PORTLAND, Ore. – Cross country race winners on the West Coast highlighted the newest Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections, announced on Monday.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Ella Edens – Western Washington University
First-career runner of the week.
Edens won Western Washington’s Bill Roe Classic on Saturday in Ferndale, Wash., topping a field of 85 competitors. Edens turned in a 6k time of 20:48.0 minutes, completing the track a healthy 14.8 seconds ahead of runner-up Abigail Yakemchuk of UBC Okanagan. It marked the first-career cross country win for Edens, who was the 2023 GNAC Freshman of the Year and is a two-time cross country all-conference performer including fifth at last year’s GNAC Championships.
WWU XC Coach T.J. Garlatz: “Ella’s performance last weekend was a testament to the incredible work and commitment she put in all summer long. Earning her first collegiate victory while leading our squad to the team title is a huge milestone, and seeing that jump in fitness translate so directly onto the course is tremendously rewarding. She set the tone for our entire team and we couldn’t be prouder to see her effort recognized with Athlete of the Week.”
Also Nominated: Natalie Allen, Alaska Anchorage; Tabitha Williams, Alaska; Madeline Harrison, Central Washington; Micah Strong, Montana State Billings; Hazel Kunkel, Northwest Nazarene; Violet Dixon, Saint Martin’s; Anna Prussian, Seattle Pacific; Raiya Matonovich, Simon Fraser; Kyla Potratz, Western Oregon.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Ethan Bothwell – Western Oregon University
First-career runner of the week.
Bothwell won the Mike Johnson Classic on Western Oregon’s campus Saturday, emerging the victor among 129 racers in the 8k field. The senior clocked in with a time of 24:08.1 minutes, good enough for a 1.1-second margin of victory ahead of Northwest Nazarene’s Luke Stockett. It marked the first collegiate cross country race win for Bothwell, who finished 19th at last year’s GNAC Championships.
WOU Head Coach Zach Holloway: “It was awesome to see Ethan get his first collegiate win this past weekend in a competitive field at home. Ethan is such a great lead-by-example individual in our program with how much he commits to his running, academics and teammates. He is ready for a big cross season.”
Also Nominated: Ben Peck, Alaska Anchorage; Nick Iverson, Alaska; Weston Breen, Central Washington; Logan Milek, Montana State Billings; Luke Stockett, Northwest Nazarene; Ryan Koenninger, Saint Martin’s; Avery Erickson, Seattle Pacific; Peter Kunka, Simon Fraser; Jared Alderfer, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Madeline Mays – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Mays had the best offensive week by any GNAC player so far this season, scoring five of the Vikings’ six goals during a 2-0 performance. The freshman from Oak Harbor, Wash., got her collegiate scoring started with a head-turning hat trick to fuel WWU’s 3-0 win over Montana State Billings on Thursday. Mays staked the Vikings to a 1-0 advantage with a half-volley finish from 12 yards out in the 26th minute. With her team clinging to a narrow advantage with just five minutes left in the match, she struck again twice. She beat a pair of defenders on the dribble before tucking a high shot just under the crossbar from outside the box, and a minute later out-sprinted a defender before a clean, left-footed one-touch finish into the top corner to seal the win. Mays wasn’t finished there, coming back on Saturday with a brace in a 3-0 win over Seattle Pacific. She twice got the better of the Falcons’ back line, working her way into threatening positions and tucking home two more goals. It took Mays – who came off the bench in both contests – just 94 minutes on the pitch to score her five goals including two game-winners.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “Maddie is improving every day at searching out her moments to impact games. She is a talented kid. This week she combined that talent with the right moments and helped us get two big wins. It will be exciting to watch her next steps.”
Also Nominated: Jaylee Reynolds, Central Washington; Emmersyn Burckley, Montana State Billings; Dariella Lopez, Simon Fraser.
WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Blake Francis – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
While Mays produced the offense, Francis anchored the Vikings’ defense in helping the team collect two more shutouts. She played the full 90 minutes in both shutout victories, helping the team extend its streak to four consecutive clean sheets. The freshman from Lake Oswego, Ore., has played every minute of the 2026 season, immediately inserting herself into the top defensive lineup in the conference.
WWU Head Coach Travis Connell: “For our defending style to be effective, we need players on the back end of our defense that are able to make plays in space. Blake won so many important headers and tackles in our games this weekend at the back of our defense.”
Also Nominated: Leighton Menge, Central Washington; Tenley Leffler, Montana State Billings; Alex Barrass, Northwest Nazarene; Emi MacAdam, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Caleb Putney – Northwest Nazarene University
First-career player of the week.
Putney helped the Nighthawks topple No. 10 Seattle Pacific 3-2 with a standout performance in the attacking third. The junior from Vancouver, Wash., picked a great time for his first-career brace, as he helped his team overcome a 2-0 deficit and collect three points in the standings. Just over two minutes after the Falcons scored their second goal, Putney tucked home his first of the game in the 52nd minute. He followed with his second in the 67th minute to pull the score even. On Saturday in NNU’s 2-0 blanking of Jamestown, he found the net once again for his sixth goal of the season. Putney’s three goals scored were the most by any GNAC player last week. His six goals so far this fall are a career high, and he upped his three-year total at NNU to 13 goals scored in 46 matches played.
NNU Head Coach Julio Castillo: “Caleb was great in our last two games. The game against SPU we really needed someone to want to make a difference and Caleb did. He was clinical in front of goal and was a key player to make our comeback possible.”
Also Nominated: Harper Sabari, Seattle Pacific; Daniel Jackson, Simon Fraser; Archie Dhima, Western Oregon; Landon Schulze, Western Washington.
MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Valdez – Western Oregon University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Valdez was instrumental in leading the Wolves to a pair of results last week, picking up his third clean sheet of the year in a scoreless draw against Simon Fraser before making a career-high 14 saves in a 3-2 win over Western Washington. Facing 26 shots by a persistent Viking offense, Valdez did just enough on a busy afternoon to give his team room to collect a late victory. It was the most saves by a GNAC goalkeeper in nearly a decade, as NNU’s Alex Basulto was the last to reach 14 in a match on Oct. 28, 2017. It tied Valdez for the sixth-most saves in a single match in conference history. In his second season with the Wolves, Valdez now leads the conference with 44 saves this season – a figure of 4.4 saves per game.
WOU Head Coach Andrew May: “This was a tremendous performance from Austin, and he has been solid all year. He was crucial again and continues to be key for us.”
Also Nominated: Harrison Gough, Simon Fraser.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Abby Black – Northwest Nazarene University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Black was the offensive force in leading the Nighthawks to a pair of GNAC victories last week, extending her streak to seven consecutive matches reaching double digits in kills. On Thursday at Saint Martin’s, Black had 15 kills against just two errors on a .433 attack percentage, and completed her third straight double-double with 11 digs. She followed that with a 16-kill, 13-dig double-double in a four-set win at Western Oregon on Saturday. Black’s 4.79 points per set were the most by any GNAC player in last week’s matches, as she averaged 4.43 kills per set and posted a .296 attack percentage.
NNU Head Coach Doug English: “Abby has been doing a great job all year getting kills for us and last weekend she played extremely clean volleyball. She had very few errors attacking. As the season goes on, everyone knows she is going to be set a bunch and she has kept meeting the challenge every weekend. Lastly, Abby serve-received great last weekend and that helped get our offense started.”
Also Nominated: Lee Ivakina, Alaska Anchorage; Cynphany Henderson, Alaska; Ellie Marble, Central Washington; Allie Dorman, Montana State Billings; Emily Garten, Saint Martin’s; Audra Rose, Seattle Pacific; Ella McVittie, Simon Fraser; Delaney Speer, Western Washington.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jenna Holm – Northwest Nazarene University
First-career player of the week.
Holm was a defensive force at the net in NNU’s two wins, leading all GNAC players in last week’s matches with 1.43 blocks per set. In the Nighthawks’ win over the Saints, Holm posted four total blocks and she followed with six in the win over the Wolves. She has had four or more total blocks in each of her last six matches, and has racked up 51.0 total blocks this season. Holm is tied for sixth in the GNAC with 1.00 blocks per set this fall – the best single-season average of her three-year NNU career.
NNU Head Coach Doug English: “Jenna has consistently performed well for us all year. The last two weekends she has blocked a ton of balls and affected the hitters on the other side of the net. This past weekend she came up with big stuff blocks when we needed it. Those points were a huge part of us winning at Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon.”
Also Nominated: Martina Riba, Alaska Anchorage; Kellan Flynn, Alaska; Kailey Willsey, Central Washington; Avarey Stuff, Montana State Billings; Hanna Ligons, Saint Martin’s; Christina Lopez, Seattle Pacific; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Chayse Flick-Williams, Western Washington.
MEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Conrad Brown – Western Washington University
Sixth-career player of the week, first this season.
Brown was the top GNAC finisher at the Saint Martin’s Kevin Bishop Invitational last week at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. The reigning All-American tied for fifth place among a field of 83 players, carding a two-round total of 2-under-par 142 (70-72) on the par-72, 6,978-yard course layout. After a slow start in his opening round, Brown made all five of his birdies across his final 10 holes on his way to a 2-under-par 70. He followed that with steady play in the second round, making three more birdies and finishing at even-par. Brown holds a career scoring average of 72.9 strokes per round, ranking him seventh on the GNAC all-time list.
WWU Head Coach Steve Card: “Conrad had a strong tournament despite slow starts to each round. Playing his last 10 holes at 5-under-par in very difficult conditions in Round 1 was some incredible golf. He showed a lot of resilience in Round 2 to shoot even-par.”
Also Nominated: Mark Pramounmat, Montana State Billings; JJ Brigowatz, Northwest Nazarene; Rasmus Tamker, Saint Martin’s; Jonathan Van Pykstra, Simon Fraser.
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emma Worgum – Seattle Pacific University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Worgum won the Saint Martin’s-hosted Bob Grisham Memorial Shootout last week at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. Besting a field of 70 competitors, Worgum cruised to a 4-under-par 140 (70-70) on the par-72, 5,810-yard course. That was enough for a one-stroke victory ahead of runner-up Sydney Dick from Oregon Tech. Worgum limited her mistakes across the 36-hole event, notching nine birdies and nothing worse than a bogey for a stellar debut with the Falcons. A three-time all-conference selection during her career at Western Washington (2023-25), Worgum was the runner-up at the 2024 GNAC Women’s Golf Championships. Last week marked the first individual win of her collegiate career. Worgum’s performance helped lead the Falcons to a tie for first place among the field of 12 teams competing in the event. She contributed to SPU’s second-round team score of 287, which tied for the third-best team single-round score in conference history.
SPU Head Coach Tyler Copp: “Emma helped our team begin the year in the best way possible. She is such a team player and her performance really helped us capture the best team finish in our history. She putted well all tournament and relied on clutch up-and-downs when she needed them. One statistic that stood out was that she didn’t miss a putt inside of 10 feet and she averaged 28.5 putts per round in the tournament. The reward of winning her first event is a moment she should be very proud of.”
Also Nominated: Kyleigh McGowan, Montana State Billings; Makenna Kelpman, Northwest Nazarene; Bri-Ela Nakagawa, Saint Martin’s; Dana Smith, Simon Fraser; Natalie McLane, Western Washington.