PORTLAND, Ore. – A 2-0 week for Simon Fraser resulted in a sweep of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Week awards announced on Monday.
The Red Leafs scored six goals while allowing none, defeating Chico State 1-0 on Thursday and San Francisco State 5-0 on Sunday to remain unbeaten on the season at 3-0-1.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kiera Scott – Simon Fraser University
First-career player of the week.
Scott led the offensive onslaught last week, finding the net three times to account for half her team’s output. Last year’s GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player scored the game-winning goal in each match, including finding the critical finish in the 86th minute of the narrow win over the Wildcats. Scott then got the scoring started with a 14th-minute goal against San Francisco State, and completed a brace in the 60th minute to put the game out of reach. She also contributed an assist in the win over the Gators. Scott’s four goals on the season are the most of any GNAC player this fall and rank her No. 6 in all of Division II. Now in her third season at SFU, Scott has 12 goals and five assists for 29 career points.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Kiera has been clinical to start the season and scored a few fantastic goals this past weekend. She has the ability to be decisive in big moments and demonstrated her quality across the two games.”
Also Nominated: Jaylee Reynolds, Central Washington; Cesia Swain, Montana State Billings; Savanna Herz, Northwest Nazarene; Grace Gouran, Seattle Pacific; Olivia Boger, Western Oregon; Morgan Manalili, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sarah Loewen – Simon Fraser University
Third career player of the week, first this season.
Loewen collected a pair of clean sheets over the weekend, totaling nine saves to help SFU extend its winning streak to three matches. The senior goalkeeper made two saves in the 1-0 win over Chico State, before matching her season high with seven stops in the lopsided 5-0 triumph over the Gators. Loewen faced 23 total shots on the week, upping her season shutout total to three in four matches played. Across the first two weeks of the 2025 campaign, Loewen holds a goals-against average of 0.25, a save percentage of 75.0 and leads the GNAC with 5.50 saves per game. In her fourth year on the field at SFU, Loewen ranks fifth in GNAC history with a career save percentage of 84.9. She is also ninth in GNAC history with 22 career shutouts to her name, and climbed to No. 24 in conference history with 219 career saves.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Sarah has been a constant for us the past few years and consistently sets the tone with her training habits and preparation. She was commanding in all moments last weekend. I am pleased that she has started the year so positively.”
Also Nominated: Leighton Menge, Central Washington; Ava Curtright, Montana State Billings; Alex Barrass, Northwest Nazarene; Bella Lopez, Western Oregon; Emily Rice, Western Washington.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Grignon – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Grignon had a big week for the Wolves, scoring three goals to help his team go 3-0. The senior kicked things off with a brace in WOU’s 3-1 triumph over Hawaii Hilo last Monday, netting what proved to be the game-winner in the 29th minute and providing an insurance goal in the 57th minute. Grignon had a hand in both scores as the Wolves blanked Colorado Mesa 2-0 on Thursday. He notched his third goal of the week in the 15th minute for another game-winner, before setting up teammate
Yahir Ocampo Navarro in the 66th minute with an assist. Grignon delivered again in a narrow, 1-0 triumph over Westminster on Saturday, this time assisting
Abraham Villalobos on the game’s only goal in the 53rd minutes. Grignon’s three goals, two assists and eight points all rank him second in the conference across the first two weeks of the 2025 season. One of the founding members of a WOU program that began in the fall of 2022, Grignon has contributed 15 goals and eight assists for 38 points in his four-year career.
Also Nominated: Derek Johnson, Northwest Nazarene; Michael Hennessy, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brian Lanier – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Lanier came up huge between the posts on his way to a pair of shutouts last week. The senior transfer from University of the Pacific was instrumental in helping the Falcons earn a draw against No. 2 Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday, making all three saves required of him to pick up his first clean sheet in an SPU uniform. He followed with five more saves in another scoreless affair against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, as SPU pushed its unbeaten streak to three matches. Overall Lanier faced 28 shots in the two matches. He lowered his goals-against average on the season to 0.75, and his 21 saves and 5.25 saves per game are the most in the GNAC.
SPU Head Coach Kevin Sakuda: “Brian was fantastic last week. His presence and maturity in the back have been so valuable to the team as we opened the season with two very tough road trips. Two clean sheets against two top teams is massive. He came up big when we needed him.”
