“The attitude of the team is really great,” coach Tony Cooper said. “And we want to build on the culture we’ve established.”
The Tigers are a young team with two juniors, Shannon Csordas and Josselyn Terpenning, and two sophomores, Hannah Tahsler and Michele Starner, along with four freshmen.
“They are all so coachable,” Cooper said. “They listen well and are willing to put in the work.”
Wittenberg opened its season last week at the first Ohio Bowling Conference tournament of the year at the Columbus Square Bowling Conference. The Tigers placed 10th out of 18 teams.
“We’ve got one under our belt,” Cooper said. “We went in with no expectations. The first tournament is about seeing where you’re at and what you need to do to improve.”
Cooper saw several positives on the lanes.
“I think we did well as far as our spare game,” he said. “But a lot of people don’t understand how big an impact the mental aspect has. That’s one of the things we want to improve on – our mental game.”
With so many new faces on the Tigers squad – including Cooper who is in his first year with the Wittenberg women – there are bound to be some growing pains.
“I think there is a feeling out process right now,” he said.
Cooper is focused on building trust in his coaching philosophy. The veteran coach spent almost a decade working with the Urbana University women’s team before the college closed.
“We want to be competitive, and we know what we need to do,” Cooper said. “I think we’re capable of top five finishes the rest of the season, maybe even better.”
The Tigers next test will come on Oct. 21 in the second OBC contest of the season. Wittenberg will also compete in the Raider Classic in November.
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