­­North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of April 2, 2024
 
Baseball Player of the Week – Kyle Baxt, Oberlin
Oberlin first-year Kyle Baxt (Wellington, FL/Palm Beach Central) hit .526 (10-for-19) with two home runs, one double, five RBI, and three scored runs, while going error-free in the field with 25 putouts and one assist as the Yeomen went 2-2 on the week. In a two-game split with Wooster, Baxt went 9-for-11 with one home run, one double, two RBI and two runs scored. Baxt's efforts helped the Yeomen defeat the Scots for the first time since April 1, 2017. Earlier in the week in a two-game split with Maryville in Tennessee, the rookie produced a home run and three RBI.
 
Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Calvin Burkholder, Oberlin
Oberlin first-year Calvin Burkholder (Aurora, CO/Cherokee Trail) threw a complete-game nine-inning 2-0 shutout victory over Maryville (TN). Burkholder is the first Oberlin pitcher to throw a nine-inning shutout in over 20 years, throwing 73 strikes on 123 pitches while scattering eight hits, all of which were singles. With 34 batters faced, the rookie tallied 13 fly outs, nine ground outs, and two double plays, while walking two and striking out two.
 
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Reece Zeigler, Hiram
Hiram senior Reece Zeigler (Bucyrus, OH/Bucyrus) led the Terriers at the Baldwin Wallace Spring Invitational on the par-72 6,572 Pine Hills layout on Saturday. Zeigler turned in the team's best overall score of 78 (+6) to land in a three-way tie for second out of 30 golfers. Hiram finished the day second out of four teams.
 
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Kate Griffin, Denison
Denison senior Kate Griffin (Colorado Springs, CO/ The Colorado Springs School) led the Big Red at The Capitol Hill Classic, hosted by Huntingdon College at the par-72, 5,672-yard Robert Trent Jones golf course last week. Griffin shot a 76 (+4) during round one and was even-par (36) through round two which was shortened to nine holes due to weather. The senior finished in a tie for seventh out of 67 golfers, while tying for first in both par-3 scoring (2.83; -1) and in total pars (19). The Denison team finished eighth out of 12 teams.
 
Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week – Wade Beckstrom, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan first-year attacker Wade Beckstrom (Devon, PA/Conestoga) led the Battling Bishops to an 18-9 win over Oberlin. Beckstrom led OWU with six points on four assists and two goals to go along with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week – Bill Holtzer, Wooster
Wooster junior defender Bill Holtzer (Akron, OH/Walsh Jesuit) led a stalwart defensive effort as the Fighting Scots earned a 16-6 win over Wittenberg. Holtzer paced the defense with three caused turnovers and six ground balls, while also adding one assist. The defenseman is currently ranked eighth in the NCAC in caused turnovers per game (2.0).
 
Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week – Sophia DelGallo, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior midfielder Sophia DelGallo (Braintree, MA/ Braintree) propelled the Battling Bishops to a 14-8 win over Baldwin Wallace and an 18-12 win over Transylvania. Against the Yellow Jackets, DelGallo displayed incredible marksmanship, netting a team-high six goals on eight shots, while causing one turnover. Four of her six goals against BW came in the first 28 minutes of play to help build an 8-3 halftime lead. Against the Pioneers, the senior scored a game-high five goals and added two caused turnovers, one assist and one ground ball. DelGallo currently ranks fourth in NCAC in goals scored (30) and is tied for eighth in points (34).
 
Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week – Julianne Henigan, Denison
Denison first-year goalkeeper Julianne Henigan (South Orange, NJ/ Columbia) played all 60 minutes for the first time in her career and finished with 11 saves and a .611 save percentage in the Big Red's 11-7 win over No. 17 Christopher Newport on Saturday. In addition to shutting out the Captains in the third quarter, Henigan finished just one minute and four seconds away from recording a second-half shutout. In all, the rookie made three appearances in a 3-0 week for Denison, recording two wins, 13 saves, and a .520 save percentage, while allowing 12 goals (6.61 gaa) on 29 shots faced in 109 minutes of action.
 
Softball Player of the Week – Julia Burch, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior Julia Burch (Dublin, OH/Jerome) helped lead the Tigers to two wins last week. In a doubleheader sweep of Capital (6-0, 10-4), Burch hit .714 (5-for-7), with one RBI, three scored runs and five stolen bases.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week – Makenna Knisley, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Makenna Knisley (Washington Court House, OH/Washington) went undefeated on the week after pitching 11 innings in two games. In OWU's 5-3 win over Mount Union, Knisley scattered seven hits across six innings to go along with two strikeouts and two walks. Against Wilmington, which ended in a 5-5 tie due to darkness, the sophomore limited the Quakers to six hits, striking out one and walking two in five innings.
 
Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Kael Shah, Denison
Denison sophomore Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenya/ES American School Barcelona (Spain))
went 4-0 on the week as the Big Red defeated Wooster (9-0) and nationally-ranked Carnegie Mellon (8-1). Against the Fighting Scots, Shah and classmate Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) captured an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles before Shah collected a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles. On Sunday against the No. 37 Tartans, Shah and Green won 8-4 at the top flight in doubles, before Shah recorded a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 come-back win at No. 3 singles, to hand his opponent his first loss in seven matches.
 
Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Ellen Gardner, DePauw
DePauw junior Ellen Gardner (Carmel, IN/Guerin Catholic) went undefeated at the top-flight in both singles and doubles, as the Tigers collected three wins over Kalamazoo (8-1), Union (6-3) and New Paltz (5-0). Against the Hornets, Gardner and classmate Kassie Green (Boca Raton, FL/Florida Virtual School) won 8-2 in doubles, while Gardner picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win in singles. Against the Garnet Chargers, the junior tandem collected an 8-6 win and Gardner won 6-4, 6-7 (0-6), 10-8 in singles. Against the Hawks, Gardner picked up a 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 win in singles.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Sprints/Hurdles – Cole Fuller, Oberlin
Oberlin junior Cole Fuller (Chicago, IL/Latin School of Chicago) earned two first-place finishes at the Bob Kahn Invitational last weekend. Fuller posted a career-best and current NCAC-top time of 54.66 in the 400-meter hurdles to take first in a field of nine. The junior also ran on the victorious 4x400 relay unit that finished in 3:15.74, to record another NCAC-top time. In Division III, Fuller currently ranks 17th in the 400 hurdles, while the Yeomen's 4x400 relay ranks third.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Mid/Distance – Conor Kolka, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) and the Tigers competed at the WashU Distance Carnival last weekend. At the meet, Kolka finished 11th out of 141 runners in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 29:42.25. The junior broke his own school record of 30:07.18, which was set last season and currently ranks seventh nationally in the event.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Field – Jeremey Watson, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Jeremy Watson (Sugar Grove, OH/Berne Union) won the pole vault at the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Open with a school-record mark of 4.68 meters. Watson's mark reset the 53-year old school record that was previously set in 1971 at 4.57 meters. Watson currently ranks second in the league and 17th in Division III standings.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Sprints/Hurdles – Shelby Stall, DePauw
DePauw first-year Shelby Stall (Lindenhurst, IL/Lakes) reset two program records at the WashU Invite on Saturday. Stall earned her first record of the meet after placing fifth in the 400-meter dash in a time of 57.78 seconds. The first-year was also a part of the record-breaking 4x400 relay unit that claimed fourth place with a time of 3:57.30. In the 400-meter dash, Stall ranks second in the NCAC and 23rd nationally, while the 4x400 relay owns the league's top time and holds the 14th best time in Division III this season.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Mid/Distance – Sophie Porter, DePauw
DePauw junior Sophie Porter (Westfield, IN/Westfield) broke the school record in the 10,000-meter run at the WashU Distance Carnival last week. Porter finished 12th in the event with a time of 35:36.75, improving the program record by two minutes. With her efforts, Porter sits atop the league standings and ranks 12th in the NCAA.
 
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Field – Tiffany Hix, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Tiffany Hix (Prospect, OH/Elgin) finished second in the pole vault at the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Open with a school-record mark of 3.47 meters, breaking the previous record of 3.27 meters set in 2017. Hix leads the conference and ranks 20th nationally with that height. The sophomore also placed third in the triple jump with a personal-best mark of 10.85 meters, moving up to second in conference standings.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (March 25 – 31)
 
Denison, Men's Lacrosse - Sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Albert (Weston, CT/The Hill School (PA)) registered a career-high 16 saves to go along with a .615 save percentage, four ground balls and a caused turnover during Denison's 10-9 loss against the York College of Pennsylvania on Friday. Albert made nine of his 16 saves in the third quarter to help keep it a tie game (8-8) heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Denison, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Junior Jack Blais (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) finished fifth in the triple jump at the Tiffleberg Open on Saturday with a personal-best jump of 12.56 meters.
 
