Lydia Myers became the third player in GNAC history with four goals in a game in last Thursday's 7-1 win over Central Washington (Photo: Ubayy Elnogoumi).
PORTLAND, Ore. – A record-tying performance by Western Washington forward
Lydia Myers headlined the latest batch of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections, announced on Monday.
Myers found the net four times in
the Vikings’ 7-1 triumph over Central Washington last Thursday, becoming just the third player in GNAC history to score four goals in a match. Rikki Myers of Northwest Nazarene was the first GNAC player to achieve the feat, scoring four times against Cal State East Bay on Sept. 14, 2019. WWU’s Zoe Milburn matched the record three weeks later with four goals against Montana State Billings on Oct. 5, 2019.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lydia Myers – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Myers set the tone in WWU’s 7-1 win over the Wildcats, scoring in the 15th minute to kick off a spree of three Viking goals in the span of five minutes early on. She found the net again in the 20th minute and completed her hat trick just four minutes into the second half to make the score 5-0. Myers capped her historic performance with her fourth and final goal in the 62nd minute. Myers’ seven shots in the match were tied for the third-most by a GNAC player this season, and she landed six of them on target. The junior transfer from Kansas State now leads the conference with six goals on the season. It was the second hat trick of 2024 by a GNAC player, after Seattle Pacific’s
Kayla Wallace scored three goals in her team’s win over Cal Poly Humboldt on Sept. 7.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “Lydia is an important part of our team. Her work ethic enables her to be involved in so many plays. She did a tremendous job last week reading the play and getting into the box at the right time to score goals.”
Also Nominated: Carmen Anderson, Central Washington; Liberty Palmer, Montana State Billings; Kiera Scott, Simon Fraser.
WWU's Myers leads the GNAC with six goals this fall (Photo: WWU Athletics).
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Flavia Burrell – Saint Martin’s University
First-career player of the week.
Burrell was instrumental in helping the Saints secure a pair of points last week, recording two shutouts. Burrell started her big week by making 10 saves in SMU’s 0-0 draw against reigning GNAC champion Seattle Pacific last Thursday. She followed with a career-high 11 saves in her team’s 0-0 draw against Montana State Billings last Saturday, while facing a season-high 21 shots from the Yellowjackets. Burrell increased her GNAC-leading save count to 59 on the season, and she ranks second in the conference with 6.56 saves per game. A senior from Tucson, Ariz., Burrell now has six-career shutouts in her two seasons with the Saints.
SMU Head Coach Derek Faulkner: “Shutouts are a total team effort and I’m really proud of our group for getting two of them last week. We had a lot of players step into different roles this past weekend and really improved our defensive effort. While it is a team effort, having relentless goalkeeping is important. We have a goalkeeping group that works really hard every day and helps our team be confident.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Claire Brogdon, Montana State Billings; Mercedes Cullen, Seattle Pacific; Sarah Loewen, Simon Fraser; Sophia Pierce, Western Oregon; Halle Noel, Western Washington.
Burrell totaled 23 saves while allowing zero goals last week for the Saints (Photo: Ron Smith).
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sam Kemmer – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
Kemmer claimed the first hat trick of the 2024 men’s soccer season, finding the net three times in the Yellowjackets’ 5-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s last Thursday. The sophomore from Littleton, Colo., made the most of his team’s only game last week, breaking a 0-0 stalemate in the 26th minute with his first goal of the evening. He followed by converting a penalty kick just before halftime, and completed the hat trick with a final finish in the 58th minute. Kemmer upped his season goal tally to four, tying him for fifth-most among GNAC players. His opener against the Saints was his first-career game-winner. He scored one goal in his freshman season in 2023, giving him five-career goals after last week’s breakout performance.
MSUB Head Coach Paul Cuevas: “Sam had a great performance last week. We talked about being effective and dangerous in front of goal, and he did just that. As a sophomore he continues to push his limits and is constantly putting in extra work. I have enjoyed seeing his growth so far in the beginning of this season, and I can’t wait to see even more from him in the coming weeks.”
