Around The Big Ten – October 1

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FOOTBALL

Co-Offensive Players of the Week

Luke Altmyer, Illinois

QB – Sr. – Starkville, Miss. – Starkville

·       Accounted for four touchdowns and 359 yards of offense in No. 23 Illinois’ 34-32 win against No. 21 USC, becoming the first player to have 300+ passing yards, a passing touchdown, a rushing, and a receiving touchdown in a Big Ten game in at least 30 years

·       Finished with 328 passing yards and completed 20 of his 26 passes, while adding 28 yards on the ground

·       First player to record a rushing, receiving, and passing touchdown in a Big Ten game since 2011 (Vincent Smith, Michigan vs. Minnesota)

·       Engineered his national-leading sixth game-winning drive in the final minute or overtime over the last three seasons

·       Last Illinois Offensive Player of the Week: Aidan Laughery (Dec. 2, 2024)

Dante Moore, Oregon

QB – So. – Detroit, Mich. – Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School

·       Led No. 6 Oregon to a thrilling 30-24 win at No. 3 Penn State in double overtime, the program’s eighth win ever against a top-three opponent and first on the road since 2021

·       Completed 29-of-39 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 35 yards

·       Threw two touchdown passes in overtime, including a 25-yard score in the second OT that proved to be the game winner

·       In five games as Oregon’s starting quarterback, has completed 100-of-134 passes (74.6%) for 1,210 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception

·       Last Oregon Offensive Player of the Week: Dillon Gabriel (Oct. 14, 2024)

Defensive Player of the Week

Caden Curry, Ohio State

DE – Sr. – Greenwood, Ind. – Center Grove

·       Recorded personal bests of 11 tackles, nine solo tackles, five tackles-for-loss and three quarterback sacks as Ohio State limited the Huskies to 234 yards of total offense and six points

·       Tied the school record with his five TFLs, a mark he now shares with the likes of Chase Young, Ryan Shazier, John Simon and Andy Katzenmoyer

·       Ranks third nationally with 8.0 TFLs on the season and fourth nationally with 5.0 sacks

·       He also leads Ohio State in tackles with 25

·       Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Cody Simon (Nov. 24, 2024)

Special Teams Player of the Week

David Olano, Illinois

K – Jr. – Naperville, Ill. – Naperville North

·       Kicked a walk-off 41-yard field goal to give No. 23 Illinois a 34-32 win against No. 21 USC

·       Made all six kicks, with two field goals (45, 41) and four extra points

·       Made the third game-winning field goal in Illinois history kicked with the Illini trailing as time expired

·       Last Illinois Special Teams Players of the Week: Hank Beatty (Sept. 1, 2025)

Freshman of the Week

Drake Lindsey, Minnesota

QB – Fayetteville, Ark. – Fayetteville

• Completed 31-of-41 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota’s 31-28 win against Rutgers
• Led Minnesota on a seven-play, 72-yard drive over the course of 3:05 to give Minnesota the lead with a four-yard touchdown pass to Javon Tracy
• His 31 completions were tied for the fifth most in program history and his 41 attempts were the fourth-most since 1995 without an interception
• Since 1995, no Minnesota quarterback has completed 31 passes, attempted 41 passes, thrown for 324 yards and thrown for three touchdowns
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Koi Perich (Oct. 28, 2024)

VOLLEYBALL

Player of the Week 
Kennedy Martin, Penn State 
Jr. – OPP – Fort Mill, S.C. 

• Hit .348 while averaging 7.00 kills, 2.44 digs and 0.89 blocks per set in matches against No. 17 USC and UCLA
• Hit .292 with 29 kills, 13 digs, five blocks and two aces in a five-set win against No. 17 USC. Contributed on each of Penn State’s final eight points in a 15-13 fifth set, totaling six kills and two blocks during that stretch
• Hit .403 with a career-high 34 kills in a four-set loss to UCLA, including 15 kills on .583 hitting in the fourth set alone
• Her 34 kills vs. UCLA were the most by a Nittany Lion since 1995 and the highest number of kills by a Big Ten player in a four-set match since 2023
• Last Penn State Player of the Week: Kennedy Martin (Aug. 26, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Lola Schumacher, UCLA 
So. – L – Carmel, Ind. 

• Averaged 5.00 digs per set to help the Bruins begin conference play 2-0 with wins over Ohio State and No. 15 Penn State
• Recorded 21 digs vs. the Buckeyes and followed up with 24 digs against the Nittany Lions
• Last UCLA Defensive Player of the Week: Lola Schumacher (Sept. 29, 2025)

Setter of the Week  
Kenna Phelan, Illinois 
Jr. – S – Fayetteville, Ark.  

