Previous week recap:

Monday, April 21

Women’s golf wrapped up its 2025 season finishing fifth at the Horizon League Championships in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Their fifth place finish is the best finish for the team since the 2016-17 season. Gracie Baun led the Norse, finishing T-11 at +20. Baun fired rounds of 77, 77 & 85 (239) at the tournament. Kenna Jenkinson was not too far behind Baun, finishing 17th at +22. Jenkinson (82, 78, 81 — 241) made three birdies on the weekend. Ella Hardy finished in the top 25 at T-24. Hardy (84, 82, 85 — 251) made a pair of birdies in round two and three overall. Rachel DiDonato played rounds two and three, shooting an 83 and an 84. Reagan Nolan fired a 93 in round one.

Men’s golf wrapped up its 2025 season finishing eighth in the Horizon League Championships in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Justin Gabbard finished the tournament at +7 (77, 77, 69 — 223). Gabbard made eight birdies on the weekend, including five in his final round 69 to finish T-11. Zack Beard finished 19th (+11) and sat as high as second on the leaderboard during the final round, but shot an 82 in his final 18 holes. Beard finished with a 227 total (73, 72, 82 — 227). Luke Muller bounced back from a rough second round with a final round 74. Overall, Muller fired rounds of 76, 84 and 74 for a 234.Isaac Moody shot his best round of the tournament in the final round, a +3 75. Moody finished at +20 (81, 80, 75 —236). Micah Bertram finished T-42, firing a 238 total (79, 81, 78).

Tuesday, April 22

Softball beat Dayton 3-2 at home. The Norse offense recorded five hits and four walks. Stella Wulker went 2-3 with two runs scored and a double. Trinity Robertson batted 1-2 with a double and two RBI. Marley Gearld finished 1-2 with the game-winning RBI. In the circle, NKU used all three pitchers, with Alicia Flores getting the start. Flores pitched four innings, allowing three hits, two runs, two walks and striking out one batter. Kyndall Ford relieved her in the fifth, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing three hits. Brooklyn Ballis came in for Ford in the seventh, picking up her eighth win of the season with a scoreless seventh inning.

Baseball faced off against Ohio University on the road winning 13-3. Logan Wilson started the game for the Norse and allowed three runs on a pair of hits and three walks in his lone inning of work. Bobby Bartlett picked up the victory out of the bullpen, throwing four innings of two-hit ball with three strikeouts. To the bats: Four Norse finished with multiple hits in the win. Tyler Shaneyfelt finished 2-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Logen Devenport homered for the third straight game, finishing 2-5 with a pair of RBI. Gabe Miranda finished 2-4 with a solo homer and an RBI single. Josh Williams had an RBI on a groundout and scored a run as well. Marcus Harrison finished 2-2 with an RBI, drawing three walks.

Friday, April 25

Women’s tennis competed in the Horizon League Championships beating IU-Indy 4-0 in the first round. 

Singles competition

1. Ashlee Fisk (NKU) def. Emma Dell (IUI) 6-1, 6-3
2. Darya Gneidina (NKU) v. Chloe Bailey (IUI) 4-6, 2-3, unf. 
3. Ana Isabela Serrano (NKU) v. Elle Kotre (IUI) 7-5, 2-1, unf. 
4. Catharina Cardoso (NKU) v. Calli Sokolowski (IUI) 4-6, 0-1, unf. 
5. Mariajose Hernandez (NKU) def. Grace Lampman (IUI) 6-4, 6-1
6. Alyssa Cameron (NKU) def. Hanan Awale (IUI) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition

1. Mariajose Hernandez/Darya Gneidina (NKU) def. Kotre/Sokolowski 6-0
2. Catharina Cardoso/Alyssa Cameron (NKU) v. Bailey/Lampman 4-1, unf. 
3. Ashlee Fisk/Ana Isabela Serrano (NKU) def. Awale/Dell (IUI) 6-1

Baseball played against Oakland winning 5-4. Conner Linn finished with a no-decision after throwing 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk. Linn struck out four batters and battled to give the Norse a chance. To the Offensive: Despite finishing 0-4, Tyler Shaneyfelt was key for the Norse, drawing a walk and stealing home in the win. Logen Devenport finished 2-4 with a run scored. Josh Williams finished 1-4 with an RBI single. Braydon Rogers drew three walks and scored a pair of runs. 

Softball faced off against Purdue Fort Wayne losing 9-8. The Norse offense recorded nine hits and four walks, with no Norse player recording a multi-hit game. Stella Wulker went 1-2 with a home run, two walks and two runs scored. Jena Rhoads batted 1-3 with a solo home run. Brielle DiMemmo finished 1-4 with a double.

