, led by junior Anna Sinclair with a top 15 finish, tying for 12th with a score of 158 (+14) with the team overall finishing 10th out of 14.
Men's and Women's Cross Country
Both teams last competed on Oct. 2 for the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational in Powell, Ohio, which was highlighted by senior Lukas Rieben's individual win in the 8K race that featured 206 runners. Rieben won by a whopping 20 seconds over second place in a meet that featured top Division III teams in the NCAA, finishing with a time of 25:10. The performance earned him NCAC Athlete of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 6. The men's team overall finished 7th in the 14-team meet.
The women's team finished 6th out of 12 teams in the meet, led by a fourth-place effort by senior Maddi Clark with a time of 22:31 in the 6K race.
The Jenna Strong Fall Classic is next on the schedule for both teams, with the event being held today, Oct. 16 by Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio.
Men's and Women's Ice Hockey
Both Wittenberg ice hockey programs recently had their historical start, with the men's team hosting their first home games on Oct. 2 and 3 against Lake Superior State University, which saw the program get their second goal in program history in the Oct. 2 game, achieved by freshman Benjamin Marquardt. The women's team played their first three games of the season, two of which were during Homecoming weekend against Indiana University resulting in losses, and the third against Bowling Green University on Oct. 10 that nearly saw the team's first program victory, ultimately falling short 3-2. Both programs are off this week and will return to action in the following weeks.
Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving
Wittenberg's swimming and diving teams traveled to their first meets of the season on Oct. 9 and 10 for the Oberlin Fall Early Invitational, competing in 36 events over the two days. Both teams achieved 8th place finishes. The program will be off this week, with the next competition for the Tigers being a dual meet against Hiram College on Oct. 24 at home.
Men's and Women's Bowling
Both teams will be traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for the Ohio Bowling Conference #1 at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace Saturday, Oct. 17, followed with competing in the Capital Classic at HP Lanes in Columbus the next day. The women's team in particular is having a strong start to their season, highlighted by a second place finish out of seven teams in the DO Apparel Brunswick Open on Sept. 26-27.
This week kicks off a stretch of busy times for several sports programs so make sure to support your local Tigers at the home events!
