FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 8, 2025) – The Big Sky Conference announced its Player of the Week honors, presented by
JAMBAR, with soccer, football, volleyball, women's golf and men's golf all in full swing.
Big Sky Football Players of the Week (Sept. 8, 2025)
Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Eli Gillman, Montana (RB, R-Jr., Dassel, Minn.)
Eli Gillman broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the game and didn’t look back, rushing for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries in Montana’s win over Central Washington. Gillman's 198 is a Big Sky high and the third-best rushing game in, not only the FCS, but in all of D-I football so far this season. The three rushing TDs for Gillman is also the most of any rusher in the Big Sky so far this season, and his 13.2 yards per carry average is also a new single game career high and leads the league among backs with six-plus carries.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Joshua Wood, Idaho (QB, R-So., Graham, Wash.)
Joshua Wood threw for a career-high 281 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 96 yards and a game-sealing 59-yard touchdown rush. The Vandal quarterback threw an interception on his first play of the game, but rebounded with 377 total yards and four touchdowns as Idaho put up 37 points in its home opening win over St. Thomas.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Ezra Ekuban, Northern Colorado (DL, R-Jr., Parker, Colo.)
Northern Colorado's Ezra Ekuban recorded nine total tackles, three solo and six assisted, including two tackles for a loss for 19 yards and one sack in the near upset against Colorado State on Saturday. Ekuban also forced one fumble, adding to the five forced turnovers for Northern Colorado against Colorado State on the night as the Bears fell 21-17 on the road.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Koa Akui, Sacramento State (DB, Jr., Hilo, Hawaii)
Koa Akui recorded a pair of interceptions in Sacramento State's near upset of Nevada. Akui's first interception came on the Wolf Pack's opening drive of the game as he stepped in front of a pass to at the Hornet 23-yard line to preserve an early 7-0 lead. In the third quarter, Akui gathered in a deflected pass and returned it 27 yards. Through two games this season, the junior has been a part of four takeaways as he has two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Trajan Sinatra, Idaho State (K, Sr., San Diego, Calif.)
Trajan Sinatra went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals in Idaho State’s game at New Mexico, highlighted by a 56-yard make in the third quarter. The kick ties for the third-longest in Bengal history, matches the University Stadium record in Albuquerque, and is the 10th field goal of 55 yards or longer in program history. Sinatra added field goals of 27 and 33 yards, plus an extra point, to finish with 10 points in the near loss to UNM, 32-22.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Football Player of the Week
Offense: Davis Harsin (ISU), Carver Cheeks (UNC)
Defense: Drew Carter (EWU), Teilor Tuioti (UI), Kyon Loud (UM), Jaxton Helmstetler (PSU)
Special Teams: Drew Deck, Jacob Willig (UNC), Cal McGough (SAC)
Big Sky Volleyball Players of the Week (Sept. 8, 2025)
Offensive Player of the Week: Hannah Stoddard, Northern Arizona (OH, R-Jr., Coeur d'Alene, ID.)
Hanah Stoddard hit to a .291 clip at the GCU Classic, with a .400 hitting percentage against Grand Canyon. The Idaho native totalled 55 kills over the tournament, averaging 5.0 kills/set. She helped NAU extend its 24-0 win streak over GCU and led team to sweep East Texas A&M. Over the course of the weekend Stoddard secured double-doubles in all three matches and was named to All-Tournament team.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Alexis Batezel, Montana (L, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.)
Batezel averaged 5.6 digs per set to lead the Montana defense in a 3-0 weekend. Batezel had 56 total digs while Montana held its opponents to just .178 hitting on the weekend as the Griz took 9 out of 10 possible sets.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Reese Ampi, Sacramento State (L, Jr., Redding, Calif.)
Junior libero Reese Ampi helped the Hornets to a 2-1 record, which included a victory over UC Riverside, a road win at Southern Utah, and a tight 3-2 road loss (16-14 in the 5th) at Utah Tech. She spearheaded a Hornet defense that limited the opposition to a .120 hitting percentage, including sub-.100 marks from both Riverside and Southern Utah.
