PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference records were broken over the weekend, leading the latest GNAC Player of the Week selections announced on Monday.
 
Seattle Pacific’s Hannah Hair broke the GNAC all-time record for total blocks in a career, reaching 598 to surpass Kayleigh Harper of Western Washington who accumulated 597 blocks from 2015-19. Alaska Anchorage’s Emilia Long meanwhile broke the GNAC women’s basketball single-game record for steals, finishing with 11 in her first-ever game with the Seawolves last week. Long’s 11 steals surpassed the GNAC record of 10, set by Montana State Billings’ Shantell Marquis on Jan. 26, 2008 and matched by Northwest Nazarene’s Marina Valles on Nov. 23, 2019.
 

---

VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brooke Dexter – Simon Fraser University
Sixth-career player of the week, second this season.
 
Dexter helped the GNAC-leading Red Leafs extend their winning streak to nine matches, with a sweep of Saint Martin’s and a 3-1 triumph over Western Oregon. The senior from Anchorage, Alaska, led all GNAC players last week with 4.86 points per set, putting together a comprehensive performance on both sides of the ball. Dexter kicked off her week with 10 kills and three service aces against the Saints, while matching her season high with five block assists. She followed by completing her seventh double-double of the season against the Wolves, finishing with 15 kills, 11 digs and three block assists. Overall on the week Dexter averaged 3.57 kills per set on .317 hitting while adding 1.14 blocks per set and 0.71 service aces per set. Dexter leads the GNAC with 4.00 kills per set and ranks sixth in the league with a hitting percentage of .307. Her 1,213 career kills are the most of any active GNAC player and rank her 24th all-time in the conference.
 
SFU Head Coach Gina Schmidt: “Both wins this weekend were a full team effort. We’ve talked a lot this fall about the importance of consistency and Brooke has demonstrated that all season long. She obviously plays a big role in our offense, but she also makes key contributions serving, blocking and defending as well.”
 
Also Nominated: Kadyn Osborne, Alaska Anchorage; Karli Nielson, Alaska Fairbanks; Emma Daoud-Hebert, Central Washington; Jordin Taulua, Montana State Billings; Emily Tulino, Seattle Pacific; Maela Honma, Western Oregon; Janelle Grant, Western Washington.
 
 

---

VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Hair – Seattle Pacific University
10th-career player of the week, second this season.
 
Hair etched her name into GNAC history, breaking the all-time blocks record in last week’s five-set loss against Alaska on the road. The fifth year from Walla Walla, Wash., finished one off her season high with nine total blocks in Thursday’s match at Alaska Anchorage, before adding four more total blocks and 10 kills against the Nanooks. Hair climbed to No. 1 in Division II volleyball with 127 total blocks and ranks second nationally with 1.51 blocks per set. Hair’s career mark of 1.38 blocks per set is second in GNAC history. Hair’s 10-career player of the week awards are tied for second most in conference history.
 
SPU Head Coach Jason Rhine: “Hannah is a special player and teammate precisely because she gives so much of herself to the team. While she is a defensive leader on the court, she also leads by doing the little things like taking the water coolers back after practice or helping prepare devotions and reflections for the team on game days. Hannah’s attitude and effort have gained her the respect of her teammates and coaches, as well as many opponents and coaches around the league. It is awesome that those traits also led her to individual achievement of the GNAC blocking record. Hopefully that name in the record books will help our program and the GNAC continue to be inspired for years to come, by who Hannah is and what she has accomplished on and off the court.”
 
Also Nominated: Madison Galloway, Alaska Anchorage; Rilee White, Alaska Fairbanks; Ellie Marble, Central Washington; Christine Funk, Montana State Billings; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
 

---

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emilia Long – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career player of the week.
 
Long’s efficiency was off the charts in a pair of lopsided wins to start the season, and she needed just 22 minutes on the floor to break the conference record for steals with 11 last Friday against Simpson. Long also had 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting in her debut with the Seawolves, while adding six assists and a block. The senior transfer from Cal Poly Humboldt followed up with 14 points, eight assists and three more steals in just 24 minutes in the rematch against Simpson on Saturday. Long led all GNAC players on opening weekend in assists per game (7.0) and steals per game (7.0), while ranking third in scoring with 17.5 points per game, shooting 55.6 percent and posting an assist-turnover ratio of 2.8.
 
UAA Head Coach Ryan McCarthy: “Millie has shown so much improvement from the beginning of the year. This is the first preseason she has had to focus on basketball and it has really paid off. She made a lot of plays on both ends of the floor for us, but her defensive effort set the tone for our team and helped us to a strong start to our year.”
 
Also Nominated: Aspen Giese, Montana State Billings; Layne Kearns, Seattle Pacific; Sophia Wisotzki, Simon Fraser.
 

---

MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Myles Samuels – Saint Martin’s University
First-career player of the week.
 
