North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | September 30, 2025
Field Hockey - Hailey Nowak, DePauw
DePauw senior forward Hailey Nowak (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park & River Forest) propelled the Tigers to two victories last week, finishing with four goals and one assist. The senior scored the game-winning goal off an assist from senior midfielder/defender Ella Morris (New Albany, OH/Columbus Academy) in the 29th minute of Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Washington & Jefferson. Nowak capped the weekend with a hat trick and an assist in a 5-0 win over Allegheny, opening the scoring in the 23rd minute with what proved to be the eventual game-winner and then added two more goals in the second half while assisting on another.
Football (Offense) - Brand Campbell, Wabash
Wabash junior quarterback Brand Campbell (Palm Beach Gardens, FL/Palm Beach Gardens) led the Little Giants to a 36-0 win over Denison, throwing for 207 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score. The junior completed 14-of-20 passes with no interceptions, connecting on a 17-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 31-yard strike in the third. Campbell also scored on a one-yard run just before halftime. On the ground, Campbell led Wabash with 55 rushing yards on nine carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
Football (Defense) - Gage Gulley, Wabash
Wabash sophomore safety Gage Gulley (Noblesville, IN/Noblesville) helped guide the Little Giants to a 36-0 victory over Denison on Saturday, marking the first time the Big Red had been held scoreless since 2018. In the second quarter, the sophomore intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to extend the Wabash lead to 16-0. Gulley also recorded four tackles, including an assisted tackle for loss, and added a pass breakup as part of a defensive unit that finished with seven tackles for loss totaling 31 yards and limited Denison to 25 rushing yards on 24 attempts.
Men’s Golf - Jonathan Oakes, Kenyon
Kenyon junior Jonathan Oakes (Tarrytown, NY/US Performance Academy) paced the Owls at the NCAA Fall Preview, finishing one under par and tying for 11th out of 120 golfers. The junior opened the tournament with a strong first round, carding a 67 (-4) highlighted by birdies on 14 and 15, an eagle on the par-four 17th, and a birdie on 18. Oakes followed with a 75 (+3) in the second round and an even-par 72 in the final round, which included two birdies along with an eagle on the 500-yard par-five first hole. For the tournament, the Tarrytown, New York native tied for first in par-three scoring (-2), tied for sixth in par-five scoring (-5), and led the field with two eagles. His performance helped Kenyon post the program’s lowest 18-hole stroke count (278) and match its best team score in relation to par (-6) in round one.
Women’s Golf - Sasha Belova, Kenyon
Kenyon first-year Sasha Belova (Ekaterinburg, Russia/Ekaterinburg Gymnasium #2) made program history by becoming the first golfer to earn medalist honors after capturing first-place at the Guy & Jeanne Kuhn Memorial Invitational. Competing on the par-72, 5,500-yard course at the Country Club of Meadville, the rookie opened the two-round event with a 73 (+2) to share the lead after day one. Belova then followed with a one-under 71 in the second round to claim sole possession of first. The Ekaterinburg, Russia native was the only golfer in the field to finish a round under par and close the tournament at one-over, topping a field of 49 competitors and helping Kenyon place third in the team standings.
Men’s Soccer - Tristan Ruiz de Somocurcio, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan senior midfielder/forward Tristan Ruiz de Somocurcio (Tampa, FL/Tampa Preparatory) led the Battling Bishops’ attack with three goals across a pair of wins last week. The senior scored once in a 3-1 victory at Capital on Wednesday before netting a career-high two goals in a 3-1 win over Marietta on Saturday. Ruiz de Somocurcio accounted for half of Ohio Wesleyan’s six goals on the week, while putting all six of his shots on frame.
Women’s Soccer – Della Hawkins, Denison
Denison first-year forward Della Hawkins (Camp Hill, PA/Camp Hill) provided a spark off the bench in the Big Red’s 3-2 win over Capital. The rookie set up classmate Emily Stackhouse (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) for a goal in the 39th minute that gave Denison a 2-1 lead, and then found the back of the net herself in the 67th minute with the eventual game-winner to secure the non-conference victory.
Volleyball - Kendra Dziubinski, John Carroll
John Carroll senior middle hitter Kendra Dziubinski (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles East) guided the Blue Streaks to a 3-0 week with wins over Mount Union (3-1), Ohio Wesleyan (3-1), and Buffalo State (3-0). Against the Purple Raiders, the senior powered John Carroll to its first win in Alliance since 2015, recording 11 kills with no errors and a .733 hitting percentage while adding two blocks. Dziubinski followed with eight kills and a .316 hitting percentage in the conference victory over the Battling Bishops and closed the week with eight kills, a .600 hitting percentage, and four blocks in a sweep of the Bengals. Over the three matches, the St. Charles, Illinois native totaled 27 kills with just four errors, hitting .523 while adding six blocks, five digs, and one assist.
Milestones & Records (Sept. 22-28)
DePauw, Football – Senior wide receiver Robby Ballentine (Crown Point, IN/Andrean) caught a touchdown pass in a 28-0 win at Wittenberg on Saturday to become the program’s all-time leader with 43 career touchdown receptions, surpassing the previous mark of 42 set by Alex Koors (2007-10).
Denison, Field Hockey – Junior attacker Emma Gebhart (Carlisle, MA/Concord Carlisle) scored five goals in the Big Red’s 6-1 victory over Wooster on Tuesday, becoming just the third NCAA Division III player this fall to record a five-goal game.
Kenyon, Field Hockey – Junior forward Maren Lawrence (Delaware, OH/Columbus Academy) recorded her first career hat trick in a 7-0 victory over Transylvania on Saturday. She now leads the team with five goals on the season.
Wabash, Football – Senior kicker Brody Rucker (Haskell, OK/Coweta) connected on a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter of Saturday’s 36-0 victory over Denison, tying the longest made field goal in program history. The senior matched the 50-yard kick made by Joe Bevelhimer in the 1985 Monon Bell Classic against DePauw. Rucker is now 6-for-7 on field goal attempts this season.