Seven Wittenberg University greats have been selected for induction into the school’s Athletics Hall of Honor, in addition to an alumnus who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and two “Teams of Distinction.”
Emily Bell Hinton ’07, Dustin Goldsbury ’03, Ben Helm ’93, Kathy Hittle Fields ‘07, Chris Huff ’83, Craig Osterbrock ’13, and Cara Romanowski ’03 will officially join more than 280 other Wittenberg greats who have previously been inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Honor. In addition, Randy Adamack ’73 will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 1975-76 and 1976-77 Tiger men’s basketball teams will be celebrated as “Teams of Distinction.”
Plans are underway to celebrate the members of the Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2024 with a formal induction ceremony and banquet scheduled for the weekend of October 3-6, 2024.
Emily Bell Hinton was a tremendous all-around player for Wittenberg women’s volleyball who ranked among the team’s offensive and defensive statistical leaders in each of her four seasons as a starting outside hitter. The Tigers compiled stunning records of 142-17 overall and 45-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) during Hinton’s career, winning three NCAC regular season titles and three NCAC Tournament titles. Wittenberg advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals in 2004 and followed that with three straight national semifinal finishes, capped by a 2007 season that started with 38 straight wins and a No. 1 national ranking before an upset loss in the semifinals. Hinton earned three first-team All-NCAC and first-team All-Great Lakes Region awards, and she was selected honorable mention All-America in 2005 and 2006 and third-team All-America in 2007. Hinton, who also earned second-team Academic All-America honors in 2007, is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she currently resides in her hometown.
Dustin Goldsbury was a dominant force from sideline to sideline as a linebacker for the Wittenberg football team. More than 20 years after he last suited up for the Tigers, Goldsbury still ranks in the top 10 in numerous defensive categories, including career tackles (339) and tackles for loss (39.5). He is the only player in program history to earn first-team all-conference awards following each of his four seasons, including the 1998 season that also featured an NCAC Newcomer of the Year award. In Goldsbury’s four seasons, the Tigers compiled a phenomenal 44-5 record, including a 26-1 mark in the NCAC. The Tigers won three league titles during that span, and Wittenberg won at least one NCAA Division III Tournament game each year as well. A two-year team captain and the 1999 Bill Edwards Golden Helmet award-winner, Goldsbury also picked up All-America awards from multiple organizations during his career. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Goldsbury currently resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ben Helm is one of the finest all-around players in the history of Wittenberg’s men’s soccer program. Renowned for his role as a defensive midfielder, he skillfully thwarted opponents' offensive threats while seamlessly connecting with his team's attack. Helm's exceptional four-year tenure as a starter played a defining role in the program's success. During his career, the Tigers achieved an impressive four-year record of 51-20-5. Making the program's first-ever appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1991 and 1992, the Tigers narrowly missed advancing in close one-goal matches. Helm's leadership was evident in 1992 when he led the Tigers with eight assists, a record that still ranks among the program's top 10. Garnering a total of three All-NCAC awards, including two first-team nods in 1991 and 1992, in addition to three all-region awards, three All-Ohio awards, and the 1991 NCAC Defensive Player of the Year cemented Helm's impactful collegiate soccer career at Wittenberg. A native of Eugene, Oregon, today, Ben Helm resides in Orange County, California.
Kathy Hittle Fields was an outstanding post player for the Tiger women’s basketball team. Fields led the Tigers in scoring two seasons and rebounding three seasons while helping Wittenberg to an outstanding four-year record of 76-35. During Fields’ career, the Tigers won two NCAC regular season titles, including a perfect 16-0 record in 2004 that was followed by an NCAC Tournament championship and a run to the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16, the best postseason run in program history. A two-year team captain and the team’s 2006 Most Outstanding Player honoree, Fields picked up All-NCAC awards three times in her four seasons, highlighted by NCAC Player of the Year honors in 2006. A native of Noblesville, Indiana, Fields currently resides in Heath, Ohio.
