The NESCAC has released its Players of the Week for the week ending October 4. 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 runners of the week and golfers of the week will be announced on Tuesdays when selected.

NESCAC Field Hockey Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Eleanor Helm – Tufts – So. – F – Loudonville, N.Y.
Helm led the Jumbos to three wins over ranked opponents last week (2-0 W vs. No. 7 Babson; 2-1 W at No. 14 Amherst; 2-1 W (OT) at No. 11 Hamilton). The sophomore scored the game-winning goal with no time on the clock in the first overtime period at Hamilton. She assisted Tufts' second goal in the 2-1 win at Amherst and figured into both of the team's fourth-quarter goals against Babson. Over three games, Helm scored two goals and added two assists for six points. Helm leads the NESCAC with 11 goals and 26 points. Tufts' 10-0 start is its best since 2009, and its 15-game winning streak overall is the second-longest in school history.

NESCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week | Weekly Release
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 Tufts' first since November 4, 2023, against Colby. 

NESCAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
JJ Ruehlemann – Williams – So. – F – Waldwick, R.I.
Ruehlemann scored two game-winning goals and added two assists in a 3-0 week for the Ephs. The sophomore scored the game-winner 11 seconds into the second half in a 2-1 win over No. 14 Connecticut College on Saturday. The Ephs defeated the Camels for the first time since Sept. 28, 2013. Ruehlemann also buried the game-winning tally two minutes into the game in a 5-0 triumph over visiting University of Hartford on Tuesday. The forward capped the week by recording two assists in a 3-1 win over Keene State on Sunday.

NESCAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Eleanor Martin – Bates – Jr. – F – Oilville, Va.
Martin scored twice in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Bowdoin. It was the Bobcats’ first win over the Polar Bears since 2005, the largest margin of victory in the series for Bates since 1998, and the most goals the Bobcats have scored in a NESCAC match since 2021. The junior followed up with another goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Trinity. Martin's five goals this season tie for the team lead and rank third in the NESCAC. Her three tallies last week are the first three goals she's scored against NESCAC opponents in her career. Last week’s results marked the first time since 2017 that Bates posted back-to-back wins in NESCAC matches. Martin and first-year Whitney Ladich (Scottsdale, Ariz.) are the first pair of Bates women's soccer teammates to both score at least five goals in a season since Julia Rosen and Dakota Donovan in 2014.

NESCAC Volleyball Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Chidimma Obi – Williams – Jr. – MH/OPP – Richmond Heights, Ohio
Obi helped lead Williams to a perfect 2-0 NESCAC weekend, as the Ephs handed No. 2 Colby its first loss of the season with a 3-0 sweep on Friday before defeating Bowdoin, 3-1, on Saturday. Obi played a key role in both victories, leading the Ephs in kills against Colby with eight while adding three digs and four blocks. She followed with a career-best performance against Bowdoin, recording 15 kills, eight digs, and four blocks while leading the team in both kills and blocks. Over the two-match weekend, Obi totaled 23 kills, 11 digs, and eight blocks.