Also Nominated: Caleb Kiner, Western Oregon.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emily Garten – Saint Martin’s University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Garten led Saint Martin’s to a perfect 4-0 week, putting up dominant attacking numbers as the Saints won all 12 sets they played at the Javelina Classic in Texas. Garten’s 5.08 kills per set was more than an entire kill higher than the next-best attacker on a GNAC team in last week’s matches, and she swung with a hitting percentage of .409 across the four matches. The junior from Placentia, Calif., committed no more than three errors in any of her team’s matches last week, and highlighted her performance by matching her season high with 19 kills in a 3-0 win over Bridgeport. Not only was Garten a force offensively, but she contributed with double-figure digs in three of the matches as well. Her average of 5.62 points per set was 1.25 points per set higher than the next-best GNAC player last week. On the season Garten has reached double digits in kills in 7 of 8 matches, and she leads the GNAC with 4.52 ills per set while hitting at .294. In her third season at SMU, Garten has totaled 703 career kills and holds a career average of 3.12 kills per set.
SMU Head Coach Haley Domeck: “Emily has great power and passion, and is an athlete who gives her all and comes out swinging. When we are in a tight set, she’s going to go up and not be afraid to take the big swings. She relates well to her teammates and has a great sense of humor. Emily helps bring balance to our team and has an ultra-competitive side as well.”
Also Nominated: Tia Allen, Alaska Anchorage; Kelli Wright, Alaska; Corinne Westby, Central Washington; Reese Sherwood, Montana State Billings; Sophia Chambers, Seattle Pacific; Natalie Lemoine-Sells, Simon Fraser; Maela Honma, Western Oregon; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tessa Onaga – University of Alaska
First-career player of the week.
Onaga helped the Nanooks to a perfect 3-0 record at their home tournament over the weekend, playing relentless defensive in a pair of five-set matches and one that went four sets. The junior averaged 4.36 digs per set on the week, and on the season ranks third in the conference with 4.41 digs per set. Onaga’s signature performance last week was a season-high 29 digs in Alaska’s five-set win over a Cal State San Bernardino team listed in the latest national coaches poll. In addition to her defensive prowess, Onaga chipped in 18 assists and had seven service aces while wearing the libero jersey.
Alaska Head Coach Brian Scott: “Tessa’s steady presence on the court has elevated our serve-receive and defense to a new level this year. This is her second year in our program, and I think she still surprises us with spectacular reads, digs and saves on a daily basis. One of the things I love most about her is that she inspires others to elevate their level of play by the way she plays the game. She makes all of us better.”
Also Nominated: Martina Riba, Alaska Anchorage; Kailey Willsey, Central Washington; Avarey Stuff, Montana State Billings; Tiffany Lam, Saint Martin’s; Elle McCandless, Seattle Pacific; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Devyn Oestreich, Western Washington.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Matthew Resnik – Western Oregon University
First-career runner of the week.
In his 2025 debut with the Wolves, Resnik was his team’s top performer at the Ash Creek Collegiate meet on Friday in Monmouth, Ore. Competing among a field of 90 competitors, Resnick was the top collegiate runner and placed second overall with a 6k time of 17:59.3 minutes. He led a pack of three Wolves across the finish line in succession, as WOU put up a team score of 28 points to best a field of eight teams competing at the event.
WOU Head Coach Zach Holloway: “Rez had an awesome summer of training and after dealing with an injury last year, he finally gets to show what he can do. He is a great competitor and has much more to come. He is going to have a big sophomore year.”
Also Nominated: Dexter Delaney, Alaska; Weston Breen, Central Washington; Isaac Venable, Seattle Pacific; Benjamin Schoening, Simon Fraser; George Fernandez, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Rachael Watkins – Simon Fraser University
First-career runner of the week.
Competing against a stacked field of 152 competitors at the Biola Invitational on Friday, Watkins emerged with an individual victory to kick off her final season at SFU. Last year’s seventh-place finisher at the GNAC Championships, Watkins clocked a 5k time of 17:46.6 minutes to hold off second-place Bethany Mapes of Biola (17:53.8 minutes) by just over six seconds. Watkins’ win helped the Red Leafs to a second-place team finish among the field of 14 teams, as SFU totaled 51 points in its first meet of the fall season. Watkins projects as a title contender for the 2025 GNAC Championships, after placing 10th at last year’s NCAA West Region Championships and going on to earn All-America honors with a 35th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
SFU Head Coach Brit Townsend: “Rachael’s race in Biola was a great start to the season. She has been extremely focused and motivated this year. As a senior she really wants this to be her best ever and improve on last year’s All-American finish. She would like nothing more than to lead her team to a qualifying spot at nationals. She is strong and healthy and I am excited for what is to come.”
Also Nominated: Lucca Duke, Alaska; Maddy Harrison, Central Washington; Kekaihulali Halpern, Saint Martin’s; Maya Ewing, Seattle Pacific; Kyla Potratz, Western Oregon; Jill Philbin, Western Washington.