UAlbany Athletes of the Week - 2025-26

UAlbany Athletes of the Week - 2025-26

To view the full history of UAlbany Athletes of the Week, click here.

October 15
Female – Kendall Harris, Volleyball
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Harris helped the Great Danes go 2-0 this past week, defeating Siena and NJIT in four sets. the Houston Texas native over two matches record 29 kills (.293%), 26 digs, six blocks and four aces over eight sets.
Female – Arianna Verardi, Women's XC
Hometown: Averill Park, N.Y.
Arianna Verardi earned the highest finish of all UAlbany runners with the fourth-best women's time. The freshman finished the 5k in 19:36.44.

October 8
Female – Mara Küskes, Field Hockey
Hometown: Mönchengladbach, Germany
Junior defender Küskes helped the Great Danes go 2-0 last week in which the team shutout both Colgate and Maine. Against Colgate, in the 4-0 victory she recroded one goal and one assist while additionally holding down the defense in the 2-0 win vs Maine.
Male – Rodrigo Hermelo, Men's Soccer
Hometown: Guadalajara, Spain
Sophomore defender Rodrigo Hermelo helped UAlbany earn it's first conference win of the season in a decisive 3-1 victory over New Hampishire on October 4 where he recorded one goal and one assist in the match.

October 1
Female – Collegiate 8+ A, Women's Rowing
Crew: The UAlbany women's rowing collegiate 8+ A team took home the win on Sunday, September 28 at the Mohawk Fall Classic on the Mohawk River in Schenectady, N.Y. where in the first regatta of the season. The Great Danes defeated teams from Iona, Hamilton, Binghamton, Union and Nazareth, finishing with a time of 14:40.52, a near 15 seconds ahead of the second place boat.
Male – Andrej Krivokapic, Men's Soccer
Hometown: Niksic, Montenegro
Junior keeper Krivokapic went 0-0-2 this past week with draws against crosstown rivals Siena (0-0) and America East opponent's NJIT (1-1). against Siena the Montengro native tallied three saves in the match while picking up four saves against the Highlanders.it'

September 26

Female – Pilar Lorenzini, Field Hockey
Hometown: Mendoza, Argentina
Lorenzini helped UAlbany pull off a come from behind win against Holy Cross on September 19, when the Great Danes trailing 3-1 to the Crusaders came back as Lorenzine scored UAlbany's second and third goal to tie the game with the Great Danes ultimately picking up the 4-3 victory over Holy Cross.
Male – Jojo Uga, Football
Hometown: Hyde Park, Mass.
Sophomore running back, Jojo Uga led the Great Danes to their first win of the season against Cornell on September 20 where the Hyde Park, Mass native recorded a season high 18 rushing attempts for 126 yards, while scoring a touchdown of a 43 yard run late in the fourth quarter that ultimately allowed UAlbany to defeat the Big Red 13-10.

September 17

Female – Thantita Aungsuseewong, Women's Golf
Hometown: Nonthaburi, Thailand
Senior, Thantita Aungsuseewong  helped Great Danes women golf defeat Siena in the Crosstown challenge this past Friday, September 12 as she placed first through 18 holes at the Crosstown Challenge with a score of 72 (+1).
Male – Owen Stachlik, Men's Cross County
Hometown: Wantagh, N.Y.
As a freshman, Stachlik has led the UAlbany men’s cross country team for the second consecutive race, earning another top-25 finish at the Jasper Invitational this past week.

September 11

Female – Emma Staron, Field Hockey
Hometown: Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania
Junior, Emma Staron came out big in a shutout victory against New Haven (9/3). Typically playing in the backfield, Staron played up against the Chargers and score the first goal of the game, the first in her career. She went on to add a second goal and one assist for a total of five points against New Haven.
Male – Jack Shields, Football
Hometown: Centreville, Virginia
Against Delaware State (9/6), Great Danes starting quarterback recorded a total of five touchdowns in the game having thrown four passes for touchdowns to Tavahri Groves, Caden Burti, Carter Moses and Steven Mahar Jr. in addition to one rushing touchdown that came in a short and goal situation.

September 3

Female – Tori Wilson, Volleyball
Hometown: Allen, Texas
Anchoring the front line at the Rocket Invitational, Tori Wilson powered a 2-1 weekend with 14 kills on .267 hitting and 10 total blocks. She turned in a career-high nine blocks in the sweep of Saint Francis and added six kills in both victories.
Male – William Bruce, Men's Soccer
Hometown: Monroe, Ohio
Helping the Great Danes pick up their first win of the season of Central Connecticut State on August 28, at home, Bruce scored the game winning goal from a header off a corner kick in the 77-minute, giving UAlbany the 1-0 victory.