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 first-year Hunter Keane, a member of the wrestling team, and senior Grace Misiunas, a sprinter/hurdler on the women's track and field team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.

Keane finished third in the 141-pound bracket at the Tom Jarman Spartan Mat Classic hosted by Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana. Keane went 4-1 in his bouts with three falls and a technical fall. He started the meet with back-to-back first-period falls, defeating Hayden Mason of Huntingdon in 2:12 and Logan Harel of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2:24. In the quarterfinal, Keane did not allow a point to Cornerstone's Luke Jaworski, winning by technical fall 19-0 in 4:27. He battled Cole Thomas of Thomas More in the semifinal, allowing just one takedown and an escape to the 2024 Division II National Champion in a 4-1 decision loss. Keane rebounded in the third-place match, pinning Michael Kallimani of Manchester, the fifth-ranked wrestler in the region, in 3:00. Keane improved to 27-6 in his first season of collegiate wrestling with nine pins and four technical falls. The Spartans placed third out of 17 schools at the meet, totaling 127.5 points.

The Spartans will return to Cleveland on Friday, January 23 for their final home match of the season, hosting Washington & Jefferson at Horsburgh Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Prior to the dual, CWRU will honor its eight graduating members as part of Senior Night.

Misiunas won the 60-meter hurdles at the Spartan Icebreaker on Saturday at the Veale Center in Cleveland. In the prelims, she recorded a time of 9.50 seconds, nearly 0.70 seconds faster than her nearest competitor. In the finals, Misiunas lowered her time to 9.35 seconds, besting the runner-up by 0.42 seconds. The time would rank fifth in the University Athletic Association this season. Overall, the Case Western Reserve women's track and field team won eight events at the meet, the squad's first at home in 2026.

The Spartan track and field teams will make the short trip to John Carroll University on Saturday, January 24 for the Leo Miller/Hayden Snow Meet of Champions. Action is slated to begin at 11 a.m. at the Athletic Wellness & Event Center.

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:

Junior Tanush Anand (men's track and field) recorded the fourth-best mark in the conference in the high jump at the Spartan Icebreaker on Saturday at the Veale Center in Cleveland. Anand cleared 1.90 meters to tie for second in the event. His mark also ranks 93rd nationally. The CWRU men's track and field team won three of the events at the unscored meet.

Senior Mason Bencurik (men's swimming and diving) won two events and placed second in another pair of events for the 11th-ranked Spartans on Saturday in a dual meet with 15th-ranked SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo, New York. Bencurik was the first to touch the wall in both the 100 Free and 200 Free, finishing with times of 47.26 seconds and 1:44.82, respectively. He was the anchor of the 200 Medley Relay, helping the team place second in 1:33.73, and in the 400 Free Relay, placing second with a time of 3:11.60. CWRU, which lost to the Knights 172-128, fell to 4-2 in dual meets this season. 

The Spartans will head to Gambier, Ohio, for a matchup against the nationally ranked Kenyon College Owls on Friday, January 23. Action is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Graduate student guard Ethan Edwards (men's basketball) led the Spartans in points in both of the team's UAA games last weekend. Edwards averaged 24.0 points per game, shooting 48.6% (17-of-35) overall, 50.0% (7-of-14) from three-point range, and 70.0% (7-of-10) from the free throw line, adding 3.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.5 steals per contest. Edwards scored 13 points during the team's 74-61 loss to second-ranked Chicago on Friday night, making five-of-13 shots overall, including two-of-four from three-point range, with two rebounds, a steal, and a block. He then scored 35 points during the team's 100-93 loss to 13th-ranked WashU on Sunday, making a career-high 12 shots on 22 attempts, including five-of-10 from three-point range, with five rebounds, an assist, and a block. He scored 31 of his points in the second half of the game, and his 35 total points scored were the most in a UAA game this season. Edwards leads all CWRU players with 15.2 points per game, while adding 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest this season. The Spartans stand at 8-6 overall with a 0-3 UAA record.

