Men's Wrestling | 1/12/2026 11:00:00 AM

Another strong week of competition saw Dillon Walker (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) earn Gannon Athletes of the Week honors, highlighted by a momentum-shifting performance in a nationally ranked wrestling dual and key bench production in PSAC play. Walker delivered a decisive fall in a No. 7 Gannon vs. No. 20 Lake Erie matchup, while Popyk provided a spark off the bench as the No. 5 Golden Knights continued their unbeaten run in conference action.

The 174-pound grappler from Mason, Ohio played a pivotal role in Gannon's 29–12 road dual victory over No. 20 Lake Erie on Saturday afternoon in Painesville, Ohio. With the Golden Knights trailing 12–10 in the team score, Walker delivered a momentum-shifting pin to give Gannon the lead, sparking three straight wins as the Golden Knights never trailed again the remainder of the meet

. The fall marked Walker's second consecutive pin and helped lift the Golden Knights, ranked No. 7 nationally in the Open Mat dual team rankings entering the weekend, to a 5–1 record in dual action this season.

Popyk, the Novi, Michigan native provided a key spark off the bench for No. 5 Gannon during a perfect 2–0 PSAC road weekend, helping the Golden Knights produce a total of 50 bench points in wins at Edinboro and California (Pa.). The 6-2 sophomore averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 65.6 percent from the field over the two contests. Her contributions helped Gannon remain perfect in PSAC action (8–0), extend its win streak to 15 games, and improve to 16–1 overall on the season.

2025-26 Gannon University Athlete of the Week Previous Recipients

Week 1 (9/8/2025) 
Alexis Abbett (Women's Cross Country)
Victor Volant (Men's Water Polo)

Week 2 (9/15/2025)
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) (Volleyball)
Jack Kenyon (Men's Soccer)

Week 3 (9/22/2025)
Emily Bowers (Women's Cross Country)
Alexandros Kotskar (Men's Water Polo)

Week 4 (9/29/2025) 
Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) (Volleyball)
Nikiforos Liantziris (Men's Water Polo)
 
Week 5 (10/6/2025) 
Brooklyn Respecki (Women's Soccer)
Damario Moore (Football)
 
Week 6 (10/13/2025) 
Cloe Mateo (Women's Golf)
Ty Hurst (Football)
 
Week 7 (10/20/2025) 
Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) (Volleyball)
Frederik Paulsen (Men's Soccer)
 
Week 8 (10/27/2025) 
Kasey Smith (Meadville, Pa./Villa Maria) (Volleyball)
Sverre Orten (Men's Soccer)
 
Week 9 (11/3/2025) 
Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) (Volleyball)
Rafa Hyde (Men's Soccer)
 
Week 10 (11/10/2025) 
Mariia Melnyk (Women's Swimming)
Patrick Jackson (Harpers Ferry, WV/Spring Mills High) (Men's Wrestling)
 
Week 11 (11/17/2025) 
Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) (Women's Basketball)
Kasper Alfei Saebo (Men's Soccer)
 
Week 12 (11/24/2025) 
Mariia Melnyk (Women's Swimming)
Bator Mohacsi (Men's Water Polo)
 
Week 13 (12/1/2025) 
Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) (Women's Basketball)
Enzo Rekka (Men's Soccer)
 
Week 14 (12/8/2025) 
Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) (Volleyball)
Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) (Men's Basketball)

Week 15 (12/15/2025) 
Jerry Echevarria (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) (Men's Wrestling)
Jaylene Martinez (Women's Wrestling)

Week 16 (1/5/2026)
Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School) (Women's Basketball)
Lucas Sekasi (Men's Basketball)

Week 17 (1/12/2026)
Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) (Women's Basketball)
Dillon Walker (Mason, Ohio/Mason) (Men's Wrestling)