UTICA, NY - After receiving just one D3football.com Team of the Week honoree in 2024, the Utica Pioneers have already doubled that total in 2025, as Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) and Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston) both received recognition as two of the best players in all of Division III Football during opening week. This is each player's first-ever Team of the Week honor, arriving thanks to their outstanding play in a big season-opening victory against Washington and Jefferson this past Saturday. Szalkowski and Thomas stepped up as leaders on their respective sides of the ball, powering each unit to produce great results. 

For Szalkowski, the Pioneer quarterback had one of the greatest weeks in all of Division III this past Saturday, dominating in his orange and blue debut to the tune of a program-record 528 passing yards along with 28 completions and four touchdowns in a 49-31 victory on the road against a highly-touted Washington and Jefferson team. The Division I transfer tore through the Presidents' secondary, launching a barrage of deep balls with extreme precision as he notched passes of 33, 77, and even 82 yards en route to logging nearly 19 yards per completion. The Rochester native shattered the previous program record passing yards mark of 467, generating an all-time great showing in his first-ever start at the Division III level. To top off his legendary outing, Szalkowski also avoided tossing an interception in the matchup, using his mistake-free play to help the team grab a statement victory in the season-opener. In addition to his D3football.com honor, Szalkowski also achieved this week's Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week award and received a Pioneer Athlete of the Week selection. 



For Thomas, the sophomore linebacker stepped up in a major way during Utica's season-opening stomping of Washington and Jefferson this past Saturday. The sophomore, who received much praise from the coaching staff during his rookie season in 2024, picked up from where he left off, buzzing all over the field and proving to be a massive disruptor in the action. Thomas chased the ball all afternoon, grabbing a team-high 12 tackles with eight of those being solo takedowns. The Kingston native was also at the scene of a well-timed fumble, scooping up the loose ball and returning it 31 yards to set up a late Utica score. Finally, the linebacker also recorded a pass breakup during the contest, making an impact in many different ways during the Pioneers' season-opening victory over the Presidents. 



Szalkowski and Thomas will be back in action this weekend during the Pioneers' home-opening tilt against RPI. The Pioneers and Engineers will do battle in this year's Mastrovito Hyundai Believe Bowl, with kickoff slated for 6:00 PM this Saturday from ABM Field at Gaetano Stadium. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more news heading into this weekend!

Here is a link to the full D3football.com Team of the Week release: https://d3football.com/awards/tow/2025/week1