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 Offensive Player of the Week
Connor McClellan - Middlebury - So. - Running Back - Columbus, Oho
McClellan spearheaded a 27-7 second-half surge to propel Middlebury to a 27-17 triumph over Colby. The running back ran the ball 21 times for a career-high 152 yards, 7.2 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. With seven minutes remaining in the fourth, McClellan took a handoff 66 yards for a touchdown to give the Panthers a lead they would never give back. The Panthers' 152 yards are the second most in a conference game this season.
 
NESCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
John Young - Hamilton - Sr. - Linebacker - Secaucus, N.J.
Young was credited with a career-high 11 tackles, including one for a loss of three yards, and broke up a pass in the Continentals' 27-13 win against Bowdoin. Young led a defense that gave up just three points after the first quarter and allowed Hamilton to come from behind for the victory.
 
NESCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Efe Ilgar - Amherst - Fy. - Punter - New York, N.Y.
Ilgar punted six times in the Mammoth's 30-14 win over Tufts, putting three punts inside the 20-yard line and two boots over 50 yards, including a long of 60, and averaged 44.83 yards per punt on the day. With Amherst leading 14-0, the rookie blasted a 52-yard punt that was downed on the Tufts' 1-yard line and led to a safety which gave Amherst a 16-0 advantage. 
 
NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst – Marek Hill (Oak Park, Ill.) led the Mammoths to 30 points in a game for the first time since 2019 and 30 points in one half for the first time since 2015 by completing 18 of 29 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The sophomore connected with senior Carter Jung (Menlo Park, Calif.) on a 68-yard pass play to set up a score and had all three touchdown strikes in the first half as Amherst built a 30-0 lead. Hill also ran for 26 yards on 11 carries … Ty Kazanowsky (Toms River, N.J) made seven tackles, two solo, including 1.5 for a loss of four yards and a half-sack that resulted in two yards. The junior also added one of the Mammoths' eight pass break-ups in the win. In a pivotal sequence in the second quarter, Kazanowsky helped tackle a Jumbo carrier in the end zone for a safety, giving Amherst a 16-0 lead. 

Bates – Senior Matthew Holmes (Carpinteria, Calif.) had his best game since his sophomore season with four catches for 68 yards, including a long gain of 32 yards, on Saturday against Wesleyan. Holmes exceeded last year’s season total of three catches for 36 yards and posted his second-best personal performance in his Bates career. In 2023, Holmes made a career-high six catches for 110 yards against Colby … Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) tallied nine total tackles, with five solo stops, against Wesleyan. The junior also intercepted his first career pass, a diving grab in the end zone to halt a Wesleyan drive in the fourth quarter … Quinn Carver (Boston, Mass.) ripped off four returns for 97 yards against the Cardinals, including a career-long return of 55 yards on the opening kick of the game. The sophomore also contributed on offense with a career-high three catches for 54 yards. 

Bowdoin - Sophomore running back Nelson Dorsey (Washington, D.C.) rushed for a career-high 83 yards against Hamilton on Saturday. Sophomore Angus Leary (West Roxbury, Mass.) had two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Colby - Ryan Singhal (Pasadena, Calif.) carried the ball 11 times for a career-high 75 yards and hauled in his only target for four yards against Middlebury. The junior’s long rush of 28 yards set up Colby's final score early in the fourth quarter, putting the Mules temporarily ahead 17-14 … Jack Mullen (Trumbull, Conn.) collected six tackles against Middlebury, including a tackle for loss. The senior defensive end also blocked the Panthers' first punt, setting up a Colby score that put the Mules ahead 10-0 at the half … Will Schneider (New York, N.Y.) connected for his first field goal (37 yards) of his career early in the second quarter to spot the Mules a 10-0 lead against Middlebury. The first-year was also 2-for-2 in extra point tries.  

Hamilton - Luke Kurzum (Caldwell, N.J.) was 24-of-35 for a career-high 315 yards and tied a career best with three touchdown passes in the Continentals' 27-13 win against Bowdoin. Kurzum completed touchdown passes of 73, 22 and 46 yards, and added 21 yards rushing. The junior has seven touchdown passes with no interceptions in 119 attempts so far this season.

Middlebury - Matt Shaw (Gloucester, Mass.) had a solid outing on defense to help the Panthers to a 27-17 victory over Colby. The linebacker led the team with six solo tackles and tied for the team lead with eight total. Shaw also tacked on his first career interception and added a quarterback hit in the triumph. Through three contests, Shaw paces the Panthers in total tackles (20.0) and quarterback hits (5) … Ty Brinkmann (Brentwood, Tenn.) punted three times for 102 yards against Colby. The sophomore’s final punt of the day proved costly for the competition, as his 36-yard boot backed up the Mules to their own 18, which led to Middlebury’s game-sealing interception for a touchdown a play later.

Trinity – Senior Nolan O'Brien (Sudbury, Mass.) was a factor in the Bantams 34-28 overtime victory at Williams, logging 201 all-purpose yards in the win. O'Brien grabbed a game-high seven receptions for 93 yards, along with a career-high 29 yards rushing with two touchdowns on three carries … O’Brien averaged 19.7 yards on four punt returns against the Ephs. In the first quarter he ripped off a 57-yard punt return to set up the Bantams for an early touchdown and take a 14-0 lead … Junior Ethan Krauss (Somers, N.Y.) helped led the Bantam defense in the overtime win at Williams, racking up 10 tackles, second-most on the day for Trinity. On the Ephs’ first play of overtime, Krauss jumped on a loose ball to halt the Williams drive. Trinity would score on the following play to seal the victory.

Tufts - Junior Justin Keller (Ridgefield, Conn.) finished 19-for-33 for 171 yards and a touchdown in a 30-14 loss at Amherst. Keller also added a team-high 49 yards rushing, as his passing touchdown in the third quarter was his first collegiate touchdown of his career … Riley Yaker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) had a team-high eight tackles against the Mammoths. The senior posted four solo stops and four assisted tackles. 

Wesleyan – Junior Blake Newcomb (Concord, Mass.) had a career day on Saturday, landing single-game career-highs with eight receptions for 116 yards in a 23-7 road win at Bates. This more than doubled Newcomb's previous career-best of three catches in a game while this marked the junior’s first career 100-yard game … Chris DeMartino (Thornwood, N.Y.) was outstanding in leading the Cardinal defense to a dominant performance in the win over Bates. DeMartino totaled six total tackles, five of which went for a loss, while he added 1.5 sacks as Wesleyan's defense had a season-high five sacks. The 4.5 tackles for loss is the most for any Cardinal in a single-game since 2019.

Williams - Junior quarterback Owen Johansen (Northport, N.Y.) went 17-of-26 passing for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing 17 times for 75 yards, against Trinity on Saturday … Rookie Connor Acheson (Andover, Mass.) recorded a team-high 10 tackles, featuring eight assisted and two solo, while also tallying one tackle for a loss, against the Bantams … Junior Leonardo Maiuolo (San Jose, Calif.) went 4-for-4 on PATs, placed two punts inside the 20-yard line, and also recorded two punts of 50-plus yards against Trinity.