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 Jacob Slater, a member of the men's cross country team, and sophomore Izzy Probst, a forward on the women's soccer team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.
Slater secured All-University Athletic Association First Team honors with a fourth-place finish at the conference championship meet at the St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois, on Saturday. Slater was fourth out of 78 total runners, recording a career-best 8K time of 24:28.58 to earn the All-UAA First Team acclaim. He became the first Spartan to secure an All-UAA First Team finish since Joe Jaster in 2022, and it was the highest finish by a Spartan at UAAs since Jaster won the meet in 2022. The time was the fastest by a Spartan runner in an 8K since former Spartan Jack Begley notched a mark of 24:26.8 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in 2022. Slater and the Spartans finished fifth at the UAA Championship.
Case Western Reserve's top runners will turn their attention to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship at Forest Akers East in East Lansing, Michigan, on Saturday, November 14. Meanwhile, the Spartans will also send a contingent of runners to the Wooster Twilight 5K Challenge in Wooster, Ohio, on Friday, November 6.
Probst scored the game-winning goal in the Spartans' 1-0 upset over 21st-ranked Emory on Saturday in Atlanta. Probst netted her eighth goal and fourth game-winning goal of the year in the 59th minute of the game. On a goal kick in the 58th minute, Ellie Palaian sent a long arching pass to Kinzly Gootman. The junior defender headed the ball ahead to Probst, who raced past a defender and fired a shot into the back of the net for the go-ahead strike. The Spartans held on for the win, their first ever on the road over the Eagles. Probst leads the team with 20 points on eight goals and four assists in 2026, her second consecutive season with at least 20 points. CWRU improved to 8-7-1 overall and 2-4-0 in UAA play with the victory.
The Spartans will conclude the regular season on Saturday, November 7 with a home game against 12th-ranked Carnegie Mellon scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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
First-year swimmer Eddie Campion (men's swimming and diving) recorded a pair of top two finishes during a loss to seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Campion won the 1000 Free in a season-best time of 9:48.30, besting the second place finisher by nearly three seconds. He finished second in the 500 Free in a season-best time of 4:45.47. CWRU lost 194-105 to the Tartans, dropping to 2-1 in dual meets this year.
CWRU will make the trip to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Division II Gannon University in a dual meet on Saturday, November 7. Action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Senior quarterback Sam DeTillio (football) put together his best effort of the season during the team's 51-7 win over Thiel College on Senior Day at DiSanto Field in Cleveland on Saturday. DeTillio completed all seven of his pass attempts for 83 yards, while running the ball five times for 44 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown run with 5:54 left in the third quarter that extended the team's lead to 44-0. DeTillio has played in six games this season, completing 61.0% of his passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while carrying the ball 29 times for 102 yards and five touchdowns. The Spartans improved to 7-1 with the win, with a 4-1 record in Presidents' Athletic Conference games.
The Spartans have a stretch of back-to-back road games to end their regular season, starting with a key matchup next week at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, November 7.
Junior Elena Esquivel (volleyball) recorded her second double-double of the campaign as the Spartans dropped a pair of matches on Saturday at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland. Esquivel totaled 37 assists, 16 digs, and three service aces across seven sets, leading the team in assists on the day. She had 22 assists and 10 digs in a four-set loss to 11th-ranked Calvin, adding three service aces and a kill for four points. In a three-set setback to William Smith, Esquivel had 15 assists and six digs. In eight matches this season, she is averaging 5.21 assists and 1.97 digs per set. The Spartans fell to 9-16 with the two losses.
Junior linebacker Tim Gonakis (football) helped lead a dominating defensive effort for the Spartans in a 51-7 win over Thiel College on Senior Day at DiSanto Field in Cleveland on Saturday. Gonakis and the Spartans' defense limited the Tomcats to just 181 yards of offense and seven first downs in the game, including just 11 rushing yards. With Gonakis in the game, the Spartans allowed just 66 yards of offense and three first downs. Individually, he finished the game with two tackles (one solo) and intercepted the first pass of his career with 3:30 left in the first quarter and Thiel at the CWRU 12-yard line. Gonakis has totaled 29 tackles (17 solo) with one sack, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Junior Andy Kavcic (football) returned a punt for a touchdown during the Spartans' 51-7 win over Thiel College on Senior Day at DiSanto Field in Cleveland on Saturday. After CWRU's defense forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the game, Andy Kavcic took a lateral, crossfield pass from his twin brother, Jake, and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. He also carried the ball eight times for 69 yards and had a 42-yard touchdown run to give CWRU a 16-0 lead with 14:13 left in the second quarter. Kavcic has run the ball 119 times for 753 yards and six touchdowns this season, while adding 25 catches for 232 yards and four scores.
