NCAC Athletes of the Week - Week of March 19, 2024

­­North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of March 19, 2024
 
Baseball Player of the Week – Sammy Stoner, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior Sammy Stoner (Dublin, OH/Jerome) and the Battling Bishops went 4-1 during their spring break trip to Florida last week. OWU earned victories over Rhode Island (10-6), North Central (4-1), Wisconsin Lutheran (4-3) and Skidmore (6-5) while dropping a tough 15-10 loss to Kean. Across five games, Stoner hit safely in all of his appearances, batting .545 (12-of-22). Against the Cardinals, the junior doubled home an insurance run during a three-run seventh inning to lift the Bishops over North Central. During the final game of the trip against the Thoroughbreds, the junior went 5-for-5 which included a single in the bottom of the ninth to move the game-winning run into scoring position. On the week, Stoner tallied seven runs, three RBI, two doubles, one walk, four stolen bases, and handled 10 chances in the field perfectly.
 
Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Jackson Yelland, Kenyon
Kenyon senior Jackson Yelland (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach) helped lead the Owls to a 9-0 shutout win against Gettysburg on Monday. Yelland shattered his career-best strikeout total, recording 10 compared to his previous record of three. In seven innings facing 24 batters, Yelland gave up just three hits, one double, and no walks.
 
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Brayden Weiss, Wabash
Wabash senior Brayden Weiss (Superior, CO/Monarch) tied for first place and led the Little Giants to a tie for second out of 14 teams at the 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Tournament. Weiss opened with a 72 (+1) on Saturday and then tied for the lowest round of the tournament with a 68 (-3) on Sunday for a two-day total of 140 (-2). The senior and Transylvania's Lachlan Tatterson tied for first in the individual standings, with Tatterson winning a playoff after a birdie on the second hole to claim medalist honors. Weiss led the tournament field in par-three scoring (2.90) to shoot one-under overall on all par-three holes. He finished even over both days on par-four scoring for the fourth-best average for the tournament and posted a total of 28 pars over 36 holes to lead all golfers in that category.
 
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Ella McRoberts, Denison
Denison junior Ella McRoberts (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) led the Big Red at the Savannah Invitational, as the team placed 12th out of 18. McRoberts shot an even 72 in round one and carded a 77 on day two for a 149 (+5) to finish in a three-player tie for 12th place out of 99 total golfers. The junior tied for second in the tournament in par-three scoring (2.75) and was tied for fifth in both par-five scoring (4.75) and number of birdies (7).
 
Men's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Jacob Starcke, Oberlin
Oberlin sophomore attack Jacob Starcke (Northridge, NY/Northport) helped lead the Yeomen to a 2-0 week with wins over St. Vincent (14-10) and Albion (13-11). In the four-goal victory over the Bearcats, Starcke recorded four points on three goals and an assist to go along with two ground balls. Then in the two-goal come-from-behind win over the Britons, the second-year erupted for eight points as he registered season-highs in goals (4) and assists (4). Oberlin scored seven unanswered goals in the fourth quarter against the Brits with Starcke scoring two, while assisting on two other tallies in the quarter to help spearhead the comeback. 
 
Women's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Abbie Patchen, Oberlin
Oberlin senior attack Abbie Patchen (Pelham, NH/Pelham) posted 15 points in a 1-1 week, as the Yeowomen defeated Baldwin Wallace (13-8) and fell to Mount Union (14-11). Patchen dished out a career-high four assists and scored four goals in the five-goal win over the Yellow Jackets. She followed that effort with seven points against the undefeated Purple Raiders, matching a season-high with five goals to accompany two assists, two ground balls and one caused turnover.
 
