North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | Jan. 28, 2025
 
Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Phil Wallace, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior post Phil Wallace (Akron, OH/Norton) helped guide the Battling Bishops to a 2-0 week with wins over DePauw (89-85) and Wittenberg (71-70 OT). Against DePauw, Wallace made a three-pointer that sparked a 14-0 run, helping OWU take the lead for good. He finished with 11 points, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, to go along with four rebounds and two assists. In the overtime win against Wittenberg, after the Tigers regained the lead, Wallace responded with a layup at 2:23 for the 69-68 edge, and then added another basket on the next possession to give OWU a three-point advantage with 1:30 remaining. The senior finished the game with 10 points, one rebound, and two assists on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. In just 46 minutes of action on the week, Wallace averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 61.5 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from deep.
 
Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Elizabeth Homan, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior point guard Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) led the Battling Bishops to a 2-0 week with wins over DePauw (68-56) and Denison (75-59). In the win at DePauw, Homan scored 13 points in the first quarter to help give OWU an early lead, while finishing the game with a season-high 15 points, to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Homan followed that with a career-high 24 points in the win over Denison, which included back-to-back three-pointers to open the third quarter with an 8-0 run. Homan also contributed a jumper and two free throws to cap another 8-0 run, giving the Bishops a 48-30 advantage. In the 16-point win, the point guard went 6-for-10 from the field, 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line while also tallying two rebounds, nine assists, and one steal. On the week, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native averaged 19.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists and shot 47.8 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from downtown. Homan currently leads NCAA Division III in assists (134) and ranks second in assists per game (7.4).
 
Men’s Swim & Dive Athlete of the Week – Isaac Shaker, Wooster
Wooster senior Isaac Shaker (Solon, OH/Solon) was victorious in two individual events to help guide the Fighting Scots to a 147-133 win over Ohio Northern on Saturday. Shaker won the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.66 and the 200 individual medley in 2:01.45. His performances contributed to Wooster's 29th dual meet victory with Shaker on the team.
 
Women’s Swim & Dive Athlete of the Week – Hallie Findlan, Wooster
Wooster senior Hallie Findlan (Jefferson Hills, PA/Thomas Jefferson) played a key role in the Fighting Scots' 199.5-95.5 victory over Ohio Northern, contributing to a dominant performance with four wins. The senior started with individual victories in the 100 backstroke (1:02.60) and 100 freestyle (54.84). Findlan also helped Wooster take first place in the 200 medley (1:55.01) and 200 freestyle (1:44.72) relays. Her efforts helped the Fighting Scots secure their 35th win in dual meets over the course of her career.
 
Men’s Indoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Cameron Elliott, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior Cameron Elliott (Springfield, OH/Springfield) delivered a record-breaking performance at the Ashland Invitational on Saturday, setting two program records. Elliott finished second in the 300-meter dash with a time of 35.04 seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 35.33 seconds set by Jason Love during the 1996-97 season. The senior also teamed up with a trio of first-years, including Brandon Anderson (Dexter, MI/Dexter), Bryson Hall (Franklin, OH/Franklin) and Jack Kittle (Chargin Falls, OH/Chargin Falls) to break the program record in the 4x400-meter relay. The team placed fourth with a time of 3:18.62, eclipsing the 3:21.41 record from 2013. The relay squad now leads the NCAC standings and ranks eighth nationally.
 
Men’s Indoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Walter Moak, Oberlin
Oberlin senior Walter Moak (Charlottesville, VA/Western Albemarle) opened his season with two strong performances at the Fighting Scots Invitational. The senior won the mile after finishing in 4:20.54, marking the fastest time in the NCAC thus far. Moak also claimed a victory in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.02, which now ranks sixth in league standings this season.
 
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week – Chris Slater, Denison
Denison senior Chris Slater (Hudson, OH/Hudson) brought home two victories and a school record at the Fighting Scots Invitational on Saturday, winning both the weight throw and shot put. The senior threw 19.47 meters in the weight throw, nearly four meters further than second place, and set a new Denison school record which currently ranks first in league standings and second in NCAA Division III. Slater’s winning heave in the shot put measured 15.13 meters.
 
Women’s Indoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Meghan Frazier, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior Meghan Frazier (Alliance, OH/Alliance) delivered a record-breaking performance at the Ashland Invitational on Saturday, setting a new school record in the 400-meter dash. Frazier finished third in the event with a time of 57.22, surpassing her previous record of 57.38. With that time, the senior now ranks first in the NCAC and 12th in NCAA Division III so far this season. Frazier also helped the 4x400-meter relay team finish fifth with a time of 4:02.19, which currently leads the conference.
 
Women’s Indoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Allison Dietz, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Allison Dietz (Newark, OH/Newark) won the mile run at the Muskie Meet #2 on Saturday with a time of 5:15.76, which ranks as the top time in the NCAC this season. Dietz finished first in a close race, with only 1.11 seconds separating the top three.
 
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week – Izzy Henderson, Wittenberg
Wittenberg first-year Izzy Henderson (East Liberty, OH/Benjamin Logan) finished runner-up in the long jump at the Ashland Invitational with a personal best of 5.59 meters. With that mark, the rookie now leads the NCAC and ranks 16th in Division III.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Jan. 20-26)
 
Hiram, Women's Basketball – Senior guard Brooke Hickman (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth) became the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points this past week, achieving the milestone with her third basket of the game against Oberlin on Wednesday.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Women's Basketball – Fifth-year guard Lauren Denison (Pataskala, OH/Watkins Memorial) set two Battling Bishop career records in Ohio Wesleyan's 68-56 win at DePauw on Wednesday. Denison played in her 114th consecutive game, breaking the OWU records of 113 games played and 113 consecutive games played set by Anissa Haynes (1998-2001).
 
Wabash, Men's Basketball – Junior guard Randy Kelley (Sullivan, IN/Sullivan) scored a career-high 20 points in Saturday’s 79-73 win at Hiram.
 
Wabash, Men's Indoor Track & Field – Junior Lane Brockman (Berea, KY/Madison Southern) placed second in the men's weight throw at the Rose-Hulman Friday Night Spikes #2 with a career-best throw of 15.27 meters, which ranks fourth in the NCAC so far this season.
 
Wittenberg, Men's Basketball – Junior forward Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy Orange) recorded a career-high 14 rebounds and notched a double-double with 19 points in the Tigers’ 70-71 overtime loss to Ohio Wesleyan.
 
Wittenberg, Women's Swim and Dive – First-year Teagan O'Connor (Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll) helped the Tigers finish undefeated in dual meets for the first time in school history. O'Connor also went undefeated in her individual events this season, including earning three wins against Heidelberg (205-79) on Saturday. The rookie claimed an individual victory in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:23.85 and contributed to relay victories in the 200 medley (1:57.61) and 200 freestyle (1:47.71) relays.
 
Wittenberg, Women’s Track & Field – Beyond her personal-best performance in the long jump this past week (5.59 meters), first-year Izzy Henderson (East Liberty, OH/Benjamin Logan) contributed on the track with a personal best time of 9.46 in the 60-meter hurdles, while also running a leg of the 4x400 relay that finished fifth with a time of 4:02.19 to currently own the top time in the conference so far this season.