University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans

2002 Highlights

Ashenbrenner Named Academic All-America

Debra Ashenbrenner Verizon and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) combined to announce that four UW-Oshkosh student-athletes received Academic All-America accolades during the 2002-03 school year. The UW-Oshkosh mentions represent the third-highest total in school history, with seven Academic All-America awards received during the 1997-98 school year and six in 1996-97.

UW-Oshkosh student-athletes cited for their academic and athletic excellence were Debra Ashenbrenner from women's tennis, Eamon McKenna from men's cross country and track and field, Justin Schneider from football and Elizabeth Woodworth from women's cross country and track and field.

McKenna and Schneider were both first team selections, with McKenna picked to the College Division Men's Cross Country and Track and Field Team and Schneider to the College Division Football Team. Woodworth was a second team selection on the College Division Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Team, while Ashenbrenner was a third team choice on the College Division Women's At-Large Team. The College Division of the Verizon Academic All-America program includes schools affiliated with the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III or the NAIA.

Ashenbrenner, a senior from Menasha, posted a 15-4 singles record en route to a second-place finish at the WIAC Championship last fall. She also placed second in the WIAC in doubles after registering a 12-5 record. Ashenbrenner concluded her UW-Oshkosh career with a 66-29 singles record and a 64-22 mark in doubles play. The 2002 UW-Oshkosh Most Valuable Player was a member of doubles teams that won WIAC championships in 1999 and 2001.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete award programs in the country, the Verizon Academic All-America program cites student-athletes who have succeeded in their playing venue and in the classroom. Individuals are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Since the inception of the Verizon Academic All-America Program in 1952, 29 UW-Oshkosh student-athletes have combined for 38 awards, including four-time honoree Laura Nelson in women's cross country and track and field.

Titans Finish Fourth In WIAC Title Hunt

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team finished fourth in its chase for a WIAC championship following the completion of the league's post-season tournament on Sunday (Oct. 20) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

UW-Eau Claire won four of six singles and two of three doubles flights during the two-day WIAC Tournament to put the finishing touches on its 10th straight league title. The overall WIAC champion was determined by using a combination of the league's regular season dual meet and post-season tournament rankings. The dual meet standings accounted for one-third of the overall championship criteria, while the tournament results accounted for two-thirds.

UW-Eau Claire totaled 58 points to win the seven-team WIAC Tournament, while UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater tied for second place with 46 points and UW-Oshkosh finished fourth with 44. In dual play, UW-Eau Claire finished first with a 6-0 record, while UW-La Crosse followed at 5-1, UW-Whitewater at 4-2 and UW-Oshkosh at 3-3. Using the criteria for determining the overall 2002 WIAC champion, UW-Eau Claire finished first with 21 points, while UW-La Crosse finished second with 17 points, UW-Whitewater third with 16, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 12, UW-River Falls fifth with nine, UW-Stout sixth with five and UW-Stevens Point seventh with four.

UW-Oshkosh was represented in the finals in four of the nine singles and doubles categories at the WIAC Tournament, but had to settle for four second-place finishes.

In number one singles, top-seed Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) of UW-Oshkosh finished second after dropping a 6-1, 6-3 decision to second-seed and defending champion Alison Hover of UW-Eau Claire. Ashenbrenner (15-4) advanced to the finals after receiving a bye in the quarterfinals and defeating fourth-seed Kristen Mader of UW-La Crosse, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, in the semifinals.

Competing at number two singles, Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) also finished second for the Titans after falling short in her title contest. Blanch dropped a 6-4, 7-5 decision to top-seed Laurie Alonso in the championship contest after defeating sixth-seed Tanya Petcher of UW-Stout, 6-0, 6-1, and second-seed Andrea Alioto of UW-Whitewater, 6-2, 6-3.

In the championship contest at number one doubles, UW-Oshkosh's third-seeded tandem of Ashenbrenner and Blanch finished second after dropping an 8-2 decision to UW-Eau Claire's top-seeded duo of Laurie Alsono and Alison Hover. Prior to that bout, Ashenbrenner and Blanch defeated UW-Stevens Point's sixth-seeded pair of Rachel Ferge and Amber Wilkowski, 8-3, and UW-Whitewater's second-seeded duo of Maggie Krueger and Autum Wilkowski, 9-8 (7-5).