Denison, Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Sophia Ellerkmann (Baltimore, MD/Roland Park Country School) placed third with a personal record of 25.73 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the Tiffleberg Open on Saturday. With that time, Ellerkmann moved up to seventh in program history and ranks third among NCAC competitors this season … Junior Anaya Jolivette (San Francisco, CA/San Francisco Waldorf) recorded a personal-best mark of 5.27 meters in the long jump to rank second all-time at Denison and lead the conference by .08 meters.
 
DePauw, Men's Lacrosse – Senior attacker Connor Gibson (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) netted a game-high eight goals in a win over Hiram on Saturday, which tied the school record which he previously and currently shared with Will Roberts (2021).
 
DePauw, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Grant Hunt (Princeville, IL/Princeville) placed third in the 100-meter dash at the WashU Invite last weekend, setting a new school record in a time of 10.70 seconds.
 
Hiram, Baseball – Sophomore Tyler Fernandez (Aurora, OH/Aurora) became the seventh Terrier in program history to record at least six RBI in a single game after a 3-for-5 performance against Chatham. Fernandez belted two home runs in a tough 19-14 loss to the Cougars.
 
Kenyon, Baseball – Junior Luke Meister (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park and River Forest) had a record-breaking performance in Kenyon's 14-6 win over Ohio Wesleyan with three home runs, which broke the previous record of two that was shared by nineteen players (1970-2022).
 
Kenyon, Men's Lacrosse - Rookie midfielder Miles Malawer (McClean, VA/Langley) made the most out of his first career start in a win over Wabash on Saturday, scoring a team-leading three goals in a 23-4 victory. The goals are Malawer's first of his career and he set career highs in points (3), shots on goal (4), and ground balls (1).
 
Kenyon, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Riley Orth (Cincinnatti, OH/Anderson) finished fifth in the shot put with a toss of 15.51 meters at the Tiffleberg Open on Saturday which reset the program record that was previously set by Jordan Potter in 2019 (15.48 meters) … Kenyon's team of Emmanuel Makelele (Lusaka, Zambia/Kalulushi Trust School), Collin Witt (University Heights, OH/West Forsyth), Julius Thompson (McKinney, TX/McKinney Boyd) and Tapiwa Gono Phiri (Ndola, Zambia/Hillcrest National Tech.) recorded a time of 42.30 in the 4x100-meter relay at the Tiffleberg Open, which topped the previous Kenyon record of 42.62 set back in 2013.
 
Kenyon, Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Anna Brown (South Dartmouth, MA/Concord Academy) finished second in the 800-meter run at the Tiffelberg Open on Saturday, clocking in at 2:16.28 for a personal best in the event.
 
Oberlin, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Namu Makatiani (Nairobi, Kenya/George School (PA)) turned in a personal-best performance of 6.90 meters in the long jump at the Bob Kahn Invitational last weekend. Makatiani placed second out of 21 competitors and currently ranks second in the conference and 16th nationally.
 
Oberlin, Women's Track & Field – Senior Eliza Medearis (Alexandria, VA/TC Williams) opened the 2024 outdoor season by placing second in a seven-runner field in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Bob Kahn Invitational on Saturday. The senior logged a career-best time of 11:25.45, which tops the NCAC by five seconds.
 
Wabash, Baseball – The Little Giants ended a 21-year drought for road wins against Rose-Hulman with an 8-2 victory in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Wednesday. The last victory on the road against Rose came in 2003 when current Wabash head coach Jake Martin was an outfielder and pitcher for the Little Giants.
 
Wabash, Men's Tennis - The Little Giants collected an 8-1 victory over Hanover College on Friday, marking the first win by a Wabash tennis team at Hanover since 2005.
 
Wabash, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Junior Will Neubauer (South Bend, IN/John Adams) claimed first and broke the meet record in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in 1:53.15 at the 56th Annual Centre College Track & Field Invitational … Senior Takeshi Greiner (Crawfordsville, IN/Southmont) ran a career-best time of 15.70 in the 110-meter hurdles last weekend … Sophomore Quinn Sholar (Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central) claimed two second-place finishes and set career-best marks in the hammer throw (49.05 meters) and the shot put (15.65 meters) last weekend. Sholar currently ranks first in the conference in both events.
 
Wittenberg, Women's Lacrosse - Senior attacker Jessica Flick (Lebanon, OH/Lebanon) matched her career-high with six goals and set career-highs with four assists and 10 points in a win over Hanover. Flick tallied 18 points on 12 goals and six assists in a 2-0 week for the Tigers.
 
Wittenberg, Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Emma Hawk (Marion, OH/River Valley) placed 29th out of 77 runners in the 10,000 meters at the WashU Distance Carnival with a school-record time of 36:58.51. With her efforts, Hawk erased the previous record that was set in 2011 (38:02.11).