The Redding, Calif., native had 14-plus digs in all three matches, which included a career-high 31 in Saturday’s loss at Utah Tech. The 31 digs were the most by a Hornet in three years, and she finished the week with an average of 4.54 digs per set. In addition, in 39 serves sent her way, Ampi had zero reception errors.
The junior had 14 digs against both UC Riverside and Southern Utah, and added 31 at Utah Tech. She remains second in the Big Sky with an average of 4.46 digs per set this season.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week
Offense: Chiara Gennari (UI), Ava Brickner (ISU), Olivia LaBeau (UM), Camryn Greenwald (MSU), Brynn Reines (UNC), Alivia Eikenberg (PSU), Ashlynn Archer (SAC), Kaylie Ray (WSU)
Defense: Koen Makaula (UI), Marci Bell (ISU), Lauren Lindseth (MSU), Gigi Greenlee (NAU), Bella LePore (NAU), Naomi White (PSU)
Big Sky Soccer Players of the Week (Sept. 9, 2025)
Offensive Player of the Week: Maddie Ditta, Montana (M, Sr., Riverside, Calif.)
Maddie Ditta scored two goals as Montana won its lone match of the week, 5-0 at home over MSU Billings on Sunday.
Ditta now has four goals through the first six matches of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week: Lauren Butorac, Weber State (GK, Fr., Portland, Ore.)
Lauren Butorac recorded the first clean sheet of her career in the 2-0 win over Boise State, which consisted of 4 saves in the match, including crucial ones in the 62nd minute and a save on a penalty kick in the 88th minute.
The true freshman is now 3-1 in her freshman campaign in goal and has lowered her GA/AVG to 0.57 and raised her SV% to 0.889 for the season.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Soccer Player of the Week
Offense: Noelle Raczykowski (EWU), Sunnie Yarnell (UNC), Ellie Farber (SAC), Presley Ray (WSU)
Defense: Kamryn Willoughby (EWU), Reece Reichwald (NAU), Izzy Palmatier (SAC)
Big Sky Women's Golfer of the Week (Sept. 10, 2025)
Women’s Golfer of the Week: Ella Kraft, Sacramento State (Sr., Uppsala, Sweden)
Starting her senior season with an individual victory at New Mexico’s Branch Law Firm/McGuire Invitational has earned Sacramento State’s Ella Kraft Big Sky Women’s Golfer of the Week honors.
This marks the first weekly honor from the Big Sky for women’s golf this season.
Kraft carded a 5-under 211 (70, 69, 72) to outpace the field by three strokes. She defeated Montana State’s Eva Heinz and Northern Arizona’s Frankie Dezis, who finished in a tie for second at 214.
She also helped navigate her team to victory, as the Hornets won the tournament with a 3-over 867 (281, 294, 292). For Sacramento State it marked just the second time in program history that the team has won their opening tournament of the year.
This marks her second career Golfer of the Week honor and makes her the sixth Sac State women to win an event in the last five years.
Kraft is a three-time Big Sky All-Conference Team member, earning two First Team nods and one Second Team selection. She was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year following the 2022-23 campaign.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Women’s Golfer of the Week
Eva Heinz (MSU), Cala Korman (WSU)
Big Sky Men's Golfer of the Week (Sept. 11, 2025)
Men’s Golfer of the Week: Josh McCartain, Idaho (Sr., Bognar Regis, England)
After securing a top-five finish at the 2025 Palouse Collegiate, Idaho’s Josh McCartain has been named Big Sky Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week.
McCartain finished in a tie for fifth on the leaderboard, shooting a 10-under 203 (67, 65, 71) over the course of two days at Palouse Ridge. His 6-under performance in the second round propelled him to his finish, as he carded an even score in the third and final round.
This marks the first weekly award for Big Sky men’s golf since the sport was reinstituted for the 2025-26 campaign. It also marks McCartain’s first weekly honor from the Big Sky.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Men’s Golfer of the Week
Kaelen Dulany (UNC)
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