PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior setter
Hannah Trotter from Alaska Anchorage helped lead her team to a pair of tough road victories last week, highlighting the latest list of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Players of the Week announced on Monday.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Trotter – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career player of the week.
Trotter helped lead the Seawolves to a pair of huge road wins last week with an impressive all-around performance. The senior setter averaged 8.67 assists per set, delivering 43 assists in UAA’s five-set triumph over Simon Fraser on Thursday. She followed with 35 assists in the team’s four-set win over Western Washington Saturday. Her 78 total assists last week were the most among any GNAC setter. Trotter also had 11 kills against just two attack errors, posting a .360 hitting percentage. In addition to her offensive contributions, Trotter added a dozen digs in each match giving her three consecutive double-doubles. Trotter also had six total blocks to help UAA complete its first sweep of the SFU-WWU road trip since the 2022 campaign. Trotter ranks second in the GNAC this season with 8.42 assists per set.
UAA Head Coach Morgan Hooe: “Hannah did a great job leading our offense against Simon Fraser and Western Washington. She consistently made smart decisions, distributed the ball well and got everyone involved offensively. She was also an offensive threat herself, keeping opposing defenses guessing and helping our team stay balanced and competitive.”
Also Nominated: Emma Freeman, Alaska; Kailey Willsey, Central Washington; Laina Whitney, Montana State Billings; Abby Black, Northwest Nazarene; Megan Omlid, Seattle Pacific; Brooklyn Robinson, Simon Fraser; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brooklyn Parker – Central Washington University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Parker delivered yet another sound defensive performance in helping the Wildcats extend their winning streak to 11 matches and remain atop the GNAC standings. The sophomore libero averaged 5.17 digs per set, notching 18 in Thursday’s sweep of Saint Martin’s and adding 13 in Saturday’s sweep of Western Oregon. Parker has reached double digits in digs in all but one match this season and leads the conference with 4.77 digs per set.
CWU Head Coach Lauren Herseth: “BP is such a fun player to watch. She’s fast, fearless and makes difficult digs look easy. Her ability to fly around and keep us in long rallies is what sets her apart, and that was on full display against SMU and WOU last week.”
Also Nominated: Bella Burney, Alaska Anchorage; Tessa Onaga, Alaska; Avarey Stuff, Montana State Billings; Morgan Wilding, Northwest Nazarene; Christina Lopez, Seattle Pacific; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Emily Vossenkuhl, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyra DiBenedetto – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
DiBenedetto delivered a pair of crucial goals to help the Wolves keep their hopes for a GNAC Championships berth alive. She spotted her team to an early lead with a seventh-minute goal against Central Washington on Saturday, before doubling her tally with her second finish of the game in the 54th minute. Her second brace of the season helped the Wolves to a 3-1 triumph. DiBenedetto placed three of her four shots on frame and converted her first penalty kick of the season. She has started all 16 matches this fall and ranks fifth in the conference with a team-high five goals.
WOU Head Coach Nate Ulness: “Kyra was lights-out last week. She made dangerous runs in both games and opened so much up for us in the front lines to get in behind. She made the most of her chances on Saturday and finished the penalty that she drew which is a hard thing to do. She truly put out a performance you love to see from a senior player on her final weekend at home and you could see the passion she did it with. She has been so consistent in who she is this year for us. She is someone we know is always going to give us everything she has and does it all unselfishly for her teammates and the program. She's an inspiration and someone you wish you had 11 others of and has been such a joy to coach and the type of leader you love to inherit as a new coach.”
Also Nominated: Emma Barrett, Central Washington; Sofia Faremo, Simon Fraser; Audrey Holdridge, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Abbey Simpson – Simon Fraser University
First-career player of the week.
