North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of Sept. 11, 2023
Men's Cross-Country Athlete of the Week – Conor Kolka, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) claimed first place at the NCAC Preview Meet hosted by Denison on Saturday. Kolka completed the 8k in a time of 27:37.50 to capture the win among the 172 competitors.
Women's Cross-Country Athlete of the Week – Grace Thomas, DePauw
DePauw first-year Grace Thomas (Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso) recorded a time of 25:09.6 in the women's 6k at the NCAC Preview on Saturday hosted by Denison. Thomas took the crown out of 102 competitors and helped her team claim first among nine squads.
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week – Tabitha Chandler, Denison
Denison first-year Tabitha Chandler (Washington, DC/National Cathedral School) scored the game-winning goal to help the Big Red defeat No. 16 nationally ranked Washington and Lee University 1-0 on Sunday. Chandler found the back of the cage in the 10th minute of action.
Offensive Football Athlete of the Week – Drew Nye, Oberlin
Oberlin sophomore Drew Nye (Clinton, CT/Morgan) led the Yeomen to a 37-35 victory over Concordia University Chicago. Nye completed 21-33 passes for 231 yards to go along with four scores. The quarterback also added 150 yards rushing on 17 carries, finishing the game with 381 yards of total offense. Nye played a big role in the final three minutes of the game by picking up two key first downs which allowed the clock to run out. The sophomore's performance snapped at 13-game losing streak for the Yeomen, dating back to October 2021.
Defensive Football Athlete of the Week – Tate Journell, Wooster
Wooster sophomore Tate Journell (Northfield, MN/Northfield) was a key contributor to the Scots' claiming their first victory of the season, a 24-22 win over Olivet. Journell broke up the Comets' game-tying two-point conversion with under a minute remaining. The defensive back also had an interception and four solo tackles in the two-point victory.
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Carson Harmon, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan freshman Carson Harmon (Elida, OH/Elida) won medalist honors and led the Battling Bishops to the team title at the Baldwin Wallace Fall Invitational. Harmon finished two strokes ahead of the individual runner-up after carding a 68 (-4). OWU won the team title, finishing atop the 10-team field with a score of 295 (+7).
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Melissa Burtscher, Wooster
Wooster senior Melissa Burtscher (Aurora, CO/Vista PEAK Preparatory) tied for third in a field of 68-competitors with a score of 79 (+7) at the Mount Union Fall Invitational. The Fighting Scots claimed their 13th tournament title, finishing first in the 10-team field with a 317 (+29). Burtscher now owns 10-career top-five finishes and 17 top-10 placements.
Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Jaggar Brooker, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Jaggar Brooker (Powel, OH/Olentangy Liberty) recorded seven points on three goals and one assist in a 2-0 week for the Battling Bishops. Brooker assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over 14th-ranked St. Olaf before scoring all three goals in a 3-1 win over Hanover. The senior was named the Fred Myers/adidas® Invitational co-Most Valuable Player for his efforts.
Women's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Grace Gascoigne, Wooster
Wooster senior Grace Gascoigne (Rocky River, OH/Rocky River) tallied five points on two goals and one assist in a 3-0 week for the Fighting Scots. Gascoigne scored one goal and recorded an assist in a 3-1 win over Grove City on Saturday before netting the game-winner in the 78th minute in a 2-0 win over Muskingum on Sunday.
Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Week – Claire Solberg, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Claire Solberg (Huron, OH/Huron) helped the Battling Bishops finish 3-1 for the week. Solberg recorded eight kills with no errors in 10 attempts for an .800 hitting percentage during a 3-1 win at Capital on Wednesday. At the NCAC-MIAA Crossover, in 3-2 win over Albion, the senior collected seven kills, three service aces, nine digs, and a team-high six blocks. Then in a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Calvin, Solberg contributed 10 kills, four blocks, three digs and one ace. On the week, Solberg had 30 kills (1.88/set), a .354 hitting percentage, five aces, 19 digs (1.19/set) and 17 blocks (1.06/set).
NCAC Milestones & Records (Sept. 5 – 10)
Allegheny, Field Hockey – With a 3-1 victory over Earlham, Head Coach Lauren Thomas collected her first victory leading the Gators.
Kenyon, Men's Soccer - Head Coach Travis Wall collected his first win as the Owls mentor with a 1-0 victory over Hanover on Friday.
Oberlin, Football – In a 37-35 win over Concordia University Chicago, the Yeomen snapped a 13-game losing streak dating back to October 23, 2021, while also collecting the program's first win at home since October 19, 2019. With the two-point victory, Head Coach John Pont captured his first victory while at the helm of the Oberlin football program.
Ohio Wesleyan, Field Hockey – First-year Grace Ammon (Southborough, MA/Algonquin Regional) recorded four assists in the team's 8-0 victory over Sewanee, to tie both the school record set by Beth Korkin against Sewanee on Sept. 21, 1996, and the NCAC record set by Korkin and Wooster's Amanda Artman against Earlham on Oct. 30, 2010.
Ohio Wesleyan, Men's Soccer – In a 3-1 win over Hanover, Jaggar Brooker (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) recorded the first hat trick for the Battling Bishops since Oct. 19, 2022, when sophomore teammate Christopher Guerra (Columbus, OH/ Worthington Kilbourne) recorded three goals at Wittenberg. With a 2-0 win over No. 14 Saint Olaf, Head Coach Jay Martin collected his 750th career victory, which makes Martin the winningest men's soccer coach in NCAA history.
Ohio Wesleyan, Volleyball – The Battling Bishops defeated No. 4 nationally ranked, Calvin 3-1 on Saturday, which is the highest-ranked team ever defeated by Ohio Wesleyan ... Claire Solberg (Huron, OH/Huron) recorded eight kills with no errors in 10 attempts for an .800 hitting percentage against Capital (3-1), tying for second place on the Bishop single-match list.