NESCAC Player of the Week
Sydney Jones – Bowdoin – Sr. – G – Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Jones led the Polar Bears to two double-digit NESCAC wins to improve to 13-0 for the first time since 2019-20. Jones had a double-double on Friday night, scoring 20 points with 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals against Tufts. On Saturday, in just 25 minutes against Conn. College, Jones had a game-high 17 points with six boards, six assists, and three steals. Jones averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 boards, 5.5 assists, and 3.0 steals while shooting 60 percent from the field and 63 percent from 3-point range (7-11) for the week.

NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst – Junior Annie McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and added two assists as the Mammoths won their only game of last week, 71-60, over Bates.

Bates – Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) started her week with a balanced performance in a 70-65 win Tuesday over Babson, tallying eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots. Long exploded for a career-high 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting, knocking down 7-of-9 from 3-point range at Amherst on in the NESCAC opener. The senior capped off the week by playing all 40 minutes on Sunday against Hamilton, scoring 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting while matching her season-high with seven assists. Long averaged 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and shot 56 percent from the floor and 57 percent from beyond the arc for the week.
 
Colby – Kate Olenik (Medfield, Mass.) led Colby to two upset victories on the opening weekend of NESCAC play averaging 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists over the two-game set.  Olenik led all scorers with 20 points, handed out five assists, and was 9-for-9 from the foul line in a win over Conn. College in the NESCAC opener. Against Tufts, the guard netted a game-high 22 points, shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and five assists. Olenik has reached double figures in 11 straight games, including posting 20+ points in the last four contests. The sophomore ranks second in the conference in scoring (19.9 ppg).   
 
Conn. College – Valeria Santiago Dedós (Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico) averaged a team-high 11.5 points per game last week as the Camels opened NESCAC play on the road. The rookie netted a career-high 14 points and added two rebounds and a steal at Bowdoin while posting nine points and two assists at Colby in the conference opener.
 
Hamilton – Erica Hills (Dover, Mass.) helped lead the Continentals to an 83-65 win against Bates by scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds – both season highs – and handing out three assists. The double-double was the first for the rookie.
 
Middlebury – Alexa Mustafaj (Yonkers, N.Y.) averaged 24.3 points per game in a 3-0 week for Middlebury, including a NESCAC opening weekend sweep over Trinity and Wesleyan. Trailing 22-20 late in the second quarter against the Bantams, Mustafaj tallied nine unanswered points spanning through the start of the third to put Middlebury ahead. Mustafaj scored a game-high 31 points to help secure the 65-52 win. The following day versus Wesleyan, the senior guard led all players with 22 points in an 82-66 triumph. Mustafaj is the only player in the NESCAC averaging 20-plus points per game (22.2 ppg). Mustafaj ranks third in Division III in field goals made (126).
 
Trinity – Olivia Vick (Chicago, Ill.) was the conductor of the Bantam offense in Trinity’s 1-1 week in the opening play of conference action. Vick averaged 24.5 points and shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 60 percent (6-of-10) from 3-point range. In a tight battle with Middlebury, Vick led the Bantams with 16 points, shooting 7-of-16 from the field, and three steals. In an 80-65 victory at Williams, Vick poured in a career-high 33 points, connecting on 5-of-8 three-pointers, and matched a program record by going 12-of-12 from the foul line. 
 
Wesleyan – Rookie guard Meghan Kirck (Orange, Conn.) averaged 12.3 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting from three for the Cardinals in a three-game week. Kirck scored 10+ points in all three games, starting with 14 points (4-6 3FG), five assists, and three rebounds in a road win at John Jay followed by 12 points at Williams (4-9 3FG) and 11 points (3-8 3FG) at Middlebury. 
 
Williams – Micah Walton (Austin, Texas) averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in a 2-1 week for the Ephs. Walton scored a career-high 31 points, including the old-fashioned, 3-point play, that put the Ephs in the lead for good, 65-63, with 43 seconds left in overtime, in a 69-64 win over Wesleyan on Friday. The rookie went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line and scored eight points in overtime. Walton finished with 18 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field, against visiting Trinity on Saturday.