Second-seed Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) of UW-Oshkosh placed second at number three doubles after dropping an 8-4 contest to UW-Whitewater's fourth-seeded duo of Kristin Chamberlain and Mary Steimle. Previously, Drechsler and Pouba defeated UW-Stout's second-seeded tandem of Tina Rodin and Rachael Weber, 8-0, and UW-La Crosse's third-seeded pair of Louie Dubinski and Jessica White, 8-6.

Finishing third for the Titans were Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) at number three singles and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) at number four singles.

Ashenbrenner Gains Top Seed For WIAC Tourney

Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) of UW-Oshkosh secured the top number one singles seed for the upcoming WIAC Tournament after winning her contest in the Titans' 5-4 loss to UW-Whitewater on Saturday (Oct. 12) at the Oshkosh YMCA Tennis Center.

Ashenbrenner, who finished second in the WIAC last year at number one singles, gained this season's top seed in the highest singles flight after defeating UW-Whitewater's Jennifer Stamm on Saturday in games of 6-4, 6-4. Ashenbrenner will take a 6-0 league record (14-3 overall) into the WIAC Tournament that will be held this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 19-20) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

UW-Oshkosh (6-3/3-3 WIAC) concluded its fall dual schedule by suffering its second 5-4 setback of the season. The Titans won three of its six single matches against UW-Whitewater (8-2/4-2 WIAC), but only one of its three doubles bouts.

Other singles victors for the Titans besides Ashenbrenner were Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) in the fourth flight and Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) in the fifth. UW-Oshkosh's lone doubles win was by Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) in the third flight.

Undefeated Blugolds Oust Titans

The perfect dual record for the UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team remained intact following the Blugolds' 8-1 win over UW-Oshkosh on Saturday (Oct. 5) in Eau Claire.

UW-Eau Claire won all three doubles contests and five of the six singles debates to raise its dual record to 12-0 (4-0 in the WIAC) on the season. UW-Oshkosh saw its dual record fall to 6-2 (3-2 in the WIAC) on the year after losing more singles and doubles contests to UW-Eau Claire than it had in its previous seven dual meets combined.

The Titans' lone victory in the match came at number one singles, where Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) defeated the Blugolds' Alison Hover, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Among UW-Oshkosh's five setbacks in singles play were a pair three-game battles, a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 loss for Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) in the third flight and a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 loss for Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) in the fifth.

In doubles play, UW-Oshkosh's tightest contest came in the second flight, where Treu and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) dropped a 9-8 decision after losing the tie-breaker, 7-3.

Titans Blank Blue Devils

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team documented its fourth shutout of the season, including its second in three days, when it blanked UW-Stout, 9-0, on Friday (Oct. 4) in Menomonie. Earlier, UW-Oshkosh shutout St. Norbert College (9-0) on September 18, UW-River Falls (9-0) on September 21 and Lawrence University (7-0) on October 2.

UW-Oshkosh (6-1/3-1 WIAC) won four of its six singles contests against UW-Stout (2-8/0-6 WIAC) in regulation, including a 6-1, 6-1 win by Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) in the fifth flight. The Titans also received victories of 6-3, 6-0 from Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) in the first flight, 6-1, 7-5 from Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) in the second and 6-2, 6-2 from Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) in the third. Winning singles bouts in the third and deciding game were Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) by a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 score in the fourth flight and Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) by a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 count in the sixth.

In doubles action, Ashenbrenner and Blanch won by an 8-4 score in the first flight, Treu and Young by an 8-6 count in the second and Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) by an 8-4 tally in the third.

Titans Conquer Vikings

Winning 72 of the 80 games played, UW-Oshkosh overwhelmed Lawrence University, 7-0, in a women's tennis match held Wednesday (Oct. 2) at the Kolf Sports Center Complex. The Titans won individual contests in four singles and three doubles flights before rain ended the match with competitors in number two singles and number six singles on the court.

In singles play, UW-Oshkosh (5-1) gained victories of 6-0, 6-0 in the first flight from Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha), 6-1, 6-0 in the third from Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon), 6-1, 6-1 from Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) in the fourth and 6-1, 6-1 from Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) in the fifth.

