SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 13, 2026) – Western New England sophomore Mikayla Mrzywka and junior Alex Tardugno have received honors as Players of the Week from the Conference of New England following impressive individual performances last week. 

Mrzywka was all over the scoreboard in Western New England's conference victory over the weekend against the University of Hartford, picking up a single-game career-high seven points in the win over the Hawks. Mrzywka opened the first half with an assist on Western New England's second goal of the afternoon, her third assist of the season. Mrzywka opened the scoring in the second half for Western New England and continued on by scoring three straight unassisted goals for the Golden Bears, her 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th goal of the season, leading the Golden Bears to a 6-0 victory in conference play. Mrzywka now has 31 points overall this season through 12 games, making all 12 starts. 

Tardugno led Western New England between the pipes during the week over two games played. In a 3-0 loss at No. 15 Amherst College, Tardugno picked up 14 saves in the game, dotting a .824 save percentage over 17 shots faced, keeping the Golden Bears within striking distance. Over the weekend in a conference game against the University of Hartford, Tardugno came up with a pair of saves in a 6-0 win, recording her fourth shutout of the season overall. Tardugno now supports a .872 save percentage on the year for the Golden Bears and has a minuscule 1.41 GAA on the season. 

WNE field hockey will begin a stretch of four straight on the road, beginning on Wednesday, October 14 at 6:00 PM, traveling to MIT.