NESCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Niko Candido – Wesleyan – Jr. - QB – Studio City, Calif.
After splitting duties under center last season, Candido took every snap at quarterback in a season-opening 28-17 win at Bates. The junior signal caller threw for 341 yards on 28-for-37 passing (75.7%) with three touchdowns. He became the first Wesleyan quarterback to throw for 300+ yards since Ashton Scott hit the mark against Trinity in 2019 and the 341 yards is the most for a Cardinal since Mark Piccirillo threw for 388 against Bates in 2017.

NESCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Tomas Kenary - Middlebury – Sr. – DL – Chevy Chase, Md.
Kenary helped Middlebury hold Amherst scoreless for three quarters en route to a 21-7 season-opening victory. Kenary led all players with 4.5 sacks for a loss of 44 yards. The senior had a pair of sacks just outside of the red zone in the third and fourth quarters, each turning the Mammoths over on downs. The defensive lineman had seven tackles, including four solo, and an interception. Kenary’s 4.5 sacks are the second most in school history, moving him into third on the career list (17.5), while also contributing to Middlebury setting a school record for most sacks in a game (9).

NESCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Brendan Sawyer – Colby – Jr. – RB – Weston, Conn.
Sawyer returned four kicks for 77 yards with a long of 33 that set up a scoring opportunity for the Mules. The junior also blocked a punt late in the first quarter that led to Colby's first score of the game. The running back also gained 30 yards on the ground and collected three receptions for 21 yards.  His rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter brought Colby within three of the Ephs.  

NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst - Junior Owen Gaydos (Ridgefield, Conn.) led the Mammoths with eight receptions for 66 yards, including a long 20-yard reception, as Amherst dropped a 21-7 decision at Middlebury ... Junior Trey Doyle (Collegeville, Pa.) led the Mammoths with 10 tackles, including five solo, and forced a fumble against the Panthers.
 
Bates – Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) had an impressive collegiate debut against Wesleyan, recording 10 carries for a game-high 39 yards and a touchdown. The first-year also caught a team-high five passes for a team-high 74 yards and a touchdown ... Sophomore Jackson Collins (Glen Ridge, N.J.) was a part of the Bates run defense that held Wesleyan to 69 rushing yards. Collins made eight total tackles, including six solo stops, and recorded 1.5 tackles for loss ... Kicker Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) converted his only field goal attempt against Wesleyan. The 37-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest made by a Bobcat kicker since 2017. Ruiz also converted both extra-point attempts in the contest.
 
Bowdoin – Quarterback Andrew Boel (Wyckoff, N.J.) went 17-for-27 for 347 yards passing, three touchdowns, and ran for another 23 yards to lead the Polar Bears to their first road win since 2014 in a victory over Hamilton. Boel's passing yardage was the eighth-highest in a single game in program history and moved him into fifth all-time in career passing touchdowns at Bowdoin (19) ... Junior Koy Price (Norwalk, Conn.) led the Polar Bears with nine tackles, including a half-sack, had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup in the win over the Continentals. The win gave Bowdoin victories in consecutive season openers for the first time since 1990-91 ... Junior kicker Jotham Casey (Cheshire, Conn.) hit a pair of field goals in the season-opening win.
 
Colby - Matt McHugh (Belmont, Mass.) set career-highs in both receptions (8) and receiving yards (160) in the season-opener at Williams.  Entering the game with only one reception in the junior’s first two seasons, McHugh scored his first career touchdown early in the second quarter to put the Mules in front 14-0. His 70-yard reception in the fourth quarter set up Colby's final score ... Julian Young (Manalapan, N.J.) tallied 14 tackles, 13 solo, in a setback at Williams. The junior linebacker added a tackle for loss late in the first quarter that led Williams to turn over on downs, and he blocked the point after try after the Ephs' first score. After one week, Young leads the NESCAC in solo and total tackles. 
 
Hamilton - Jack Hoag (Woodbine, N.J.) and Michael Lau (Westport, Conn.) caught touchdown passes for the first time in their career with the Continentals in a 26-12 setback against Bowdoin ... Senior Cole Rivell (Endicott, N.Y.) led the Continentals with a game-high 11 tackles, including nine solo stops, against Bowdoin. Rivell also forced a fumble ... Junior Tighe Hoey (New Canaan, Conn.) averaged 49.7 yards on three punts, including a career-long of 73 yards for a touchback, against Bowdoin. Hoey pinned two of his three punts inside the Polar Bears 20. The defensive back also made two tackles.
 
Middlebury – Cole Crider (Nashville, Tenn.) averaged 41 yards per punt on eight kicks against the Mammoths. The senior dropped half of his punts inside the 20, with a long of 51 yards. Crider totaled the second-most yards punter in his career with 328. 
 
Trinity – Graduate student Spencer Fetter (Winter Park, Fla.) led the Trinity offense en route to a 44-19 victory over Tufts. Fetter went 20-for-38 for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions ... Hunter Tully (Taunton, Mass.) helped anchor the Bantams' defense against Tufts. The graduate student notched four tackles, including a tackle for a loss, and a pass breakup in the victory ... Junior Matthew Jumes (Franklin, Mass.) went 6-for-6 on PATs against the Jumbos. 
 
Wesleyan - Mike Rowan (Collegeville, Pa.) finished with six tackles, including three solo and 1.5 tackles for loss. The junior sacked the Bobcats quarterback on a third-down play late in the third quarter with the Bobcats trailing by two scores. 
 
Williams – In his collegiate debut, Owen McHugh (Milton, Mass.) went 12-for-16 passing, with 138 yards and two touchdowns to help Williams open the 2023 season with a 25-22 win over Colby Saturday. The first-year also rushed 17 times for 90 yards and one touchdown. McHugh had touchdown passes of 30 and five yards in the second quarter, while his third-quarter run to the endzone came from 23 yards out ... Senior Austin Dehmel (Darien, Conn.) recorded a third-quarter interception and two tackles in the win over Colby ... Paul Harshbarger (Schuylerville, N.Y.) returned three punts for a total of 37 yards against the Mules. The senior recorded a game-best, 21-yard punt return in the third quarter.