Samuels propelled the Saints to a huge 3-0 start to their 2024-25 season, upsetting No. 14 Cal State San Bernardino 90-81 and No. 5 Dallas Baptist 94-85, and topping Hawaii Hilo 75-71. Samuels led all GNAC players in scoring during the opening weekend of the year, averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor overall. The senior guard from West Palm Beach, Fla., also chipped in 4.7 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, 2.0 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game in a well-rounded effort. Samuels played all 40 minutes in his team’s season-opening win over the Coyotes, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. He capped his week by tying his Saint Martin’s best with 22 points and adding four steals in the win over the Vulcans.
 
SMU Head Coach Aaron Landon: “It’s been a joy to see Myles return to action after a challenging offseason that included surgery and rehabilitation. He played heavy minutes all weekend, and I thought he played with great purpose and determination. Myles is still working his way back into form and has a chance to really grow as a leader this season.”
 
Also Nominated: Tyler Burraston, Alaska Anchorage; Kael Robinson, Montana State Billings; Irish Coquia, Simon Fraser.
 
 

---

WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyrsten McGuffey – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
McGuffey couldn’t be stopped last week, leading all GNAC players with four goals to help the Vikings win both matches and secure their 10th women’s soccer regular-season GNAC title. McGuffey’s first brace of the season came on Halloween, as she found the net twice amid a downpour in Monmouth, Ore., to help WWU defeat Western Oregon 2-0. Her five shots on goal in the match were a season high. The senior transfer from College of Saint Rose followed with an equally impressive performance Saturday, finding the net two more times in the team’s 2-0 blanking of Saint Martin’s. McGuffey leads all GNAC players with eight goals this season, and her five game-winners are also the most of any player in the league. McGuffey has played in all 16 matches and made 11 starts, while also contributing five assists this fall.
 
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “We knew she had a lot of quality in her game, but it’s always a challenge to bring new players into the group. You have to give a lot of credit to her for putting in the work to learn a new system and teammates, but also to our returning players making space for her and encouraging her. Kyrsten’s offensive output is easy to see in the stats, but in order to play with us you have to defend as an attacking player as well.”
 
Also Nominated: Sami Huber, Central Washington; Erika Wilson, Montana State Billings; Ravyn Mummey, Saint Martin’s; Taylor Krueger, Seattle Pacific; Kate Cartier, Simon Fraser.
 
 

---

WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Olivia Connell – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
 
Connell was at the root of two more clean sheets last week, as the Vikings extended their unbeaten streak to 12 matches and their shutout streak to five matches. Connell played all 180 minutes on the back line in a pair of 2-0 victories, making key contributions defensively to help the Vikings claim their 10th GNAC regular-season title. The sophomore center back from Woodinville, Wash., has started all 17 matches on the back line and ranks second among WWU field players with 1,369 minutes played this fall.
 
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “We have benefitted greatly from the continuity we have had in the back line that started last year and through the spring season, and Olivia has been a huge part of that. It is a perfect example of how the sum of the parts is better than any individual on their own. They all make each other better and fit well together, and they are playing at a high level.”
 
Also Nominated: Kass Jaggard, Central Washington; Megan Mendenhall, Montana State Billings; Rose Ivanis, Saint Martin’s; Mercedes Cullen, Seattle Pacific.
 
 

---

MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alexis Luna – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
 
Luna led all GNAC players with three goals last week, helping the Wolves inch closer to securing their first-ever GNAC title. Making his third start of the season, Luna found the net in the 26th and 30th minutes to help the Wolves secure a 4-1 victory over Saint Martin’s last Thursday. He followed with his third goal of the week on Saturday, helping his team respond just four minutes after conceding in an eventual 4-1 win over Simon Fraser. The senior from Salem, Ore., is in his second season on the Wolves’ roster and notched his first-career points in a WOU uniform. The Wolves enter the week in first place in the GNAC standings with 24 points, holding an overall record of 12-2-1 and a league mark of 8-1.
 
Also Nominated: So Nagano, Montana State Billings; Raymundo Mendez, Seattle Pacific; Daniel Hobson, Simon Fraser; Eric Bunnell, Western Washington.
 
 

---

MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lukas Hakamada – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
 
Hakamada made important contributions on both sides of the ball for the Vikings last week, helping his team extend its winning streak to six matches. In WWU’s 3-2 win at Northwest Nazarene last Thursday, Hakamada provided an assist while playing the full 90 minutes in the WWU midfield. He followed with his second goal of the season on Saturday against the Saints, scoring a crucial game-winner in the 76th minute of the narrow, 1-0 triumph. A senior from Bothell, Wash., Hakamada has started all 15 matches this season. In his four-year WWU career he has played in 65 matches while contributing four goals and six assists.
 
WWU Head Coach Greg Brisbon: “Lucas has been very instrumental in our success this season and especially our recent run of games. He just wants the team to win. Lucas’s ability and willingness to play different roles for us is a testament to his character and is a great reflection of his leadership.”
 
Also Nominated: George Jones, Montana State Billings; Judah Straight, Saint Martin’s; Jackson Goode, Seattle Pacific.