PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene cross country seniors
Brody Kemble and
Morgan Erler each claimed individual victories at last week’s NNU Cross Country Invitational, headlining the latest list of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections announced on Monday.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Brody Kemble – Northwest Nazarene University
Third-career runner of the week, second this season.
Kemble earned his second individual victory of the 2025 season, making it two wins in two races to begin his final season with the Nighthawks. Kemble emerged atop a field of 75 competitors at the NNU Invitational on Friday, helping the Nighthawks to another first-place team finish as well. Kemble clocked an 8k time of 25:01.1 minutes, which was good for an eight-second victory over second place Nathaniel Souther (25:09.1, unattached). It was Kemble’s second runner of the week award of 2025 and the third of his career, after he also won the Dr. Thad Scholes XC Classic on Sept. 5 in Twin Falls, Idaho.
NNU Head Coach Greg Mitchell: “Brody brings it every week - big meets, small meets, whatever - racing matters to him. He has high expectations for himself and this team. He's got some great teammates who push him, so he's hitting new levels of fitness. It's always important to defend your home turf so I know winning the individual title and the team title was important to him.”
Also Nominated: Will Hyatt, Montana State Billings.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Morgan Erler – Northwest Nazarene University
Second-career runner of the week, first this season.
Among a field of 63 competitors on Friday, Erler crossed the finish line in first place for the first win of her senior season. The fourth-year Nighthawk clocked a 6k time of 22:28.9 minutes, cruising to a comfortable 9.8-second win ahead of second place Riley Morris (22:37.1, Eastern Oregon). Erler claimed her second-career runner of the week award and first of the 2025 season. She took third place in her other race this fall, clocking a 5k time of 19:04.2 minutes at the Dr. Thad Scholes XC Classic on Sept. 5.
NNU Head Coach Greg Mitchell: “Morgan missed a lot of time during last track season with a nagging injury, so it's great to have her back in action. She's still rounding into shape, so I'm excited to see where she'll be at championship time. Just seeing where she was two weeks ago and where she was at our home meet against the same women is very promising.”
Also Nominated: Helayna Bonilla, Central Washington; Cecily Eagleton, Montana State Billings.
WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Morgan Manalili – Western Washington University
Third-career player of the week, first this season.
Western Washington scored six goals last week and Manalili impacted every single one of them. The All-American notched her first-career hat trick, helping Western Washington to a 4-1 trouncing of Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday. The senior scored just 51 seconds into the match before doubling her tally in the seventh minute. After providing an assist on
Emily Holdridge’s goal in the 18th minute, Manalili completed the rare feat with her third goal five minutes after halftime. Manalili was also a key contributor in WWU’s 2-1 win over Cal State East Bay on Saturday. She assisted Holdridge again and sent in a dangerous cross that the Pioneers played into their own net for what proved to be the decisive goal. Manalili moved into a tie for the GNAC lead with four goals this season, and her 11 total points are the most among any GNAC player. She also upped her career numbers to 22 goals and 19 assists, making her the conference’s active leader in both categories.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “Morgan is having a great senior season. She is in sync with her teammates and together they understand how to get her into situations where she can play to her strengths. She is so fun to watch in the final third.”
Also Nominated: Emma Barrett, Central Washington; Liberty Palmer, Montana State Billings; Taylor Krueger, Seattle Pacific; Kaitlin Taylor, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lauren Rose – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Rose played a full 90 minutes on a Western Oregon back line that held No. 1 Colorado Mines to a single goal in a 2-1 upset victory. Not only was she crucial in the defensive effort, but Rose smashed home a game-tying goal early in the second half in the eventual win. Finding the ball on her right foot outside the box, Rose tucked an unstoppable, curling strike into the upper-left corner of the net. It was the second goal of her career and first of the season for the Wolves senior.
WOU Head Coach Kacey Bingham: “Lauren is a player who has been in and out of playing time in her career and has been wanting a starting role. She has not only stepped into that but also the captain role. She has put in the work, never took a day off and really battled to get this spot on the team. She came in as a forward and is a trusted player we have moved into the defensive line because of leadership role and what she has been able to give back to the team. We knew she’s a goal scorer, and we want her in good position when a ball is going to come loose. That was probably one of greatest shots I’ve seen since I started working at Western Oregon. I am proud of her – that was a big moment in her career.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Emma Powell, Montana State Billings; Landry Schoennauer, Seattle Pacific; Asia Hardin, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Devyn Oestreich – Western Washington University
Fifth-career player of the week, second this season.
Oestreich’s 4.33 kills per set last week were the most among all GNAC players who played two matches, and she led the Vikings to a pair of road wins to open conference play. The senior earned her second honor of the season by opening her week with 15 kills in the Vikings’ four-set triumph over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. Facing preseason favorite and reigning GNAC champion Central Washington on Saturday, Oestreich was at her best. She led the five-set win with a career-high 24 kills, marking her third 20-kill performance of the 2025 campaign. Oestreich posted a hitting percentage of .303 on the week, and completed two more double-doubles with 14 digs in each match. The fifth-year Viking ranks second in the conference with 4.23 kills per set this season, and has posted a double-double in all but two of WWU’s nine matches this fall.
