Two of Hillsdale's top performers in a season-opening 55-24 football victory over McKendree on Saturday have been recognized by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

On Tuesday afternoon, Hillsdale tailback Ben Ngishu was named the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week, and wide receiver Shea Ruddy received Special Teams Player of the Week honors. It's Ngishu's first weekly conference honor of his career, and Ruddy's fourth honor in a decorated multi-year run at Hillsdale.

Ngishu put up huge numbers to lead the Chargers to victory, rushing for a career-high 212 yards on 19 carries to decimate the Bearcats defense. His historic day included touchdown runs of 80 and 78 yards, both of which are the longest runs by a Charger since Hillsdale Athletic Hall of Famer Joe Glendening's performance in 2011, and his 212 yards were the most on the ground by a Charger since David Graham's 232-yard game against Lake Erie in 2019. 

It's a strong start for Ngishu, who was the G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2025 after a solid debut season. He'll look to become just the 10th player in Hillsdale history to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground in a single season if he can maintain his current pace and stay healthy.

Ruddy, meanwhile, only got one shot at a kick return against McKendree and made it count, taking his only attempt back 96 yards for the sixth kickoff return touchdown of his career, a school and G-MAC record. That return gave Ruddy another conference record, moving him past former Malone Pioneer and current Indianapolis Colt Ashton Dulin in the record books for most career kickoff return yards with 1,788. A returning consensus All-American, Ruddy added two more scores on receiving touchdowns for the Chargers in the victory to move up to fourth in Hillsdale history with 22 receiving touchdowns, and into the top 10 all-time in career total touchdowns with 33.

Both players will look to stay hot and help Hillsdale get to 2-0 this weekend as the Chargers host in-state foe Wayne State on Saturday at noon.