­­North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of Jan. 30, 2024
 
Offensive Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week – Gefen Bar-Cohen, Kenyon
Kenyon junior forward Gefen Bar-Cohen (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) recorded a double-double in the Owl’s 81-70 win over Hiram on Saturday. Bar-Cohen recorded a game-high 23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to go along with one assist in the nine-point victory. Offensively, the junior went 9-for-14 from the field to shoot 64 percent in Kenyon’s only match-up of the week.
 
Defensive Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week – Noah Hupmann, Wabash
Wabash junior post Noah Hupmann (Sunset, SC/Covington Catholic) and the Little Giants recorded a 2-0 week after defeating DePauw (69-61) and Wittenberg (68-63). Over the two games, the seven-foot, two-inch post player blocked 11 shots and grabbed nine rebounds. Against DePauw, Hupmann blocked six shot attempts to set a new single-game high-water mark among NCAC men's basketball players this season. The junior followed that performance with five blocks and five defensive rebounds against Wittenberg, limiting the Tigers to only four second-chance points.
 
Offensive Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week – Kasey Schipfer, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior guard Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg) guided the Battling Bishops to a 2-0 week in conference play with wins over Wooster (81-43) and Oberlin (63-54). Against the Fighting Scots, Schipfer led OWU in points (20), rebounds (12), assists (6), and steals (4). Additionally, the guard went 8-for-11 from the floor to shoot 73 percent. On the road at Oberlin, the senior shared the team lead with 21 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with four steals and two assists. On the week, Schipfer averaged 20.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 4.0 steals.
 
Defensive Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week – Morgan Kress, Denison
Denison first-year forward Morgan Kress (Westlake, OH/Westlake) helped the Big Red go 2-0 in league play last week. Kress’ defensive efforts led Denison to a 62-57 win over Hiram and a 75-42 win at Wooster. On Wednesday, Kress pulled in seven defensive rebounds and made eight blocks against the Terriers. Then on Saturday, the rookie collected three defensive boards and two blocks in 10 minutes of action versus the Fighting Scots.
 
Men's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week – Dayne Sauter, Hiram
Hiram junior Dayne Sauter (Bakersfield, CA/Bakersfield) and the Terriers completed a 3-0 week with wins against Heidelberg (198-32), Bethany (222-11), and Wheeling (148-111). On the week, Sauter earned five first-place honors and two second-place finishes to go along with a facility record. Against Heidelberg, the junior broke the Alumni Memorial pool record after placing first in the 100 freestyle (53.50 seconds). He also earned wins in the 50 backstroke (28.63) and 50 butterfly (28.36) against the Student Princes. In the Bethany and Wheeling tri-meet, Sauter earned first in the 100 freestyle (50.9) and 200 free relay (1:32.22) while also claiming second place in both the 200 (1:51.55) and 50 (22.60) freestyles. The three team wins over non-conference foes gives Hiram 10 victories this season to tie the program record, which was set during the 2002-03 season.
 
Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Colin Gramley & Zachary Portnoy, Denison
Denison junior Colin Gramley (Sharon, PA/Shady Side Academy) and senior Zachary Portnoy (New York, NY/Dwight School) went 2-0 in the second flight against No. 4 Northwestern Ohio (NAIA) and Findlay (NCAA Division II) on Saturday. The duo recorded a 6-4 victory against Nils Messin and Malik Omarkhanov of Northwestern Ohio and then the pair defeated Andrew Codita and Luigi Bove of Findlay in a 6-2 win. The No. 9-ranked Big Red went 1-1 on Friday after a tough 4-3 loss to Northwestern Ohio and a 6-2 win over Findlay.
 
Men's Indoor Track Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Cole Fuller, Oberlin
Oberlin junior Cole Fuller (Chicago, IL/Latin School of Chicago) and the Yeomen competed at Baldwin Wallace's Dr. William Taraschke Team Challenge on Saturday. Fuller posted a winning time of 51.86 seconds in the 400-meter dash to best the field of 10. With that time, the junior recorded the fourth fastest mark in the NCAC this season. In addition, Fuller placed sixth in the 55-meter dash (6.71) and ran the third leg on the third place 4x400 relay unit (3:33.72).
 
