Montana State Athletics

Men's Basketball By: Big Sky Communications Staff

Weekly Honors Announced for Nov. 22-25

FARMINGTON, Utah (Nov. 24, 2025) – The Big Sky Conference announced its Player of the Week honors, presented by JAMBAR, with the regular seasons for football and volleyball coming to a close and the seasons for women's basketball and men's basketball just heating up. 

Big Sky Volleyball Players of the Week (Nov. 22, 2025)

Offensive Player of the Week: Hanah Stoddard, Northern Arizona (OH, Jr., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
Hanah Stoddard led the Lumberjacks to win the Big Sky Regular season outright after a 3-1 win over the UNC Bears on their own court. She had 18 kills and hit to a .340 clip and also recorded two service aces.

The Lumberjacks head into the conference tournament winning 11 of their last 12 matches and are seeking their first tournament crown since 2018.

Defensive Player of the Week: Melia Barlow, Northern Arizona (L, R-So., Tuba City, Ariz.)
Melia Barlow was key in helping the Lumberjacks to an outright regular season title after a 3-1 defeat over Northern Colorado in the regular season finale. She had 21 digs in total, and played a vital part in keeping the Bears at bay.

With the win, Northern Arizona swept the Battle of the Blue and Gold this season and also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. 

Others Nominated for Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week
Offense: Jaydin Watts (ISU), Delaney Russell (UM), Camryn Greenwald (MSU), Bella Van Lannen (UNC), Ashlynn Archer (SAC), Rose Moore (WSU)
Defense: Meline Shulikov (ISU), Alexis Batezel (UM), Lauren Lindseth (MSU), Reese Ampi (SAC), Saane Munyer (WSU)

Big Sky Football Players of the Week (Nov. 24, 2025)


Offensive Player of the Week: Justin Lamson, Montana State (QB, Jr., El Dorado Hills, CA)
Justin Lamson led Montana State to a 31-28 victory over previously undefeated Montana, earning the first road victory in the Brawl of the Wild since 2018 and the team’s third Big Sky Championship in the last four seasons. Facing a record crowd and the biggest stakes in Cat-Griz history, Lamson posted one of the most efficient passing days ever for Montana State and led the Bobcats to a Big Sky Championship-clinching win in Missoula. MSU’s junior quarterback completed 18 of his 20 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown, rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, and committed no turnovers in the victory. Lamson also extended his string of rushing and passing for at least one touchdown each to seven-straight games, and on the championship-clinching drive to close out the game he was 2-2 passing for 15 yards and rushed three times for eight yards. The last of those was a five-yard run on third-and-four that sealed MSU's 10th straight win overall, ultimately leading to a No. 2 overall seed for the FCS Playoffs.

Defensive Player of the Week: Caden Dowler, Montana State (DB, Jr., Billings, MT)
Caden Dowler had a momentum-swinging play that helped Montana State secure a 31-28 victory over previously undefeated Montana, while earning the first road victory in the Brawl of the Wild since 2018 and the team’s third Big Sky Championship in the last four seasons. Montana State's junior safety snared a pass from Montana's Keali'i Ah Yat late in the third quarter and dashed 34 yards for a touchdown to turn a 21-17 deficit into a 24-21 lead that the Bobcats would never relinquish. Dowler's history-making play marked his third-consecutive game with an interception and second-straight he’s returned it for a touchdown, both coming against Top 10 opponents. Dowler also logged six solo tackles on Saturday, the second-most on the team.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Trajan Sinatra, Idaho State (K, So., San Jose, CA)
Trajan Sinatra had another perfect kicking day, as he helped lead Idaho State to a 37-16 win over rival Idaho in Moscow. Sinatra was 3-of-3 on field goal attempts, connecting on kicks from 39, 33, and 19 yards, while also going a perfect 4-of-4 on PATs. Sinatra finished the day with 13 points in the Bengals’ win. Sinatra also placed his name in the ISU record book, with his performance, he now holds the single-season kick scoring record for the Bengals with 97 points. The victory for ISU marks its first over the Vandals since 1981, as the Bengals finish a perfect 4-0 in November. 

Others Nominated for Big Sky Football Player of the Week
Offense: Anthony Grigsby Jr. (CP), Kaden Rolfsness (EWU), Jordan Cooke (ISU), Justin Guin (UNC), Samuel Gbatu Jr. (UCD), Spencer Ferguson (WSU)
Defense: Troy Bean (CP), Isaiah Perez (EWU), Rylan Leathers (ISU), Dominic Butts (UNC), Nate Rutchena (UCD), Sione Hala (WSU)
Special Teams: Jacob Willig (UNC), Sloan Calder (WSU)


Big Sky Women's Basketball Player of the Week (Nov. 25, 2025)

TBA


Big Sky Men’s Basketball Player of the Week (Nov. 25, 2025)
 
TBA

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