Saturday, April 26

Men’s and women’s track and field competed in the 2025 Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Invitational with three Norse, all on the women’s side, breaking outdoor school records at the meet. Women’s side: Cameron Bitterman was the first to set a new bar in the NKU Track and Field history book, running a 23.80 in the 200m dash on Friday afternoon. Her time earned her a sixth-place finish. Additionally, Bitterman ran a 56.44 in the 400m dash, an 11th-place finish. Sierra Kendall set a new bar in the 400m hurdles, running a 1:00.47 in the event, finishing fifth and setting a new Norse school record. In the pole vault, Bailey Luebchow broke a record set by fellow freshman Kayla Willging earlier this year, leaping 3.51m to set a new best mark in school history. Olivia Kennedy had another great race in the 800m run, running a 2:11.50 and finishing fifth. Grace Biddle followed her up with a 2:14.94, a new personal record. The NKU women’s 4x400m relay team of Bitterman, Kennedy, Kendall and Joi Bradley finished in fifth place and set a new season best mark of 3:48.70. Men’s side: Colton O’Hara set a new season-best in the 5000m run, finishing in second place in 14:31.83. Natnael Weldemichael was just behind him, finishing in third in 14:32.95. Nathan Ruth finished fourth in the 3000m Steeplechase, running a 9:29.68.Brady Messer ran a 1:52.15 in the 800m race, an eighth-place finish. Right behind him was Jacob Messer, who set a new PR with a time of 1:52.92. Brady set a personal record in the 1500m run, finishing in seventh with a time of 3:54.12

Women’s tennis lost to Cleveland State in the semifinal of the Horizon League Tournament 4-1. 

Singles competition

1. Oihane Vicario (CSU) def. Ashlee Fisk (NKU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Sima Heren (CSU) def. Darya Gneidina (NKU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Tereze Vevere (CSU) def. Ana Isabela Serrano (NKU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Ella Franz (CSU) def. Catharina Cardoso (NKU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Mariajose Hernandez (NKU) v. Jenna Redmile (CSU) 6-7. 2-1, unf.
6. Alyssa Cameron (NKU) v. Filippa Frogner (CSU) 6-3, 2-3, unf.

Doubles competition

1. Mariajose Hernandez/Darya Gneidina (NKU) def. Vicario/Hereni (CSU) 6-4
2. Catharina Cardoso/Alyssa Cameron (NKU) v. Vevere/Franz (CSU) 4-5, unf. 
3. Ashlee Fisk/Ana Isabela Serrano (NKU) def. Redmile/Frogner (CSU) 6-2

Softball played a doubleheader against Purdue Fort Wayne dropping both games. First game 6-5: The Norse offense recorded ten hits, but zero walks. Four Norse recorded multi-hits. Olivia Pastin went 2-4 with a homerun and a triple, scoring twice. Emma Ginn batted 2-2 with a double. Stella Wulker went 2-3 with two RBI. Mack Brow hit a pair of singles, finishing 2-3 with one run scored. Trinity Robertson went 1-4 with a solo home run. Alicia Flores pitched the final two innings and didn’t allow a single hit or walk, striking out one batter. Second game 3-1: Brooklyn Ballis pitched all six innings for the Norse, allowing six hits and no walks while allowing three earned runs. The Norse offense had five hits and no walks. Stella Wulker batted 2-3 with a double and scored NKU’s only run of the game.

Baseball lost against Oakland 9-7. Aaron Boster threw six innings for the Norse, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks. Boster struck out four in a no decision. Logan Wilson threw 2.1 innings, beginning with a perfect seventh and eighth. Wilson ran into trouble in the ninth and allowed a pair of runs. Evan Fry took the loss. To the bats: Brennan Rowe finished 2-4 with a pair of RBI. Rowe launched a solo homer. Logen Devenport finished 2-4 with a double and two RBI. Tyler Shaneyfelt scored three runs and finished 1-4. Marcus Harrison hit his second homer of the year.

Sunday, April 27

Baseball fell to Oakland, losing 16-10. Jake Johnson took the loss for the Norse, allowing three runs over 2+ innings of work. Ryan Pehrson was a bright spot, throwing three innings and allowing just one run on one hit with a pair of strikeouts. NKU hit five batters in the loss. To the Offensive: All nine Norse starters picked up a hit, with five posting two hits. Jake Paulick finished 2-4 with a double, a homer and three RBI. Nolan Sparks finished 1-4 with a home run and two RBI. Brennan Rowe finished 2-5. Marcus Harrison had a pair of hits and an RBI

Sports this week:

Friday, May 2

• Softball faces off against Youngstown State at home at 3 p.m.
• Baseball plays against Milwaukee on the road at 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 3

• Softball will play a doubleheader against Youngstown State at home at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• Baseball plays against Milwaukee on the road at 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 4

• Baseball plays against Milwaukee on the road at 1 p.m.