CLEVELAND, Ohio (Oct. 1) – Three Denison University student-athletes earned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors Tuesday morning when the league announced its weekly award winners for the week ending on Sept. 29.
Earning the honors were
Claire Hamilton (Volleyball – Athlete of the Week),
Jake Krueger (Men's Soccer – Athlete of the Week) and
Lila Smith (Field Hockey – Athlete of the Week).
Claire Hamilton (Volleyball)
Hamilton continued her impressive sophomore season with 47 kills (5.22 per set) last week as the Big Red split a pair of matches. Hamilton posted a match-best 18 kills in a four-set loss to 16th ranked Marietta on Wednesday. The sophomore logged one of the top performances in Division III this season when Denison rallied for a five-set win Saturday at DePauw. Hamilton racked up 29 kills, tied for the third most in D-III this season, as Denison reverse swept the Tigers in the NCAC opener. Hamilton compiled a .311 hitting percentage last week. Denison travels to Otterbein (Tuesday) before hosting Hiram (Saturday) for its Dig Pink match.
Jake Krueger (Men's Soccer)
Krueger fueled Denison in its 4-2 win over then eighth-ranked Christopher Newport on Friday evening at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium. Krueger played a role in all four Big Red goals in the top 10 victory. Krueger scored the second and fourth goal during the win on Friday. Krueger assisted a pair of scores by
Eli Taylor. Krueger currently leads the conference with eight goals this season. The Big Red will enter NCAC play Saturday with 5-1-3 overall record. Denison hosts Hiram for Senior Day at 1 p.m. Krueger will be one of 10 Denison honorees.
Lila Smith (Field Hockey)
Smith scored twice to help power Denison to a 4-1 road victory over Kenyon Saturday in Gambier. Smith gave the Big Red a lead for good with a second quarter goal. She helped Denison extend its lead with a score early in the third quarter. Smith has registered a point in four-straight games. She ranks second on the team in goals (6) and points (13). The win was the third-straight for the Big Red, who will host Ohio Wesleyan for a conference showdown later this afternoon (Oct. 1) at Deeds Field – Piper Stadium.
