Three Tigers Collect Week One NCAC Athlete of the Week Honors

North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of Sept. 5, 2023

Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Drew Robertson, Wooster
Wooster junior Drew Robertson (Bébalem, Chad/Rift Valley Academy (Kenya)) established the L.C. Boles Memorial Golf Course and Wooster school record men's 4K with the winning time of 12:57.6 at Friday's non-scoring Wooster Invitational. Robertson ran away from the 30-competitor field that included Division I competition, winning by nearly 40 seconds.
 
Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Ella Webster, Wittenberg
Ella Webster (Van Buren, OH/Van Buren) set a new Wittenberg women's cross country 5k record at the Tommy Evans Invitational on Friday. The sophomore finished fourth out of 189 athletes with a time of 18:08. Webster helped the Tigers place fourth in a field of 16 teams.
 
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week – Mary Johnson, Wooster
Wooster sophomore Mary Johnson (Brighton, MI/Brighton) opened the year with a hat trick in the Fighting Scots' 5-0 win at Nazareth on Saturday. Johnson scored following an entry feed to the middle just past the 19th-minute mark. In the second half, Johnson gathered possession of a ball that was played forward outside the circle, brought it into the circle, played the ball around a defender, and slid goal number two of the day into the cage. A Nazareth defensive save was played out in front of the cage in the fourth period, and Johnson buried it for goal three of the day. It marked Wooster's first hat trick since alumna Katie Agatucci's in 2021.

Offensive Football Athlete of the Week – Bryce Anderson, Wittenberg
Wittenberg went to Bryce Anderson (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) for their final two scores against Dubuque on Saturday. They found the fifth-year senior on the ground for a one-yard score to cap off an 89-yard drive to cut the Tiger deficit to 27-21. Anderson tallied his second score of the afternoon, reeling in a five-yard touchdown pass, evening the score at 27-27, before the go-ahead extra-point. Anderson finished with a team-high 66-yards on the ground, averaging five yards per carry.

Defensive Football Athlete of the Week – Jake Pasch, Wabash
Wabash sophomore Jake Pasch (Indianapolis, IN/Lutheran) forced and recovered a fumble that set up the game-winning drive for the Little Giants' 29-28 victory at Hampden-Sydney in the fourth Gentlemen's Classic. Pasch created the turnover with 3:02 left in the game and the Little Giants trailing 28-21. He scooped up the loose football at the Hampden-Sydney 33-yard line before the Little Giants scored three plays later to claim the one-point victory. Pasch shared team-high honors with 11 total tackles and led the team with eight solo stops. He added a sack for three yards. 

Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – J.F. Aber, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior J.F. Aber (Pittsburgh, PA/Sewickley Academy) had a successful opening weekend at the Ted Barclay Invitational. Aber took the crown out of 56 entries in the individual standings with a total score of 138 (-6). The Pittsburgh native helped the Tigers finish first out of nine teams.

Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Anna Klass, Denison
Sophomore Anna Klass (Marietta, GA/The Walker School), a newcomer for No. 17 Denison, carded an overall 151 (75-76) in her Big Red debut. She finished plus-six overall and tied for eighth place out of 75 total golfers at the Lynn Schweizer Invitational. Denison finished in fifth place in a loaded field of nationally-ranked teams that included No. 2 Washington University-St. Louis, No. 3 Emory, No. 10 Methodist and No. 13 Centre.

Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Jake Krueger, Denison
Denison junior Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) propelled the Big Red to a 2-0 season opening win over Roanoke on Friday night after helping his teammates find the goal on two separate occasions. The junior also put both of his shot attempts against Transylvania into the back of the net in a 3-1 win on Sunday. During the Big Red's undefeated weekend, Krueger tallied six points.
 
Women's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Heather Benway, Oberlin
Oberlin junior Heather Benway (San Carlos, CA/Sequoia) scored three second-half goals, lifting the Yeowomen to a 3-1 win over Franciscan on Sunday. The hat trick against the Barons is the first of her career. Benway also registered an assist on Oberlin's second goal of the game in a 2-0 season-opening victory over Allegheny. During the Yeowomen's undefeated opening weekend, Benway recorded seven points in just two games.

Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Week – Alice Kempf, Denison
Sophomore Alice Kempf (Louisville, KY/Sacred Heart Academy) averaged 10.75 assists per set (129 total assists) and 3.08 digs per set (37 total digs) while also adding 11 kills, seven service aces and four blocks during Denison's first 3-0 opening weekend since 2012. Kempf led Denison with 51 assists and 18 digs, a career-high in both categories, during Denison's 3-2 comeback victory over Wilmington College during the opening match of the Big Red Invitational on Friday. She then dished out 35 assists and added three service aces during a 3-0 sweep over Washington and Jefferson to start the day on Saturday before ending the tournament with her first-career double-double featuring 43 assists and 14 digs in a 3-1 victory over Franklin. The Big Red led the NCAC in hitting percentage, kills per set and points per set during the first weekend of the season thanks in large part to Kempf's efforts.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Aug. 31 – Sept. 4)
 
Denison, Football - Jimmy Stines (Loveland, OH/The Summit Country Day School) threw 386 passing yards during Denison's 45-35 win at Capital which now ranks as the sixth most in a single game in program history and are the most since Canaan Gebele passed for 407 yards at Allegheny on September 16, 2017 … With just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter at Capital, and with the game tied at 7-7, Stines found junior Billy Guzzo (Mayfield, OH/Mayfield) for an 86-yard touchdown pass, which ranks as the longest TD pass in program history … Against Capital, Guzzo finished with three receptions for two touchdowns and 168 yards, which ranks 11th for receiving yards in a single game in program history … Denison gained a total of 668 yards of offense against Capital, its most since setting the program record with 746 total yards during a game at Capital in 2017.
 
Denison, Women's Soccer - Head Coach Sarah Brink picked up her first career win in her first game leading the Big Red as Denison came away with a 2-1 victory in its season opener on Friday at Alma College.
 
Denison, Volleyball - Denison finished up its opening weekend of the 2023 season 3-0 for the first time since 2012, winning all three of its matches during the Big Red Invitational.
 
DePauw, Men's Soccer - Steven McCarthy collected his first win as the head coach of the Tigers with a 4-0 win over Wilmington on Friday.
 
Hiram, Men's and Women's Cross Country - Friday marked the first official competition for Terriers since 2014. At the Westminster Fisher Invitational, the women had a pair of runners finish in the top-30 and while the men had three runners compete at the event.
 
Kenyon, Volleyball - Interim head coach Sharon Adams claimed her first victory, leading the Owls to a 3-1 victory over Mount Aloysius on Friday.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Men's Cross Country - Recorded their first team win since 2016 at the Owls Opener. The Battling Bishops placed three runners in the top 10 and finished the meet with 39 points.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Women's Cross Country - Collected the first team win for the Battling Bishops since 2013. Together, the team tallied 23 points with six runners in the top 10.
 
Wabash, Football - Wabash improved to 4-0 in football and now owns a 5-3 overall advantage in match-ups against Hampden-Sydney with a 29-28 victory in The Gentlemen's Classic football game. The Little Giants and Tigers have played against one another in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. 
 
Wabash, Men's Soccer - Head coach Chris Keller earned his 100th career victory on Friday with the Little Giants' 3-0 win at Franklin College.
 
Wooster, Men's Golf - Gabe Guthrie's (Dublin, OH/Coffman) shot a 1-under-par 143 at the season-opening Gatorade Collegiate which marked just the third time a Fighting Scot has finished under par for a 36-hole tournament since at least 1990.