Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
HILBERT, Wisconsin – The Midwest Conference (MWC) announced its Performers of the Week award recipients for games played September 7-13, 2026, on Monday.
MWC sports information directors nominate student-athletes for the Performer of the Week honor by sport and vote as a committee to select the winners.
For the fall season, Performers of the Week will be recognized every week on Monday (football, soccer) and Tuesday (cross country, women’s tennis, volleyball) once their seasons have been triggered (three MWC institutions competing) and will conclude the week prior to the sport-specific Conference tournament/championship.
The Performer of the Week award winners are as follows:
Football Offensive Performer of the Week
Dom Esposito, Lake Forest College
Esposito set school and conference records and posted the eighth-highest single-game receiving yardage total in NCAA Division III history during Lake Forest's victory at Knox on Saturday. Playing less than three quarters, the senior wideout caught 10 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns. He reached the end zone from 67 yards out twice in the first quarter and on plays of 71 and 60 yards on the Foresters' first two possessions in the third.
Football Defensive Performer of the Week
Joshua Martin, Cornell College
Martin secured two key interceptions and also had two pass breakups during Cornell's 10-0 shutout win over Beloit. The senior safety returned his second-quarter pick 20 yards and finished the day with four tackles. Martin led a Cornell defense that came away with four turnovers and limited Beloit to 256 total yards.
Football Special Teams Performer of the Week
Hudson Schambach, Lake Forest College
Schambach scored a dozen points in Lake Forest's victory at Knox on Saturday. The junior was perfect on his nine extra point attempts and connected on a 28-yard field goal. He also reached the end zone for a touchback on nine of 11 kickoffs with another returned from the two yard-line and the other from the six on a kickoff from his own 20.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Performer of the Week
Grayson Ogren, Lawrence University
Ogren put together another strong week for the Vikings as Lawrence went 2-0-1 across three matches. He started the week with a goal and an assist in a win over Marian on Tuesday, then recorded his second hat trick of the season two days later in a victory over Grace Christian. He ended the week with an assist in a draw at St. Norbert on Saturday. Ogren has now extended his MWC goal-scoring lead to nine so far this season.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Performer of the Week
Jack Alexander, Grinnell College
Alexander produced a pair of clean sheets as the Pioneers shut out the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 1-0 on Friday and blanked Eureka College 2-0 on Sunday. He had six saves against UW-River Falls and one at Eureka while increasing his season shutout total to two. Alexander leads the MWC in goals against average (0.52), save percentage (.857) and shutouts. His efforts have helped Grinnell win its first four matches this season, with the 4-0 start the best for the program since 1999.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Performer of the Week
Annabelle Schroeder, Lake Forest College
Schroeder scored three goals and assisted on four as Lake Forest went 4-0 last week. The junior midfielder scored the first two goals of Tuesday night's 6-0 victory at Benedictine, had a goal and assist in Saturday's 2-0 triumph over St. Norbert, and set up a pair of tallies in a 5-0 win at Aurora on Sunday. She also played 80 minutes as the Foresters defeated Concordia Chicago 2-0 on Thursday.
Women’s Soccer Defensive Performer of the Week
Sara Swenson, Lake Forest College
Swenson was in goal for the first half of four shutout victories for Lake Forest last week. The freshman made a total of nine saves, including at least one in each contest, and was credited with wins at Benedictine on Tuesday and Aurora on Sunday.