Simpson influenced both ends of the pitch in helping Simon Fraser collect two more clean sheets and six more points in the GNAC standings. On Thursday against Montana State Billings, she played 82 minutes on the back line and was instrumental in the narrow, 1-0 triumph. She followed on Saturday with her first goal of the season, while playing the full 90 minutes and helping the Red Leafs to a 3-0 blanking of Seattle Pacific. A fourth-year senior in the program, Simpson has played in 67 matches since debuting in 2023, contributing five goals and five assists and playing 4,178 minutes.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Abbey was excellent last weekend. She defended at an extremely high level across both matches and contributed with an important goal for the group on Saturday. I am excited for both Abbey and the team as we head into the final stretch of GNAC matches.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Tenley Leffler, Montana State Billings; Celia Ramos, Seattle Pacific; Lillian Mickel, Western Oregon; Mie Cairns, Western Washington.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Archie Dhima – Western Oregon University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Dhima’s GNAC Player of the Year resume became even stronger last week, as he led all GNAC players with three goals to help propel Western Oregon to a pair of wins to stay alive in the title race. The redshirt freshman ranks second in Division II soccer with a GNAC-leading 16 goals scored – the most in a season by a GNAC player since the 2019 campaign. On Thursday against Seattle Pacific, Dhima delivered his fourth brace of the season, scoring both goals in the Wolves’ 2-1 triumph. His third goal of the week on Saturday in a 4-2 win over Northwest Nazarene made it four consecutive games with a goal for Dhima, whose 35 total points this fall rank him fifth in Division II soccer. In 17 matches played and a dozen starts, Dhima has scored five game-winning goals and has converted all six of his penalty-kick attempts. Perhaps most impressively, Dhima has averaged 60.4 minutes per match and is averaging a goal scored every 64.2 minutes played.
WOU Head Coach Andrew May: “We picked up two big wins this week, against tough opponents in the GNAC. Archie continues to put himself in the right spots and his teammates have been able to get him the ball. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in soccer but with Archie's grit and determination he continues to push this team forward.”
Also Nominated: Caleb Putney, Northwest Nazarene; Judah Straight, Seattle Pacific; Pablo Perera, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harrison Gough – Simon Fraser University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Gough picked up his second weekly award of the fall by producing a clean sheet in SFU’s lone match last week. On Thursday against Western Washington Gough faced 11 shots and made a pair of crucial saves in the narrow 1-0 win. That marked his third shutout of the season and he picked up his fifth win of the year. In his first year with the Red Leafs, Gough has started 14 matches this fall.
Also Nominated: Willem Ficek, Seattle Pacific; Austin Valdez, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Maddy Harrison – Central Washington University
Second-career runner of the week, first this season.
Harrison indicated she is in peak cross country form, winning the Gonzaga-hosted Tyson Invitational on Friday. The sophomore clocked a 6k time of 21:02.3 minutes, topping a field that featured 71 runners including a swath of NCAA Division I competition. It marked Harrison’s second victory of the fall, and she has finished sixth or better in all five of her cross country meets this season. Last year’s GNAC track and field champion in the outdoor 10,000-meters and indoor 3,000-meters, Harrison projects as a title contender at the upcoming GNAC Cross Country Championships on Nov. 7 in Monmouth, Ore. As a freshman in 2025 she finished 14th at the GNAC Championships and was 28th at the NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships.
Also Nominated: Natalie Allen, Alaska Anchorage; Micah Strong, Montana State Billings; Anna Prussian, Seattle Pacific; Raiya Matonovich, Simon Fraser; Ella Edens, Western Washington.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Luke Reiss – Western Washington University
First-career runner of the week.
Reiss was the top GNAC performer at Saturday’s Padden Invitational hosted by Western Washington. The junior ran an 8k time of 25:02.8 minutes to take third place among 47 competitors including GNAC competition against Simon Fraser and Alaska Anchorage. It was the top placement of the fall season for Reiss, who took seventh at the Bill Roe Classic on Sept. 26 with a personal-best time of 24:30.3 minutes. Reiss projects to be among the Vikings’ lineup as they seek their fifth-consecutive men’s team title at the GNAC Championships.
WWU XC Coach T.J. Garlatz: “It was awesome to see Luke have another great race last weekend and to help lead our group at the home meet. He looks like someone who could be a strong contributor for us at GNAC next meet. His hard work last summer is really starting to pay off.”
Also Nominated: Anthony Porter, Alaska Anchorage; Weston Breen, Central Washington; Logan Milek, Montana State Billings; Avery Erickson, Seattle Pacific; Maverick Rahkola, Simon Fraser.