Senior attacker Steven Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) scored to tie the game at 9 late in the third quarter, but 11th-ranked Denison scored the next 5 goals and went on to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament on Sunday in Granville. With the win, Denison claims the NCAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. Ohio Wesleyan trailed, 8-5, at halftime, but senior midfielder Cole Jamieson (Okemos, Mich.) scored less than a minute into the third quarter, and senior attacker Max Tennant (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) followed with back-to-back goals, the second after scooping up the rebound of a Denison shot that caromed past midfield and scoring on the resulting fast break to knot the game at 8. Denison's Brooks Davy scored less than a minute later to give the lead back to the Big Red, but Hildebrand responded with a man-up goal off a Jamieson pass to make it 9-9 with 5:40 left in the quarter. Jake Waxter scored to put the hosts ahead, and Chris Haimbaugh followed with a goal at the 1:21 mark of the period for an 11-9 Big Red lead, then opened the fourth-quarter scoring before Davy tallied consecutive goals to extend the margin to 14-9 midway through the final quarter. Hildebrand ended the Big Red run with a goal off a Jamieson feed with 6:11 left, and Tennant delivered a man-up goal to bring the Bishops within 15-11, but that was as close as Ohio Wesleyan would come. The Bishops opened the game with goals by Jamieson, freshman midfielder Henry Hasenberg (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola), and Hildebrand, and after Denison's Camden Bowdy and Tennant traded goals, Ohio Wesleyan held a 4-1 advantage late in the first quarter. Denison tallied the next 4 goals to take the lead, with Sam Asman and Waxter scoring goals before Spencer Butler recorded consecutive scores to give the hosts their first lead of the day. Hildebrand answered with a goal to tie the score at 5, but the Big Red countered with goals by Davy, Owen Armstrong, and Asman to take the 8-5 lead at the intermission. Hildebrand led the Bishops with 4 goals and 2 assists. Tennant led the Bishops with 4 goals. The 4 goals raised his career total to 262, tying him for second place all-time in NCAA Division III. Jamieson finished with 2 goals and 2 assists. The 4 points raised his season total to 69, breaking the school record of 68 for a midfielder set by Dan Stroka in 2000. Junior Joey Sichenzia (Sayville, N.Y.) finished with 15 saves. Davy led Denison with 4 goals and an assist, and Waxter added 2 goals and 4 assists. Reeves McKenney was credited with 21 saves for the Big Red.