NCAC Athletes of the Week | Oct. 22

North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | Oct. 22, 2024
 
Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Drew Robertson, Wooster
Wooster senior Drew Robertson (Bébalem, Chad/Rift Valley Academy (Kenya)) finished fourth out of 248 competitors at the JennaStrong Invitational on Friday. The senior finished the 8,000-meter course in 25:12.6, helping the Fighting Scots place seventh out of 22 teams. This marks Robertson's fourth top-five finish this season.
 
Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Emma Hawk, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Emma Hawk (Marion, OH/River Valley) finished third out of 199 runners at the JennaStrong Invitational on Friday. The junior completed the 6,000-meter course in 18:35.8, propelling the Tigers to a first-place finish with 65 points, edging out Franciscan (66) by one point.
 
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week – Caitlin Archdeacon, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior Caitlin Archdeacon (Saratoga, CA/Westmont) and her defensive efforts helped propel the Ohio Tigers to a 3-1 victory over DePauw. The senior recorded 16 saves while in the cage, including eight in the third quarter alone. In the win, Archdeacon and the Wittenberg defensive unit successfully defended 20 penalty corner attempts by the DePauw offense. Archdeacon improved to 6-0 on the season and the Tigers are now 9-0 overall and 6-0 in NCAC standings, marking the best start since the 2002 season when Wittenberg opened with 11 straight wins.
 
Football Offensive Athlete of the Week – Robby Ballentine, DePauw
DePauw junior Robby Ballentine (Crown Point, IN/Andrean) and the No. 10/13 Tigers defeated the Denison Big Red 53-34 on Saturday to remain unbeaten this season. In a match-up between two undefeated teams in conference action, the junior caught six passes for 118 yards and four touchdowns. During the Tigers' first possession, Ballentine pulled down a 13-yard pass to put DePauw up 7-0. The wide receiver would score three more times throughout the game with catches of 43-yards, 14-yards, and 2-yards. With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in NCAC play.
 
Football Defensive Athlete of the Week – Dalton Allen, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Dalton Allen (Delaware, OH/Hayes) and his defensive efforts propelled the Tigers to a 27-7 win over Kenyon on Saturday. The defensive lineman tallied seven tackles, including five solo and two assisted, to help hold the Owls to just 66 yards on 65 plays. Of Allen's seven tackles, he recorded five sacks for 32 yards lost, breaking the previous program record. The Delaware, Ohio native now leads the NCAC with 6.5 sacks and Wittenberg leads both the NCAC and Division III in sacks per game at 4.80. With the win, the Tigers improve to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
 
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Will Husley, Kenyon
Kenyon junior Will Hulsey (Deerfield, IL/Deerfield) paced Owls' scorers at the Golfweek October Classic last week. Hulsey shot even par with a 213 over three days at the 6,623-yard, par-71 Ravenwood Golf Club in Miramar Beach, Florida, to tie for 28th in the 120-golfer field. After a four-over 75 in round one, Hulsey finished under par for the next two days, carding rounds of 70 and 68. His three-under third round featured four birdies and the team's only eagle, helping No. 11-ranked Kenyon finish 13th in the 24-team field.
 
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Natalia Fanucchi, Denison
Denison sophomore Natalia Fanucchi (Carlsbad, CA/Sage Creek) guided the Big Red at the 54-hole Golfweek October Classic last week. The sophomore finished with a seven-over-par 223 at the three day 5,611 yard, par-72 Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, tying for 18th in the 124-golfer field. Fanucchi put together her best round during her first 18 holes with a two-under 70 on day one. She finished the tournament with a 77 and 76 on days two and three, respectively. Fanucchi finished the tournament with six birdies and helped guide No. 16/20 Denison to finish 10th in the 24-team field.
 
Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Harrison Engel, DePauw
DePauw first-year Harrison Engel (St. Louis, MO/MICSD) propelled the Tigers to a 2-0 week with wins over Wittenberg (2-0) and Oberlin (3-1). The rookie scored an insurance goal versus the Tigers of Ohio during the 81st minute of the contest. Against the Yeomen, Engel scored the equalizer (1-1) during the 44th minute to begin DePauw's scoring in the eventual 3-1 win. With the wins, DePauw improves to 8-3-3 overall and 2-1-1 in league play.
 
Women's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Sydney Ladage, Hiram
Hiram sophomore Sydney Ladage (St. Louis, MO/Oakville Senior) earned two assists to help lift the Terriers to a win over Kenyon for the first time in program history on Saturday. In the 2-0 victory, the sophomore's two assists came from corner kicks during the 12th and 16th minutes of the game. With the win, Hiram picks up its first conference win since defeating Oberlin 4-0 on October 18, 2019. Ladage now leads the team with five assists this season, making them the ninth student-athlete in program history to reach that mark in a single season.
 
Men's Swim & Dive Athlete of the Week – Quinn Sweeney, Wabash
Wabash sophomore Quinn Sweeney (Carmel, IN/Guerin Catholic) earned three individual victories on Saturday to help the Little Giants place third out of seven teams at the 2024 Indiana DIII Invitational hosted by Rose-Hulman. The sophomore bested the competition after finishing first in the 100 (52.89) and 200 (1:58.14) butterflies and the 100 freestyle (47.79) and. Sweeney also swam the second leg of Wabash's 400 free relay unit that finished third with a time of 3:14.95.
 
Women's Swim & Dive Athlete of the Week – Caroline Stowe, DePauw
DePauw junior Caroline Stowe (Matthews, NC/Butler) collected four first-place finishes at the 2024 Indiana DIII Invitational, hosted by Rose-Hulman, to help the Tigers finish first among the six-team field. The junior recorded individual wins in the 50 (24.63) and 100 (53.99) freestyles. Additionally, Stowe was the lead-off leg of the Tigers' victorious 200 medley relay (1:50.31) and the anchor leg of the winning 400 medley relay (3:39.31).
 
Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Week – Natalie Dieball, Ohio Wesleyan        
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Natalie Dieball (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota East) and the Battling Bishops went 1-1 on the week after recording a 3-0 win over Kenyon and dropping a tough 3-2 loss to Hanover. Against the Owls, the sophomore led the Bishops with 14 kills on 30 attempts, hitting .400 and averaging 4.67 kills and 5.33 points per set. Versus the Panthers, Dieball tallied 20 kills on 49 attempts to go along with eight digs and four blocks. On the week, the Cincinnati, Ohio native hit .304, averaged 4.25 kills and 4.88 points per set, and totaled 34 kills, 13 digs, four blocks, and three aces.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Oct. 14 - 20)
 
Allegheny, Field Hockey – First-year Rowan O'Toole (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Spalding) recorded 22 saves in two NCAC matchups last week, including eight saves in the Gators' 2-1 double overtime win at Wooster and 14 saves in a tough 4-0 loss to Denison. O'Toole owns 174 saves across 15 games which is nearly twice as many as the next goalie in program single-season history.
 
Transylvania, Field Hockey – Senior Libby Bringard (Louisville, KY/Assumption) was recognized on Saturday for surpassing 450 career saves and reaching a senior year milestone of 75 saves this season.
 
Wabash, Football – Junior Xavier Tyler (Evansville, IN/Reitz Memorial) recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the season after posting 176 yards on 19 carries in the Little Giants' 56-7 win over Hiram on Saturday. Tyler has now topped the 100-yard mark six times in his three-year career … Junior Michael Hegwood (Greenwood, IN/Roncalli) returned his first career interception for a 29-yard touchdown against the Terriers on Saturday. The touchdown was also the first of his career.
 

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