Chris Huff was a key contributor to one of the best four-year stretches in Wittenberg men’s basketball history, highlighted by a senior season that culminated with All-America honors. After getting limited minutes as a freshman and missing his entire sophomore season due to injury, Huff came on strong in his final two seasons as Tiger, leading the team in rebounding in both the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons. Wittenberg posted records of 20-10 and 26-6 in those two seasons and posted a pair of second-place finishes in the OAC. The Tigers won the OAC Tournament both years to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament, and after a second-round exit in 1982, Wittenberg reached the 1983 national championship game before losing by one point to Scranton. Huff was at his best in his senior season, earning first-team All-OAC, first-team all-region, and third-team All-America awards. A native of Uhrichsville, Ohio, Huff currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Craig Osterbrock is one of the most accomplished players in the history of Wittenberg’s men’s golf program. He led the Tigers to four straight NCAC Tournament titles and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances (2010-2013), highlighted by top-10 national finishes in 2010 and 2012 and a team-best 17th-place individual finish in 2010. A two-time recipient of the team’s MVP award, Osterbrock earned first-team All-NCAC honors three times. He won the NCAC’s Bob Nye Award as the medalist of the conference tournament in 2011 and 2012, and he doubled up as the Dick Gordin Award-winner (NCAC Player of the Year) in 2012. Osterbrock earned three All-Great Lakes Region awards, and he was a third-team All-American selection in 2010 and 2011. A native of Wilmington, Ohio, Osterbrock currently resides in Madrid, Spain.
Cara Romanowski is one of the top scorers in Wittenberg women’s lacrosse history. Romanowski earned four All-NCAC awards in her career, including a trio of first-team designations, and she was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. A four-time first-team all-region honoree, Romanowski was named Team MVP three times. She led the team in scoring in both 2002 and 2003 with 54 goals each season, a total that ranks in the top 10 in program history, and she recorded 31 caused turnovers in 2003, the first season the statistic was tracked officially. Romanowski ranks sixth in program history with 195 career points and third with 172 career goals. She also earned three letters in field hockey while leading the team in assists in 2000 and picking up All-NCAC and all-region awards in 2001. A native of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Romanowski currently resides in Royersford, Pennsylvania.
Randy Adamack was a member of the Wittenberg baseball program as an undergraduate, and he went on to turn his love of America’s pastime into a tremendously successful career. A fan of the Cleveland Indians as a child growing up in northeast Ohio, Adamack got an internship with the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in 1974, which led to his first full-time professional opportunity when he was named public relations director the following year. In his first game, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson made history as the first-ever black manager in the MLB, marking the first of many landmark events he personally witnessed.
After three years working for the Indians, Adamack moved to the front office of the Seattle Mariners. When he retired in 2022, Adamack held the position of senior vice president and special advisor to the chairman and CEO of the organization. Over the course of four decades, Adamack helped build the Mariners from a fledgling expansion franchise into the tremendously successful operation that competes today in the American League West Division. A native of Conneaut, Ohio, Adamack currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
Finally, the Athletics Hall of Honor is celebrating two “Teams of Distinction” as part of the Class of 2024.
The 1975-76 men’s basketball team came up just a few points short of one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history. In what turned out to be the final season under the direction of Head Coach Bob Hamilton, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 24-5. Two of those five losses came in overtime, including the OAC Tournament title game against Oberlin and the national championship game against Scranton. The other three losses were by one point to Ashland, two points to Otterbein, and two points in a 30-28 defeat against Muskingum. The Tigers finished in a tie for first place in the OAC South Division, and they avenged the regular season losses to Oberlin and Ashland in the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Hamilton was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, and Tom Dunn earned All-America honors. Dunn and Bob Heubner were both selected to the NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team.
A year later, Wittenberg started the 1976-77 men’s basketball season by splitting its first four games. The Tigers then reeled off 14 straight victories before an overtime loss to Marietta, the first of four tense overtime decisions in the stretch run of the campaign. After losing to Ohio Wesleyan 77-75 in the OAC Tournament title game, Wittenberg put together an historic five-game NCAA Division III Tournament run that culminated with a 53-52 overtime win over Scranton in the semifinals and a 13-point victory over Oneonta State that secured the program’s second national championship. First-year Head Coach Larry Hunter was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, and Rick White earned All-America honors. White added NCAA Division III Tournament Most Outstanding Player recognition, and he was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Clyde Eberhardt.
1975-76 Wittenberg University Men's Basketball Team
1976-77 Wittenberg University Men's Basketball Team
