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
Matt Fitzsimons – Wesleyan – Sr. – QB – Somers, N.Y.
Fitzsimons engineered a nine-play, 85-yard scoring drive in a three-point game, capped by a 34-yard touchdown pass to first-year receiver Jake Smith with 13.6 seconds remaining as Wesleyan toppled Hamilton in a shootout in Clinton, 42-38. Fitzsimons went 31-for-41 for 411 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He led the Wesleyan offense to 32 first downs and 539 total yards of offense while not turning the ball over in a road win that keeps the Cardinals unbeaten at 3-0 on the year. 

NESCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
James Woodward – Middlebury – Jr. – DB – Richmond, Va.
Woodward led the squad with eight total tackles (3 solo) and recovered a fumble on Colby's opening drive that led to a Panther touchdown in an eventual 32-2 win over the Mules. Woodward also logged his first interception near the midway point of the second quarter, stopping a potential Colby scoring drive.

NESCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Riley Yaker – Tufts – Sr. – LB – Lake Oswego, Ore.
Yaker made the biggest play of the game for the Jumbos in a 22-21 win at Bates. The senior pushed through the protection and blocked a potential game-winning 37-yard field goal by Bates to clinch the victory. Yaker also had three tackles in the win, but his blocked field goal was the first for Tufts since November 4, 2023, against Colby. 

NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst – Demitrius Smith (Owings Mill, Md.) carried the ball 16 times for 48 yards and a touchdown in a 22-13 win over Bowdoin. The senior also caught one pass for six yards … Sophomore Jordan Summers (Arlington, Mass.) made nine tackles (7 solo) and had a pass breakup against the Polar Bears.

Bates – In his first career start, Ryan Foley (Foxborough, Mass.) carried the ball 23 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards per carry against Tufts. The rookie also caught two passes for 21 yards out of the backfield for Bates … Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) picked up two sacks against the Jumbos. His 1.5 sacks per game rank first in the conference and tie for fifth in NCAA Division III this season. The sophomore finished his night with a game-high eight tackles, a QB hurry, and a pass breakup, to go along with three tackles for loss. Keaney's 2.17 tackles for loss per game is tied for ninth in the country.

Bowdoin – Junior Ferris Collins (Milton, Mass.) picked off a pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown at Amherst on Saturday. It is the seventh interception of Collins’ career and second pick-six … Polar Bear senior kicker Caden Perry (Houston, Texas) connected for two field goals – from 34 and 38 yards – to help keep Bowdoin within striking distance Saturday against the Mammoths.

Colby – Senior defensive back Christopher Milmoe (York, Maine) anchored the Mules' defensive unit at Middlebury with a game-high 10 total tackles (2 solo, 8 assisted) and added a pass breakup.

Hamilton – Luke Kurzum (Caldwell, N.J.) completed better than 80 percent (25-of-31) of his passes for 323 yards and a touchdown and added 71 rushing yards on just five carries in a 42-38 setback against Wesleyan. The senior finished with 394 yards of total offense … Senior Nico Obregon (Larchmont, N.Y.) was credited with a career-high nine tackles, including six solo stops, versus the Cardinals. Sophomores Ryan Zouaoui (Mahopac, N.Y.) and Brody Bazirgan (Houston, Texas) collected their first career sacks. Ian Redzepagic (Boonton, N.J.) forced a fumble, the first of the junior's career … Sophomore Nick Pellagrini (Charlestown, Mass.) averaged 50.0 yards on two punts against Wesleyan. Pellagrini's longest punt traveled 54 yards, and both pinned the Cardinals inside their own 15-yard line.

Middlebury – Connor McClellan (Columbus, Ohio) kept his strong start to the season going, tallying 122 yards on the ground and four touchdowns as Middlebury cruised to a 32-2 victory over Colby. The junior’s four rushing touchdowns tied the Panthers’ program record set by Tom O’Connor (1974) and Mark Conroy (1981). McClellan ranks fourth all-time with 25 TDs. It was his sixth career game with 100 or more rushing yards … Ty Brinkmann (Brentwood, Tenn.) tallied five punts for 138 yards and pinned Colby’s offense inside the 20-yard line twice. The junior’s best attempt came early in the second quarter, when he pushed the Mules to their own 10-yard line with a career-long 62-yard punt. Brinkmann’s punt helped the Panthers defense record an interception two plays later and an eventual Middlebury touchdown, giving the Panthers a 19-0 advantage.

Trinity – Tate Hoffmeister (Needham, Mass.) delivered a career-best performance to help lead the Bantams to a 45-0 victory over an undefeated Williams squad, registering a career-high 17 carries for a career-high 79 yards with a career-best two touchdowns. The junior opened the Bantams' scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run and tacked on a 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter … Sophomore Max Wallace (Wakefield, R.I.) tallied nine points in the shutout win over the Ephs, connecting on a perfect 6-of-6 extra point attempts, along with a career-long 47-yard field goal in the second quarter to extend the Trinity lead to 17-0. Wallace's 47-yarder is the longest field goal for the Bantams since Eric Sachse knocked through a 50-yarder in 2018.

Tufts – In a 22-21 come-from-behind win at Bates, senior running back Christian Shapiro (South Salem, N.Y.) posted 172 total yards of offense, scoring a pair of touchdowns. The senior rushed for 111 yards on 21 carries, scoring once on the ground, and then caught three balls for 61 yards and a score. Shapiro also pulled in the game-winning two-point conversion to put the Jumbos up 22-21 with 51 seconds to play … Sophomore defensive back Lucas Gonzalez (El Paso, Texas) forced a fumble in the first half and picked off a pass in the second half to stop a drive by Bates at the Tufts 7-yard line to keep the contest a one-score game with Tufts trailing 21-14. He added three tackles, including one for loss.