[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3909]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING OTTERBEIN COLLEGE, NCAA MEN'S DIVISION III NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2002

  Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, while the big school college basketball 
championship is still to be decided, we in Central Ohio are already 
celebrating the Otterbein College Cardinals' victory in the NCAA Men's 
Division III championship game. The Cardinals came from 11 points 
behind in the second half to crush Elizabethtown 102-83 and bring the 
national title home to Westerville, Ohio.
  The victory topped a spectacular season for Coach Dick Reynolds and 
his squad. The Cardinals finished first in the tough Ohio Athletic 
Conference during the regular season, then won the conference 
tournament en route to an overall 30-3 record. It's a homegrown success 
story too, with every player coming from the Buckeye State and 11 of 
them from the Central Ohio area.
  Otterbein is no stranger to basketball success. The Cardinals' title 
came in their third trip to the Final Four in Reynolds' 30 years with 
the program.
  Their games weren't on ESPN and you won't find them on your 
tournament bracket sheet. But some of the best basketball in the 
country is played on the Division III level. We're proud that Otterbein 
College, the best of the best, has brought a national title to Central 
Ohio.

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