Edgewood claims share of women's tennis title
Courtesy of Edgewood College, Sports Information Department
MADISON, Wis. -- The Edgewood College women's tennis team may have needed a little help, but in the end they earned the same result. For the fourth consecutive year, the Eagles won a share of the Northern Athletics Conference championship and third straight under head coach Ben Oestreich.
The Eagles clinched a share of the Northern Athletics Conference title when Wisconsin Lutheran College topped Concordia University Wisconsin 8-1 on Tuesday night. Concordia Wisconsin and the Eagles have ended play with NAC records of 10-1 while Wisconsin Lutheran has one match left to play. Edgewood College's only conference loss came to Concordia Wisconsin earlier this season. Edgewood College owns 12 conference championships in women's tennis, the most of any sport.
Along with coach Oestreich, the title is also the third for senior's Jessi Ditzler and Shae Beckwith. Beckwith has compiled a 10-1 record in NAC play, with her only loss coming to Concordia Wisconsin. She also has a 10-2 overall record and is 8-1 at No. 2 singles. Playing primarily No. 1 singles, Ditzler is 8-3 overall and 8-2 in NAC play.
The title also marks the second time in school history the Eagle tennis program has won four consecutive conference titles. Edgewood College won seven Lake Michigan Conference championships in eight years, including four straight from 1994-95 to 1998-99. Since the inception of the NAC in 2006, the Eagles have won four of the six conference championships.
Edgewood College's women's soccer and men's basketball programs are the only other Eagle team to win at least four straight conference championships. The women's soccer team won eight consecutive LMC championships from 1994-2001 and the men's basketball team won four consecutive titles from 1991-95 as members of the LMC.
Edgewood College plays a pair of non-conference matches this Saturday at Rennebohm Park. The Eagles host both St. Norbert College and UW-Stout in a final tune-up before the NAC Women's Tennis Individual Tournament. The NAC Tournament will take place at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison on October 8-9.