INDIANAPOLIS- The Great Midwest Athletes of the Week for November 2nd, 2026, are based on student-athlete performance from October 26th, 2026, to November 1st, 2026.

Football
Defense: Drake Badger / Hillsdale College / Sr. / Defensive Line / Verona, WI
Badger tied the G-MAC record with four sacks and a forced fumble in Hillsdale's 52-21 win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Four sacks is the most by a Hillsdale player in a single game since at least the early 90s, as far back as robust single-game records go. Badger currently leads the G-MAC in sacks with 10 and ranks second in tackles for loss (13).

Offense: Ethan Hamby / Northwood University / Jr. / Quarterback / Macomb, Mich.
Ethan Hamby led Northwood to its ninth straight victory to open the season Saturday at Ashland, totaling 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He went 20-for-27 passing for 245 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 102 on 12 carries (8.5 yards per carry). Northwood's 9-0 start is the best in school history.

Special Teams: Zachary Barzd / University of Findlay / So. / Kicker / Canonsburg, PA
The Oilers went on the road and shut out the Thomas More Saints 49-0. Barzd was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, including 20- and 23-yard makes. He also made 5-for-5 PATs, scoring 11 points.

Men’s Bowling
Jake Fitzgerald / Thomas More University / Jr. 
Junior Jake Fitzgerald bowled five games at the Grapevine Classic, and finished 6th out of 28 bowlers. He had an average of 162.4 pins, which earned him All-Tournament honors. 

Women’s Bowling
Jayla Carter / Ursuline College / Fr. / Columbus, Ohio
Freshman Jayla Carter completed 280 frames with an overall average of 15.04. She recorded 84 strikes with a 30% conversion rate, while totaling 82 spares with a 41.8% conversion rate. Carter achieved a high game of 209 and a first-ball 9+ percentage of 52.1%. 

Men’s Soccer
Offensive: Tom Woodward / Ashland University / So. / Forward / Manchester, England
Ashland ended the season with a 4-2 home win vs. ODU. Eagle sophomore forward Tom Woodward went past a hat trick and scored an impressive four goals (4th, 23rd, 52nd, and 55th minutes).

Defensive:Drew Kapsak / Malone University / Jr. / Defender / St. Louis, MO
Played all 90 minutes on defense versus Walsh.

Women’s Soccer
Offensive:Josie Gruber / Thomas More University / Jr. / Forward / Westerville, Ohio
Junior forward Josie Gruber scored both of the goals in the Saints’ 2-0 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Tuesday. In Saturday’s quarterfinal win against Northwood, Gruber assisted on the first goal of the match. 

Defensive: Sophie Weiler / Cedarville University / Jr. / Defense / Huntington, WV
Yellow Jacket defender Sophie Weiler scored her first career goal and helped her team defeat No. 22 Ashland, 2-0, for their NCAA Division II record 16th consecutive shutout. Weiler’s effort helped secure Cedarville’s regular season G-MAC championship title. 

Volleyball
North Division
Marcelina Gorny / Hillsdale College / Sr. / Right-Side Hitter / Outside Hitter / Prospect Heights, Ill.
Marcelina Gorny averaged 3.63 kills per set and hit .451 in four-set victories over Walsh and Malone to clinch a G-MAC tournament berth. She posted a career-high 15 kills while hitting. 393 at Walsh and added 14 kills on .522 hitting at Malone. 

South Division
Madelyn Hensley / Cedarville University / Sr. / Outside Hitter / Dover, Del.
Senior Madelyn Hensley averaged 4.44 K/S and a .337 attack percentage to go along with 12 service aces throughout the week. Her efforts helped the Yellow Jackets defeat Tiffin 3-1, followed up by sweeps over Lake Erie and Ursuline. 

East Division
Kylee Urban / Ashland University / Sr. /. Setter / Olmsted Township, Ohio
Senior setter Kylee Urban helped Ashland to a 3-1 win over Malone on Tuesday. She finished with 28 assists, 11 digs, four service aces, and four kills while splitting service duties. 

Men’s Swimming/Diving
Caden Davis / Ashland University / Jr. / Holland, Mich.
Davis won the men's 50 free (22.55 seconds) and 50 fly (23.25 seconds), joined freshman Brock Gessner, junior Ethan Baker, and sophomore Ryan McEvilly to win the men's 200 medley relay (1:37.36), and was part of the winning men's 200 free relay (1:28.81) with McEvilly, Gessner, and freshman Christian Correa Hammer.

Women’s Swimming/Diving
Sidney Simmons / Roberts Wesleyan University / Sr. / Castile, NY.
Simmons earned an NCAA qualifying score on the 1-meter board at the RIT Invitational on October 24. She finished with a 398.50 score and needs another similar high mark to earn another trip to the championships. She also scored 343.80 on the 3-meter board at RIT.