Four Eagles Earn Great Midwest Athlete Of The Week Honors In First Picks Of 2025-26

The Great Midwest Athletic Conference has chosen its first Athletes of the Week for 2025-26, and Ashland University's athletic department has four of them.
 
As released by the conference on Monday (Sept. 8) afternoon, the four Eagle honorees are junior middle blocker Ravin Morgan (volleyball East Division), senior defensive end Michael Shimek (football defensive), senior Nate Slater (men's cross country), and freshman forward Tom Woodward (men's soccer offensive).

• Morgan had an impressive start to her 2025 campaign during the Ashland University Invitational, as Ashland went 3-0 against Indiana, Pa. (3-2), Daemen (3-0) and West Liberty (3-0). A member of the all-tournament team, she finished with 28 kills, a .521 hitting percentage (seventh in NCAA Division II), 20 block assists and three service aces.

Ashland volleyball will travel to play four matches over three days, Thursday-Saturday (Sept. 11-13) in St. Augustine, Fla., at the Flagler Invitational.

• Shimek had a memorable night as then-No. 23 Ashland football won at IUP, 13-9, on Thursday (Sept. 4) – the Eagles' first-ever victory over the Crimson Hawks in six tries. Shimek finished with five total tackles (three solo), 3½ sacks (the NCAA Division II leader) and a blocked extra point, and became the first player in Ashland football history to have at least 3½ sacks in two different games in his career.

AU football will go to No. RV Indianapolis (1-1) for its second game of the season at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 13).

• Slater helped the Eagle men take fifth place, and finish second among NCAA Division II teams, on Friday (Sept. 5) at Wright State's Mike Baumer Classic. He finished 13^th in the 5K race in 14:54.2.

The Eagle men and women will run on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the annual All-Ohio Classic at Cedarville.

• Woodward, in his first two collegiate contests, dished out an assist in a 2-1 win at Davis & Elkins on Thursday, then scored twice for his first collegiate brace – both goals coming in the second half – on Sunday (Sept. 7) in a 2-2 draw vs. Millersville at Ferguson Field.

Ashland men's soccer will go on the road to take on Gannon (0-1-1) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 12).
  SEPT. 8 – Ravin Morgan (volleyball), Michael Shimek (football), Nate Slater (men's cross country), Tom Woodward (men's soccer).