North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | April 8, 2025
 
Baseball Player of the Week – Edwin Groff, Kenyon
Kenyon senior Edwin Groff (Los Angeles, CA/Campbell Hall) delivered a strong performance at the plate in a conference doubleheader sweep over Hiram. In the 14-4 game one win, Groff went 4-for-6, with two RBI, four runs scored, one double, one triple, and one stolen base. Then in a 5-4 nightcap win, the senior went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Jarrod, Kirsch, Wabash
Wabash first-year Jarrod Kirsch (Crawfordsville, IN/North Montgomery) turned in a standout outing in his first NCAC appearance, leading the Little Giants to a 4-2 road win over third-ranked Denison. Kirsch threw seven innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six. The southpaw limited the Big Red to a .231 batting average, which is nearly 100 points below their average for the season and allowed only one extra-base hit across 28 batters faced. The win marked Wabash’s first against Denison since 2021.
 
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week – Manuel Loring, DePauw
DePauw senior Manuel Loring (Madrid, Spain/San Patricio, El Soto) turned in a strong performance at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, tying for 14th place with a two-round total of 146 (74-72). The senior also tied for fifth in the field with 27 pars.
 
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week – Ella McRoberts, Denison
Denison senior Ella McRoberts (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) delivered an impressive performance at the Max and Susan Stith Invitational, finishing tied for 18th in a competitive field of 75 golfers. The senior shot a two-day total of 155 (78-77), which included an improvement of 11 spots on the leaderboard on the second day. McRoberts finished the tournament ranked in the top 10 for par-4 scoring and she helped guide the Big Red to a sixth-place finish in a national-caliber field.
 
Men’s Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Christian Tacogue, Oberlin
Oberlin sophomore attacker Christian Tacogue (Louisville, KY/Trinity-Pawling School) delivered a breakout performance in the Yeomen's 19-9 win over Wittenberg. Tacogue led the team with six points, scoring five goals on eight shots and adding an assist. His offensive output marked new career bests in both goals and total points.
 
Women’s Lacrosse Athlete of the Week – Kate Leone, DePauw
DePauw sophomore attacker Kate Leone (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) played a key role in the Tigers' 13-10 win over Kenyon, marking the program's first-ever victory over the Owls. Leone tied for the team lead with three goals and led the team with three assists, contributing to six of DePauw's 13 goals. She also recorded a ground ball and was perfect on free-position shots, converting on both attempts in the win.
 
Softball Player of the Week – Natalya Delsante, Kenyon
Kenyon senior Natalya Delsante (Gilbert, AZ/Perry) helped lead the Owls to two wins over Miami University Hamilton (12-4, 7-1). Delsante went 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles, two RBI, and three scored runs in the doubleheader sweep. In the field, the senior recorded four putouts and four assists. For the season, she ranks second on the team in batting average (.456) and third in RBI (17).

Softball Pitcher of the Week – Darian Kanno, Hiram
Hiram senior Darian Kanno (Mililani, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) improved her record to 10-0 with a pair of complete game wins this past week against Wooster (3-1) and Oberlin (1-0, 8 inn.). Against the Fighting Scots, Kanno threw seven innings, while scattering four hits, striking out 10 and allowing just one walk and one unearned run. In the eight-inning, one-run victory over the Yeowomen, the senior tied her career high with 12 strikeouts, while allowing just one hit and one walk. With a combined 22 strikeouts this past week, Kanno set a new career-best for strikeouts over a two-game span. The right hander has tallied 10 games with 10 or more strikeouts in her career, five of which she recorded this season.
 
Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Marcus Bode, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan first-year Marcus Bode (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) was a double winner in the Battling Bishops' 4-3 victory over Wooster on Sunday. Bode won the deciding point at No. 6 singles with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Walker Wood (Lincoln, NE/Lincoln Southeast), helping the Bishops overcome a 3-2 deficit. The rookie also contributed to the team's success in doubles, partnering with Max Jody (Loveland, OH/Loveland) to win the tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-1), over Bennett Dickerson (Nashville, TN/University School of Nashville) and Wood to secure the doubles point. The victory marked OWU’s first win over Wooster since February 22, 2019.
 
Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Caroline Kittle, Denison
Denison senior Caroline Kittle (Indianapolis, IN/Park Tudor School) had a standout week, going 4-1 in singles and doubles play. Kittle won her No. 4 singles match 6-4, 6-1 and paired with Dasha Chistyakova (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman) for a 7-5 victory at No. 2 doubles in a 7-0 win over Luther. She also earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory in singles against Grinnell and triumphed over Gustavus Adolphus in a thrilling three-set match (6-4, 6-7, 10-6). Kittle's only loss came in a tightly contested 6-4 match at No. 3 doubles with Caitlin VanWinkle (Indianapolis, IN/Park Tudor School) against Grinnell.
 
Men's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Ari Skolnik, Denison
Denison senior Ari Skolnik (Glencoe, IL/New Trier Township) delivered an impressive performance at the Vertklasse Meeting, finishing sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.31. That time ranks first in the NCAC and ties him for sixth in Division III this season.
 
