North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week | January 13, 2026
Men’s Basketball – Luke Ellspermann, Wabash
Wabash first-year guard Luke Ellspermann (Evansville, IN/Memorial) helped guide the Little Giants to a pair of conference wins over Denison (64-59) and Wooster (89-80). The rookie scored 14 points with six rebounds, two assists, and three steals in Wednesday’s home win over the Big Red, handing Denison its first league loss of the season. Ellspermann followed with a team-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting in Saturday’s road victory at Wooster, adding five rebounds and two assists. For the week, the rookie shot 10-of-19 from the field, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while totaling 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals to average 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and two assists per game.
Women’s Basketball – Macy Miller, Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan junior forward Macy Miller (Marysville, OH/Milford Center Fairbanks) recorded her fifth-consecutive and 11th overall double-double of the season in Saturday’s 76-67 road win at Wittenberg. The junior finished with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds four steals, one assist, and one block to lead the Battling Bishops. With the performance, Miller is now 17 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Men's Swimming & Diving – Jack Hill, Denison
Denison junior Jack Hill (Leighton Buzzard, U.K./Cedars Upper) turned in a strong showing at the Oakland University Tri-Meet while competing against swimmers from both Oakland and Miami (OH). The junior placed second in the 100 freestyle (44.29) and third in the 200 free (1:37.77), both meeting the B-cut standard. In the relays, Hill swam the first leg on Denison’s third-place 400 free (2:58.63) and fifth-place 200 medley (1:28.99), and the second leg of the fourth-place 200 free (1:20.98).
Women's Swimming & Diving – Emily Harris, Denison
Denison senior Emily Harris (Nashville, TN/Ensworth) turned in a standout performance at the Oakland University Tri-Meet, as the Big Red competed against both Oakland and Miami (OH). Harris won three individual events and contributed to three third-place relay finishes. The senior captured first place in the 400 individual medley (4:20.06), 200 IM (2:03.47), and 200 butterfly (2:00.95), posting NCAA Division III B-cut times in all three races. The senior also swam on Denison’s 400 freestyle- (3:26.96), 400 medley- (3:47.28), and 200 free- (1:34.87) relays, with each relay effort meeting the B-cut standard.
Milestones & Records (Jan. 5-11)
Kenyon, Women’s Swimming & Diving – Sophomore Kelsey Van Eldik (Newcastle, Australia/Merewether) posted a season-best time of 1:00.76 to win the 100 breaststroke at the Owls’ quad dual meet against Navy, Princeton, and Delaware. Van Eldik improved her own Division III-leading time in the event with the performance.
Oberlin, Men’s Basketball – Senior guard Zach Smith (Chicago, IL/University of Chicago Laboratory Schools) extended his streak to five straight 20-point performances with a 20-point outing in the Yeomen’s 72-64 win over DePauw on Saturday.
Oberlin, Women’s Basketball – Senior guard Angela Kumler (New Concord, OH/John Glen) shot 12-of-15 from the field for a career-high 27 points during Saturday’s 69-63 loss to DePauw.
Ohio Wesleyan, Men’s Basketball – The Battling Bishops scored triple digits on the road for the first time since 1994 in Wednesday’s 106-90 win at John Carroll…. Sophomore guard Jake Lowman (Westerville, OH/Worthington Christian) recorded his first career double-double with career highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, while adding a career-high-tying six assists and one block…Sophomore guard Kevin Gallagher (Grove City, OH/Grove City) followed with a career-best 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting and a career-high 4-for-6 effort from beyond the arc, to go along with four assists, two rebounds, and one steal.
Ohio Wesleyan, Women’s Basketball – Senior guard Kendall Dieringer (St. Mary’s, OH/Memorial) helped the Battling Bishops record a 76-67 win over Wittenberg on Saturday after scoring a career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting while tying her career best with four three-pointers.