Softball Player of the Week – Sophia Cegledy, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Sophia Cegledy (Pataskala, OH/Bishop Hartley) and the Battling Bishops went 6-2 during their spring break trip to Florida last week. OWU collected wins over Earlham (13-8), Mitchell (2-0), Rutgers-Newark (16-0), North Park (8-7), Curry (15-2), and Wisconsin-River Falls (6-5), and recorded losses to No. 14-ranked Tufts (3-1) and Kean (9-3). Cegledy was a play maker as she knocked in the winning run against the Mariners, contributed a run during OWU's 4-0 first inning against the Scarlet Raiders, went 2-for-3 and helped spark a 12-run second inning versus the Colonels, and drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth against the Falcons. During the eight-game span, the senior batted .480 (12-for-25), recording at least one hit in every outing. She also collected 10 RBI, eight runs, one double, three walks, and three stolen bases on the week. Impressively, Cegledy recorded just one strike out in 25 at bats. In the field at second base, she handled 30 chances flawlessly with 18 putouts and 12 assists.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week – Kylie Hamm, Kenyon
Kenyon first-year Kylie Hamm (Greenville, OH/Greenville) appeared in five of the Owl's six wins last week including victories over Brevard (10-0, 4-3), Clarks Summit (4-3), Minnesota Morris (9-1), and SUNY Morrisville (10-3). In those five games, Hamm pitched 24 innings with three starts and two complete games. In a double header against the Tornados, Hamm pitched nine innings, allowing just seven hits, one unearned run, and three walks, while striking out six. In a nine-inning outing with the Defenders, Hamm only allowed four hits, three runs, two of which were earned, and one walk with two strikeouts. In the win over the Cougars, the first-year limited Morris to just one hit, one earned run, and four walks with two strikeouts over five innings. In Hamm's final appearance of the week, she walked only one and allowed just one hit while striking out two in the victory over the Mustangs. On the week, the rookie earned a 0.88 ERA and12 strikeouts, holding her opponents to a .157 batting average against.
 
Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Jacob Patterson, Denison
Denison sophomore Jacob Patterson (Bridgeville, PA/ South Fayette) went 4-0 on the week, as the Big Red collected a win over No. 19 Washington and Lee (9-0) and fell to No. 1 Emory (5-4). Against the Generals, Patterson teamed up with senior Andy Mackler (Lake Mary, FL/Seminole) to collect an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles and then won 7-5, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to start the week. Then against the top-ranked Eagles, the Denison duo posted a win at No. 3 doubles in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (7-5), before Patterson pulled out a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-0) three-set victory over the No. 2-ranked singles player in Division III at No. 1 singles which tied the match at 4-4.
 
Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Caroline Lopez, Denison
Denison junior Caroline Lopez (Los Angeles, CA/ Westridge School) went a combined 5-1 during the Big Red's final three matches in Florida, which included a perfect 3-0 record at No. 4 singles. In a 5-4 win over North Central, Lopez and senior Kendall Schrader (Hinsdale, IL/Benet Academy) collected an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles. The junior collected a straight-set victory in tiebreaking fashion in singles, earning a 6-3, 7-6 (6-3) decision to clinch the team win over the Cardinals. In an 8-1 win over Franklin and Marshall, Lopez earned Denison's fifth win to clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win in singles. Her only loss on the week came with first-year Dasha Chistyakova (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman) at No. 1 doubles against the Diplomats (8-6). In a 5-4 win over Haverford, Lopez and Schrader won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles, and then in what was potentially the deciding match, Lopez pulled out a 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6) win in a third-set super tiebreaker in singles to give the Big Red a 4-3 lead.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Sprints/Hurdles - Colin O'Malley, DePauw
DePauw junior Colin O'Malley (Round Lake, IL/Grayslake Central) set a school record in the 200-meter dash at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird Invitational on Saturday. O'Malley finished first among his competitors by crossing the finish line in 21.66 seconds, erasing the previous record set by sophomore Grant Hunt (Princeville, IL/Princeville) a season ago. The junior currently ranks second in the NCAC and 10th in Division III with that time. O'Malley also finished fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.95 seconds, scoring five more points to help the Tigers finish second among six teams.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Mid/Distance - Matt Vennemann, DePauw
DePauw junior Matt Vennemann (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) finished first in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:02.62 at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird Invitational on Saturday. The junior currently leads the NCAC with that time. Vennemann's 10 points helped the Tigers place second among six teams.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Field - Andrew D'Asaro, Denison
Denison junior Andrew D'Asaro (Downingtown, PA/The Hill School) began the outdoor season by finishing second in the javelin among 29 competitors at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge. D'Asaro heaved the javelin 59.77 meters on his fifth attempt. The junior currently leads the NCAC and is ranked fifth in Division III with his efforts.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Sprints/Hurdles - Katie Moore, DePauw
DePauw junior Katie Moore (Lawrenceville, IL/Lawrenceville) tallied two first place finishes at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird Invitational on Saturday. Moore recorded a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles after crossing the finish line in 14.83 seconds, which ranks second among NCAC competitors and seventh in Division III. The junior then finished first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.44, ranking her first in both the conference and Division III. Additionally, with those times, Moore moves up to second on DePauw's all-time lists in both events.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Mid/Distance - Athena Tharenos, Wooster
Wooster senior Athena Tharenos (St. Louis, MO/Mary Institute & St. Louis Country Day School) and the Fighting Scots competed at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational this past weekend. Tharenos won her signature event after finishing the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 11:31.41 to rank first in the conference and fourth nationally in the event. Tharenos also finished seventh in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:35.99, which ranks fourth in the conference.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Field - Paula Soric, Kenyon
Kenyon junior Paula Soric (Zadar, Croatia/Gimnazija Franje Petrica Zadar) opened the outdoor season at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational last weekend. Soric competed in the long jump and the triple jump, placing fifth and seventh respectively. In the long jump, the junior leaped 5.15 meters to rank first in the league and 11th in Division III. Soric also sits atop of the conference standings and sixth in the nation in the triple jump after recording a mark of 11.40 meters.

