North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | April 22, 2025
 
Baseball Player of the Week – Luke Meister, Kenyon
Kenyon senior outfielder Luke Meister (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park & River Forest) came through in a key moment during the Owls' 12-8 walk-off win over Ohio Wesleyan. With the score tied at 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded, Meister delivered a grand slam to secure the win for the Owls. He also scored Kenyon’s first run of the game and finished 2-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. In the second game of the doubleheader, a 7-4 win, Meister drew a walk and scored one run.
 
Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Jackson Woehr, Wabash
Wabash junior Jackson Woehr (Whitestown, IN/Covenant Christian) picked up the win in relief during the Little Giants’ 7-5 victory at Wittenberg on Wednesday. The righthander tossed 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while holding the Tigers to a .154 batting average. Woehr also recorded one strikeout en route to earning his second win of the season.
 
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week – Manuel Loring, DePauw
DePauw senior Manuel Loring (Madrid, Spain/San Patricio, El Soto) earned medalist honors at the Win Palmer Cup, hosted by Wittenberg. The senior fired back-to-back rounds of 71 to finish with a two-over 142, winning the individual title by four strokes. He carded four birdies in the opening round and followed with an eagle and a birdie in the second. Loring’s efforts helped DePauw secure a second-place team finish.
 
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week – Ally Siewert, Wooster
Wooster senior Ally Siewert (Northfield, OH/Nordonia) became the winningest golfer in program history after earning her fifth career medalist honor at the Forest Hills Intercollegiate. Competing on the par-72, 5,850-yard course, the senior also became the program’s first three-time medalist in a single season. Siewert opened with an 82 and followed it up with a 77, one of only two rounds in the 70s recorded in the tournament, to win by five strokes in the 38-player field.
 
Men's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Garrett Smith, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior midfielder Garrett Smith (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern) had a standout week, scoring nine goals on just 13 shots to lead the Battling Bishops to two crucial NCAC victories. In a 14-11 win at Kenyon, the junior scored five goals, including a pivotal strike with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter to give OWU the lead for good. After the Owls pulled within one, 12-11, Smith responded with back-to-back goals just 29 seconds apart, sealing the victory. In a 19-12 win over Oberlin, the midfielder added four goals, including three during a 5-0 run in the third quarter after the Yeomen had closed the gap to two, 10-8.
 
Women's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Abbie Grogan, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior defender Abbie Grogan (Louisville, KY/Kentucky Country Day) anchored the Battling Bishops' defense during two key wins this week over Wittenberg (16-2) and DePauw (15-14). In the win over Wittenberg, the junior caused five turnovers, collected four ground balls, and earned four draw controls, while also leading the defense during a critical four-player-down situation in the second quarter. Grogan’s four draw controls brought her total to 192 to pass the previous record of 189 held by Theresa Wolfgang (2011-14). In the victory at DePauw, Grogan again caused five turnovers, collected six draw controls, and gathered four ground balls, which brought her career total to 159, breaking the previous ground ball record of 155 set by Eilee Foley (2012-15).
 
Softball Player of the Week – Darian Kanno, Hiram
Hiram senior Darian Kanno (Mililani, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) played a key role in the Terriers’ 4-0 week, which included a pair of wins over Thiel (5-1, 11-3) and Ohio Wesleyan (4-0, 9-4). The senior was highlighted by a 2-for-3 performance in game one against the Tomcats, collecting two doubles, one RBI and one scored run, and a 2-for-2 outing in the first game against Ohio Wesleyan, which included one double, one home run, two RBI and one scored run. On the week, Kanno finished 5-for-13 (.385), with three doubles, one triple, one home run, three RBI and four scored runs.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week – Alex Romero-Salas, DePauw
DePauw junior Alex Romero-Salas (Paranaque City, Philippines/Calvert Academy) threw two complete-game shutouts last week, leading the Tigers to wins over Kenyon (9-0) and Wittenberg (3-0). Over 12 innings, the junior allowed 10 hits and struck out six without issuing a single walk.
 
Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Samuele Pia, DePauw
DePauw senior Samuele Pia (Montegrosso, Italy/Liceo Artistico Benedetto Alfieri Asti) went a perfect 4-0 in singles play last week, including the match clinching victory in a 4-3 win over Wabash. Pia won at No. 3 singles against the Little Giants, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). He then collected dominant victories in the third flight against both Wittenberg (6-1, 6-1) and Ohio Wesleyan (6-0, 6-1). In a Senior Day match at No. 1 singles, he defeated his Hanover opponent in a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory.
 
Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Ellen Gardner, DePauw
DePauw senior Ellen Gardner (Carmel, IN/Guerin Catholic) went 5-1 this past week in singles and doubles. She posted a perfect 3-0 record in singles, winning 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 against Wittenberg, 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 against Hanover, and 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 against Ohio Wesleyan. In doubles, Gardner teamed up for a 6-0 win at No. 3 against Hanover, suffered a 4-6 loss at No. 1 against Wittenberg, but bounced back with a 6-0 victory at No. 1 over Ohio Wesleyan.
 
