The Spartan Club, comprised of Case Institute of Technology (CIT), Western Reserve University (WRU) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) alumni, parents of current students, faculty and staff, and friends of the University, is aimed at helping foster and honor the proud tradition of athletics at the University, while also supporting the current student-athletes. For more information on the Spartan Club, and to help support its purpose by becoming a member, CLICK HERE.
Case Western Reserve University junior Jacob Slater, a member of the men's cross country team, and first-year Halina Tompkins, a member of the women's cross country team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.
Tompkins led the team to a first-place finish at the Inter-Regional Rumble in Oberlin, Ohio, on Saturday. Tompkins recorded the fastest 6K time by a Spartan this season, crossing the finish line in a career-best time of 22:17.9. The mark was a 13-second improvement over her previous career-best effort. She notched a 10th-place finish out of 213 runners at the race and helped the Spartans win the team title at the meet for the first time since the 2018 campaign.
Slater was the team's top finisher at the Inter-Regional Rumble in Oberlin, Ohio, on Saturday. Slater placed second out of 227 runners in the men's 8K varsity race at the meet, crossing the finish line in a time of 25:14.4. He has now been the team's top finisher in each of the three races he has competed in this season. Slater's performance helped the Spartans win the team title at the meet for the first time since the 2018 campaign.
The Case Western Reserve cross country teams will now turn their attention to the final stretch of their 2025 campaign. CWRU will begin its championship season in two weeks, traveling to Edwardsville, Illinois, for the 2025 University Athletic Association Men's and Women's Championships, hosted by Washington University in St. Louis, on Saturday, November 1.
The Spartan Club Athletes of the Week are selected by the CWRU Department of Athletics each Monday, based on their performance during the previous week of competition.
Honorable Mentions:
Sophomore setter Elena Esquivel (volleyball) filled the stat sheet during the team's five set victory over John Carroll on Wednesday night at the DeCarlo Varsity Center in University Heights, Ohio. Esquivel paced the squad with 33 assists, tied for the team lead with 18 digs, and added two blocks, two service aces, and two kills. Her 18 digs were two shy of matching a season-high and she recorded at least 30 assists for the fourth time in 2025. This season, she has totaled 531 assists (5.71 per set), 257 digs (2.76 per set), 66 kills, 39 total blocks (four solo), and 20 service aces. The Spartans improved to 13-11 with the victory over their crosstown rival, their fifth in a row this season.
The Spartans are off from competition until the third UAA Round Robin, hosted by the University of Chicago on Sunday, October 26. CWRU will face NYU at 1 p.m. ET before a match against the host Maroons at 3 p.m. ET.
Senior midfielder Mackenzie Mueller (women's soccer) assisted on both Spartan goals during the sixth-ranked team's 2-2 tie with the fifth-ranked University of Chicago on Saturday afternoon at the Stagg Grass Field in Chicago. Mueller set up the first goal of the game in the 28th minute with a play in the defensive half of the field, spinning around a defender and launching a long ball forward to sophomore Abby Welker, who converted from just outside the box to give CWRU a 1-0 lead. Exactly 50 minutes in the game, Mueller sent another perfect leading pass to senior Ceci Dapino, who sent a strike past the goalkeeper to give the Spartans a 2-1 edge. The two assists were the first of the season for Mueller, who has eight points in 2025. In 70 career matches, she has 10 goals and eight assists for 28 points. CWRU moved to 11-1-2 this season and 1-1-1 in conference play following the draw.
The Spartans will continue conference play this weekend when the team travels east for a pair of games. CWRU is slated to face 13th-ranked Brandeis on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Waltham, Massachusetts, before heading to Newark, New Jersey, to take on 25th-ranked NYU at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Senior outside hitter Kalli Wall (volleyball) matched a career high in kills in a five-set victory over John Carroll on Wednesday night. Wall put down 23 kills in the match, tying a career high she set earlier this season in a five-set loss. She finished the match with a hitting percentage of .367, committing five errors on 49 attacks. Wall added two blocks (one solo) and four digs for CWRU in the win over its crosstown rival. This season, she leads the team with 339 kills (3.65 per set) on a .249 hitting percentage, adding 93 digs (1.00 per set) and 54 blocks (0.58 per set).
2025-26 Spartan Club Athletes of the Week:
Sept. 2: Jacob Slater (men's cross country) & Jamie Goldfarb (women's soccer)
Sept. 8: Mitchell Fein (men's soccer) & Maggie Farra (women's soccer)
Sept. 15: Bradley Winter (men's soccer) & Ceci Dapino (women's soccer)
Sept. 22: Daniel King (football) & Halina Tompkins (women's cross country)
Sept. 29: Sam DeTillio (football) & Kalli Wall (volleyball)
Oct. 6: Osi Chukwuocha (football) & Ceci Dapino (women's soccer)
Oct. 13: Kalli Wall (volleyball) & Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving)
Oct. 20: Jacob Slater (men's cross country) & Halina Tompkins (women's cross country)