Also Nominated: Jonathan Cardona, Northwest Nazarene; Angel Alvarado-Fajardo, Saint Martin’s; Connor Tollan, Seattle Pacific; Mads Poulsson, Simon Fraser; Abraham Villalobos, Western Oregon; Edgar Serrano, Western Washington.
MSUB's Sam Kemmer (9) recorded the GNAC's first hat trick of the 2024 men's soccer season last week (Shi Robison Photography).
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andre Schlaefli – Western Oregon University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Schlaefli made it back-to-back weekly awards, propelling the Wolves to a pair of decisive wins last week. The senior from Houston, Texas led all GNAC goalkeepers with nine saves last week, while allowing just one goal across 180 minutes of action. He earned every ounce of his shutout against reigning GNAC champion Simon Fraser last Thursday, the highlight being an 82nd-minute penalty-kick denial that brought a roar from the Wolves’ bench and preserved the 3-0 result. He followed by making six important saves in WOU’s resounding 4-1 win at Seattle Pacific last Saturday. Schlaefli leads the GNAC in shutouts (4), goals-against average (0.90) and save percentage (.804).
WOU Head Coach Michael Behonick: “Ever since he stepped foot on campus he has been a student of the game, and he prepares himself the right way on and off the field. The way he eats, studies the game and his attitude in training every day continue to push him to the next level. He has shown in matches when he is called upon the ability to make saves to both win and stay in games.”
Also Nominated: Kolja Thomas, Montana State Billings; Gerardo Fonte, Northwest Nazarene; Maddox Colligan, Simon Fraser; Sebastiano Silvetti, Western Washington.
Andre Schlaefli makes an acrobatic save on a penalty-kick try to preserve the clean sheet in WOU's 3-0 blanking of Simon Fraser last Thursday (Photo: Clayton Jones).
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Marianna Payne – Central Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Payne helped Central Washington extend its winning streak to seven matches and improve to a perfect 7-0 in conference play with a pair of wins last week. The fifth-year senior from Camas, Wash., led all GNAC players last week with 4.86 kills per set, while posting an efficient hitting percentage of .356. In the Wildcats’ sweep of Alaska Fairbanks last Thursday, Payne led the way with 14 kills while posting a hitting percentage of .333. She followed that with a career-high 20 kills in CWU’s 3-1 win at Alaska Anchorage, notching a .372 hitting percentage. She has reached double digits in kills in five straight matches and 10 of 13 matches overall in 2024.
CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya: “Marianna is growing each week and has embraced her role on the team. Her performance this weekend was fun to watch and was evidence of the work she is putting in. Mod is a great person and it is awesome to see the fun she is having when on the court.”
Also Nominated: Tia Allen, Alaska Anchorage; Elena Guc, Alaska Fairbanks; Julia Gordon, Montana State Billings; Maren Machado, Northwest Nazarene; Davida Hill, Simon Fraser; Janelle Grant, Western Washington.
Marianna Payne (18) was at the center of last week's wins for the Wildcats (Photo: Shayden Hoopai-Waikoloa).
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Hair – Seattle Pacific University
Ninth-career player of the week, first this season.
Hair looked like the reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Year at the net last week, leading all GNAC players with 16 total blocks and an average of 1.78 blocks per set. The fifth-year senior from Walla Walla, Wash., had seven total blocks in the Falcons’ dramatic five-set win over Western Washington last Thursday. She followed with a season-high nine total blocks – including four solo blocks – in SPU’s 3-1 loss to Simon Fraser last Saturday. In addition to her defensive presence, Hair contributed a season-high 13 kills in the win over the Vikings. Hair leads the GNAC and ranks sixth nationally with 1.43 blocks per set on the season. Hair upped her career total to 557 blocks, two shy of NNU’s Madi Farrell (2014-17) for No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. Kayleigh Harper of WWU holds the GNAC career record with 597 blocks (2015-16, 18-19).
