Cast your vote for the 2018 Play of the Year
Wheaton, Ill.- Voting is now open for the 2018 Wheaton Play of the Year! The third annual Play of the Year award features plays by Brooke Barnes, Jacob Cretin, Jensen Ellis, Aston Francis, and Joey Sopikiotis. All plays considered occured during the 2018 calendar year. There are several ways to vote for your favorite play:
1. Vote in the official poll on our Facebook page.
2. Vote on Twitter using the official hashtag tied to each play.
3. Total views of each video on YouTube
4. Number of likes on each video on Instagram
The winner will be determined by a combination of YouTube views (30%), Instagram likes (30%), Twitter hashtag mentions (20%) and Facebook poll results (20%).
The Finalists
#WCPlayBarnes
Brooke Barnes delivered a message early in the season and recorded the nation's top time in the 100-yard freestyle, topping the field at the UChicago Fall Classic by over a second and touching the wall in 51.69 seconds.
#WCPlayCretin
Despite a dominant first half in the annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell, Wheaton led by just a touchdown at halftime after North Central's long touchdown in the final seconds of the half. Getting the ball to start the second half, Jacob Cretin broke free on the first play from scrimmage for a 75-yard touchdown run to re-establish Wheaton's two-possession lead and send the Thunder on to a 52-30 victory in the 100th all-time meeting on the gridiron between Wheaton and North Central.
#WCPlayEllis
Facing a Centre College defense that entered the Third Round of the NCAA Playoffs with 15-consecutive shutouts, Wheaton took a 2-1 lead in the second half. Minutes later, Jensen Ellis possessed a loose ball at the top of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that sailed into the top corner of the net to score what would turn out to be the game-winning goal in Wheaton's 3-2 victory over the fourth-ranked Colonels and send the Thunder on to the Sectional Finals.
#WCPlayFrancis
Neither team led by more than five points as Wheaton locked up with #8-ranked Illinois Wesleyan in a thrilling early-season CCIW game. Trailing 88-87 with eight seconds left, Wheaton forced a Titan turnover at halfcourt with 5.1 seconds to play. Taking the inbounds pass in the backcourt, Aston Francis raced the ball to the top of the key and hit a step-back three-pointer as time expired to give Wheaton a 90-88 victory and hand the Titans their first loss of the season.
#WCPlaySopikiotis
Fighting for the final spot in the CCIW Tournament, Wheaton headed north to face Carthage in the penultimate match of the regular season needing a result to clinch a bid in the tournament. Locked in a defensive battle through regulation and the first overtime, Wheaton possessed a Carthage goalkick early in the second overtime and Andrew Wade slid a beautiful through ball to set-up a 2-1 break that led to Joey Sopikiotis scoring his first collegiate goal and giving Wheaton a 1-0 victory over the Red Men and clinching a berth in the CCIW Tournament.
Voting is open until the end of the day on January 4, 2019. The Play of the Year winner will be announced during the broadcast of the men's basketball game on January 5, 2019.
Originally published by Wheaton College Athletics: /news/2018/12/28/general-cast-your-vote-for-the-2018-play-of-the-year.aspx