CWRU will begin a four-game UAA road trip next week, traveling to Atlanta to face third-ranked Emory at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 23, and to Rochester, New York, for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the University of Rochester on Sunday, January 25.

Senior Connor Evans (men's track and field) ran the sixth-fastest time in the UAA in the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday at the Spartan Icebreaker. Evans placed second in the event with a time of 8.72 seconds and qualified for the final with a prelims time of 8.88 seconds. He also placed third in the weight throw with a toss of 13.02 meters.

Senior Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving) won three events and placed second in an additional event for the 17th-ranked Spartans on Saturday in a dual meet with 21st-ranked SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo, New York. Individually, Kozma won the 200 Free in 1:56.64 and the 100 Fly in 57.73 seconds. She was also the anchor of the 400 Free Relay, which placed first in 3:37.61, and she was the anchor on the 200 Medley Relay, which took second place in 1:50.26. CWRU, which lost to the Knights 185-115, fell to 4-2 in dual meets this season.

Senior thrower Michelle Lee (women's track and field) recorded the top mark in the UAA in the weight throw on Saturday at the Spartan Icebreaker. Lee tossed the weight 14.20 meters to win the event. 

First-year sprinter Gianna Phipps (women's track and field) set a school record in the 60-meter dash on Saturday at the Spartan Icebreaker. Phipps initially broke the program standard with a time of 7.91 seconds in the prelims. She bettered her time by 0.01 seconds in the finals, winning the event in 7.90 seconds. The previous record was 7.98 seconds set by Skylar Braga in 2016. Phipps' time ranks fifth in the UAA and 63rd nationally. 

Junior forward Maura Schorr (women's basketball) averaged 11.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over a pair of UAA contests last week. Schorr shot 36.4% (8-of-22) from the floor and 66.7% (6-of-9) from the free throw line, while adding three assists, five blocks, and two steals. In a 52-44 loss to 18th-ranked Chicago on Friday night, Schorr scored 13 points on a six-of-12 shooting effort with seven rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a career-high three blocks. She followed that performance by scoring nine points with eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in a 66-52 setback to 13th-ranked WashU on Sunday. Schorr has started all 14 games for the Spartans this season, averaging 8.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game. The Spartans stand at 8-6 overall with a 1-2 UAA record.

CWRU will embark on a four-game UAA road trip starting next weekend, when the team travels to face ninth-ranked Emory in Atlanta on Friday, January 23, at 7:30 p.m., and the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, on Sunday, January 25, at 12 p.m.

Senior Thomas Wagner (wrestling) won all six of his bouts at the Tom Jarman Spartan Mat Classic to win the 157-pound bracket. Wagner won four of his matches by fall, including his final three of the day, and added a technical fall. He started the day with a 19-3 technical fall and followed with a pin in 4:29. After a 12-1 major decision, Wagner pinned his quarterfinal, semifinal, and final opponents. They were Baldwin Wallace's Nicholas Brunst in 4:28, Keagen Mabie from Manchester in 2:48, and Wabash's Andrew Ross in 5:00. Wagner, who has now won 14 consecutive matches, improved to 26-5 this season with eight pins and six technical falls. 

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)
Nov. 18: Jacob Slater (men's cross country) & Kalli Wall (volleyball)
Nov. 24: John Drumm (men's swimming and diving) & Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving)
Dec. 1: Andrew Fox (men's basketball) & Maura Schorr (women's basketball)
Dec. 8: Antonio Sidoti (men's track and field) & Gianna Phipps (women's track and field)
Jan. 5: Anand Dharmarajan (men's basketball) & Mya Hartjes (women's basketball)
Jan. 12: Thomas Wagner (wrestling) & Mya Hartjes (women's basketball)
Jan. 20: Hunter Keane (wrestling) & Grace Misiunas (women's track and field)