As The Season Winds Down
BY MIKE MUSKA

I thought it might be interesting for readers to discover how each spring sport at Oberlin completes its season, both individually and as part of the North Coast Athletic Conference. The conference presents different formats for each sport, which may differ between the men and women in the same sport. The recent addition of all-male Wabash College places 10 schools in the competition for men, with only nine for the women. Thus, there are eight other schools in addition to Oberlin in the NCAC besides Wabash that can compete in each sport — Allegheny, Denison, Earlham, Hiram, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg and the College of Wooster.
Tennis — In women’s tennis, all nine schools advance to the NCAC Championships, to be held at Denison this weekend. Oberlin’s women will enter the championships as the third-seeded team behind Kenyon and Denison, and will play sixth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan in the first round, with the winner advancing to play the winner of the Denison/Wooster match in the second round. Both of these matches will be on Friday. If Oberlin is successful all day Friday, they will compete in the championship on Saturday. If Oberlin were to lose in the second match Friday, they would play the loser of the 1-8 versus 4-5 bracket for third place in the conference on Saturday. 
There is no automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, as the NCAC schools are grouped with other schools in the Central Region and the top seven schools will advance based on regional ranking and performance. At-large individuals and doubles teams are also selected for the NCAA, and both junior Sarah Jesse and sophomore Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz will get serious consideration. 
The men will compete a week later, with Oberlin hosting the championship. Only eight of the ten schools advance to Oberlin, and it appears Oberlin has locked up one of those eight spots. The NCAC is divided into an East/West Division for the men, with five schools in each division. Oberlin currently stands fourth in the East and will play the winner of the West in the first round on May 4. The Yeomen hope to have first-year Jay Frankel back in action for the NCAC Championship, and appear to have a legitimate shot at sixth, with both Wabash and Ohio Wesleyan within striking distance.
Lacrosse — The women’s tournament will begin next week, with the top six schools in the NCAC advancing to the tournament, with #6 Oberlin, traveling to #3 (either Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan or Wittenberg) on Tuesday, and the other two of that three playing that same day in the #4 versus #5 game. The top two seeds, Denison and Wooster, get first round byes, and the two Tuesday winners plus Denison and Wooster will advance to the NCAC Finals at Kenyon, beginning on Friday, May 4. The winner of the 3-6 game (possibly Oberlin) will play the #2 seed, most likely Wooster, and the winner of the 4/5 game will play the regular season champion, Denison. The two winners will meet on Saturday, May 5, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Oberlin battled Denison in the championship game last year, losing in double overtime, but it will take two upsets next week to return to the title game.
There is no conference tournament for the men, and the regular season champion receives an NCAA tournament bid. Last year, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison and Kenyon all received NCAA bids, making the NCAC one of the strongest conferences in the country. Ohio Wesleyan appears to have clinched the title, barring an upset at Wittenberg this weekend, while Oberlin will finish sixth in the conference this spring, and will host Medaille College on Saturday in their final regular season home match.
Outdoor Track and Field – The outdoor track championships are hosted in a two day format at Ohio Wesleyan, May 4-5, with all teams eligible for the meet. For the past two years, Oberlin’s women have challenged for the NCAC title with Denison and Allegheny. Oberlin returns much of its scoring punch from last year, particularly in the sprints and jumps, along with sophomore Laura Feeney in the distances. Look for returnees sophomore Courtney Stackhouse and junior Apryl Wynn, along with teammates senior Liz Chandler and junior Nzinga Broussard to score key points in the 100, 200, 4x100 relay, hurdles, long jump and triple jump. First-year Shannon Houlihan is the newcomer to the group, qualifying for the NCAA Meet indoors in the triple jump, and has already improved on that mark outdoors. She is joined by the 4x100 relay as provisional qualifiers for the NCAA meet in late May.
Oberlin’s men return two NCAC champions from last year, junior Andre Street in the 800 meters and senior David Bevacqua in the steeplechase. Oberlin’s improved strength in the sprints should help them score in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, but the recent loss of senior jumper Jabari Spruil will prevent Oberlin from getting some valuable points in the long jump and triple jump. Ohio Wesleyan is the defending champion and appears to be the favorite again this year.
Baseball — Baseball is played in two divisions for the men, an East/West format identical to tennis. Though Oberlin is currently fifth in the East Division, they will square off against the fifth place team in the West, Earlham, on May 5 to determine ninth and tenth place in the conference. The top two teams in each division square off in a Final Four format to determine the NCAC Champion, with the winner advancing to the NCAA’s. Those teams appear to be Allegheny and Wooster from the East and Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg from the West.
Softball — Women’s softball in the NCAC has grown by leaps and bounds the past two years, with three schools — Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin — adding the sport. The NCAC will hold a Final Four format in softball for the first time this year, utilizing a formula that combines regular season and championship play to determine which school will advance to the NCAA. Denison and Wittenberg appear to have clinched the top two spots in the regular season race, while Oberlin will finish eighth.