INDIANAPOLIS- The Great Midwest Athletes of the week for October 5th, 2026 are based on student-athlete performance from September 28th, 2026- October 4th, 2026.
Men’s Cross Country
Isaac Houghton / Tiffin University / 5th Year / Norwich, England
Isaac Houghton led Tiffin to the team championship at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, placing 7th overall in the Men’s Gold 8K with a time of 24:14.8. Houghton led the Dragons to a team score of 120 points to capture the title over a 21-team field.
Women’s Cross Country
Allison Kuzma / Hillsdale College / Jr. / Zeeland, Mich.
Kuzma won the open division race at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, finishing the 5K in 16:23.77… shattering the previous G-MAC record set by Mackenna Curtis-Collins of Malone, 16:59.50 in 2021. She is the first Charger woman to break 17 minutes for a cross country 5K, and currently holds the second-fastest time in NCAA DII for a cross country 5K in 2026.
Football
Defense: Drake Badger / Hillsdale College / Sr. / Defensive Line / Verona, Wisconsin
Badger had a team-high nine tackles, three TFLs, and two sacks to help lead Hillsdale's defense to a 29-9 win against Lake Erie. One of Badger’s two sacks was recorded in the end zone for a safety, which was one of two safeties that the Chargers recorded in the game. Badger now ranks seventh all-time in Hillsdale history in career sacks (23) and TFLs (35.5).
Offense: Ethan Hamby / Northwood University / Jr. / Quarterback / Macomb, Mich.
Ethan Hamby continued his record-breaking start for No. 14 Northwood, going 30-37 for 390 yards and six touchdowns in Northwood's 59-14 win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Hamby broke school records for career passing yards and touchdown passes in a game, while Northwood set team records for passing yards in a game and touchdown passes in a game. Hamby now has the two highest individual passing yard games for QBs in the G-MAC this season and leads the conference in every passing category.
Special Teams: Davis Burleigh / Thomas More University / Jr. / Kicker / Fort Thomas, Ky.
Davis Burleigh hit the game-winning field goal against #25 Walsh on Saturday as time expired. He went 3-for-3 on his PATs. His four kickoffs averaged 58.0 yards.
Men’s Golf
Cahle Roth / University of Findlay / Jr. / Archbold, Ohio
The Oilers brought home the tournament win at the Midwest Collegiate last week at Rock Hollow Golf Club, battling to the finish over Grand Valley State, which is ranked #3 in the latest GCAA poll. Roth led the team with rounds of 68, 68, and 70 to shoot 206 (-10) for the tournament, the second-lowest 54-hole score to par in program history.
Women’s Golf
Emma Myers / University of Findlay / So. / Toledo, Ohio
The Oilers finished 6th at the Mary Fossum Invitational hosted by Michigan State. Findlay and GVSU were the only DII teams in the field that included 13 Division I teams headlined by Big Ten's Michigan State and Rutgers. Myers finished T13 (+9) in the event with rounds of 80-73. The tournament was shortened to two rounds, and in Round 2, the Oilers posted a team score of 297, which was the lowest score of the week by any team in the field.
Men’s Soccer
Offensive:
Hayden Clark / Ashland University / So. / Midfielder/Forward / Goshen, Ind.
Clark helped the Eagles defeat Findlay at home in a 4-0 shutout. He scored the second goal for Ashland in the 52nd minute to grow their lead to 2-0. Clark finished the match with a 75th-minute assist to Sergio Ruiz.
Defensive:
Nick Cherry / Tiffin University / So. / Goalkeeper / Pittsburgh, Pa
Cherry had two shutout games last week after logging all 90 minutes of each match. He had seven saves to help the Dragons win on the road at Northwood, and then came up with two clutch second-half saves to preserve a 0-0 tie against Lake Erie.
Women’s Soccer
Offensive:
Ivy Hoffman / Thomas More University / Jr. / Forward / Midfielder / Covington, Ky.
Hoffman opened the scoring in both of the Saints’ victories this past week against Ohio Dominican and Ursuline. She scored her 7th and 8th goals of the season, and scored the game-winning goal in three consecutive matches. Hoffman is tied for 1st in Division II with 5 game-winning goals.
Defensive:
Cat Graves / University of Findlay / 5th Year / Goalkeeper / Lexington, Ky.
Findlay went on the road to defeat #6 Ashland, the Eagles first-ever G-MAC loss on their home field and first conference loss since 2022. The Oilers were able to shutout AU due to the strong performance of Graves, making 6 saves including a save on a penalty kick with 18 minutes to preserve a shutout.
Volleyball
North Division
Katelyn Owens / Tiffin University / Sr. / Middle Hitter / Maumee, Ohio
Owens led Tiffin to a 2-0 weekend with a team-best of 31 kills across victories over Northwood and Hillsdale. She recorded a season-high 16 kills against the Timberwolves following with a match-leading 15 kills, a .290 hitting percentage, a service ace, and three blocks versus the Chargers. Owens averaged 3.88 kills per set as the Dragons earned back-to-back conference wins.
South Division
Tess Hayes / Ohio Dominican University / Sr. / Setter / Chicago, Ill.
Ohio Dominican went 1-1 on the weekend, falling short to Walsh 3-2, then bouncing back to sweep Malone 3-0. Hayes led the Panthers with 62 assists (7.8 A/S) while adding 20 digs (2.5D/S).
East Division
Abbey Queen / Ashland University / Sr. / Libero / Powell, Ohio
Ashland remains undefeated in conference marks after another 3-0 weekend. The Eagles swept Lake Erie and Malone, followed up by a dominant 3-1 win over Walsh. Queen ended the week with 51 digs, 12 assists, two kills and five service aces. Key player in opponents being held to a cumulative hitting percentage of .141. Queen is now fifth in program history with 1,389 career digs (most in a three-year career).