Press Release: Wittenberg Field Hockey Team Earns Academic Awards

Springfield, Ohio — Following a successful 2007 season in which the Wittenberg University field hockey team tied for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) before falling in the conference tournament championship game, the performance of five student-athletes in the classroom has also been recognized.

Whitney Marshall, class of 2009 from Barre, Mass., Erin Berger, class of 2010 from Louisville, Ky., Tori Casanta, class of 2011 from Mason, Ohio, Hannah Scheckelhoff, class of 2011 from Blacklick, Ohio, and Florine Dunki Jacobs, class of 2011 from Heemstede, The Netherlands, were selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad. Student-athletes who earned a 3.3 grade point average or better through the first semester of the 2007-08 school year were eligible to receive the honor.

Marshall is now a three-time NFHCA Academic Squad honoree, while Berger made her second appearance on the list. Casanta, Scheckelhoff and Jacobs were all eligible after their first collegiate semester.

All five players played key roles for the Tigers in 2007 as Wittenberg finished with records of 12-7 overall and 8-4 in the NCAC, good for a three-way tie for the regular season title. The top seed in the NCAC Tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria, the Tigers lost a heartbreaking championship game, 2-1 in penalty strokes to Kenyon College.

The Wittenberg field hockey program has not had a losing season since 1980 and is one of just two NCAC squads to reach the conference tournament in each of the six years it has been played. Head Coach Diana Kuser has a three-year record of 33-22 leading the program, including a mark of 25-11 in NCAC play.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Robert Gantt