PORTLAND, Ore. – Seattle Pacific senior women’s golfer
Zoe Garcia endured for a playoff victory at the Punahele Jerky Co. Invitational in Hawaii, highlighting the latest Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections.
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zoe Garcia – Seattle Pacific University
Fourth-career player of the week, second this season.
Garcia nabbed her second tournament victory of the fall, topping a field of 56 competitors to win the Hawaii Hilo-hosted tournament last week. After carding a 5-over-par-75 in the opening round, she finished the event on fire with a three-under-par 67 to close the tournament. That tied her for first place with Kailee McKee of Hawaii Hilo, but Garcia emerged on top after a playoff hole. Garcia then tied for eighth place in her team’s second event of the week at the Hawaii Pacific Sharks Shootout. Garcia shot a two-round score of 149 (71-78), notching another under-par effort her first time through the course. That also contributed to a team score of 284 for SPU, which broke the GNAC single-round scoring record. Garcia closed the fall season with a scoring average of 74.0 through her first 10 rounds of the year, which ranks her third in the conference.
SPU Head Coach Tyler Copp: “Zoe continued her strong play this fall season during both events last week. Her shot-making ability, demeanor and confidence over the entire fall season has contributed to a lot of success. Zoe’s bogey-free 67 (-3) on the more difficult of the two courses last week was next level. She doesn’t shy away from the big moments and she proved it with three elite shots to make birdie on the first playoff hole to secure the victory. Double-bogey avoidance is a key to tournament success, and Zoe did just that with only one double-bogey over 72 holes.”
Also Nominated: Makenna Kelpman, Northwest Nazarene; Bri-Ela Nakagawa, Saint Martin’s; Kelly Wang, Simon Fraser; Natalie McLane, Western Washington.
MEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Conrad Brown – Western Washington University
Seventh-career player of the week, second this season.
Brown was the GNAC’s top performer at the Hawaii Pacific Sharks Shootout last week in Hawaii, taking third place among a field of 77 players. The reigning GNAC Player of the Year shot a three-round total of 9-under-par 201 on the par-70 course, making just three scores worse than par across the 54-hole event. Brown’s stellar tournament featured 11 birdies and an eagle, as he shot a season-best 5-under-par 65 in the second round of play. Brown also had a good showing at the Punahele Jerky Co. Invitational earlier in the week, tying for 24th among 76 players with a 1-over-par 217 on the par-72 course. Through the first 10 rounds of the 2026-27 campaign, Brown leads the GNAC with a scoring average of 69.9 strokes per round.
Also Nominated: Kasey Gaff, Northwest Nazarene; Rasmus Tamker, Saint Martin’s; Max Corcoran, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harper Sabari – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Sabari led all GNAC players in last week’s matches, finding the back of the net three times to lead the Falcons to a pair of decisive wins. In the squad’s final conference game of the year, Sabari logged his first collegiate brace as he scored twice in a 3-0 win over Northwest Nazarene. He followed that with his fifth goal of the year and first game-winner in the Falcons’ 4-0 dispatch of Jamestown on Senior Day at Interbay Stadium. The sophomore from Poulsbo, Wash., has played in 34 matches and scored seven goals through the first two seasons of his collegiate career.
SPU Head Coach Kevin Sakuda: “Harper has been fantastic for us all season. His ability to cover ground and impact the game on both sides of the ball is a huge asset to our team. He is so dangerous running out of midfield and his quality in front of goal makes him a constant threat to our opponents. He stepped up in a big way the last two games and I’m glad his value to us is being recognized this week.”
Also Nominated: Kundalini Dominique, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Valdez – Western Oregon University
Third-career player of the week, second this season.
Valdez helped Western Oregon pick up its third-consecutive GNAC regular-season title with a pair of wins last week. Valdez started off with his sixth shutout of the year, making a pair of saves to help the Wolves defeat Simon Fraser 3-0. He followed with five more saves in last Saturday’s 3-1 win over Western Washington that clinched the trophy. Valdez leads the GNAC this year with a save percentage of .790 while ranking second in goals-against average (1.17), shutouts (6) and saves per game (4.37). In 30 matches played through his two seasons in Monmouth, Valdez holds a 1.07 goals-against average and has racked up 10 shutouts and 120 saves.
WOU Head Coach Andrew May: “Austin has been amazing this year. Anytime the team has needed him to come up with a big save, he has made it. His save right at halftime against Simon Fraser was top and gave us the momentum into the second half. He is a leader on this team that keeps everybody accountable while getting the best out of them.”
Also Nominated: None.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kiera Scott – Simon Fraser University
Fifth-career player of the week, third this season.
The GNAC’s leading scorer added two more important goals and an assist to cap off the regular season as she helped SFU clinch the No. 2 seed into the conference tournament. Scott provided the assist on Sarah Caravatta’s game-winning goal against Western Washington last Thursday, before tucking home a finish of her own to help her team to a 2-0 win that snapped a 41-match unbeaten streak by the Vikings. Scott then scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win over Northwest Nazarene. Scott leads the GNAC with 11 goals and 12 assists for 34 total points scored this season. Scott also upped her career count to 32 goals, which moved her up to No. 13 in GNAC history.
SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso: “Kiera has been so consistent this year for us. She had another fantastic week, with decisive goals in both matches that helped us grab two important victories. I am excited for both Kiera and the group as we step into postseason play.”
Also Nominated: Shannah Mellick, Central Washington; Keira Reeves, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kylie Jones – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
On the final weekend of her collegiate career, senior defender Kylie Jones helped Western Oregon finish its season with a pair of clean sheets. Jones played all 180 minutes on the back line, and contributed her second assist of the season as the team collected a 0-0 draw and a 1-0 victory. On Saturday against Montana State Billings, Jones set up Leiloa Fesolai’s game-winning goal in the 41st minute. In her four-year career with the Wolves, Jones played in 54 matches with 28 starts, totaling 2,635 minutes played.
