The NESCAC has released its Players of the Week for the week ending of October 13. The conference recognizes student-athletes for each sport based on their contributions to their team each week based on information provided by the athletic communications offices on each campus. During the fall season, football, field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball will be announced on Mondays, while cross country performers of the week will be announced on Tuesdays when selected.
NESCAC Field Hockey Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Emily Smith – Wesleyan – Fy. – Midfield – Boston, Mass.
Smith scored both goals for the Cardinals in a 2-1 double overtime win at Middlebury, marking the first time Wesleyan has beaten the Panthers on the road. The two goals against Middlebury were the first goals of Smith's career, as the rookie netted a game-tying goal late in the third quarter off a penalty corner to send the game into overtime. Then with 1:23 left in the second overtime period, Smith netted the game-winner as Wesleyan beat Middlebury for the first time since 2000. On Saturday, Smith assisted the only goal scored in Wesleyan’s 1-0 win at Williams. That goal proved vital as the Cardinals recorded a shutout versus the Ephs, clinching the Little Three Championship for just the fourth time in team history and the first time since 2003.
NESCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Ryan Lynskey – Bates – Jr. – RB - Cranford, N.J.
Lynskey rushed for 221 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Bates scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally for a 35-28 win over Tufts on Saturday. The 35 points are the most points Bates has ever scored against Tufts and the most points the Bobcats have scored in a game since tallying 38 against Hamilton in 2013. Lynskey ran the ball a career-high 32 times in the win, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. The junior’s 221 rushing yards are the second-most for Lynskey in one game in his Bates career, trailing only his NESCAC-record 344 rushing yards last season against Bowdoin. Lynskey’s four rushing touchdowns are the most by a Bobcat in one game since Sean Atkins '03 rushed for a NESCAC-record seven touchdowns against Bowdoin in 2002. Lynskey's 24-yard touchdown run up the gut with 58 seconds left in regulation proved to be the game-winner for the Bobcats. The junior captain is currently averaging 100.4 rushing yards per game, tops in the NESCAC.
NESCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Austin Baker – Wesleyan – Jr. – LB – Bend, Ore.
Baker tallied six solo tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups in helping lead the Cardinals in a 24-7 road win over Colby. In the 17-point win, the Wesleyan defense held the Mules to just 110 yards of total offense, which is the fewest yards for a Cardinal opponent since 2018, while Colby was forced into a punt on eight of its nine possessions in the contest.
NESCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Ryan Rozich – Bates – Jr. – LB – Cromwell, Conn.
Rozich recovered a misplayed punt at the Tufts 15 with 5:00 left in regulation. The crucial play on special teams set Bates up for a short touchdown drive to pull the Bobcats within one point in a game they went on to defeat Tuts, 35-28. Rozich led all players with 12 total tackles, including four solo stops, and stepped in as the Bobcats’ long snapper when the starter went down with an injury. Rozich hadn't handled long snapping since high school but handled the duties on three punts and one PAT.
NESCAC Men's Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Aiden Londergan – Wesleyan - Jr. – Midfield – Barrington, Ill.
Londergan netted four of the Cardinals' five total goals scored in two wins last week, bringing his personal goal scoring streak to four straight games. Londergan opened with a hat trick in Wednesday's 4-1 win at home over Trinity. It was the first hat trick by a Cardinal since 2016. Londergan followed up with the lone goal in a 1-0 win at previously unbeaten Williams, clinching the 20th outright Little Three Championship in team history and the first since 2011.
NESCAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Taya McClennen – Middlebury – So. – Midfield – Jackson, Wyo.
McClennen led Middlebury to a 2-0 week by scoring all three goals the Panthers tallied last week. Against Colby, McClennen broke the scoreless tie with a header in the 24th minute that proved to be the only tally in the Panthers’ 1-0 victory. The midfielder added two first-half goals to close Middlebury’s non-conference schedule in a 2-1 triumph over the University of Southern Maine. It was the sophomore’s first multi-goal game as a member of the Panthers.
NESCAC Volleyball Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Zoe Ryu – Bowdoin – Fy. – Outside Hitter – Washington, D.C.
Ryu averaged 4.8 kills and 2.8 digs per set last weekend for the Polar Bears in a pair of NESCAC contests. In a 3-0 win at Middlebury on Friday, Ryu posted 11 kills and just one error. On Saturday at Williams, Ryu came within one kill of the school's single-match record, posting 28 in a five-set setback to the Ephs, which a top-15 performance in a five-set match in Division III this season. In addition to the 23 digs, Ryu also had nine total blocks across the two matches.
