Around The Big Ten – October 15

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FOOTBALL

Offensive Player of the Week

Demond Williams Jr., Washington

QB – So. – Chandler, Ariz. – Basha

• Went 21-for-27 for 402 yard and two passing touchdowns (no interceptions) and had 13 carries for 136 yards and two more scores in a win against Rutgers
• Became the first Husky ever, and just the 16th player in NCAA-FBS history, to pass for 400 yards and rush for 100 in the same game, with 402 and 138 respectively
• Broke the UW single-game record for total offense, with 538 yards, breaking the mark of 529, set by Michael Penix Jr. vs. Arizona in 2022
• His 138 rushing yards were fourth-most in UW history by a quarterback and helped to lead the Huskies to a come-from-behind, 38-19 win over Rutgers
• Last Washington Offensive Player of the Week: Demond Williams Jr. (Sept. 22, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week

Aiden Fisher, Indiana

LB – Sr. – Fredericksburg, Va. – Riverbend

·       Piled up a game-high 13 tackles with career-best 1.5 sacks to help Indiana to its first-ever top-five road win at Oregon

·       Anchored a defense that held Oregon to its fewest yards of total offense under head coach Dan Lanning and fewest yards since 2021 (Utah; 221)

·       His 1.5 sacks in the game were more than the Ducks had allowed in its first five games of the season and part of a 6.0 sack game – the most allowed by Oregon since the 2024 College Football Playoff against Ohio State

·       Had a solo sack in the second quarter with Oregon in the red zone to force a field goal try

·       Last Indiana Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Jailin Walker (Dec. 2, 2024) 

Special Teams Player of the Week

Jack Olsen, Northwestern

K – Gr. – Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton-Warrenville

·       Went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts as Northwestern defeated Penn State 22-21 on the road on Saturday

·       Connected on field goals of 27, 34 and 41 yards, with his longest of the day coming in the fourth quarter, giving Northwestern a 16-14 lead

·       Helped the Wildcats win their first game at Penn State since 2014

·       For his career, Olsen increased his total to 27 made field goals, which ranks 10th-most in a career in Northwestern program history, while his career field goal percent of 73.0 ranks fourth highest

·       Last Northwestern Special Teams Players of the Week: Luke Akers (Oct. 14, 2024)

Freshman of the Week

King Miller, USC

RB – Calabasas, Calif. – Calabasas

·       Recorded 158 rushing yards on 18 attempts with a touchdown to lead the Trojans to a 31-13 victory against No. 15 Michigan

·       It marked his first time leading the Trojans in rushing since the 2025 opener versus Missouri State (73-13)

·       His 158 yards are believed to be the most by a USC walk-on since at least the early 1970s

·       Miller’s 49-yard run with 12:09 in the third quarter was his longest of the season, later adding a 47-yard run in the quarter

·       First USC Freshman of the Week for the program

VOLLEYBALL

Co-Player of the Week 
Harper Murray, Nebraska 
Jr. – OH – Ann Arbor, Mich.  

• Led Nebraska to a pair of sweeps against Washington and No. 12 Purdue over the weekend
• At Purdue, Murray tallied 16 kills on 25 error-free swings for a career-high .640 hitting percentage, adding five digs, four assists, two service aces and two blocks
• Against Washington, Murray led the balanced Husker attack with 12 kills with just one error for a .407 hitting percentage, also contributing seven digs, three blocks, one ace and one assist
• For the week, Murray averaged 4.67 kills per set on a .519 hitting percentage (28-1-52). She added 2.00 digs per set and also received 11 serves without a reception error
• Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Merritt Beason (Nov. 6, 2023)

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

• Hit .438 while averaging 7.36 points, 6.71 kills, 2.14 digs and 0.71 blocks per set in wins over No. 7 Wisconsin (3-0) and Northwestern (3-1) at Rec Hall
• Hit .474 with 23 kills, eight digs, three blocks and two aces in a sweep. The 23 kills were the second-most by a Penn State player in a three-set match during the 25-point rally scoring era
• Led the Nittany Lions again on Saturday against the Wildcats, hitting .412 with 24 kills, seven digs and two blocks
• Martin has now recorded 20+ kills in each match during Penn State’s three-match win streak
• Last Penn State Player of the Week: Kennedy Martin (Sept. 29, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Marianna Singletary, UCLA 
RS-Jr. – MB – Charleston, S.C. 

