ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Following the 49-24 win over North Dakota State on Saturday, two members from the University of North Dakota football program were named Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week on Monday. Gaven Ziebarth earned the title of MVFC Offensive Player of the Week, while Luke Skokna was named the MVFC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

Ziebarth recorded 18 carries for 156 yards and a trio of touchdowns in the win. He had a 59-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach for the Bison, bringing the score to 49-17 with 7:18 left. Earlier in the contest, Ziebarth had a five-yard touchdown run to put UND back on top at 14-7 and then a seven-yard rushing score with 7:13 left in the third quarter to make the score 35-17.

The game was Ziebarth's third 100+-yard rushing game of his career. His 156 yards on the ground was a new career best. It was also his first time scoring three touchdowns in a game while at North Dakota.

Skokna, the MVFC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, helped UND set the tone in the 49-24 victory over NDSU, taking the opening kickoff 100 yards to put the Fighting Hawks up 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game. He finished the contest with three touchdowns, also scoring on a 13-yard reception that brought the tally to 21-7 with 1:40 before intermission and then scored on a four-yard rush with 13 seconds left in the first half to bring the score to 28-17. Skokna helped North Dakota have good field position throughout the game, rolling up 157 yards in kickoff return yardage.

With his opening kickoff return for a touchdown, Skokna became just the third player in UND history to record a 100-yard return and was only the fourth player in program history to run back the opening kickoff. He was also the first UND player to return a kickoff for touchdown since Evan Holm's 99-yard score vs. Weber State on Oct. 27, 2018.

Skokna shared the honor with Will Leyland of South Dakota. Leyland made a 41-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Coyotes past the Penguins, 34-31. It was his second 41-yard make of the game which is a new career long.

North Dakota will visit Northern Iowa on Saturday. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Panthers is slated for 4 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.