Mens basketball: progress
The DePauw Tigers had a roller coaster ride in January amidst their first season as a member of the NCAC. The men won many games at home and on the road, but also faltered at times, enduring poor spouts of shooting and ineffective rebounding.
After a 1-1 January start, DePauw won a marquee matchup against #14 Wabash with a 64-55 victory on Jan. 11. The Tigers' following contest at the Neal Fieldhouse was a key win against last year's Div. III National Runner-Up, #16 Wooster, 75-66. Those two consecutive wins marked the first time since 2002 that DePauw defeated two top 25 teams in a row. The two resume-building victories propelled Coach Bill Fenlon's Tigers to wins against Denison and Oberlin, extending the win streak to four from Jan. 11-Jan. 21.
The tide turned in the last two games though as DePauw fell to two NCAC welterweights: Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg.
"My impressions of the NCAC are that I wish we had another year in the SCAC," Fenlon said about the new conference.
Despite the inconsistencies, theTigers are still in prime position for a strong finish in a battle-tested conference. For DePauw to make a late surge, it will take more consistent play from senior guard Sean Haseley and sophomore point guard Michael Wilkison along with efficient rebounding from sophomore center Camron Burns and junior forward Barry Flynn.
DePauw currently sits at 12-8 overall with a 6-5 record in the NCAC.
Mens swimming: excellence
The DePauw men's swim team spent much of January doing the same thing they have been doing all season: Swimming and winning.
After another successful month, the 10th ranked Tigers moved to a 6-0 record in dual meets over the season.
While the rest of campus was enjoying Winter Term, the Tiger men were in the pool, training hard as conference tournament and nationals rapidly approach.
In their fourth invitational of the year, the Tigers took 2nd out of 8 in the Washington-St. Louis Invitational on Jan. 13. The team then hosted Illinois Wesleyan on Jan. 21 and won the meet with ease, scoring 207 points to Illinois Wesleyan's 81. After their blowout win against Wesleyan, the Tigers then traveled to Chicago to face off against the 9th ranked team in the nation — the University of Chicago Maroons — and came out with a victory 153.5-146.5.
"We had great training, which is always key, but we had some amazing meets. They really required a total team effort," head coach Adam Cohen said. "Winter Term was awesome for us. We got to be really thrilled with it."
The Tigers return to action in their final dual meet of the season today when they host Rose-Hulman at 6 p.m. The team will look to build on their stellar season and make a statement at their inaugural NCAC championships Feb. 16 in Canton, Ohio.