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 senior Thomas Wagner, a member of the wrestling team, and senior Emily Plachta, a guard/forward on the women's basketball team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.

Wagner won the 157-pound open bracket for the Spartans at the Bob Del Rosa Open at the Veale Center in Cleveland on Sunday. In the quarterfinals, Wagner won by technical fall, 17-1, over Isaac Valdez of Tiffin. He followed with a 16-1 technical fall over Thaddeus Stuckey of Tiffin in the semifinal. In the final, Wagner outlasted Lake Erie's Josh Howey, winning by decision 3-1 to win the first bracket of his career. Wagner improved to 7-1 during the 2025-26 campaign.

The Spartans will travel to Adrian, Michigan, for a dual against 23rd-ranked Adrian College on Saturday, November 15 at 2 p.m.

Plachta was named the Most Valuable Player at the MSOE STEM Tip-Off Tournament after helping lead the Spartans to two wins and the tournament championship over the weekend in Milwaukee. Plachta averaged 21.5 points over the two games, shooting 11-of-21 overall (52.4%), 7-of-14 from long range (50.0%), 14-of-17 from the free throw line (82.4%). She added 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game during the tournament. She scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Spartans to an 81-33 win over Rose-Hulman in the first game of the tournament, shooting seven-of-12 from the floor, four-of-eight from three-point range, and six-of-eight from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block. She paced the team to a 58-51 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the next day to clinch the tournament title, scoring 18 points on four-of-nine shooting from the floor (including three-of-six from three-point range) and eight-of-nine shooting on free throw attempts with four rebounds, an assist, and two steals. The Spartans have opened the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

The Spartans will return to Cleveland for their first home game of the campaign, hosting Adrian College inside Horsburgh Gymnasium at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 15.

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:

Senior swimmer Mason Bencurik (men's swimming and diving) helped the 11th-ranked Spartans win four events in a win over Gannon on Saturday at Veale Natatorium in Cleveland. Bencurik took first place in the 100 Free in a season-best time of 45.54 seconds and was the first to touch the wall in the 200 Free in 1:41.88. He also served as the anchor on the 400 Medley Relay, which set a pool record in 3:19.94, and the 400 Free Relay, which finished in 3:04.40. CWRU improved to 4-1 in dual meets with the 171-117 victory over the Golden Knights.

After a week off from competition, the Spartans will travel to Gambier, Ohio, for the Total Performance Invite hosted by Kenyon College from Thursday, November 20 and Saturday, November 22. Additionally, the team's divers will head to Chicago for the Phoenix Diving Classic on Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23.

Senior wide receiver Dylan Cave (football) led all players in Saturday's 28-14 loss to Grove City College with 76 receiving yards on six catches, including one touchdown. Cave's touchdown catch was a 13-yard grab in the endzone with 9:37 left in the game and pulled CWRU back within one score, 21-14. He has caught 33 passes this season for 426 yards, and the touchdown was his third of the campaign. The Spartans stand at 4-4-1 overall on the season with a 4-3 Presidents' Athletic Conference mark.

The Spartans will conclude their 2025 season at home next Saturday, November 15, against Geneva College at 1 p.m. Prior to the start of the game, the team will recognize the 26 graduating players who will be appearing in their final collegiate game with a Senior Day ceremony.

Senior midfielder Ceci Dapino (women's soccer) scored her 10th goal of the season for the sixth-ranked Spartans in a 1-1 tie with 18th-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in Pittsburgh. In the 56th minute, Dapino received the ball at the edge of the box, beat three defenders, and fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net for the first goal of the game. She has 23 points this season on 23 points with 10 goals and three assists, ranking second on the team in scoring and points. CWRU finished the regular season with an overall record of 13-2-3 and a 3-2-2 mark in the University Athletic Association.

CWRU, which is in a solid position to reach the NCAA Tournament based on NPI, will learn its postseason fate later today during a Selection Show that will air at 11 a.m. on ncaa.com. The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are scheduled for the weekend of November 14-16. 

Sophomore guard Matthew Ellis (men's basketball) led the Spartans to a 99-79 win over Houghton University in the team's season-opener at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland on Saturday night. Ellis finished the game with a team-high 14 points over his 15 minutes of action, registering a six-of-10 shooting performance, including two-of-three from long range, and recording a pair of steals. Saturday's game marked the fourth-straight season that the Spartans have won their season-opening game.

