PORTLAND, Ore. – The final week of the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer regular season yielded some championship-clinching performances, which headlined the latest GNAC Player of the Week selections announced on Monday.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harper Neubeck – Western Oregon University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Neubeck had perhaps the moment of the season in GNAC play this fall, scoring a championship-clinching, game-winning goal in the final minute against Western Washington in the season finale Saturday. Neubeck’s touch from near the penalty spot broke a 1-1 deadlock and prompted a wild celebration from the WOU sideline as it secured the No. 1 seed into the GNAC Championships tournament. The fifth-year senior helped deliver a share of the 2025 regular-season title to WOU, giving them back-to-back GNAC trophies. He played the full 90 minutes on the WOU back line in both its 3-1 win over Simon Fraser on Thursday and the victory over WWU on Saturday, playing a crucial role in earning the six points needed to claim a first-round bye at the conference tournament. Saturday’s heroic finish was Neubeck’s second-career goal and first game-winner.
WOU Head Coach Michael Behonick: “Harper is a guy who shows up for each and every game and leaves everything out on the field to try and help the team win. This past week he led our group over the course of two games as we continued to push for the regular-season title. His 90th-minute goal to push us to the top was the exclamation point on his performances over the course of the regular season.”
Also Nominated: Brian Lanier, Seattle Pacific.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JJ Diaz – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Just as Neubeck did for his Wolves, Diaz helped deliver Seattle Pacific’s fifth regular-season title as his efforts helped pull SPU level with WOU in the final standings. In the final match of the regular season on Saturday at Northwest Nazarene, Diaz supplied two goals and an assist towards the 4-1 final score line. Making his first start of the season, Diaz found the back of the net in the 16th minute which would stake the Falcons to a 1-0 halftime lead. After NNU equalized two minutes into the second half, Diaz struck again just over three minutes later with what proved to be the game-winning goal. His final touch was an assist to Connor Tollan in the 90th minute, helping the Falcons tie for first in the GNAC standings and earn the No. 2 seed into the GNAC Championships. The junior upped his season goal count to four and his career goal count to eight across 41 matches in three seasons played at SPU.
SPU Head Coach Kevin Sakuda: “I’m stoked for JJ. He has battled through some injuries this year that have limited his minutes, but he is finding his form at exactly the right time in the season. He is such an important piece of the group, and he just brings something a little different up top in his ability to dribble and combine in the final third. He stepped up in a huge way on Saturday with two timely goals, both finishes showing a ton of composure and class.”
Also Nominated: Baraka Dayi, Northwest Nazarene; Koji Poon, Simon Fraser; Abraham Villalobos, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Morgan Manalili – Western Washington University
Fifth-career player of the week, third this season.
Western Washington completed an undefeated conference season thanks in large part to another big performance by Manalili the final week of the campaign. She scored the lone goal in WWU’s 1-1 draw against runner-up Simon Fraser on Thursday, which secured the program’s record 11th GNAC regular-season title. She followed that up with her fifth multi-goal performance of the year on Saturday, scoring twice in the team’s 3-0 blanking of Central Washington. Her first finish of the day stood up as her sixth game-winning goal of the season, and her three goals scored total last week were the most of any GNAC player. Manalili leads the conference and is tied for fourth in Division II soccer with 16 goals scored this fall. In four years at WWU, she has scored 34 career goals and totaled 91 points which each rank her 11th in conference history.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “Morgan is playing with so much belief and determination right now. It is a real joy watching her figure out ways to impact games.”
Also Nominated: Casey Park, Central Washington; Kayla Wallace, Seattle Pacific; Kaiden Sherwood, Simon Fraser; Olivia Boger, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Eve LaFontaine – Simon Fraser University
First-career player of the week.
A fourth-year senior defender for the Red Leafs, LaFontaine helped SFU collect four points on the final week of the season and secure the No. 2 seed into the conference tournament. LaFontaine played all 90 minutes in each of SFU’s matches, helping the team concede just one goal in two games played. After the 1-1 draw against GNAC champion WWU on Thursday, LaFontaine helped coordinate a back line that blanked Northwest Nazarene 3-0 to close out the regular season. She has started all 18 matches this year and has played the full 90 minutes in seven consecutive games. Overall in her four years at SFU, LaFontaine has earned 52 starts and played in 62 matches, totaling upwards of 4,500 minutes on the pitch.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Eve has been a tremendous leader and example for her teammates all season long. She was fantastic in all moments of the games this week, and helped us gather two important results while performing at a high level.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Emily Morandi, Seattle Pacific; Lauren Rose, Western Oregon; Asia Hardin, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cynphany Henderson – University of Alaska
First-career player of the week.