Men's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Jack Kittle, Wittenberg
Wittenberg first-year Jack Kittle (Chagrin Falls, OH/Chagrin Falls) delivered a standout performance at the Otterbein Twilight, winning the 200-meter dash in 21.10 seconds. With that time, the rookie set a new school record, leads the NCAC, and ranks fourth in Division III this season. Kittle also contributed to Wittenberg’s runner-up finish in the 4x100-meter relay, as the squad posted a time of 41.14 to mark another school record, lead the conference, and rank 19th nationally.
 
Men's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Drew Robertson, Wooster
Wooster senior Drew Robertson (Bébalem, Chad/Rift Valley Academy) won the 5,000-meter race at the Duane Gomez Invitational with a career-best time of 14:52.74, which currently leads the NCAC.
 
Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Gavin Dunn, Hiram
Hiram first-year Gavin Dunn (Apopka, FL/West Oaks Academy) capped off the Sparky Adams Invitational with a dominant performance in the long jump, claiming first place with a new program record of 7.24 meters. With that mark, Dunn leads the conference and is tied for 10th nationally.
 
Women's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Meghan Frazier, Wittenberg
Wittenberg senior Meghan Frazier (Alliance, OH/Alliance) earned two top-three finishes at the Otterbein Twilight Meet last weekend. The senior finished second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.12 seconds to lead the NCAC so far this season. In the 200-meter dash, Frazier took third with a time of 24.82, setting a new school record and claiming the top mark in the conference.
 
Women's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – McKenna Downing, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior McKenna Downing (Pleasant Hill, OH/Newton Local) finished fourth in the championship flight of the 1500-meter run at the Hillsdale Gina Relays. Her time of 4:41.95, which was the fastest among Division III competitors, leads the NCAC this season and ranks fifth on Ohio Wesleyan’s all-time list.
 
Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Sydney Flores, Denison
Denison junior Sydney Flores (Durango, CO/Durango) claimed first place in both the shot put and discus at the Duane Gomez Invitational. The junior recorded a mark of 12.83 meters in the shot put and a personal-best 40.26 meters in the discus, which ranks second in league standings.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (April 14-20)
 
Denison, Women’s Golf – Sophomore Lizzy Grant (Hudson, OH/Hudson) tied for second place at the Win Palmer Cup, carding rounds of 74 and 78 to finish with an overall score of 152 (+12). Her finish marked a personal best in collegiate tournament play.
 
Denison, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Piper Lee (Saint Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall) set a personal record in the 400-meter dash at the Duane Gomez Invitational, finishing second with a time of 59.95 seconds. Her performance currently ranks fifth in the NCAC.
 
DePauw, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Sophomore Liberty Scott (Galveston, IN/Lewis Cass) set a new program record in the 100-meter hurdles at the Rose-Hulman Twilight, finishing second with a time of 14.32 seconds.
 
Hiram, Baseball – Senior Hal Walker Jr. (Mentor, OH/Mentor) set a new program record for career hits with 187 after going 10-for-17 at the plate with six RBI and 10 runs scored in four games.
 
Kenyon, Baseball – Senior Christian Harris (Canton, OH/Canton Central Catholic) set a career-high with eight strikeouts in four innings of work in the Owl’s 12-8 win over Ohio Wesleyan.
 
Kenyon, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Junior Josh Greville (Kane, PA/Kane Area) won the 400-meter dash at the Duane Gomez Invitational with a season-best time of 49.82 seconds. His performance also marked the fastest 400 time for Kenyon this season … First-year Charlie Blackmer (Libertyville, IL/Vernon Hills) won the 1500-meter run at the Duane Gomez Invitational with a season-best time of 3:59.09.
 
Kenyon, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – First-year Ariella Sobel (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale) won the 400-meter dash at the Duane Gomez Invitational with a season-best time of 58.89 seconds.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Women's Lacrosse – Senior attack Caroline Fleming (Pittsburgh, PA/West Fayette) recorded three goals and an assist in the Battling Bishops' 16-2 victory over Wittenberg on Wednesday, bringing her career total to 201 points and making her the fourth player in program history to surpass the 200-point mark. The senior then scored a team-high five goals in OWU's 15-14 win over DePauw on Saturday, increasing her season total to 50 goals to become the eighth player in program history to reach that milestone … Sophomore attack Brie Colangelo (Providence, RI/Moses Brown School) tallied three goals and five assists in the Battling Bishops' win over DePauw. Her five helpers pushed her season total to 38, breaking the program record of 36 set by Amy Newell in 1989.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Men's Lacrosse – Junior midfielder Noah Citek (Long Beach, CA/St. John Bosco) collected six ground balls in the Battling Bishops 14-11 victory over Kenyon on Tuesday. His effort pushed his career total to 359, surpassing the previous record of 356 set by Sam Gioseffi (2012-15).
 
Wabash, Men’s Lacrosse – Senior attack Quinn Fitzgerald (Indianapolis, IN/Brebeuf Jesuit) became the Little Giants’ all-time points leader with 190 after scoring 10 points in two NCAC games. The senior tallied three goals and one assist in a 9-8 loss at DePauw and had five goals and one assist in a 21-0 win over Hiram.
 
Wittenberg, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Julissa Williams (Lorain, OH/Lorain) set a personal best in the triple jump with a mark of 10.95 meters to place second at the Duane Gomez Invitational. Her performance currently ranks third in the conference.