• Led UCLA defensively to a pair of sweeps over No. 14 Minnesota and No. 22 USC
• Averaged 2.00 blocks per set across the two matches, totaling 12 blocks, including one solo block
• With Singletary’s defensive efforts, UCLA held Minnesota and USC to their lowest hitting percentages of the season
• Also recorded 14 kills at a .400 hitting percentage
• Last UCLA Defensive Player of the Week: Lola Schumacher (Sept. 29, 2025)

Setter of the Week  
Kate Duffey, UCLA 
So. – S – Ventura, Calif. 

• Led UCLA to a pair of ranked sweeps over No. 14 Minnesota and No. 22 USC
• Dished out 66 assists across the two matches, tallying 36 assists and nine digs at Minnesota and setting the Bruin offense to a .230 hitting percentage
• Recorded her fourth double-double of the season against USC, recording 30 assists and 11 digs, cueing the Bruins to a .240 hitting percentage
• Added five blocks defensively to hold both Minnesota and USC to their lowest hitting percentages of the season
• Last UCLA Setter of the Week: Kate Duffey (Oct. 13, 2025)

Freshman of the Week 
Malayah Long, Michigan State  
S – Lincoln, Neb. 

• Led Michigan State to sweep of No. 20 Indiana and a 3-2 win against Iowa over the weekend. It was Michigan State’s first sweep over a ranked team since 2017 and first ranked win at home since 2023
• Totaled 54 assists against Iowa, adding six digs, five kills two service aces and a block, setting the Michigan State offense to 67 kills against the Hawkeyes
• Recorded 21 assists, three kills and one block against Indiana
• Tallied a combined 75 assists, averaging 9.38 assists per set
• Last Michigan State Freshman of the Week: Malayah Long (Sept. 15, 2025)

HOCKEY

First Star
JJ Wiebusch, Penn State
So. – F – Verona, Wis. — Sioux Falls (USHL)

• Shared NCAA scoring honors on the weekend, recording six points (five goals, assist) over the weekend in Penn State’s split against Clarkson
• Set a school record with four goals in the series opener, completing a natural hat trick 3:40 into the second period
• Contributed to Penn State’s 5-2 win on Friday with a goal and assist
• Stands atop the NCAA goal-scoring ladder with six markers
• The 2025 Big Ten All-Tournament team selection secures his first career Star award

Second Star
Félix Caron, Ohio State
So. – F – Terrebonne, Quebec – RPI (NCAA)

• In his first series as a Buckeye, posted a team-best five points (three goals, two assist) to lead No. 16/16 Ohio State to a home sweep of Northern Michigan
• Scored twice with a span of 1 minute and 25 seconds in the opening period, providing the game-winner
• Finished the series with 10 shots and a plus-four rating
• The RPI transfer takes home a Star honor for the first time in his career
• Last Ohio State Star Award honoree: Damien Carfagna (First Star, Feb. 18, 2025)

Third Star
Jack Ivankovic, Michigan
Fr. – G – Mississauga, Ontario – Brampton (OHL)
2025 NHL Draft: 2nd Rd, 58th, Nashville

• In his road debut for the Wolverines, posted a 1.00 goals-against average and a 2-0-0 record, leading No. 9/7 Michigan to a sweep of No. 7/6 Providence
• Allowed just two goals (one even-strength) in 120 minutes of action, stopping 45 of 47 shots for a .956 save percentage
• After four games, sports the Big Ten’s lowest goals-against average (0.75)
• Has helped Michigan to its fewest goals allowed to start a season since 1925-26
• Last Michigan Star selection: Michael Hage (Second Star, Oct. 7, 2025)