Athletes of the Week | September 28

9/28/2026 6:41:16 AM

Football | Offense
George Linberger, Baldwin Wallace, junior

Linberger powered the Yellow Jackets to a 49-10 victory over Capital with 166 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. His four rushing touchdowns tied the BW single-game record, and his 6.6 yards per carry helped lead the Yellow Jackets to 294 rushing yards and 425 yards of total offense.

Football | Defense
Myles Aldrich, Ohio Northern, senior

Aldrich had team highs of 11 tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as ONU defeated Wilmington 42-0. The ONU defense limited the Quakers to just 143 yards of total offense.

Football | Special Teams
Lukas Ratliff, Marietta, senior

Ratliff blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety on Otterbein's first possession as the Pioneers downed the Cardinals 42-7. The block was Ratliff's fourth of the season, and the safety was the third he has caused this season.

Volleyball | Offense
Zoe Sweigart, Mount Union, sophomore

Sweigart led the Purple Raiders to a 4-0 week, extending their win streak to 12 straight. She totaled 47 kills (3.62 per set) and 12 digs on the week. In a win against Eastern, she finished with 16 kills and a .333 hitting percentage.

Volleyball | Defense
AnnaBelle Hacker, Marietta, senior

Hacker led the Pioneers to a 2-1 record last week, with wins over Franklin College and Mount St. Joseph and a 3-2 loss to Transylvania. She averaged 1.5 blocks per set while adding 24 kills and five digs.

Men's Soccer | Offense
Mitch Wheeler, Otterbein, freshman

Wheeler had a hand in all three goals for the Cardinals last week, helping the team to a 1-1 record. In Tuesday's road loss at DePauw, he assisted on Otterbein's lone goal. On Saturday, he scored both goals in a 2-1 win over John Carroll.

Men's Soccer | Defense
Noah Thomas, Capital, junior

In Wednesday's 2-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan, Thomas made five saves on 16 shots and helped defend five corner kicks. In the 1-0 loss to Wooster, he made seven saves on 17 shots.

Women's Soccer | Offense
Rylee Hutton, Mount Union, junior

Hutton continued her hot streak last week, helping lead the Raiders to a pair of wins. She scored the lone goal in Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Albion, then scored the first goal and assisted on the second in Saturday's 2-0 win over Oberlin.

Women's Soccer | Defense
Maddi Springer, Heidelberg, junior

Over the past week, Springer faced 40 total shots from John Carroll and Albion. Against JCU, she recorded her third shutout of the season with six saves. Against Albion, she made nine saves, the second most of her career, including a key penalty kick save.