Men's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Walter Moak, Oberlin
Oberlin senior Walter Moak (Charlottesville, VA/Western Albemarle) set a new stadium record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Wooster Invitational, winning the event with a time of 9:17.67. With that time, the senior ranks first in the conference and 15th nationally.
 
Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Troy Crosby, Wittenberg
Wittenberg sophomore Troy Crosby (Clayton, OH/Northmont) claimed first place in the discus at the Centre Invitational with a throw of 45.45 meters. His mark places him in the league’s top spot so far this season.
 
Women's Outdoor Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week – Katherine Dortmund, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan first-year Katherine Dortmund (Westerville, OH/Columbus St. Francis DeSales) played a major role in the Battling Bishops’ team title at the Marv Frye Invitational, scoring 24.5 points across four events. Dortmund won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.65 seconds and helped the 4x100-meter relay team to a first-place finish in 48.05 seconds. She also placed second overall and was the top Division III finisher in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.26, which currently leads the NCAC. Dortmund added a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.55.
 
Women's Outdoor Distance/Mid-Distance Athlete of the Week – Sage Serraino, Oberlin
Oberlin senior Sage Serraino (Ashland, OH/Ashland) delivered a standout performance at the Wooster Invitational, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.06. With that mark, Serraino now ranks second in the NCAC this season.
 
Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week – Niyah Shipman, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan first-year Niyah Shipman (North Robinson, OH/Colonel Crawford) claimed first place in the long jump at the Marv Frye Invitational with a leap of 5.36 meters. The rookie’s performance ranks second in the NCAC this season and helped propel the Battling Bishops to the team title for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five seasons.
 
NCAC Milestones & Records (March 31 – April 6)
 
Denison, Women’s Lacrosse – Senior Anna DeVuono (Devon, PA/Conestoga) reached two major milestones in Denison’s 19-10 win over Ohio Wesleyan, as she scored her 40th goal of the season to record the 100th goal of her career. She surpassed her previous single-season best of 36 goals, set last year, in just her 12th game of the 2025 campaign.
 
Denison, Men’s Tennis – Junior Jacob Patterson (Bridgeville, PA/South Fayette) went 4-0 in both singles and doubles over the weekend to help the Big Red go 2-0 on the week. He moved his career singles wins to 63 to place him within the top five in Denison history. Against No. 11 Trinity, Patterson defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-3 in No. 3 singles and teamed up with Colin Gramley (Sharon, PA/Shady Side Academy) to win 6-3 in No. 2 doubles. He also earned a 6-4, 6-3 singles win against Wabash and paired with Gramley for a 6-3 doubles victory.  
 
Denison, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Jack Blais (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) recorded a personal-best mark of 6.86 meters to place 10th in the long jump at the Vertklasse Meeting. Blais’ performance ranks second in the NCAC this season and sixth on Denison’s all-time list.
 
Hiram, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – First-year Alisah Ward (Conway, AR/Conway) posted a career-best time of 1:01.26 in the 400-meter dash at the Marv Frye Invitational, placing fifth overall. The performance currently ranks sixth in league standings so far this season.
 
Kenyon, Men’s Lacrosse – Senior attackman Kyle Becker (Avon, CT/Loomis Chaffee School) had a career day in Kenyon’s 29-2 win over Hiram on Saturday. The senior recorded career highs with three goals and four assists, totaling seven points in the victory. His performance helped the Owls set or match several program records.
 
Kenyon, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – First-year Penelope Artemis (Nicosia, Cyprus/The Senior School) continued her record-setting rookie campaign by breaking her own week-old program record in the hammer throw. Artemis recorded a toss of 42.20 meters, surpassing her previous mark of 41.91 meters set just one week earlier.
 
Oberlin, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Heather Benway (San Carlos, CA/Sequoia) recorded a career-best mark in the long jump at the Wooster Invitational, soaring 5.25 meters on her final attempt to clinch first place. Benway now ranks fourth in the NCAC this season.
 
Ohio Wesleyan, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Coleman Kegler (Columbus, OH/Upper Arlington) recorded a personal-best throw of 49.37 meters in the javelin at the Marv Frye Invitational, winning the event by nearly 16 feet. His mark ranks fourth in the NCAC this season.
 
Wabash, Baseball – After scoring one run in Wabash's 4-2 win over No. 3 Denison, senior Camden Scheidt (Highland, IN/Highland) set a new program record for runs scored, crossing the plate for the 161st time in his career.
 
Wooster, Baseball – Junior Jack Spring (Pflugerville, TX/Brentwood Christian) recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in Wooster's 4-1 win at Oberlin. Spring tossed 7.2 innings and allowed just one run on six hits.
 
Wooster, Women’s Lacrosse – Junior Sophia Mellis (Wexford, PA/Oakland Catholic) tallied a career-best six goals in Wooster’s 17-6 victory at Oberlin, doubling her previous single-game high. The junior scored on six of eight shot attempts and collected four ground balls in the win.
 
Wooster, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Senior Elise Greenwald (Eldersburg, MD/Century) won the 5,000-meter run at the Wooster Invitational with a career-best time of 18:44.30.