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 Karen Potts, an infielder on the softball team, and senior Connor Evans, a hurdler/thrower on the men's track and field team, have been named the Spartan Club Athletes of the Week for their performances this past week.

Potts was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Swarthmore Regional of the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship based on her performance last week. Potts went five-for-eight at the plate with two doubles and a triple. She had a .750 on-base percentage, drawing four walks, and a 1.125 slugging percentage. Potts scored six times, drove in a run, and stole four bases during the three games. In a 3-2 victory over Muskingum on Thursday, she had a single and a double and scored two of the team's three runs. The following day, in a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over 14th-ranked Swarthmore, Potts drove in a run, scored once, had two hits, walked, and stole a base. And in the 6-0 regional final win on Friday, Potts led off the game with a triple, scored three times, and was walked three times, stealing two bases. This season, she leads the team with a .423 batting average, slugging .832 with a .506 on-base percentage. The Spartans, who advanced to the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five years, improved to 30-12 with the three victories.

Case Western Reserve will travel to Virginia Beach, Virginia, for a best-of-three series against top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University on Thursday and Friday. The winner of the series will advance to the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals in Salem, Virginia.

Evans completed the first decathlon by a Spartan in seven years at the Mount Union Last Chance Meet in Alliance, Ohio, on Wednesday and Thursday. Evans placed third overall in the competition, scoring 5,155 points across the 10 events. On the track, he scored 798 points in the 110-meter hurdles (15.43 seconds), 681 points in the 100-meter dash (11.85 seconds), 478 points in the 400-meter dash (58.15 seconds), and 223 points in the 1,500-meter run (6:10.57). He cleared 1.67 meters in the high jump to score 520 points and 3.27 meters in the pole vault to add 423 points while leaping 6.11 meters in the long jump for 610 points. In the field, Evans tossed the discus 35.36 meters (571 points), the shot put 10.35 meters (507 points), and the javelin 33.18 meters (344 points). 

The last chance meet was the final competition of the 2025-26 season for the CWRU men's track and field team.

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 runner Donovan Crowley (men's track and field) lowered his time in the 1,500-meter run at the Augustana Twilight Final Qualifier on Wednesday night in Rock Island, Illinois. Crowley finished the race in 3:51.40, placing ninth overall and eighth among Division III runners. His time was the 55th-fastest in Division III this season and ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region in 2026, earning him All-Region honors. The last chance meet was the final competition of the 2025-26 season for the CWRU men's track and field team.

Senior runner Ayla Grabenbauer (women's track and field) recorded a career-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Augustana Twilight Final Qualifier on Wednesday night in Rock Island, Illinois. Grabenbauer completed the race in 10:45.15, placing fifth overall in the event. She just missed qualifying for the national championship meet, recording the 25th-fastest time in Division III which was 1.19 seconds from the final accepted mark. Grabenbauer did earn All-Region honors, running the fourth-best time in the Great Lakes Region in the event. CWRU completed the regular season at the last chance meet with one member of the women's track and field team qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

First-year pitcher Camryn Mclelland (softball) was named to the All-Tournament Team of the Swarthmore Regional of the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship based on her performance last week. Mclelland went 2-0 in the circle, allowing an earned run average of 2.23 across 15 and two-third innings. In the opening contest against Muskingum, a 3-2 victory, Mclelland picked up the win, allowing just one earned run across six and two-third innings with four strikeouts. The following day, she tossed six innings in a 9-8 win over Swarthmore, conceding four runs with five strikeouts. Mclelland started the regional final, throwing three scoreless innings with a strikeout to contribute to a 6-0 shutout victory. This season, Mclelland is 11-4 with a 3.93 ERA across 20 appearances, striking out 87 batters in 92 and two-third innings of work. The Spartans, who advanced to the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five years, improved to 30-12 with the three victories.

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)
Feb. 9: Alexander Goldman (wrestling) & Maura Schorr (women's basketball)
Feb. 16: Art Martinez (wrestling) & Gianna Phipps (women's track and field)
Feb. 23: Ethan Edwards (men's basketball) & Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving)
March 2: Mathew Gummere (wrestling) & Gianna Phipps (women's track and field)
March 16: Art Martinez (wrestling) & Kate Coonan (softball)
March 23: John Drumm (men's swimming and diving) & Claire Kozma (women's swimming and diving)
March 30: Garrett Myers (men's track and field) & Katalina Wang (women's tennis)
April 6: Santiago Salazar Garza (men's tennis) & Gianna Phipps (women's track and field)
April 13: Anthony DeCarlo (men's track and field) & Josephine Alspaw (softball)
April 20: Ayush Shetty (baseball) & Elizabeth Berry (softball)
April 27: Donovan Crowley (men's track and field) & Gianna Phipps (women's track and field)
May 4: Sophia Becker (softball) & Sean Donahue (baseball)
May 11: Matthew Plunkett (men's tennis) & Arianna Holbrook (women's track and field)
May 18: Karen Potts (softball) & Connor Evans (men's track and field)