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Case Western Reserve University graduate student Ethan Edwards, a guard on the men's basketball team, and junior Lillian Paley, a swimmer on the women's swimming and diving team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.

Edwards averaged 23.0 points per game over a pair of road University Athletic Association contests for the Spartans last weekend, including a 29-point effort during the team's upset win over 22nd-ranked New York University on Friday. Edwards averaged 30.0 minutes per game and finished the weekend shooting 53.1% overall (17-32), including 60.0% (6-10) from three-point range and made all three of his free throw attempts. He added 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game during the weekend. During the team's 87-82 win at NYU on Friday night, he scored 29 points on an 11-of-17 shooting effort overall, including 5-5 on three-point attempts, with two rebounds and two assists. He followed that by scoring 17 points in a 90-79 loss at Brandeis on Sunday, making six shots on 15 attempts (four-of-10 from three-point range) with five rebounds and a steal. Edwards has scored in double figures in each of the team's last 10 games and leads the squad with 16.7 points per game, including 20.6 points per game in UAA play, the third-best mark in the conference. The Spartans stand at 9-9 overall, including a 1-6 mark in conference play halfway through the league schedule.

The Spartans will return home next weekend to host 22nd-ranked New York University on Friday, February 6, at 5:30 p.m., and Brandeis at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 8. Next weekend will also mark Throwback Weekend for the Spartans, as the team will wear Western Reserve University Red Cats uniforms on Friday night and Case Institute of Technology Rough Riders uniforms on Sunday, to honor the history of the University.

Paley won three for the 24th-ranked Spartans during the squad's 203-94 dual meet victory over John Carroll University on Saturday in University Heights, Ohio. Paley swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 Breast in 1:09.89 and the 200 Breast in 2:28.37. She also touched the wall first in the 200 IM, completing the race in 2:13.54. CWRU ended the dual season with a record of 6-3.

The Spartan swimmers will take a week off from intercollegiate competition before the University Athletic Association Championships. The four-day meet hosted by the University of Chicago at the Ratner Athletic Center runs from Wednesday, February 11 to Saturday, February 14. The teams' divers will head to Berea, Ohio, on Saturday, February 7 for the Yellow Jacket Diving Invitational.

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) placed first in a pair of events for the 16th-ranked Spartans during the team's 173-115 dual victory of John Carroll University on Saturday in University Heights, Ohio. Bencurik touched the wall first in the 100 Free in 46.88 seconds. He was also a member of the 400 Free Relay which took first place in 3:06.05. CWRU ended the dual season with a record of 6-3 following the win over its crosstown rival.

First-year sprinter Samaria Benochi (women's track and field) had three top-two finishes for the Spartans at the Dr. Taraschke Team Challenge hosted by Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, on Friday evening. Benochi won the 400-meter dash in 1:01.10, the 10th-fastest time in the conference this season. She was also a member of the winning 4x400-meter relay, which recorded a time of 4:16.88. Benochi was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash in 27.30 seconds. The CWRU women's track and field team placed second out of five teams at the meet with 73 points.

The Spartans will be on the road for a pair of Ohio meets next weekend, heading to Ashland for the Jud Logan Light Giver on Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7 and going to Granville for the Bob Shannon Invite hosted by Denison University on Saturday.

Junior guard Mya Hartjes (women's basketball) averaged a team-best 16.0 points and 5.5 assists per game over a pair of UAA road games for the Spartans last weekend. Hartjes averaged 32.0 minutes per game and finished the weekend shooting 51.9% (14-of-27) overall, including 42.9% (3-of-7) from three-point range, and made her only free throw attempts, while adding 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. She scored 16 points to lead the team during its 93-64 loss at top-ranked NYU on Friday night, making seven-of-12 shots overall, including two-of-three from behind the three-point line, with six assists and two rebounds. On Sunday, in a 77-69 loss at Brandeis, she added another 16-point showing on a seven-of-15 shooting effort (one-of-four from three-point range) with five assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Hartjes leads all CWRU players this year with 15.7 points and 3.6 assists per game, while collecting 6.2 rebounds per game. The Spartans stand at 8-10 overall with a 1-6 UAA mark halfway through the league schedule.

The Spartans will return home next weekend to host top-ranked New York University on Friday, February 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Brandeis at 12 p.m. on Sunday, February 8. Next weekend will also mark Throwback Weekend for the Spartans, as the team will wear Mather College uniforms for both games to honor the history of the University.

Senior hurdler Bryce Hodge (men's track and field) won the 55-meter hurdles for the Spartans at the Dr. Taraschke Team Challenge hosted by Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, on Friday. In the prelims, Hodge recorded a time of 7.95 seconds, the fastest time among all competitors. He followed that with a mark of 7.88 seconds in the final, the fifth-fastest mark in program history. After converting the time to 60 meters, Hodge has the second-best time in the conference and the 89th-best time in Division III this season. The CWRU men's track and field team finished third out of five teams with 52 points at the meet.

First-year diver Jayna Kawas (women's swimming and diving) swept the boards in a dual meet victory for the 24th-ranked Spartans over John Carroll University on Saturday in University Heights, Ohio. Kawas placed first in the 1-meter dive with a score of 413.70 and won the 3-meter dive with a score of 396.30. Both scores were high enough to count as qualifying marks for the NCAA Regional Meet in March. CWRU defeated JCU 203-94 to end the dual season with a record of 6-3.

First-year Hunter Keane (wrestling) achieved the highest finish by a Spartan in 15 years at the historic Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational hosted by Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, last weekend, leading the squad to its by team placement at the meet in over two decades. Keane placed second in the 141-pound bracket with an overall record of 4-1 and three pins. On Friday, he won all three of his matches by fall to advance to the semifinal round. Keane defeated Ulises Rosas in 1:22, Noah Henderson in 1:39, and Casper Caizzo in 2:26. In the semifinal, he defeated Sean Conway from the University of Chicago, the eighth-ranked wrestler in Division III, by decision 5-4. In the final, Keane lost to the ninth-ranked national wrestler 13-11. Overall, the Spartans placed ninth out of 30 teams with 78.0 points with five members of the squad finishing on the podium. Keane improved to 32-7 in his collegiate debut season with 12 pins and five technical falls, winning 18 of his last 20 matches.

CWRU will travel across town for the 39th Annual John Summa Invitational, hosted by Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio. Action is slated to begin on Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m. It will be the team's final tuneup before the University Athletic Association Championship.

Junior diver Jack Rudofsky (men's swimming and diving) won both diving events for the 16th-ranked Spartans to help the team defeat John Carroll University on Saturday in University Heights, Ohio. Rudofsky won the 3-meter dive with a score of 448.73 and placed first in the 1-meter dive with a score of 441.08    . Both scores were high enough to count as qualifying marks for the NCAA Regional Meet in March. CWRU defeated JCU 173-115 to end the dual season with a record of 6-3.

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)
Jan. 26: William Froass (men's swimming and diving) & Michelle Lee (women's track and field)
Feb. 2: Ethan Edwards (men's basketball) & Lillian Paley (women's swimming and diving)