NCAC Milestones & Records (March 11 – 17)
 
Denison, Baseball – Junior Eric Calaco (Richfield, OH/Revere) tallied five stolen bases against Merchant Marine on Tuesday, bringing his total to 85. Calaco, who was previously tied with Tanner Johnson for the most stolen bases in a career, now sits atop of the program's all-time list.
 
Denison, Women's Lacrosse – Senior Merrill Rollhaus (Denver, CO/Colorado Academy) led the Big Red with a career-high five points (3 G, 2 A) while adding four draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls in an 18-10 win over St. Mary's College of Maryland. She recorded her second-career hat trick in the win.
 
Hiram, Baseball – Junior Hal Walker Jr. (Mentor, OH/Mentor) tied Hiram's program record for hits in a single game recording five base hits in a 19-7 victory over Capital on Saturday.
 
Kenyon, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Senior thrower Riley Orth (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) broke his own school record in the hammer throw with a toss of 46.99 meters at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational last weekend.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Baseball – The Bishops' 4-1 win over North Central was the 300th career victory for head coach Tyler Mott. The win brought Mott's record to 300-309-1 (.493) in 17 seasons as the head coach of Ohio Wesleyan.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Softball – Senior Alyssa Back (Newark, OH/Newark) scored four runs against Earlham which tied the school record accomplished eight times previously, most recently by Amanda Boyle at Mount Union on March 20, 2016. Back was 4-for-5 with two triples and two doubles against Rutgers-Newark, with the four hits and 10 total bases tying school records. It was the second time this season that Back tied the single-game record for hits in a game. The 10 total bases mark was set by Amy Mazur at Alma on March 25, 2006.
 
Wabash, Men's Lacrosse – Junior faceoff specialist Luka DiFilippo (Evergreen Park, IL/Mount Carmel) tied the Wabash record for ground balls in a game after he scooped up 18 in the Little Giants' 18-8 win over Hanover on Saturday. DiFilippo also won 24-of-29 starts at the dot, which was one win short of tying his own school record of 25.
 
Wooster, Baseball – Junior Nick Pett (Perrysburg, OH/St. John's Jesuit) tied the single-game program record with five stolen bases in last Tuesday's 9-6 win over Thiel. Pett joined Terry Gladis (1994) and Paul Ricatte (1937) as the lone players in program history to have five steals in a game.
 
Wooster, Women's Golf – Senior Melissa Burtscher (Aurora, CO/Vista PEAK Preparatory) carded a first-career hole-in-one during the team's spring trip practice round at The Golf Club at Indigo Run in South Carolina. Burtscher's ace came with a nine iron on the par-3, 130-yard 17th hole.
 
Wooster, Women's Lacrosse – Head coach Elizabeth Ford won her 200th career game on Thursday with the Fighting Scots' 13-12 win over Plymouth State.

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