North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week – Week of Sept. 4, 2024
 
Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Will Callender, Wooster
Wooster senior Will Callender (Seattle, WA/Roosevelt) won the season-opening Wooster Invitational on Friday evening with a four-mile time of 21:55.1. Callender's time led the 57-competitor field.
 
Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week – Zoe Ward, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Zoe Ward (Columbus, OH/Worthington Christian) placed second among 54 runners at the Port Kenyon Opener on Friday. Ward completed the 4,000-meter course in 15:09.6 to help the Battling Bishops take the team title with 27 points.
 
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week – Emma Wright, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior Emma Wright (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) propelled the Battling Bishops to a 4-3 overtime win against Smith with two crucial goals in the championship game of the Caryl Newhof Classic. The junior scored the first goal in Saturday’s matchup after finding the back of the net during the first minute of the second quarter. Wright then went on to score the game-winning goal just 1:55 into overtime. For her efforts, the forward was named to the all-tournament team.
 
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Sean Bledsoe, Wabash
Wabash junior Sean Bledsoe (Columbia City, IN/Columbia City) shot three-under-par to earn a spot on the all-tournament team at the Transylvania Fall Golf Invitational last weekend. Bledsoe tallied a 141 (70-71) through 36-holes to land in a three-way tie for fifth place after he tallied one eagle and six birdies.
 
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Becky Williams, DePauw
DePauw junior Becky Williams (Zionsville, IN/University High School of Indiana) won Denison’s Lynn Schweizer Invitational by six strokes to earn medalist honors with a two-under 143 (71-72). During the 36-hole tournament, Williams led the 75-player field with eight birdies.
 
Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Alem Duratovic, Kenyon
Kenyon senior Alem Duratovic (Deerfield, IL/Adlai E. Stevenson) led the No. 19 ranked Owls to a 2-0 season opening weekend with wins over No. 15 Ohio Northern (3-2) and John Carroll (1-0). Against nationally ranked Ohio Northern, Duratovic drilled a penalty kick in the 13th minute to give Kenyon an early 1-0 lead. Later, when the game was tied 2-2, he headed a corner for his second goal of the game which sealed the win for the Owls. On Sunday against John Carroll, the senior scored with under seven minutes to play to give Kenyon a 1-0 victory. Duratovic’s game-winner against the Blue Streaks was his 40th career goal which ties for sixth all-time at Kenyon.
 
Women's Soccer Athlete of the Week – Tiffany Trinh, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior Tiffany Trinh (Dublin, OH/Scioto) and the Battling Bishops recorded a 2-0 week to start their 2024 campaign with wins over Mount St. Joseph (1-0) and Adrian (4-0). In the 1-0 win over the Lions, Trinh netted a 25-yard free kick just 52 seconds into the game. With the midfielder’s help, the Bishops’ defense was able to hold on to the lead for the remaining 89 minutes of action. Against the Bulldogs, Trinh added an assist to put OWU ahead 3-0 in the eventual 4-0 victory.
 
Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Week – Natalie Dieball, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Natlie Dieball (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota East) and the Battling Bishops went 2-1 at the Puerto Rico Clasico Tournament last weekend with wins over Widener (3-0) and Rowan (3-2) and a tough loss to North Park (3-2). In the win over the Pride, the outside hitter tallied a team-high 13 kills, hitting .423 percent. The sophomore then went on to record back-to-back double-doubles collecting 24 kills and 13 digs in the win over the Profs and 23 kills and 13 digs in the five-set loss to the Vikings. On the week, Dieball notched 60 kills with a .235 hitting percentage, 31 digs, five assists, five aces, and 65.5 points. The sophomore currently leads the NCAC in kills per set with a mark of 4.62.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Aug. 30 – Sept. 2)
 
Denison, Men’s Soccer – Senior Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Denison's 7-0 win over Bethany on Monday evening. Krueger found the back of the net in the 13th minute to open the scoring. The senior then scored 16 seconds into the second half to extend Denison's lead to 3-0 and finished off the hat trick with a goal in the 52nd minute as the Big Red recorded its first victory of 2024.
 
Denison, Volleyball – Sophomore Ayla Dunbar (Ann Arbor, MI/Skyline) posted a career-high 20 kills in the Big Red’s five-set loss to Mount Union on Saturday.
 
DePauw, Volleyball – Sophomore Kaiden Harrington (Ellettsville, IN/Edgewood) was named to the all-tournament team at the DePauw Invitational after recording 25 kills over three matches. Harrington hit .375 percent and averaged 2.78 kills per set during the Tigers’ opening weekend.
 
Wabash, Men’s Soccer – Sophomore Alfredo Campos (Oakland, CA/Aspire Lionel Wilson College Prep Academy) recorded his second collegiate goal and first career game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Principia. In the 88th minute of the game, Campos collected a loose ball and drilled a shot into the lower left corner of the goal to put the Little Giants up in the final minutes of the match.
 
Wooster, Women’s Cross Country – Sophomore Reeve Helvoigt (Eugene, OR/Marist Catholic) earned her first collegiate top-five finish after placing second at the season-opening Wooster Invitational on Friday. Helvoigt completed the 4,000-meter run in 17:03.09.