Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
Eli Aston (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Wide Receiver | Junior - Eli Aston hauled in eight passes on Saturday for 199 yards and four touchdowns. The touchdown receptions were from 59, 54, 31, and 5 yards, respectively.

Defensive Player of the Week:
Brayden Baker (Bedford, Ind.) Franklin College | Linebacker | Junior - Brayden Baker made a game-high 12 tackles in Franklin’s win over Bluffton. His stops included nine solos and 1.5 tackles for loss, while also forcing a fumble, intercepting one pass and breaking up another as Franklin allowed just one scoring drive during his three quarters of play.

Special Teams Player of the Week:
William Fleck (Chillicothe, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defensive Line | Junior - William Fleck came away with one of the biggest plays of the game in Rose-Hulman's victory over Hanover to remain undefeated in the HCAC. With the Panthers down 20-17, Hanover drove down the field to set up a 29-yard field goal attempt to tie the game with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Fleck broke through the line and blocked the kick, protecting the Rose-Hulman lead and ultimately helping the Fightin' Engineers seal the win.

Notable Performances:
Offense:

• Marshall Kmiecik (Michigan City, Ind.) Franklin College | Quarterback | Junior - Marshall Kmiecik went past the 400-yard mark for the fourth consecutive week. In less than three quarters of work, the junior completed 24 of 35 throws for 419 yards and five touchdowns, with a long of 63 yards. 
• Eian Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Quarterback | Senior - Eian Roudebush led Hanover as it took on Rose-Hulman. The senior passed for 261 yards on 37 attempts and two touchdowns. He also added 31 yards rushing.
• Brock Zanetell (Evergreen, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Quarterback | Junior - Brock Zanetell had an incredible performance in Rose-Hulman's win over Hanover to keep the Fightin’ Engineers undefeated in conference play. Zanetell threw for 239 passing yards and totaled 156 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns. Zanetell sealed the victory with an 80-yard rushing touchdown to put Rose-Hulman ahead by two scores with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter.

Defense:

• Jayden Bennett (Dayton, Ohio) Bluffton University | Linebacker | Freshman - Jayden Bennett led Bluffton with 10 total tackles and a team-high six solo wrap-ups in Bluffton's home loss to Franklin on Saturday.
• Brian Wall (Sellersburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Defensive Back | Junior - Brain Wall led Hanover against Rose-Hulman, charting seven total tackles with four solo stops. He also added one pass breakup.
• William Fleck (Chillicothe, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defensive Line | Junior - William Fleck led the Rose-Hulman defense in the team's win over Hanover to stay undefeated in HCAC play. Fleck totaled a team-high six solo tackles, including one sack for a six-yard loss.

Special Teams:

• Marshall Phillips (Richmond, Ohio) Anderson University | Punter | Freshman - Marshall Phillips made an impact with multiple non-punting plays. Phillips came up with a recovery on an onside kick. He also completed a fake-punt-pass play for nine yards to pick up a first down. Phillips averaged 28.7 yards per punt on three punts.
• Adam LePla (Sylvania, Ohio) Bluffton University | Returner | Freshman - Adam LePla returned a kickoff 57 yards against Franklin on Saturday.

2026 Athlete of the Week Reports:
Week 1 (Week ending Sept. 6)
Week 2 (Week ending Sept. 13)
Week 3 (Week ending Sept. 20)
Week 4 (Week ending Oct. 4)
Week 5 (Week ending Oct. 11)
Week 6 (Week ending Oct. 18)
Week 7 (Week ending Oct. 25)