North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of Sept. 18, 2023
Men's Cross-Country Athlete of the Week – Conor Kolka, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) took 12th out of 464 Division I, II and III competitors at the All-Ohio Championships on Saturday. Kolka completed the 8k in a time of 25:16.5 to finish third among the 207 DIII competitors.
Women's Cross-Country Athlete of the Week – Ella Webster, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Ella Webster (Van Buren, OH/Van Buren) broke the 6k school record with a time of 21:48.09 at the All-Ohio Championships on Saturday. Webster was the top finisher among 146 DIII competitors and collected fourth place out of 343 Division I, II and III competitors. The Tigers claimed first place among 13 DIII teams.
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week – Hailey Wachowiak, Washington and Jefferson
Washington & Jefferson senior Hailey Wachowiak (Wexford, PA/North Allegheny) tallied nine points last week as the Presidents opened up NCAC play. Wachowiak netted her fourth career hat trick in a tough 4-3 overtime loss to Allegheny. The senior then added a goal and an assist in W&J's 4-0 win over Oberlin. She now holds fifth place on the all-time W&J goal list with 32.
Offensive Football Athlete of the Week – Austin Womack, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Austin Womack (Hurricane, WV/Hurricane) led the Battling Bishops to a 49-20 win over Wooster on Saturday. During the first weekend of conference play, Womack finished 25-29 for 273 yards to go along with three scores. The quarterback threw 12-, 31-, and 10-yard touchdown passes while also recording four carries for 10 yards.
Defensive Football Athlete of the Week – Drew Thornton, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Drew Thornton (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) was a key contributor to the Battling Bishops' claiming a 49-20 victory over Wooster. Midway through the first quarter, Thornton intercepted a pass and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown. The senior then forced a fumble early in the second quarter that set up a Bishops' score. Thornton finished with a team-high 10 tackles and collected a sack and a pass breakup. He currently leads the NCAC in tackles, averaging 10.3 per game.
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Becky Williams, DePauw
DePauw sophomore Becky Williams (Zionsville, IN/University High School of Indiana) finished tied for fifth among the 112 golfers at the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Classic. Williams recorded four birdies and one eagle for a three-over 147 (72-75). The Tigers finished 13th out of 19 teams.
Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Bryce Kinnaman, Wabash
Wabash freshman Bryce Kinnaman (Greenfield, IN/Greenfield Central) scored a pair of goals in the span of five minutes to give the Little Giants a 3-1 victory over Anderson (IN). Kinnaman, who scored on both of his shot attempts, netted the first two goals of the game to give Wabash a 2-0 lead 15 minutes into the second half.
Women's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Natalie Ryan, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Natalie Ryan (Beavercreek, OH/Dayton Carroll) recorded two shutouts in a 2-0 week for the Battling Bishops. In a 1-0 win over regionally ranked Hope, Ryan made a season-high 11 saves. She opened the week with a shutout victory over Muskingum by making two stops. Ryan leads the NCAC in saves percentage (.857) and shares the league lead with three shutouts.
Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Week – Taylor Gwynne, Oberlin
Oberlin senior setter Taylor Gwynne (Chapel Hill, NC/Carrboro) led the Yeowomen to three straight-set victories over the weekend, taking down Defiance, Pitt-Bradford, and Caltech. Gwynne delivered 95 assists over the three matches with Oberlin hitting .311 as a team. The senior also recorded 11 service aces to go along with six kills, 10 digs, and four total blocks. Gwynne currently leads the NCAC with 10.04 assists per set, while the Yeowomen are off to a 7-1 start.
NCAC Milestones & Records (Sept. 11- 18)
Denison, Football - Against Oberlin, Denison posted its most points in a single game (70) and its largest margin of victory (70-0) since defeating Ohio Northern 71-0 in 1957, a span of 66 years. The program record for points scored in a single game is 94 vs. Marshall in 1917. The only other previous occurrence of Denison scoring 70 or more points in one game was a 73-0 win over Ohio Northern in 1956. In addition, the 35-point first quarter for the Big Red ties the program record for points scored in a quarter set twice before: 2nd quarter vs. Wooster, 1985; 2nd quarter vs. Hiram, 2019 … In the win over Oberlin, senior running back Trey Fabrocini (Lancaster, OH/Fisher Catholic) tied the Denison record of five rushing touchdowns and 30 points scored in one game, previously set by quarterback Cannan Gebele on September 29, 2018 … Junior Daniel Cunningham (Lexington, VA/Rockbridge County) was a perfect 10-for-10 on extra-point attempts during Denison's win at Oberlin, setting a new program record for PATs made in one game.
Denison, Women's Golf - No. 17 Denison shot a first-round score of 294 (+6) at the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Classic on Saturday, which was the Big Red's lowest 18-hole score since breaking the program record with a 287 during the second round of the OWU Fall Invitational on September 8, 2019, during Head Coach Lauren Grogan's first season … In addition, Denison's 36-hole score of 610 (294-316) was good for the third lowest in program history, trailing only the scores of 593 (Sept. 7-8, 2019) and 607 (Sept. 17-18, 2021), the latter of which came at the IWU Fall Classic two years ago.
Ohio Wesleyan, Football - Sophomore wide receiver Josh Hurst (Port Clinton, OH/ Port Clinton) caught a career-high 12 passes against Wooster. His 123 receiving yards on the day equaled the career best Hurst set against DePauw on Oct. 22, 2022.
Ohio Wesleyan, Volleyball - Junior right-side hitter Grace Cummings (Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne) recorded eight service aces against Spalding on Friday, tying the school record for a three-set match set by Robyn Euans against Otterbein on Oct. 1, 1991, and tied by Quinn Szente against Otterbein on Sept. 29, 2001 ... First-year outside hitter Natalie Dieball (Cincinnati, OH/Lokota East) was named the tournaments Most Valuable Player at the Bishop Invitational after compiling 43 kills, seven aces, and 39 digs as Ohio Wesleyan went 4-0.
Wooster, Cross Country – Wooster junior Will Callender (Seattle, WA/Roosevelt) was the fourth-place NCAA Div. III finisher at Friday's All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Challenge with a time of 25:17.9. The two-time All-Ohio performer logged a second-straight top-10 Div. III finish at the combined-divisions championship and is Wooster's highest men's finisher at the All-Ohio Championships since at least 2012.