SPU Head Coach Jason Rhine: “Hannah is a fierce competitor and gets extra excited to play against high-level attackers like the ones Western Washington and Simon Fraser have this year. Hannah came up with big blocks in important moments in those matches, and even added a couple digs and assists. That was really fun to see since she is always trying to help the team however she can.”
Also Nominated: Bella Burney, Alaska Anchorage; Josie Jansen, Alaska Fairbanks; Hannah Stires, Central Washington; Christine Funk, Montana State Billings; Kayci Spray, Northwest Nazarene; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Emily Vossenkuhl, Western Washington.
Hannah Hair led the GNAC with 1.78 blocks per set in last week's matches (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Kendall Kramer – University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fifth-career cross country runner of the week, third this season.
Kramer kept her name among the nation’s best with a headline performance at last week’s Lewis Crossover, racing to a second-place finish among the field of 334 competitors. The reigning GNAC and NCAA West Region champion posted a time of 20:54.4, finishing only behind Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge of Colorado Mines. In a field that featured 36 Division II programs, Kramer helped lead the Alaska Nanooks to a fifth-place finish which was the highest by any GNAC school.
UAF XC Coach Conrad Haber: “We knew that there were going to be phenomenal athletes competing at Lewis, so it was important for Kendall to be patient and trust her instincts. I think she did a great job of executing her race in what was a large field comprised of incredibly talented athletes.”
Also Nominated: Alexandra Otto, Alaska Anchorage; Araceli Esquivel, Central Washington; Madeline Severson, Montana State Billings; Morgan Erler, Northwest Nazarene; Rachael Watkins, Simon Fraser; Ashley Reeck, Western Washington.
Alaska's Kendall Kramer and Rosie Fordham finished second and fourth, respectively at last week's Lewis Crossover (Photo: Stephanie Burgoon).
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Kevin McDermott – Western Washington University
Third-career cross country runner of the week, second this season.
McDermott was the top GNAC finisher at the Lewis Crossover, placing ninth among a field of 339 competitors. The senior from Port Orchard, Wash., clocked an 8k time of 24:16.8 to finish in the top-10 among a field of NCAA Championships hopefuls. McDermott’s leading effort helped the Vikings place second among the 36 teams in attendance. No. 11 WWU finished only behind nationally-third ranked Colorado Mines among the team leaderboard.
WWU XC Coach T.J. Garlatz: “It was great to see Kevin put together a strong race to help the team beat many nationally-ranked teams at the Lewis Crossover. He put himself in the mix over the first half and held on over the latter portions, finishing ahead of many returning All-Americans. Kevin is training really hard right now, eyeing a strong finish to the year as we head into the championship season.”
Also Nominated: Zach Grams, Alaska Anchorage; Ben Dohlby, Alaska Fairbanks; Brody Kemble, Northwest Nazarene; Braden Ahl, Simon Fraser.
WWU's Kevin McDermott finished ninth at last week's Lewis Crossover (Photo: Jonah Bloom).
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Orraya Tipasathien – Montana State Billings
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
The winning ways continued for the Yellowjacket sophomore, who topped a field of 29 players at the Briarwood Shootout last week in Billings. Tipasathien opened the event with a 79, before kicking things into high gear and finishing with a 1-under-par 71 in the final round. Her two-round total of 6-over-par 150 was good for a six-stroke victory, giving her the MSUB single-season record with her fourth first-place finish of the fall. Tipasathien’s 71 was one stroke shy of the MSUB single-round record of 70, set by Kalli Stanhope on Sept. 26, 2011. Tipasathien lowered her scoring average to 76.8 strokes per round, ranking her sixth in the GNAC.
Also Nominated: Hannah White, Saint Martin’s; Natalie Eklund, Seattle Pacific.
Orraya Tipasathien won last week's Briarwood Shootout, setting the MSUB record for victories in a year with her fourth of 2024-25.