LANCASTER, Pa. -- The fall 2026 season is underway in cross country, field hockey, soccer, volleyball and men's golf. Centennial Conference weekly honors have been distributed for the week of Sept. 1-6.
See below for the full list of the first Centennial winners of the year.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Athlete of the Week
Zach Houff, Jr., Franklin & Marshall
Fredericksburg, Va. | Riverbend
Houff won the Little Three Meet against Dickinson and Gettysburg, completing the two-mile course in a time of 9:56.1. Houff won the race by over 10 seconds and was the only runner to complete the Baker Campus course in under 10 minutes, besting a field of 51 runners.
2026 Men's Cross Country Weekly Awards
Sept. 9 -
Zach Houff, Franklin & Marshall
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Athlete of the Week
Tara Silverman, Jr., Franklin & Marshall
New York City, N.Y. | NYC iSchool
Silverman was the individual champion at the Little Three Meet as the Diplomats won their first team title in the annual event with Gettysburg and Dickinson since 1994. Silverman completed the two-mile race in 11:54, edging teammate Maren Blanks by less than second. F&M had the top two individual finishers against teams who entered the race ranked third and fourth in the region.
2026 Women's Cross Country Weekly Awards
Sept. 9 -
Tara Silverman, Franklin & Marshall
FIELD HOCKEY
Offensive Player of the Week
Caitlin Hoover, Sr., F, Franklin & Marshall
Blue Bell, Pa. | The Lawrenceville School (N.J.)
The defending Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year quickly returned to form to begin 2026, totaling five goals with one hat-trick in a 2-0 week for the Diplomats. Hoover recorded a hat trick in No. 16 F&M's 4-0 win over Susquehanna on Tuesday before tallying two goals in a 6-0 victory against Elizabethtown on Saturday.
Defensive Player of the Week
Elise Martin, Fr., GK, Ursinus
Ridley Park, Pa. | Ridley
Martin anchored the Bears defense while leading Ursinus to a perfect 2-0 week. In her collegiate debut against No. 14 Rowan, Martin collected three saves and shut out the Profs for the first 55 minutes of play en route to a 3-1 Bears' victory. Against William Smith on Saturday, Martin recorded her first career shutout, recording two saves in a 4-0 victory over William Smith.
2026 Field Hockey Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Caitlin Hoover, Franklin & Marshall
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Elise Martin, Ursinus
MEN'S SOCCER
Offensive Player of the Week
Nicholas Clarke, So., F, McDaniel
Brooklyn, N.Y. | ACE
Clarke posted the first multi-goal game of his career as McDaniel opened the 2026 season with a 2-1 victory over Penn State Harrisburg in its lone game of the season so far. His four points were a career-high as he scored both goals, equaling his 18-game total from his first collegiate season. Clarke scored both goals in the game's first 11 minutes, less than six minutes apart.
Defensive Player of the Week
Connor Gustafson, Fr., D, Haverford
Lake Bluff, Ill. | Lake Forest
Gustafson made an impact on both ends of the field during Haverford’s unbeaten 2-0-1 opening week, helping the Fords extend their unbeaten streak to 23 consecutive matches dating back to September 2025. The rookie defender started all three contests and helped anchor a Haverford back line that conceded just one goal while posting shutouts against Immaculata and Rutgers-Camden. Gustafson also provided a major offensive spark from the back line, scoring in Haverford’s 3–0 season-opening victory at Immaculata before finding the back of the net again with the game-winning goal in a 3–1 victory over Stockton at the Cialella Soccer Classic.
2026 Men's Soccer Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Nicholas Clarke, McDaniel
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Connor Gustafson, Haverford
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Offensive Player of the Week
Jaidyn Falcone, So., F, Muhlenberg
Succasunna, N.J. | Pope John XXIII
Falcone netted the winning goal in each game as Muhlenberg posted 2-1 victories against Stevenson and DeSales to open a season 2-0 for the first time since 2019. Against Stevenson, Falcone headed in a cross in the 53rd minute to give the Mules a 2-0 lead, and that would prove to be the difference. In a road game at DeSales the next day, Falcone put in a rebound with just 39 seconds left to break a 1-1 tie. It was the first game-winning goal in the last minute of regulation for the Mules since 2013. Falcone, who scored just one goal all of last season, is the first Muhlenberg player to score a goal in each of the first two games of a season since 2012, and the first to do so in two wins since 2008.
Defensive Player of the Week
Anna Kavountzis, Jr., GK, Gettysburg
New City, N.Y. | Clarkstown North
Kovountzis backstopped the Bullets in a scoreless draw with No. 20 Misericordia on Friday. The junior keeper made eight saves, including stonewalling a penalty kick in the 54th minute.
2026 Women's Soccer Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Jaidyn Falcone, Muhlenberg
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Anna Kavountzis, Gettysburg
VOLLEYBALL
Offensive Player of the Week
Elizabeth Cella, So., OH, Haverford
Atlanta, Ga. | Whitefield Academy
Cella opened the 2026 season in impressive fashion, earning Tournament MVP honors at the Haverford Invitational while helping the Fords post a 3-1 record. Across four matches, Cella totaled 73 kills, one service ace and nine block assists, averaging 4.56 kills per set at a .281 percent clip while reaching double figures in kills in every contest. Cella opened the season with 19 kills in a sweep of Widener before establishing a career high with 24 kills on a .477 hitting percentage while adding a service ace against Misericordia. She capped the Haverford Invitational with 10 kills in a sweep of Lancaster Bible and 20 kills in a five-set victory over Stockton.
Defensive Player of the Week
Nala Shearer, Jr., L/DS, Gettysburg
Lexington, Va. | Rockbridge County
Shearer led the defense in a 4-1 start to the season for the Bullets. She tallied 118 digs in the four matches, averaging 6.21 per set. She had no fewer than 16 digs in any match and eclipsed the 20-dig mark in three of the five matches, including a career-high 36 in a five-setter against Bridgewater to wrap up the Battlefield Classic. She also chipped in 20 assists and seven aces.
2025 Volleyball Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Elizabeth Cella, Haverford
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 -
Nala Shearer, Gettysburg
MEN'S GOLF
Co-Athlete of the Week
Landon Mauser, So., Dickinson
Sewickley, Pa. | Shadyside Academy
Mauser posted scores of 66-72 (138) to tie for second place at the Dickinson Fall Invitational at the Carlisle Barracks Golf Club. Mauser opened the tournament firing a tournament-low round of six-under 66, which is tied for the ninth-lowest round in CC history. He followed that up with an even-par 72 on day two, tying for second place on the individual leaderboard in a field of 138 golfers.
Co-Athlete of the Week
Andrew Ekstrom, So., Gettysburg
York, Pa. | York Suburban
Ekstrom led the Bullets to the team title at the Dickinson Fall Invitational with a two-day score of 138 – the lowest of his collegiate career – posting matching rounds of three-under 69 to finish tied for second. As a team, Gettysburg fired a two-day score of 566.
2026 Men's Golf Weekly Awards
Sept. 9 -
Landon Mauser, Dickinson &
Andrew Ekstrom, Gettysburg
