ERIE, Pa. – Golfer Ditte Petersen (Dianalund, Denmark/Sorø Akademi Skole) and football player Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) have been selected as the Gannon University Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of Oct. 29. The Gannon Student-Athlete of the Week Award is sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Erie.
 
Petersen closed the fall golf season by claiming the fifth tournament victory of her stellar college career. She claimed a one-stroke win at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational while helping Gannon to a second-place finish in the team race.
 
Petersen shot the second-lowest 36-hole score in Gannon women’s golf history with a 2-under-par 142 at The Pearl Club. Petersen set the record for the low 36-hole total with a 4-under 140 during the 2023-24 season.
 
Her first-round score of 3-under 69 was the second-best 18-hole total in program history. She set the mark of 4-under 68 last season. On Sunday, Petersen had five birdies, including three in a row on holes No. 2-4, as she shot a 73.
 
Petersen is the reigning two-time PSAC champion and PSAC Women’s Golf Athlete of the Year.
 
Whitaker accounted for four touchdowns in the Gannon football team’s 25-21 comeback win at Edinboro on Saturday. His fourth TD was a 7-yard strike to Donell “Tank” Mason that gave GU the lead for good with 26 seconds left.
 
Whitaker also rushed for three touchdowns, scoring from 9 yards in the first quarter, 6 yards in the third quarter and 1-yard in the fourth.
 
The redshirt freshman quarterback led Gannon with 191 yards passing and 68 yards rushing.
 
For the season, Whitaker has passed for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 169 yards and five TDs.
 

2024-25 Gannon University Chick-fil-A Athlete of the Week Recipients

Week 1 (9/10/2024)

Jessie Watkins (Women’s Soccer)

Luke Malena (Men’s Cross Country)

Week 2 (9/17/2024)

Alexis Abbett (Women’s Cross Country)

Alexandros Kotskar (Men’s Water Polo)

Week 3 (9/24/2024)

Bengisu Arslan (Women’s Volleyball)

Petar Markovic (Men’s Water Polo)

Week 4 (10/1/2024)

Grace Emanuel (Women’s Soccer)

Shota Toyama (Men’s Soccer)

Week 5 (10/8/2024)

Emma Hall (Women’s Volleyball)

Charles Calhoun (Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward) (Football)

Week 6 (10/15/2024)

Alexandria LeCureux (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) (Women’s Golf)

Rasmus Seppanen (Men’s Golf)

Week 7 (10/22/2024)

Hailey Koch (Women’s Volleyball)

Mattia Parrini (Men’s Golf)

Week 8 (10/29/2024)

Ditte Petersen (Dianalund, Denmark/Sorø Akademi Skole) (Women’s Golf)

Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) (Football)