AOWS CONTINUE TO FLOW FOR SPARTANS...
CLEVELAND, OH (November 20, 2007) - The University Athletic Association (UAA) announced their Athletes of the Week (AOW) for this week and the Spartans took home four awards after solid performances in football and cross country last weekend.
Senior women's cross country runner Esther Erb (Richmond, VA -pictured on page one ) earned the Women's Cross Country Co-AOW after a solid showing at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, while the Spartan football team garnered three awards, as sophomore quarterback Dan Whalen (Willoughby, OH) earned Offensive AOW, senior linebacker Mike Tuertscher (Cincinnati, OH) earned Defensive AOW, and junior defensive end/punter Brian Calderone (Brecksville, OH) earned Special Teams AOW, after the team upended Widener University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.
Erb earned All-America accolades for the second consecutive year at the 2007 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships in Northfield, MN, leading the Spartans to their best-ever finish with a sixth-place performance in the 32-team field. Erb posted a 27th-place individual finish in the field of 280 runners, completing the 6,000-meter race in a time of 22:02.
Whalen completed 26-of-47 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, the second being the game-winner in the game's closing seconds, to lead the Spartans to a 21-20 win over Widener in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Championships. Whalen hit wide receiver ShaunNicely with a 97-yard reception- the longest offensive play in school history- to give Case a 15-14 lead with 7:23 to play in the fourth quarter. After Widener regained the lead with 1:27 to play, Whalen sparked a 14-play, 73-yard game-winning drive, converting three fourth-down passes, the last one resulting in a seven-yard touchdown pass with two seconds remaining.
Tuertscher registered a game-high tying 11 tackles (two for a loss of four yards), an interception and a quarterback sack to help the Spartans to victory. Tuertscher and the Case defense limited the Widener offense to 79 yards rushing and 262 yards of total offense.
Calderone averaged 32.2 yards on five punts and registered six tackles and a quarterback sack as a defensive end to contribute to the Spartans' win. Two of his punts fell inside or near the Widener 20-yard line, including a long of 52-yards that pinned the Pride inside their own 18-yard line early in the second quarter.
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