Denison University

Three Big Red Earn North Coast Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week

4/13/2026 3:09:00 PM

Cleveland, Ohio - The North Coast Athletic Conference released their Athletes of the Week, and three Denison athletes received honors. Senior Kael Shah of men's tennis, senior Michael Cassidy of men's lacrosse, and sophomore MK Barnhart of women's lacrosse all earned distinction after incredible weeks.

Shah, a senior from Nairobi, Kenya, went 7-1 this week across five teams played, going 3-0 in singles and 4-1 in doubles. Shah earned a win against Santiago Salazar Garza of No. 5 Case Western Reserve in the No. 1 flight 6-1, 6-3, and took home a pair of singles wins on Sunday against Ohio Northern and Wittenberg to end the week perfect. In doubles, Shah would go 4-1, picking up a win in the No. 1 flight against No. 34 Oberlin 6-2, and went 3-0 this past Sunday against Ohio Northern, Wittenberg, and Otterbein, only surrendering two sets total.

Cassidy, a senior from Lake Bluff, Illinois, tallied seven goals, two assists, and three ground balls in two conference wins against Wabash and Wooster. In the Big Red's 19-4 midweek win over Wabash, Cassidy netted a team-high five goals and dished off one assist for six points and a shooting percentage of 83.3%. He then would follow up with a two goal, one assist performance in the 15-3 home win over Wooster this past Saturday, helping Denison to a 4-1 record in conference play.

Barnhart, a sophomore from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, got her teammates involved in many ways over the Big Red's three-game stretch, dishing off 15 assists while scoring three goals, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers. In last Tuesday's 16-2 win over Ohio Wesleyan, Barnhart scored two goals while also having two assists and a ground ball to pace the team. The next day, Barnhart would shine, tying the program-record for most assists in a game with seven in a 17-9 victory over previously undefeated Wooster. She finished her week with six assists and a goal in a 21-3 win over Kenyon, making her second in the conference in assists.

The Big Red men's tennis team will play Ohio Wesleyan at home Saturday, April 18 at 10 am before traveling to Kenyon later that afternoon for a 3 pm start time for the regular season finale. Men's lacrosse stays at home against Kenyon tomorrow, April 14 at 7:30 pm, and women's lacrosse will travel to Wittenberg for a midweek contest on Wednesday, April 15, at 6 pm.

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