Henderson had a huge offensive week, both on the attack and facilitating things as a setter. The highlight came in the form of a triple-double in the Nanooks’ win over Simon Fraser on Saturday, as she accumulated 13 kills, 16 assists and added 20 digs. That came after she posted a season-high 14 kills on Thursday against WWU, and narrowly missed another triple double as she finished with 11 assists and eight digs. Committing just three attack errors across the seven sets played, Henderson swung at .522 on the week. She also had zero reception errors to go along with her 4.0 digs per set.
UAF Head Coach Brian Scott: “Cyn is one of those athletes every coach dreams of coaching. She has the skillset to play any position on the floor, has a huge volleyball I.Q., and puts in the work to make it all come together. I am really proud of her hard work and all she has accomplished this year.”
Also Nominated: Lee Ivakina, Alaska Anchorage; Kailey Willsey, Central Washington; Allie Dorman, Montana State Billings; Abby Black, Northwest Nazarene; Kingsley Mason, Saint Martin’s; Megan Omlid, Seattle Pacific; Natalie Lemoine-Sells, Simon Fraser; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brooklyn Parker – Central Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Parker helped the Wildcats to a pair of victories on the road last week, as CWU topped Saint Martin’s 3-1 and beat Western Oregon 3-0 to climb to the top of the GNAC standings. In the four-setter against the Saints, Parker reached 20 digs for the fifth time this season to help anchor the defense. She followed up with 18 digs in the sweep of the Wolves, and has reached double digits in digs in 17 of 18 matches played during her freshman campaign. Overall on the week she averaged 5.43 digs per set, and on the season her mark of 4.61 digs per set ranks second in the conference.
CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya: “Brooklyn created a lot of chances for us to score off her defense and passing this past week. She is growing in the position each day and is one of the most coachable, hard-working players in our gym. It is great to see the positive results she is getting from her hard work, especially at this stage in her career.”
Also Nominated: Tia Allen, Alaska Anchorage; Cynphany Henderson, Alaska; Avarey Stuff, Montana State Billings; Kayci Spray, Northwest Nazarene; Tiffany Lam, Saint Martin’s; Christina Lopez, Seattle Pacific; Logan Remington, Simon Fraser; Emily Vossenkuhl, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Elaina Mack – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career player of the week.
Mack was on fire to start her senior season last week, pouring in 58 total points (29.0 ppg) in the Seawolves’ two wins over Northwest. On Saturday she became the ninth player in conference history to reach the 40-point plateau in a game, finishing with 41. That included a program-record 10 made 3-pointers, tying her for the second-most in a single game by a GNAC player all time. Mack also completed a double-double on Saturday, grabbing a dozen rebounds. Her huge week included marks of 52.5% from the floor, 65.2% from long range, 10.5 rebounds per game, 4.0 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. Mack has now played 87 games including 59 starts since debuting in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. She has totaled 752 points (8.6 ppg), and her 176 career made 3-pointers are tied for 22nd most in conference history.
UAA Head Coach Matt Thune: “Elaina embodies everything we want the program to stand for. Her work ethic, toughness and selflessness set the standard for our team and she is dedicated to the betterment of UAA and our program every single day. This past week she shot the lights out, set career marks for rebounds and played with defensive intensity every minute she was on the court. I am proud of her and am excited to see continued growth from her and her teammates as we move deeper into the non-conference slate.”
Also Nominated: Kyla Momberg, Montana State Billings.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mason Landdeck – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
Landdeck led all GNAC players in scoring (19.7 ppg) and assists (5.7 apg) and was second in steals (2.3 spg) across the games played last week. The senior helped lead the Yellowjackets to a 3-0 start to their 2025-26 season, defeating three NCAA Division II teams at the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead in Billings. Starting his season with a bang, last year’s GNAC Championships MVP poured in 28 points in the team’s 91-67 win over New Mexico Highlands on Friday. He followed with 16 points in an 80-75 win over Central Missouri Saturday and finished with 15 points in a 100-80 victory over Nebraska Kearney on Sunday. Landdeck also dished out eight assists in the win over the Lopers, while adding five steals and three rebounds in the well-rounded performance.
MSUB Head Coach Luke Fennelly: “Mason was vital for our team’s success over the weekend. He really sets the pace for our team on both sides of the ball. He did well picking his spots to score but also getting everyone else involved in the offense. I am very proud of his effort and leadership over the three-game span.”
Also Nominated: Akok Machar, Alaska Anchorage; Jalai O’Keith, Alaska.