North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | March 25, 2025
 
Baseball Player of the Week – Erik Sundgren, Denison
Denison junior outfielder Erik Sundgren (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) helped lead the Big Red to five wins over top-20 ranked teams, including Johns Hopkins (2-0), Endicott (11-3), Saint John's (15-4), Rutgers-Camden (8-0) and TCNJ (8-1). On the week, Sundgren hit .550 and produced 15 RBI, five runs, two stolen bases, one walk and one sacrifice fly. The junior tallied 11 hits, four of which were for extra bases as he belted two doubles and two home runs for a .950 slugging percentage. Sundgren's nine overall home runs are currently ranked fifth in Division III, while his 39 RBI are third.

Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Peter Lemke, Denison
Denison sophomore Peter Lemke (Geneva, IL/St. Francis) pitched a complete-game shutout to earn the win on the mound in the Big Red's 2-0 victory over John's Hopkins on Tuesday. The right-hander threw nine innings, allowing just five hits and two walks, while striking out five of the 33 batters he faced.
 
Men's Golf Athlete of the Week – Jonathan Oakes, Kenyon
Kenyon sophomore Jonathan Oakes (Dobbs Ferry, NY/US Performance Academy) led the Owls at the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate Invitational, finishing tied for 10th in a competitive field of 150 golfers. Playing on the 6,700-yard Pine Lakes Course, Oakes posted a 54-hole total of 214 (-2) to help Kenyon earn 14th out of 30 teams, several of which are nationally ranked. He opened with an even-par 72, tallying four birdies against two bogeys, then followed with back-to-back rounds of 71 (-1), recording eight birdies over the final two rounds. His strong play placed him fourth among all competitors in par-four scoring (3.93).
 
Women's Golf Athlete of the Week – Siena Maschke, Denison
Denison first-year Siena Maschke (Cleveland, OH/Laurel School) delivered a standout performance at the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate Invitational, finishing 10th in a competitive field of 120 golfers. Competing at 5,601-yards with a par of 72, Maschke posted rounds of 74-76-73, showcasing her consistency throughout the tournament. She led the entire field in par-five scoring, helping Denison secure a tie for fifth place among 24 teams.
 
Men's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Henry Ross, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore midfielder Henry Ross (Snoqualmie, WA/Mount Si) helped lead the Battling Bishops to a 15-9 victory over Albion on Wednesday. In the six-goal win, the sophomore recorded a team-high six points on three goals and three assists to go along with three ground balls and one caused turnover.
 
Women's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Brie Colangelo, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan sophomore attack Brie Colangelo (Providence, RI/Moses Brown)
produced six points on five goals and one assist in the Battling Bishops 17-16 win over Capital on Wednesday. The sophomore recorded the game-winning goal on a free-position shot with just 2:10 remaining in regulation. Colangelo also scooped up one ground ball and caused one turnover in the one-goal victory.
 
Softball Player of the Week – Jillian Meszaros, Wooster
Wooster first-year Jillian Meszaros (Hilliard, OH/Hilliard Bradley) helped the Fighting Scots record a 3-3 record on the week, with wins over Hope (6-2), Brockport (4-1) and the University of New England (11-3). Across six games, the leadoff batter went 12-for-20 at the plate, which included four multi-hit games and three doubles for a .600 batting average and a .750 slugging percentage. Meszaros scored seven runs, produced five RBI, drew four walks and stole one base.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week – Lilly James, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Lilly James (Troy, OH/Troy), who came on in relief, helped lead the Tigers to three wins. In a 5-3 win over Capital, James threw 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit, no runs and one walk while striking out two batters for the save. In an 8-5 win over Capital, James threw 3.1 innings in relief, allowing one earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out another to earn the win. In her last appearance of the week, she collected the win on the mound in a 2-1 victory over Earlham after throwing 1.1 innings and striking out all four batters she faced.
 
Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Kael Shah, Denison
Denison junior Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenya/ES American School Barcelona) posted an impressive 9-1 record this week, including a 4-1 mark in No. 1 and No. 2 singles and 5-0 in No. 1 doubles. In singles action, the junior defeated Caleb Wilkins of Chapman 6-4, 0-6, 2-6, Dominic Anderson of Redlands 6-3, 3-6, 1-0, Edred Opie of Amherst 6-4, 6-4, and Chakor Rajendra of Johns Hopkins 6-2, 6-0, while falling to Advik Mareedu of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6-3, 6-1. In doubles play, Shah partnered up with classmate Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) to win 6-3 against Chapman's Wilkins and Ben Jorgenson, 7-5 against Redlands' Vitomir Petcov and Jack Fanshawe, 6-1 against Amherst's Opie and Andreas Sillaste, 6-3 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Mareedu and Josh Kim, and 6-0 against Johns Hopkins' Daniel Ardilla and Dylan Blenkiron.
 
Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week – Caroline Lopez, Denison
Denison senior Caroline Lopez (Los Angeles, CA/Westridge School) went 8-1 for the week, securing three singles victories and five doubles wins. In singles, she defeated Mia Yamaguchi of Pacific 6-1, 6-2, Reese Burton of UW-Eau Claire 6-2, 6-2, and Chloe Schmidt of Indiana-Kokomo 6-0, 6-1. Lopez's only loss came in a hard fought match against Rianna Mariotti of Wellesley, 6-1, 4-6, 6-7. In doubles, she partnered with sophomore Dasha Chistyakova (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman) for a 6-0 victory over Tiara Yeung and Sofia Mazzola of Pacific, and with Charlotte Johns for a 6-4 win over Emilee Pak and Suzanne Xu of Wellesley, a 6-1 win over Burton and Ana Paula Ricaute of Eau Claire, and a 6-0 victory over Kennedy Perrin and Chloe Schmidt of Indiana-Kokomo.
 
Men's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Cameron Elliott, Wittenberg
Wittenberg junior Cameron Elliott (Springfield, OH/Springfield) was a part of two record-breaking performances at the Emory Spring Break Classic. The junior set a new 400-meter record with a time of 47.41 seconds to take first place. He also helped the 4x100 relay team break the school record with a time of 41.24 seconds to earn a second-place finish. In the 4x400, Elliott and his teammates added another second-place finish with a time of 3:18.49. With those performances, Elliott and his teammates currently hold the top spot in the conference for each event, while nationally his 400 ranks second, and both the 4x100 and 4x400 times rank third.
 
Men's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Drew Robertson, Wooster
Wooster senior Drew Robertson (Bébalem, Chad/Rift Valley Academy, Kenya) had a standout performance at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:30.05. With that time, the senior leads the NCAC and ranks second in Division III. Robertson also placed third in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32:29.15, which also ranks first in the conference.
 
Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Trey Theobald, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior Trey Theobald (Archbold, OH/Archbold) claimed a victory in the javelin at the Virginia Opener with a throw of 61.52 meters, surpassing the runner-up by more than two feet. His performance leads the NCAC and ranks fourth in NCAA Division III so far this season.
 
Women's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Liberty Scott, DePauw
DePauw sophomore Liberty Scott (Galveston, IN/Lewis Cass) broke both the stadium and program record in the 100-meter hurdles at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird meet, winning the event in 14.38 seconds. The sophomore also finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.16, helping DePauw secure a first-place finish among nine schools at the meet. Scott ranks first in the NCAC in the 100-meter hurdles and second in the 400-meter hurdles, while also holding national rankings of fourth and 12th, respectively.
 
Women's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Anna Brown, Kenyon
Kenyon junior Anna Brown (South Dartmouth, MA/Concord Academy) led the Owls at the Emory Classic after placing fourth in the 1,500-meter race with a personal-best time of 4:45.63, shaving over seven seconds off her previous best of 4:53.00.
 
Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Emily Davis, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior Emily Davis (Brimfield, OH/Mogadore Field) placed third in the discus and fifth in the hammer at the Virginia Opener, leading all Division III competitors in the discus and second in the hammer. Davis' throw of 40.26 meters in the discus ranks first in the NCAC and ninth in Division III so far this season, while her mark of 41.48 meters in the hammer is second in the conference.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (Mar. 17-23)
 
Hiram, Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Sam Volpe (Concord, OH/Riverside) set a new outdoor program record in the shot put at the Stark County Challenge with a throw of 11.67 meter. Volpe placed eighth out of 21 student-athletes, surpassing the previous program record set by Elizabeth Grosell in 2003 (11.27 meters) and improving upon her own career-best from last season (11.23m).
 
Kenyon, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Junior Josh Greville (Kane, PA/Kane Area) had a stellar performance at the Emory Classic, marking his career-best distances in both the long jump (6.21 meters) and triple jump (13.09 meters).
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Men's Lacrosse – Sophomore attacker Wade Beckstrom (Devon, PA/Conestoga) scored three goals in the Battling Bishops win over Hiram on Saturday, raising his career total to 100 points.

Wooster, Men's Lacrosse – With two goals against Messiah on Wednesday, junior attacker Lane Kellogg (Arvada, CO/Ralston Valley) became the 10th player in program history to score 100 career goals.

Wooster, Women's Lacrosse – Junior attacker Lizzie Hardy (Gibsonia, PA/Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh) recorded her 200th career draw control in Wednesday's 17-3 rout of Albright.

Wooster, Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Junior Rob Mays III (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) posted a career-best in the shot put with a toss of 14.78 meters at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational. With that throw, the junior ranks ninth in Division III and ties for ninth best in program history … Junior Will Callender (Seattle, WA/Roosevelt) set the program record in the outdoor 3,000 meters with a time of 8:47.29.