Every Monday during the season, NESCAC Players of the Week will be selected based on information submitted by the athletic communications offices at member institutions.

NESCAC Football Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Marek Hill – Amherst – So. – QB - Oak Park, Ill.
Hill completed 25 of 35 (71.4%) pass attempts, good for 226 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 23-13 win over Hamilton. The sophomore also ran nine times for 109 yards (12.1 yards per rush), including a 57-yard touchdown scamper that gave Amherst a 7-0 lead en route to scoring 23 straight points.
 
Owen Johansen – Williams – Jr. – QB – Northport, N.Y.
Johansen accounted for five touchdowns in the Ephs’ 38-0 home-opener victory over Colby. The junior rushed 11 times for 223 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with completing 10 of 17 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
 
NESCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Cameron Pineda – Tufts – So. – CB – Miami, Fla.
Pineda had his best game as a Jumbo on Saturday in a 22-20 win over Wesleyan in Tufts’ home opener. The cornerback had the most pivotal play of the game, returning an interception 64 yards for a touchdown to put the Jumbos up 14-7. He also added eight tackles, including a team-high seven solo stops. The interception was the first of his career

NESCAC Football Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
Nolan O’Brien – Trinity – Sr. – WR - Sudbury, Mass.
O'Brien averaged 28.75 yards per return, logging 115 yards on four punt returns to help Trinity to a 30-13 victory over Bates. Leading 7-0 after grabbing a 12-yard touchdown pass, O'Brien became the first Bantam since DeVante Reid in 2019 to register a punt return touchdown, knifing his way through the Bobcats' defense from 79 yards out to push Trinity ahead 14-0. O’Brien accounted for three scores in the Bantams’ victory. The senior led all receivers with a game-high nine receptions on 10 targets for a game-high 140 yards and two scores, including a 53-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
 
Dazer van Leeuwen – Tufts – Sr. – LB – Katy, Texas
With the Jumbos leading 17-14, van Leeuwen blocked a punt out of the back of the end zone, making the score 19-14. Tufts would add another field goal and ended up winning by two as the safety on the blocked punt ended up being the difference in the game. The senior added three tackles as the special teams group was the determining factor in the win. 

NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst – Sophomore Hudson Fulcher-Melendy (Easthampton, Mass.) booted a 22-yard field goal in his only attempt and made two of three PATs on Saturday in the Mammoths' 23-13 win over Hamilton.

Bates – Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) did a little bit of everything Saturday at Trinity. The senior completed three of four passes for 58 yards, carried the ball 10 times for 29 yards, and caught a team-high three passes for 39 yards. Beltran has completed 70 percent of his passes through two games in his first season as a collegiate quarterback since 2022 … Junior Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) tallied 11 total tackles, blocked a PAT, and recorded his first career interception against the Bantams … Senior Parker Huynh-Benningfield (Austin, Texas) averaged what would have been 41 yards per punt if not for a 28-yarder that pinned Trinity on its own nine-yard line on Saturday. Through two games, the senior punter is averaging a career-best 39 yards per punt, with four inside the 20.
 
Bowdoin – Sophomore linebacker Zach Taylor (Novato, Calif.) had a career-high 11 tackles against Middlebury on Saturday. Junior kicker Caden Perry (Houston, Texas) had a field goal and a career-long 76-yard punt against the Panthers.
 
Colby – Sophomore Ameer White (Rye, N.Y.) collected his second interception in as many games on Saturday versus Williams. With the Ephs driving late in the second quarter, White stepped in front of a pass in the end zone, taking the ball away and ending the threat.  White is part of a pass defense that ranks second in the NESCAC, allowing only 122 yards per game through the air. Junior Drew Ramos (Kentfield, Calif.) and senior Declan McNamara (Ridgefield, Conn.) each recorded double-digit career highs in tackles, with 12 and 10, respectively. 

Hamilton – Junior Luke Kurzum (Caldwell, N.J.) set a career high in passing yards for the second straight week with 301 in a 23-13 setback at Amherst. Kurzum completed 27 of 44 passes with two touchdowns. Sophomore Matthew Kearns (Irvington, N.Y.) set career bests with seven catches for 100 yards, and senior Colin Kelter (Danvers, Mass.) recorded the senior's first touchdown grab.

Middlebury –  In the Panthers’ 31-10 win over Bowdoin, the running back Connor McClellan (Columbus, Ohio) tallied 20 carries for 86 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The sophomore also hauled in four catches for 40 yards in the triumph … Junior Michael Votta (Naples, Fla.) was a top contributor to the Middlebury defense against the Polar Bears. The linebacker tallied four tackles, including a team-best 1.5 for loss. Votta also added two pass breakups to help lead a defense that held Bowdoin under 100 yards of total offense and just one third-down conversion … Tony Wang (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) set a new career-high with seven points against Bowdoin. The senior tacked on the first points of the contest with a 25-yard field goal before adding four consecutive extra points to help fuel the victory. Wang also had five touchbacks while handling kickoff duties for the squad.

Trinity – Junior Shane Mosia (Plainedge, N.Y.) helped anchor the Bantams’ defense during a 30-13 victory over Bates College, registering a career-high 13 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.

Tufts – Sophomore Christian Shapiro (South Salem, N.Y.) had a solid night for the Jumbos in a 22-20 win over Wesleyan, finishing with 65 yards rushing on 13 carries, averaging five yards per carry while adding a touchdown rush. Shapiro also caught two balls for 16 yards in the win.
 
Williams - Sophomore Ben Yedid (Montreal, Quebec) recorded four assisted tackles, two solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in a 38-0 home-opening victory over Colby on Saturday … Junior Leonardo Maiuolo (San Jose, Calif.) went five for five on PATs and converted his lone field goal (28 yards) in the victory over the Mules.