WOU Head Coach Nate Ulness: “Kylie has excelled on and off the field this year, growing into a leader and it has shown in her play. This past week she executed very well getting forward creating many chances for us in both matches and picking up the primary assist on the game-winner against MSUB. She was instrumental in helping us keep back-to-back clean sheets as well to finish out the season and we are proud of the work she puts in daily.”
Also Nominated: Danika Galbraith, Central Washington; Emi MacAdam, Simon Fraser; Ellie McGowan, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Delaney Speer – Western Washington University
Third-career player of the week, second this season.
Speer had one of the conference’s top statistical weeks of the 2026 season, helping lead the Vikings to a pair of victories. Speer led all GNAC players with 5.25 kills per set while posting a hitting percentage of .375 across the two matches. In WWU’s five-set victory over Western Oregon on Saturday, Speer punched down a career-high 26 kills while completing a double-double with 18 digs. That came after she had 16 kills and zero errors on a .640 attack percentage, while adding a dozen digs in Thursday’s win over Saint Martin’s. Speer now has 15 double-doubles this season including five in-a-row and 10 in her last 11 matches played. The GNAC preseason player of the year, Speer leads the GNAC with 4.10 kills per set and 4.72 points per set, while ranking sixth with 0.42 aces per set and ninth with 3.27 digs per set.
WWU Head Coach Diane Flick-Williams: “Delaney has been steady and outstanding for us all season, but this past weekend she took it to another level with a consistency that I have only seen a few times in my career. Her offensive numbers tell part of the story, but she received a lot of serves, dug a ton of balls and made the little plays that aren’t in the stat sheet. I am super proud of her.”
Also Nominated: Lee Ivakina, Alaska Anchorage; Cynphany Henderson, Alaska; Corinne Westby, Central Washington; Laina Whitney, Montana State Billings; Emily Garten, Saint Martin’s; Nina Kovacevic, Simon Fraser.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kailey Willsey – Central Washington University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Willsey helped Central Washington stay in first place and extend its winning streak to 13 consecutive matches with an impressive defensive performance. In Thursday’s showdown against second-place Seattle Pacific, Willsey delivered a season-high 10 total blocks, marking the fourth time in her two-year career she reached double digits in a match. She narrowly missed a double-double, finishing the match with nine digs while adding six kills. On Saturday against Montana State Billings, Willsey added four more blocks, five digs, four aces and six kills in the four-set win. Willsey’s 1.56 blocks per set and 14 total blocks were the most by any GNAC player in last week’s matches. She ranks second in the conference this season with 1.32 blocks per set and third in hitting percentage at .332.
CWU Head Coach Lauren Herseth: “Kailey is one of the most physical players in the west region, and her ability to change the game with her block was on full display this past week. To come up with 10 blocks against SPU’s offense was awesome, and a testament to her preparation for each opponent. Kailey is a student of the game and it is fun to see her put up great numbers in big matches.”
Also Nominated: Hannah Trotter, Alaska Anchorage; Audrey Rose Smith, Alaska; Avarey Stuff, Montana State Billings; Tiffany Lam, Saint Martin’s; Megan Hawkins, Simon Fraser; Emily Vossenkuhl, Western Washington.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jaxon Dubiel – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Dubiel got his collegiate career off to a hot start, averaging 24.3 points per game to lead the Vikings on the opening weekend of the 2026-27 campaign. In the first game of his career, the redshirt freshman made 8 of 15 shots and 8 of 11 free throws on his way to 26 points, while adding five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He capped his big opening week with 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting, adding five steals and three assists. Overall in addition to his prime scoring, Dubiel chipped in 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.7 assists per game.
WWU Head Coach Tony Dominguez: “Jaxon is a tremendous talent. He has worked extremely hard to get healthy from a collection of injuries. He adds a dynamic that we feel can really help us on both ends of the floor. Even though our outcomes weren’t what we wanted, Jaxon provided a spark and provided great optimism for the season.”
Also Nominated: King-Njhsanni Wilhite, Central Washington; Croix Cox, Montana State Billings.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Capri Sims – Central Washington University
Fourth-career player of the week, first this season.
Sims’ senior season got off to a sizzling start, as she helped the Wildcats to a pair of victories. The fourth-year Wildcat made 22 of 28 field goals, shooting a remarkable 78.6 % from the floor while averaging 11.4 points per game. Sims also grabbed 5.0 rebounds per game and added 4.0 assists per game while maintaining a 1.33 assist-turnover ratio on the weekend. Saving her best performance for last against No. 24 UT Tyler on Sunday, Sims made 11 of 13 shots for 23 points while adding seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Sims continued building on what has become one of the top statistical careers in conference history, as she climbed to No. 12 all-time in the GNAC with 846 rebounds, No. 6 all-time with 8.84 rebounds per game and No. 8 all-time with a career field-goal percentage of 55.3.
CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson: “Capri has stepped up in so many ways for our team and has been a tremendous leader starting with her actions. That work for sure showed on the opening weekend. Her efficiency speaks for itself. She was an anchor for us on both ends of the floor and her leadership alongside our two other captains helped this young group have enough confidence, execution and stamina to earn two quality wins. Capri’s performance and stat line yesterday against UT Tyler was so impressive, especially given the load we put on her with it being her third game in three days. She stepped up big for our group and I’m so happy for her.”
Also Nominated: Bridgette Tello, Alaska Anchorage; Cassie Chesnut, Montana State Billings; Demi Dykstra, Western Washington.