UW-Oshkosh also astounded Lawrence University (2-7) in doubles action by winning 24 of the 27 games played. The Titans received doubles victories of 8-2 from Ashenbrenner and Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) in the first flight, 8-1 from Treu and Young in the second and 8-0 from Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) in the third.

UW-Oshkosh defeated Lawrence University last year by an 8-1 count.

Titans Have Difficult Time At ITA Regional

A break from its dual meet schedule was trying for the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team as it won only two of eight matches at the ITA Midwest Regional held Friday through Sunday (Sept. 27-29) in St. Peter, Minn. UW-Oshkosh entered four singles players and two doubles tandems in the regional, but failed to advance a contestant past the second round.

Having mixed results for the Titans were Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) in singles play and Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) in doubles action.

Ashenbrenner, UW-Oshkosh's top singles player, defeated Krisen Buchta of St. Olaf College (Minn.), 6-1, 6-1, in the first round before losing to Lyndsey Palen of Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in the second.

Treu and Young defeated Briggs Rolfsrud and Amy Willhite of the College of St. Catherine (Minn.), 8-3, in the first round before losing to fourth-seed Kristen Mader and Erica Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse, 8-5, in the second.

Titans Muffle Pointers

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team continued its glossy dual performance by quieting UW-Stevens Point, 8-1, on Wednesday (Sept. 25) in Stevens Point. The Titans have now won four of their five dual meets (2-1 in the WIAC) this season, going 31-5 in singles play and 15-3 in doubles action.

UW-Oshkosh swept all six singles contests from UW-Stevens Point (4-2/1-2 WIAC), including decisions in straight sets by Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) in the first flight (6-3, 6-4), Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) in the second (6-1, 6-2), Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) in the fifth (6-4, 6-2) and Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) in the sixth (6-4, 6-2). Winning on tiebreakers were Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) in the third singles flight (2-6, 6-0, 6-1) and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) in the fourth (7-5, 6-7, 6-2).

Doubles play saw UW-Oshkosh win two of three contests, including an 8-0 decision by Treu and Young over UW-Stevens Point's Jana Braam and Rachel Ferge. The Titans also received an 8-3 doubles victory from Ashenbrenner and Blanch in the first flight. UW-Oshkosh's lone setback in its match with UW-Stevens Point came at number three doubles, a 9-8 loss for the Titans' Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh).

Titans Open WIAC Play With Mixed Results

Debra Ashenbrenner Mercedes Blanch A 9-0 victory over UW-River Falls and a 5-4 setback to UW-La Crosse opened WIAC dual action for the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team on Saturday (Sept. 21) at the Kolf Sports Center Complex.

Following its sweep of UW-River Falls (7-3/1-2 WIAC), UW-Oshkosh (3-1/1-1 WIAC) took a 2-1 lead against UW-La Crosse (2-0/2-0 WIAC) after the conclusion of doubles play. The Titans' advantage in the match was short-lived, however, as the Eagles won consecutive singles contests in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth flights to clinch the victory. The deciding outcome was at number four singles, where Erica Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse defeated UW-Oshkosh's Lauren Young (So. • Menasha), 7-6, 6-3.

UW-Oshkosh's Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) and Mercedes Blanch (Huesca, Spain) both raised their records in singles play to 8-2 by defeating their opponents from UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse. Competing in the first flight, Ashenbrenner defeated Jordan Anderson of UW-River Falls, 6-1, 6-1, and Kristen Mader of UW-La Crosse, 7-6, 7-5. As a competitor in the second flight, Blanch defeated Amanda Gray of UW-River Falls, 6-3, 6-2, and Jessica White of UW-La Crosse, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.

The Titans also had a pair of two-time winners in doubles play as Ashenbrenner and Blanch recorded sweeps in the first flight while Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) did the same in the third. The tandem of Ashenbrenner and Blanch improved to 6-1 on the year following their 8-6 wins over Anderson and Gray of UW-River Falls and Mader and White of UW-La Crosse. The duo of Drechsler and Pouba increased their ledger to 7-2 after defeating Megan Knobloch and Amber Weissinger of UW-River Falls, 9-7, and Louie Dubinski and Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse, 8-2.

Titans Wound Green Knights

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team posted its sixth straight victory over St. Norbert College when it slayed the Green Knights, 9-0, on Wednesday (Sept. 18) in De Pere.

