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| A member of the women's swim team competes in a recent meet. The team finished the year 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the MAC, but placed second to Miami in the conference championships. |
Here's a wrap-up of where the winter sports teams stood as Ohio University Today completed production of this issue in early March.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (18-10, 13-7): Men’s basketball rebounded from 5-21 overall and 3-15 Mid-American Conference records last year to finish third in the MAC this season. The Bobcats were led by senior guard LaDrell Whitehead, who was named first-team all-conference, and junior forward Shaun Stonerook, named second-team all-conference. T
he team pulled off one of the biggest wins in school history when it defeated then-No. 11 Syracuse, 61-55, in the Carrier Classic and went on to win the tournament over Illinois-Chicago the following night. The Bobcats beat the Toledo Rockets in the quarterfinal game of the MAC tournament at the Convocation Center, but fell to Kent, 68-57, in the MAC semifinals.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (4-22, 2-14): Senior captain Danielle Longnecker led the Ohio women to sweep Marshall this season (83-73 on J
an. 2 and 74-72 on Feb. 10). Stepping up as leading scorers this season were freshman Cathy Szall and sophomores Heather Laughlin and Ronita Whitfield.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK (0-4): The Ohio men placed seventh in the All-Ohio Championship at Bowling Green State University, where freshman John Whitney beat his personal best in the triple jump. The Bobcat men placed 11th at the MAC tournament.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK (3-2): Two school records were broken in the All-Ohio Champion
ship by seniors Tisha Franklin and Melissa Converse. Franklin sprinted to first place in the 200-meter race and broke the record a second time at the Kent open meet Feb. 20. Converse set a record for the mile at 4:54. The Ohio women placed eighth at the MAC championships, breaking several school records. Franklin ran the 60-meter race in 7:51; Converse placed second in the 3,000-meter race; and freshman Melody Royster completed the 60-meter hurdles in 8:95.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING (4-6, 2-3
): Seniors Kacy Culver, 1997-98 MAC Diver of the Year; Doug Grebe, 1996-99 first team All-MAC; and Justin Dammel, the school record holder in the 200 medley relay, have provided leadership and talent. The Ohio men placed fourth in the MAC tournament, where they set five school records and finished 25 points out of third place. Brian Billips and Culver were to dive at the NCAA prequalification meet in mid-March. Named first-team all-conference were Grebe and Vermund Vetnes, while second-team choices wer
e Nick Mellilo and Pat Kennedy.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING (11-0, 5-0): The Ohio women, who haven’t lost a conference dual meet since November 1996, posted wins this season over Ohio State, North Carolina State and Miami. Freshman Kim van Selm of Durban, South Africa, set school and conference records in the 200 freestyle and 1,000 freestyle, and senior Camilla Mowinckel was named second team all-conference. The women finished second behind Miami in the MAC championships. Sophomore Emily
Bresser, Mowinckel, Van Selm and sophomore Hollie Bonewit all earned MAC first-team honors, and Bonewit was named MAC Swimmer of the Year. She was to compete in the national championships March 18 through 20.
WRESTLING (11-6-1, 5-1-1): Thirty-year coach Harry Houska led the Ohio men to second-place finishes both in the MAC and at the conference championships. Key wrestlers on the 25-member squad were Adam Whitlatch and Josh Heffernan — both of whom qualified for the NCAA tournament— and
Neal Harvey, Shane Hartler and Dan Bednar.
Information for this column was compiled by Jessica George, BSJ ’00.
