DePauw opens in NCAA; NCAC honors several athletes

Thursday, March 2, 2017

DePauw travels to Wisconsin-Oshkosh today for the opening round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, where it will face Gustavus Adolphus at 4:30 p.m. (CST).

The 26-2 Tigers are making their 18th NCAA appearance and 14th consecutive after topping Denison, 56-50, in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday.

The 25-2 Gusties earned an at-large berth to the 64-team field and both losses came to undefeated St. Thomas (Minn.) including a 66-49 defeat in Sunday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title contest.

Host Wisconsin-Oshkosh (24-2) faces Calvin (22-5) in the other first-round game at 7 p.m. (CST). The winners square off at 7 p.m. (CST) on Saturday.

In other basketball news:

• Tigers honored by NCAC — The North Coast Athletic Conference has named senior Claire Ryan and sophomore Maya Howard to the All-NCAC First Team, while senior Taylor Howard earned second-team honors and coach Kris Huffman was named Coach of the Year.

Last year, Ryan and Maya Howard were second-team selections and Howard collected the Newcomer of the Year award. This is the first time Taylor has been recognized.

Maya Howard, who played in all 28 games and made 26 starts, led the team with 12.4 points per game. She also averaged 3.1 rebounds and shared the assists lead with Ryan as each averaged 2.5. Howard also shot 35.4 percent from 3-point range, which was third in the conference.

Ryan played and started in all 28 games and was second on the team with 10.7 points per contest. Her 2.2 steals per game was a team-best and second in the conference. She also averaged 5.5 rebounds per outing and was named NCAC Player of the Week twice this season.

Taylor Howard was third on the team in 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds each game, while also playing and starting in all 28 games. She was third in the conference with a 52.3 shooting percentage.

Coach Huffman was named NCAC coach of the year for the third time in her career and 12th time overall. She guided the Tigers to their fifth conference title in the last six years after posting a 15-1 record in NCAC games. After winning the 2017 NCAC Tournament, she’ll take the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th year in a row and 18th time in the last 22 years.

Her teams have posted a 570-116 record including a 308-36 conference record.

• Lattner named to first team — For the first time in his career senior Luke Lattner was named All-North Coast Athletic Conference first team after previously garnering second team honors in 2015 and 2016.

Lattner averaged 20 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while scoring in double figures in all but two games this season. He led not only the team but the conference in points per game.

Lattner also became the 26th player in DePauw history to score 1,000 points in a career and finished with 1,470 career points which ranks seventh on the all-time list.

Baseball

• Tigers open 3-0 — At Memphis, Tenn., DePauw opened the season with three games in three days and on day three defeated Rhodes 7-5 to stay undefeated under first-year head coach Blake Allen.

A 2-2 game through five innings, Rhodes (5-5) scored two in the bottom of the sixth before DePauw (3-0) got one back in the seventh and scored four in the eighth.

Mike Hammel and Zack Wade both homered for the Tigers in the top of the eighth. Hammel’s was a three-run shot, and Wade followed with a solo shot.

Riley Futterknecht picked up the win. He took the mound with two outs in the sixth and pitched three innings, giving up just one run, none earned, and striking out three. Nick Horvath picked up the final out, as the tying run grounded out to end the game.

Wade finished 2-for-4, and Jack Thompson went 2-for-5. Ryan Hurston went 3-for-4. All three scored a run. Tate Stewart and Collin Einertson each had RBI doubles in the top of the fourth.

• Stewart top baseball player — DePauw senior third baseman Tate Stewart was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week after guiding the Tigers to a 3-0 record to open the season.

Stewart hit safely in all three games, going 7 for 13 at the plate with two doubles, three RBI and seven runs scored. That included a 4-for-5 performance in an 11-4 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor.

DePauw heads to Greenville today.

Tennis

• Rodefeld honored —Dan Rodefeld was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.

Splitting time between No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles, Rodefeld posted a 4-2 record as the Tigers went 2-1 in the week.

In a pair of 9-0 wins over Centre and Wooster, he was a perfect 4-0. In singles play, he knocked off Centre’s Logan Henize 6-3, 6-1 and Wooster’s Titas Bera 6-0, 7-5.

In doubles, he joined Patrick Farrell for an 8-1 win over Centre and an 8-6 victory over Wooster.

Rodefeld and the Tigers (3-3) are in action again March 11 when they host Rose-Hulman.

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