WWU Head Coach Diane Flick-Williams: “Devyn was in great command of her game this weekend with many offensive shots at her disposal. If you would ask her though, she would say that this is a team award as her counterpart Delaney Speer had almost identical numbers, other hitters were terminal, the setters were making great choices and our first-ball contacts allowed for many options. Devyn was a bright star in our galaxy.”
Also Nominated: Bella Burney, Alaska Anchorage; Elena Guc, Alaska; Corinne Westby, Central Washington; Allie Dorman, Montana State Billings; Sophie Fast, Saint Martin’s; Joselyn Greff, Seattle Pacific; Jayden Armstrong, Simon Fraser; Chloe Asciutto, Western Oregon.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tessa Onaga – University of Alaska Fairbanks
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Onaga led the Nanooks to a pair of road victories on the opening weekend of conference play, as Alaska swept both Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific. The junior claimed her second straight defensive weekly honor after averaging 7.00 digs per set – more than two digs per set higher than the next closest GNAC player who played two matches last week. Onaga started her big week with 16 digs in the win over the Yellowjackets, before delivering 26 digs – her second-highest total of the year – in the win over the Falcons. In addition to her defensive prowess, Onaga had three service aces and eight assists, while committing zero service errors and zero reception errors in the two matches. She ranks second in the conference this year with 4.74 digs per set.
Alaska Head Coach Brian Scott: “Tessa seems to constantly take her level of play to new heights. She made defensive plays look very easy last weekend. She did a fantastic job of making a quality dig or save, which allowed our offense to run in an efficient manner and put us in good positions to score.”
Also Nominated: Ellie Marble, Central Washington; Jordin Taulua, Montana State Billings; Tiffany Lam, Saint Martin’s; Christina Lopez, Seattle Pacific; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
MEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junsu Im – Simon Fraser University
First-career player of the week.
Im was the conference’s top performer last week, finishing in third place among a field of 86 players at the Chico State Wildcat Classic in Marysville, Calif. The Red Leaf senior carded a three-round score of 11-under-par 205 (71-69-65) on the par-72, 6,920-yard course, finishing just two strokes behind a pair of Wildcat players who tied for first place. Im carded just four bogeys across his 54 holes of golf, progressively improving throughout the tournament. After a 1-under-par 71 with four birdies in the opening round, Im ran it back with a 3-under-par 69 in round two with four more birdies. Saving his best for last, Im notched six birdies – including five on a front-nine 30 – across a 7-under-par 65 his final time through the course. Im’s 65 was the lowest round by a GNAC golfer since Western Washington’s Ryan Ho set the league record with a 9-under-par 62 on April 22, 2024 at the GNAC Championships.
SFU Head Coach Krysta Schaus: “Danny’s strong performance is not surprising given how he has taken control of his own success. He shows up ready to get better every day. Even though this was his first time playing Peach Tree Golf Club, Danny put in the time to show up prepared and with a game plan in place. Impressive ball striking led Danny to many scoring opportunities, including 15 birdies on the week. He played the par 3s at 2-under par and the par 4s at 6-under par.”
Also Nominated: Aubrey Kelley, Montana State Billings; Conrad Brown, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Orraya Tipasathien – Montana State University Billings
Third-career player of the week, first this season.
Tipasathien led the way at the Travis Roy Memorial tournament in Sheridan, Wyo., last week, helping the Yellowjackets to a fourth-place team finish among the field of 12 teams. Kicking off her second season at MSUB with a bang, Tipasathien finished fourth on the leaderboard among a field of 60 players with an even-par 144 (72-72). The junior tied her own school record with the even-par score across the two rounds of play. It was the third-career player of the week for Tipasathien, who was a first-team all-GNAC performer in her debut in 2024-25.
Also Nominated: Ashley Bruland, Saint Martin’s.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Koji Poon – Simon Fraser University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Poon posted the GNAC’s first hat trick of 2025, finding the net three times in the Red Leafs’ 4-3 defeat against Colorado Mesa on Saturday. Poon scored on three of the five shots that he placed on target, as he proved a constant threat across 85 minutes played. He opened the scoring in just the fourth minute of play, before securing a brace four minutes after halftime. He completed his first-career hat trick in the waning second of the match, as SFU came up just short of salvaging a draw. It was the third-career multi-goal performance for the SFU junior, who upped his career goal count to 13 and his career point total to 34 with the production.
Also Nominated: Cristian Chel Lara, Seattle Pacific.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harper Neubeck – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Neubeck anchored a Western Oregon defense that did not concede a goal in its two matches last week. The senior from Eugene, Ore., played all but two minutes in the two matches, including the full 90 in a hard-earned 0-0 draw against No. 3 Colorado State Pueblo last Thursday. A team captain, Neubeck’s back line helped limit the ThunderWolves to just eight shots and four on frame in the scoreless affair. On Saturday in a 3-0 victory over Cal Poly Humboldt, WOU’s defense was even better as it allowed just two shots and none on target. Neubeck also provided the assist on teammate
Yahir Ocampo Navarro’s game-winning goal just before halftime. A constant presence over the last four seasons, Neubeck has started 45 consecutive games for the Wolves dating back to his freshman season in 2022. The assist on Saturday was the second of the defender’s career.
Also Nominated: Brian Lanier, Seattle Pacific.