UW-Oshkosh (2-0) took the top-three singles flights in straight sets, with Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) winning 6-1, 6-1 at number one, Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) 6-4, 6-4 at number two and Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) 6-1, 6-1 at number three.

The Titans had their contests in the fourth, fifth and sixth singles flights go to a tiebreaker, with Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) winning 7-6, 3-6 (10-7) in the fourth, Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) 3-6, 6-3 (10-7) in the fifth and Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) 6-2, 6-7 (12-10) in the sixth.

In doubles action, UW-Oshkosh won 25 of the 38 games played against St. Norbert College (3-3). UW-Oshkosh's tandems of Ashenbrenner and Blanch at number one doubles and Treu and Young at number two both won by 8-3 counts, while Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) won at number three by a 9-7 score.

Ashenbrenner Second At UW-La Crosse Invite

Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) finished second in number one singles to pace UW-Oshkosh's performance at the UW-La Crosse Women's Tennis Invitational held Friday and Saturday (Sept. 13-14) in La Crosse. In addition to UW-Oshkosh and host UW-La Crosse, other schools with participants at the non-scoring meet were Luther College (Iowa) and UW-Stevens Point.

Ashenbrenner, who placed second in number one singles at the UW-Whitewater Invitational held September 7, lost 5-7, 7-5 (10-7) to Miriam Blom of Luther College in the title contest. Ashenbrenner advanced to the number one singles final after defeating Tasha Allemang of Luther College, 6-1, 6-2, and Violet Adams of UW-Stevens Point, 6-3, 6-2.

UW-Oshkosh also landed four third-place finishes, including Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) at number one singles and the tandem of Ashenbrenner and Blanch at number one doubles. Sharing third place and not playing their deciding match were UW-Oshkosh teammates Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) at number three singles and the number two doubles tandems of Michelle Baur (Fr. • Elkhorn) and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) and Katie Licht (So. • Germantown) and Orzech.

Titans Bewilder Red Hawks In Dual Opener

Winning all three doubles and five of the six singles flights, the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team routed Ripon College, 8-1, on Wednesday (Sept. 11) in Ripon. The Titans have now won five of their last six dual meets against the Red Hawks, with their only setback being a 5-4 decision in Oshkosh a year ago.

UW-Oshkosh (1-0) had four players record victories in both singles and doubles play, including Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) who won her number one singles contest, 6-3, 6-4, and paired with Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) to win 8-5 at number one doubles. Blanch also posted a 6-1, 6-4 win at number two singles.

Also posting a pair of victories for the Titans were Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha). Treu gained a 6-0, 6-3 win at number three singles and teamed with Young to record an 8-4 victory at number two doubles. Young won also her number four singles contest by a 6-3, 6-3 count.

UW-Oshkosh's other victors were Allison Orzech (Sr. • Waukesha) at number six singles and the number three doubles team of Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh).

Titans Finish Fifth At UW-Whitewater Invite

Having a singles and doubles finalist, the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team opened its season by placing fifth at the UW-Whitewater Invitational held Saturday (Sept. 7) in Whitewater.

UW-Eau Claire won the eight-team event with 37 points, while UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater tied for second with 29. UW-Oshkosh scored 18 points for its fifth-place finish.

Debra Ashenbrenner (Sr. • Menasha) led UW-Oshkosh's individual performances by finishing second in the top singles flight. Ashenbrenner defeated Violet Adams of UW-Stevens Point, 6-4, 6-2, and Melissa Huppert of UW-Eau Claire, 6-1, 6-3, before dropping a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 decision to Alison Hover of UW-Eau Claire in the title contest.

In doubles play, the UW-Oshkosh's Lane Drechsler (Fr. • Neenah) and Katie Pouba (So. • Oshkosh) placed second in the third flight after dropping a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 decision to Christine Buysse and Colleen O'Rourke of UW-La Crosse in the title match. Previously, Dreschler and Pouba defeated Carla Bosher and Diana Pham of Beloit College, 6-3, 6-0, and Gina Lamer and Tiffany Serpico of UW-Stevens Point, 6-4, 6-0.

UW-Oshkosh also received fifth-place finishes from Mercedes Blanch (So. • Huesca, Spain) at number two singles and Diana Treu (Jr. • Mequon) and Lauren Young (So. • Menasha) at number one doubles.