• Led Illinois to a 2-0 week with wins against RV Oregon (3-0) and No. 10 Purdue (3-1)
• Averaged 9.43 assists and 2.33 digs per set, cueing an Illini offense to a season-high .362 hitting percentage against Oregon with 27 assists
• Posted a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs, adding two kills and an ace in Illinois’ four set win at Purdue. The effort marked her fourth double-double of the season
• Last Illinois Setter of the Week: Diana Brown (Sept. 20, 2021)

Freshman of the Week 
Eliana Urzua, UCLA 
OH – Santa Barbara, Calif.  

• Helped the Bruins to a 2-0 week with wins at Ohio State (3-2) and No. 15 Penn State (3-1)
• At Ohio State, Urzua led the Bruins with 20 kills on a blistering .381 hitting percentage, adding five digs and two blocks for 21 total points
• Recorded 16 kills and 14 digs for her first-career double-double at Penn State
• Led UCLA with 36 kills across the weekend, averaging 4.00 kills per set while hitting at a .313 clip
• Last UCLA Freshman of the Week: Eliana Urzua (Sept. 29, 2025)

MEN’S SOCCER

Offensive Player of the Week
Richie Aman, Washington
Sr. – M – Hanover, N.H. – Hanover

• Paired a goal and an assist as Washington claimed a pair of shutout road wins
• Scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win at Wisconsin and assisted the lone marker in a 1-0 victory at Northwestern
• Collects his first Offensive Player of the Week award
• Last Washington Offensive Player of the Week: Charlie Kosakoff (Sept. 16, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Harrison Bertos, Washington
Jr. – D – Bedford, Mass. – Brook

• Scored the game-winning goal and provided two goal-line saves in the Huskies’ 1-0 win at Northwestern
• Played all 180 minutes as Washington collected a pair of clean sheets
• Earns his first Defensive Player of the Week award
• Last Washington Defensive Player of the Week: Chris Meyers (Sept. 17, 2024)

Goalkeeper of the Week 
Zac Kelly, Michigan State
R-Sr. – Holt, Mich. – Holt

• Led the Spartans to back-to-back wins over top-5 programs with a 1-0 home win over No. 3 Indiana and a 2-1 road victory over No. 5 Michigan
• Recorded a season-high five saves against Indiana and added three stops at Michigan
• Garners his second career Goalkeeper of the Week award
• Last Michigan State Goalkeeper of the Week: Zac Kelly (Oct. 1, 2024)

Freshman of the Week 
Peter Soudan, Michigan State
M – Western Spring, Ill. – Chicago Fire Academy

• Scored the game-winning goal in the Spartans’ 1-0 win over No. 3 Indiana
• Drew the penalty that led to a penalty kick goal in the 2-1 victory at Michigan
• Earns his first Freshman of the Week award
• Last Michigan State Freshman of the Week: Luke Spadafora (Sept. 2, 2025)

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Offensive Player of the Week
Emerson Sargeant, Michigan State
R-Jr. – MF – Hartland, Mich,
• Knocked in the game-winner for the Spartans for a 2-1 road victory at Minnesota
• Chipped in a pair of goals in a 6-0 win over No. 20 Wisconsin
• Last Michigan State Offensive Player of the Week: Kennedy Bell (Sept. 23, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week
Mirann Gacioch, Ohio State
Sr. – D – West Falls, N.Y.
• Led the Buckeyes to two shutouts at Northwestern and Illinois to extend the shutout streak to seven straight, the most in program history
• Crucial part of a defense that has allowed just three goals this season, the fewest through 11 matches in a season in OSU history
• The streak of 678:16 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal is the second-longest in program history
• Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: Talani Barnett (Oct. 4, 2022)

Goalkeeper of the Week
Sophie Homan, Michigan
Sr. – GK – Rochester, Mich.
• Totaled 15 saves across two Michigan wins with a .950 save percentage and one shutout
• Made a career-high nine saves to lift the Wolverines past Nebraska, 2-1
• Added her fourth clean sheet of the year against Minnesota, 1-0, behind six second-half saves
• Last Michigan Goalkeeper of the Week: Sophie Homan (Sept. 16, 2025)

Freshman of the Week
Noelle Henning, Michigan State
GK – Milton, Ontario
• Recorded five saves and surrendered one goal in a 2-1 win at Minnesota
• Stopped both shots she faced in a 6-0 triumph over the No. 20 Badgers
• Last Michigan State Freshman of the Week: Kaleigh McPherson (Oct. 29, 2024)