After posting the first undefeated regular season in school history and first undefeated Ohio Athletic Conference schedule in four years in 2016-17, the Ohio Northern women's basketball team will look to challenge for its fourth consecutive OAC title and compete on a national level once again under 17th-year head coach Michele Durand.
No. 3 Wittenberg rode the momentum of a tight Set 1 win to a 27-25, 25-14, 25-10 victory over No. 20-ranked Ohio Northern in the Regional Finals of the NCAA Div. III Volleyball Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Rike Center.
The Polar Bears end their season at 29-6 overall, while the Tigers improve to 24-2.
The Ohio Northern wrestling team opened its 2017-18 season with an eighth place finish at the Mount Union Invitational on Saturday.
The Polar Bears finished with 61 points. NCAA Division II Lake Erie was first, DII Gannon (Pa.) was second, and Mt. Union was third.
ONU was led by senior Brad Taton (Mentor/Lake Catholic) and sophmore Nate Barcaskey(Moon Area), who finished second at 133 pounds and 285 pounds respectively. Both wrestlers finished with a record of 2-1. The Polar Bears finished the tournament with five individual placers.
No. 14-ranked Ohio Northern will travel to the Finger Lakes Region of New York for the NCAA III Women's Soccer Tournament Third Round and will face No. 2 William Smith (N.Y.) on Saturday at a time yet to be announced.
The Polar Bears (19-1-2 overall) advanced by defeating Penn State-Behrend 2-0 in the First Round and No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan 2-0 in the Second Round.
The Hurons (19-1-0) downed Lasell (Mass.) 5-0 and No. 24 Swarthmore (N.Y.) 2-0.
Both schools hosted the first two rounds last weekend.
Ohio Northern senior Megan Nieszala (Lambertville, Mich./St. Marys Catholic Central) and sophomore Chelsea Huppert (Bremen, Ind.) were named Honorable Mention All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for 2017.
Nieszala is a repeat selection on the All-America squad, as she earned the honor as a junior in 2016.
Nieszala and Huppert were also named First Team All-Great Lakes Region and First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference earlier this season.
The Ohio Northern men's basketball team nearly pulled off a huge upset, trailing by just two points in the final three minutes before falling 72-62 in an exhibition game at NCAA Division I foe Toledo on Tuesday evening at Savage Arena.
The Rockets improve to 2-0 on the season. The game counts as an exhibition contest for the Polar Bears because the official season starting date for NCAA Division III schools is Nov. 15.
Senior Nate Burger (Dayton/Alter) poured in 23 points and junior Ryan Bruns(Chickasaw/Marion Local) had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead ONU.
Tre'Shaun Fletcher had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Toledo.
