The NESCAC has released its Players of the Week for the week ending of September 29. 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
Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg - Bates - Sr. - Forward - Winchester, Mass.
Moloney-Kolenberg played a key role in the Bates’ come-from-behind win over Bowdoin last Tuesday. The senior scored the equalizer off a penalty corner in the 60th minute to force overtime and added the game-winner in the extra session. Moloney-Kolenberg converted a transition pass from sophomore Elsa Copeland (Toronto, Ontario) to secure a 4-3 victory for the Bobcats. Bates erased a 3-0 and a 3-1 deficit with under four minutes remaining. It is believed to be the biggest come-from-behind win in program history. On Saturday, Moloney-Kolenberg dished out the assist on the equalizer from senior captain Lucy Norris as Bates rallied to defeat Amherst, 2-1, for the Bobcats’ first win at Amherst since 2006. Moloney-Kolenberg is tied for the team-lead in goals (4) and holds the team-lead in assists (4) as the Bobcats are off to an 8-0 start, their best start to a season since 1973. 

NESCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week | Weekly Release
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 Men's Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Mathis Blanc - Wesleyan - Sr. - Goalkeeper - Mountain View, Calif.
Blanc was the key piece in the Cardinals' 1-0 victory at Middlebury on Sunday, giving Wesleyan its first road win over the Panthers since 2009. The senior goalkeeper made a career-high eight saves, including five in the second half alone to preserve the clean sheet. Blanc also made one save on Saturday as the Cardinals held Tufts to a 1-1 draw in Medford, Mass.

NESCAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Fiona Linnau - Middlebury - So. - Midfield - Seattle, Wash.
In her first action of the year, Linnau played a crucial role in Middlebury's undefeated weekend. On Saturday, the sophomore scored the only goal of the match late in the second half, securing a 1-0 victory over Conn. College with a shot into the bottom right corner. The following day, Linnau struck again, this time delivering the game-winner with a header into the upper right 90 to lift Middlebury to a 2-1 win against a ranked Wesleyan squad. Both goals marked the first of Linnau’s career.

NESCAC Volleyball Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Rianna Liu - Tufts - Jr. - Setter - Foster City, Calif.
Liu helped the Jumbos continue their longest win streak since 2021, as Tufts ran its winning stretch to 10 matches with a 3-0 week including a victory over No. 6 Johns Hopkins on Saturday. For the week, Liu posted 70 assists including a 6-2 offense mark of 5.83 assists per set. The junior saw 42.9 percent of her sets converted for kills and recorded five aces and 23 digs. In a four-set win over Brandeis, Liu posted 22 assists, an ace, and five digs. In a 3-1 win over Bates, the setter added 28 assists, three aces, and 10 digs for the fifth double-double of the season. In Saturday's 3-1 win over Johns Hopkins, Liu had 20 assists, eight digs, and one ace.