FARMINGTON, Utah (Nov. 4, 2024) – The Big Sky Conference announced its weekly honors for football and volleyball, as the weekend of November is in the books with basketball season on the horizon.
Big Sky Football Players of the Week (Nov. 4, 2024)
Offensive Player of the Week: Dante Chachere, Portland State (QB, Sr., Fresno, Calif.)
Portland State’s Dante Chachere scored five touchdowns and combined for 410 yards of offense, as the quarterback led the Vikings to a 58-point explosion in the 58-38 win at Sacramento State. Chachere had 245 passing yards and one score, while earning 165 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Chachere’s four rushing touchdowns give him 12 on the season and 31 in his career. He is also now just seven yards shy of 5,000 yards passing for his career and 10 yards short of 2,000 rushing yards in his career. The weekly conference honor for Chachere is the second of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week: David Meyer, UC Davis (LB, R-Jr., Mission Viejo, Calif)
David Meyer racked up 12 tackles, with 11 being solos, picked off a pass and added two tackles for loss in the 59-7 win over Northern Colorado. The UC Davis defense allowed only 283 yards of offense, with 103 being passing. Meyer now has 78 tackles on the year, which is tied for the league lead. The interception for Meyer was his third of the season. The weekly conference honor for Meyer is the second of the season.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Junior Bergen, Montana (PR, Sr., Billings, Mont.)
Montana’s Junior Bergen returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in Saturday’s 42-7 win over Cal Poly, which was the sixth of his career and broke a Big Sky all-time record for the statistic. The Montana return specialist is just two shy of tying the FCS all-time record for punt return touchdowns.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Football Player of the Week
Offense: Keelan White (UM), Tommy Mellott (MSU), Ty Pennington (NAU), Lan Larison (UCD)
Defense: Mason Rivera (CP), Riley Wilson (UM), Tommy Ellis (NAU), Tyreese Shakir (PSU), Kemari Munier-Bailey (WSU)
Special Teams: Christian Grubb (PSU)
Big Sky Volleyball Players of the Week (Nov. 4, 2024)
Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Makaya Lewis, Portland State (OH, R-Sr., Fresno, Calif.)
Portland State's Makayla Lewis led the Vikings to a 2-0 home weekend as they got back to .500 in Big Sky play. Lewis set a season high with 17 kills Thursday against Eastern Washington, then followed with 11 on .308 hitting Saturday against Idaho.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Kate Payne, Weber State (S, Sr., Lehi, Utah)
Weber State's Kate Payne led the Wildcats to a pair of sweeps over Montana State and Montana, recording 72 assists over the weekend. Payne logged 42 assists against MSU, with the total being the most this season in the Big Sky for a three-set match.
Defensive Player of the Week: Ashlynn Archer, Sacramento State
Sacramento State's Ashlynn Archer had a big week defensively while helping lead the Hornets to home victories against Eastern Washington and Idaho. The middle blocker combined for 16 blocks over two contests, good for a robust average of 2.67 blocks per set. Archer also had a big hand in the Hornets limiting the opposition to a .077 hitting percentage for the weekend.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week
Offense: Kalista Lukovich (EWU), Jamie Streit (ISU), Madilyn Siebler (MSU), Maddie Davies (UNC), Ellie Tisko (SAC)
Defense: Bri Gunderson (EWU), Asiah Sopoaga (ISU), Lauren Lindseth (MSU), Sam Steele (PSU), Saane Munyer (WSU)
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