Men's Indoor Track Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Conor Kolka, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) set a new school record in the 3,000-meter run at the Tigers’ Steemer Showcase on Saturday. Kolka crossed the finish line in 8:19.88 (8:25.68) to claim fifth place and break the Wittenberg program record. The junior currently ranks first in the NCAC and 22nd in NCAA Division III standings.
 
Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week – Jeremy Watson, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Jeremy Watson (Sugar Grove, OH/Berne Union) competed at the Tigers’ Steemer Showcase on Saturday. Watson won the pole vault with a mark of 4.55 meters, to set a new school record. The sophomore is currently ranked second in league standings and 35th nationally.
 
Women's Indoor Track Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Sophia Ellerkmann, Denison
Denison senior Sophia Ellerkmann (Baltimore, MD/Poland Park Country School) had two personal-best performances at Wittenberg's Steemer Showcase on Saturday. Ellerkmann placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.30 seconds (59.08) and finished the 200-meter dash in 26.10 seconds (26.51) to claim fourth-place. The senior ranks second in the NCAC in both events while also ranking 32nd in Division III in the 400-meter dash. Ellerkmann’s performances were good for third and fifth all-time for the Big Red, respectively.
 
Women's Indoor Track Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Emma Hawk, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Emma Hawk (Marion, OH/River Valley) won the 5,000-meter run at the Tigers’ Steemer Showcase on Saturday with a personal-best time of 18:01.15 (18:09.48). Hawk’s performance dominated the field as she finished 22 seconds ahead of second place. The sophomore currently ranks first in league standings with that performance.
 
Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week – Julissa Williams, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Julissa Williams (Lorain, OH/Lorain) won the high jump with a leap of 1.67 meters at the Tigers’ Steemer Showcase on Saturday. That mark ranks first in the conference and ninth nationally.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Jan. 22 – Jan. 28)
 
Denison, Men’s Basketball – Junior guard Gates Flynn (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day) scored a career-high 14 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field against Hiram on Wednesday. Flynn also recorded two defensive rebounds and three assists in the game.
 
Denison, Women’s Basketball – Sophomore guard Brooke Toigo (Ada, MI/Forest Hills Eastern) scored a career-high 27 points in the Big Red’s win over Wooster on Saturday. Toigo scored 17 of her 27 points against the Fighting Scots in the first half and led the Big Red with six rebounds and four steals. She was 9-for-15 from the field, 3-for-5 from three and 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the contest.
 
Kenyon, Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Senior Riley Orth (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) upped the program’s weight throw mark by breaking his own school record. Orth recorded a toss that measured 14.29 meters, surpassing his 14.19-meter mark from last week.
 
Oberlin, Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Junior Walter Moak (Charlottesville, VA/Western Albemarle) turned in a personal best time of 8:42.91 in the 3,000-meter run to win the event at Baldwin Wallace’s Dr. William Taraschke Team Challenge. Moak topped the field of 12 by nine seconds and moved up to second in the NCAC standings. 

Ohio Wesleyan, Men’s Basketball – Junior guard Henry Hinkle (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) surpassed the 1000-point mark in career scoring, making him the 34th Ohio Wesleyan men's basketball player to reach that milestone.

Ohio Wesleyan, Women’s Basketball – Junior post Alyssa Griner (Delaware/Hayes) shared the team lead with 21 points against Oberlin, matching the career best set against Oberlin on Feb. 1, 2023.

Wooster, Men’s Basketball – Junior guard Jamir Billings (Lorain, OH/Lorain) is now third all-time in program history with 412 assists and tied for second all-time with 210 steals. He trails Antwyan Reynolds and Erich Riebe for most assists in program history (444 each) and Reynolds' 259 steals.

Wooster, Women’s Basketball – Sophomore forward Ella Biondi (Mentor, OH/Mentor) now has 500 career points after scoring 10 in Saturday's game against Denison.