CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Denison Big Red had a banner week with five different student-athletes from five different sports winning North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors. The honorees were Alex Minton (football), Dylan Brown (men's soccer), Maggie Armstrong (women's soccer), Payton McElfresh (volleyball), and Christian Early (men's golf).
Minton, the junior running back from Bethel Park, Pa., continued his torrid stretch, winning back-to-back NCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors with consecutive 200-yard rushing games. With his 219 yards and three touchdowns, Minton led the Big Red to a 48-20 win over the Hiram Terriers, while moving himself into 16th in the nation in total rushing yards with 1,033. Minton, who rushed for 226 yards in last week's win over Ohio Wesleyan, became the first player in Denison history to post consecutive 200-yard rushing games. He also surpassed 1,000-yards rushing for the second-straight season.
With the win, the Big Red currently control their own destiny for at least a share of the conference championship for the first time since 1986. The Big Red returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. for Senior Day against the College of Wooster.
On the soccer pitch, Brown helped the Big Red clinch a spot in the NCAC Men's Soccer Tournament by knocking of previously-ranked No. 22 Ohio Wesleyan, 2-1. With 34 total shots by the Battling Bishops, including 12 on goal, Brown recorded a season-high 11 saves helping his team secure the first win over Ohio Wesleyan since 2009. The win sets up a rematch with the Batting Bishops in the NCAC Tournament semifinal on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in Delaware.
On the women's side, Armstrong and Denison women's soccer clinched the 2018 NCAC Championship with a 2-1 victory at Ohio Wesleyan. With the game tied 1-1 coming down the home stretch, the senior from Wilmette, Ill. gathered the loose ball and finished in the back of the net in the 75th minute to secure her ninth goal of the season and the win. She also tallied two assists and another game-winning goal in the 5-0 win over Hiram on Oct. 27. This marks a conference-best 10 NCAC championships for the Big Red, and the first outright championship since 2009. Armstrong and the Big Red return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 31 when they host the No. 4 seed Wittenberg Tigers at 7 p.m. in the NCAC Tournament semifinal.
For the Big Red volleyball team, McElfresh helped Denison secure back-to-back 3-0 wins against the College of Wooster and Capital University to close out the regular season. Between the two matches, McElfresh recorded a combined 21 kills on 42 total attacks to go along with 23 digs. With the regular season coming to a close, the Big Red enter the NCAC Tournament with a matchup against the No. 7 seed College of Wooster on Friday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.
Rounding out DU's weekly honors was Early who paced the men's golf team to a first-place team championship at the 2018 Virtues Fall Shootout on Monday, Oct. 22 with a team score of 629. Early finished off his impressive tournament with birdies on 16 and 17 to finish with a second-round score of 74, good enough for an individual finish in second place. This is the Big Red's first regular-season tournament win since the Ted Barclay Spring Invitational in 2015.