The Spartans will begin a stretch of five straight games away from home, starting with a matchup at Penn State Behrend on Tuesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Sophomore setter Elena Esquivel (volleyball) directed the CWRU offense in a three-set victory over the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon. Esquivel finished the match with 32 assists, the most for her this season in a three-set match. She added 13 digs, four blocks, and five kills for the Spartans in the victory. This season, Esquivel averages 5.95 assists (643 total assists), 2.83 digs (306 total), 0.78 kills, and 0.47 blocks per set. CWRU improved to 15-13 with the win.

The Spartans will conclude the 2025 season with the University Athletic Association Championship, hosted by Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, on November 15 and 16. CWRU, seeded fifth in the eight-team tournament, will face fourth-seeded Carnegie Mellon in the quarterfinal on Saturday at 11 a.m. followed by a matchup against either the top-seeded University of Chicago or eighth-seeded Rochester at either 1 or 3 p.m.

First-year linebacker Jack Griffiths (football) helped to lead a strong defensive effort in a 28-14 loss to Grove City College at DiSanto Field in Cleveland on Saturday. Griffiths started and recorded a career-high seven tackles (three solo) in the game. He also added his second interception of the season, ending a Wolverines' drive with a pick at the Spartans' 39-yard line. His effort helped the Spartans hold the Wolverines to just 259 yards of offense. Griffiths has played in all nine games this season for the Spartans, recording 31 tackles (17 solo), two interceptions, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. 

Sophomore Adam Joseph (men's cross country) placed first out of 34 finishers at the Wooster Twilight 5K Challenge at John P. Papp Stadium in Wooster, Ohio, on Friday night. Joseph crossed the finish line in a time of 15:34.4 seconds to win the race.

CWRU will be back in action next weekend, as the top-seven runners from the men's and women's teams will head to Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky, for the 2025 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship. The Spartans can earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by winning the race, or can strengthen their resume for one of the 22 at-large bids available to the field. Should the Spartans not qualify as a team, the top-seven finishers at each regional that are not part of a qualifying team will earn an individual bid to the field.

First-year diver Jayna Kawas (women's swimming and diving) swept the diving events to help the 13th-ranked Spartans defeat Division II Gannon on Saturday at Veale Natatorium in Cleveland. Kawas recorded marks of 215.40 (1-meter) and 229.73 (3-meter) to place first in both events. 

Senior swimmer Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving) swam a NCAA B cut time and helped the 13th-ranked Spartans win three events in a win over Division II Gannon on Saturday at Veale Natatorium in Cleveland. Kozma swept the butterfly events, winning the 100 Fly in 55.98 seconds and the 200 Fly in 2:04.24. She led off the 400 Free Relay with an NCAA B cut and personal-best time of 51.34 seconds as the Spartans won the event with a time of 3:31.98. Her time in the 100 Free ranks seventh in the country. CWRU improved to 4-1 with the 176-118 win over the Golden Knights.

Sophomore Becca Liaw (women's cross country) was the Spartans' top finisher at the Wooster Twilight 5K Challenge at John P. Papp Stadium in Wooster, Ohio, on Friday night. Liaw placed third out of 20 finishers in the women's 5K race, crossing the finish line in a time of 18:39.5.

Senior middle blocker Amanda Ngo (volleyball) led the Spartan offense in a three-set victory over the College of Wooster on Saturday in Wooster, Ohio. Ngo finished the match with a team-high 12 kills. She made just two errors in three sets, finishing with an attacking percentage of .400. Ngo added four blocks for CWRU in the victory. This season, she averages 2.62 kills per set (283 total) with a .286 attacking percentage to go along with 0.94 blocks per set (102 total). Ngo reached the 100-block milestone for the second season in a row and ranks seventh in program history with 305 career blocks.

Junior diver Jack Rudofsky (men's swimming and diving) won an event and placed second in another to help the 11th-ranked Spartans defeat Gannon on Saturday at Veale Natatorium in Cleveland. Rudofsky won the 1-meter dive with a score of 265.13 and placed second in the 3-meter dive with a score of 235.20. CWRU improved to 4-1 in dual meets with the 171-117 victory over the Golden Knights.

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)
Oct. 27: Bradley Winter (men's soccer) & Ellie Palaian (women's soccer)
Nov. 3: Art Martinez (wrestling) & Sohalya Rawlins (women's swimming and diving)
Nov. 10: Thomas Wagner (wrestling) & Emily Plachta (women's basketball)