Sophomore diver Jayna Kawas (women's swimming and diving) averaged almost 250 points across both boards on Saturday in a dual meet loss to 12th-ranked Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Kawas recorded career-best marks in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. She scored 246.25 in the 1-meter dive to place second and 243.55 in the 3-meter dive to place fourth. CWRU lost 210-90 to the Tartans, dropping to 2-1 in dual meets this season.
Junior goalkeeper Ellie Palaian (women's soccer) posted a shutout in the team's 1-0 upset of 21st-ranked Emory on Saturday in Atlanta. Playing in her hometown, Palaian saved six shots, her second-most in a game this season, to prevent the Eagles from scoring. Emory totaled 23 shots in the game, including six on goal. The shutout was the third of the year for the junior goalkeeper and the 15th of her career. It also marked the third-ever time the Spartans shut out the Eagles in a game. Palaian also earned an assist on the game-winning goal. Palaian lowered her goals against average to 1.46 this season and increased her save percentage to .722.
Sophomore swimmer Sohalya Rawlins (women's swimming and diving) won one event and placed second in three others during the Spartans' loss to 12th-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Rawlins placed first in the 50 Free, touching the wall at 24.54 to win the event. She was second in the 100 Free with a time of 54.98 and helped the Spartans finish second in the 200 Medley Relay (1:50.81) and 200 Free Relay (1:39.67), serving as the anchor on both relays.
Senior Cameron Thayer (men's soccer) scored for the third-ranked Spartans in the team's 1-1 tie with Emory on Saturday in Atlanta. Thayer scored in the 43rd minute of the game, collecting a saved shot off the foot of sophomore Aydin Sumer and sending it into the back of the net. Thayer also played all 90 minutes on the team's backline, helping to hold Emory to just three shots on goal. It was his second goal of the campaign in his 15th start. CWRU moved to 11-0-4 and 3-0-3 in UAA contests with the draw.
CWRU will conclude the regular season with a visit from Carnegie Mellon on Saturday, November 7 at 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the team will celebrate its graduating members as part of Senior Day. With a win, the Spartans will clinch their third UAA championship and first since 2011.
Sophomore Halina Tompkins (women's cross country) was the Spartans' top finisher at the 2026 UAA Women's Cross Country Championship at the St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois, on Saturday. Tompkins placed 19th overall out of 76 competitors with a time of 21:48.27, besting her previous career-best mark by over 29 seconds. The time was the fastest by a Spartan in the 6K since Lauren Iagnemma's 21:43.6 at the NCAA Championship in 2024. CWRU finished sixth in the team standings at the conference meet.
Sophomore diver Ryan Wells (men's swimming and diving) won both of the diving events in a loss to seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Wells scored 326.60 in the 3-meter dive and 315.15 in the 1-meter dive to sweep the boards. Both scores were career-high marks for the returning All-American.
First-year outside hitter Maya Zarow (volleyball) had at least 10 kills in two matches for the Spartans as the team hosted a tri-match on Saturday afternoon inside Horsburgh Gymnasium. Zarow totaled 32 kills in seven sets, adding three service aces and 16 digs. In a four-set loss to 11th-ranked Calvin, she had 19 kills, one shy of her season high, and 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. In a three-set loss to William Smith, Zarow led the squad with 13 kills. She has 300 kills (3.23 per set) and 118 digs (1.27 per set) this season, leading CWRU with 319.5 points.
2026-27 Spartan Club Athletes of the Week
Sept. 8: Aaron Filips (football) & Izzy Probst (women's soccer)
Sept. 14: Micah Rossen (men's soccer) & Maya Zarow (volleyball)
Sept. 21: Andy Kavcic (football) & Reid Smith (women's cross country)
Sept. 28: Carter Shedd (men's soccer) & Gabby Lee (women's tennis)
Oct. 5: Rowan Matorin (men's tennis) & Izzy Probst (women's soccer)
Oct. 12: Jake Kavcic (football) & Sheila Monera Cabarique (women's swimming and diving)
Oct. 19: Yaw Gyamfi (football) & Halina Tompkins (women's cross country)
Oct. 26: Cormac Apostolides (men's soccer) & Madeline Halter (volleyball)
Nov. 2: Jacob Slater (men's cross country) & Izzy Probst (women's soccer)
