(Farmington, UT - Sept 1, 2026) - Utah Tech junior goalkeeper Elle Rafajko was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. 

Elle had a stellar week, recording 11 total saves while helping the Trailblazers to a 2-0-0 record, including a victory over the University of Utah.

On Aug 27 versus UC Riverside, Rafajko stopped both shots on target from the Highlanders and recorded her first career shutout at Utah Tech. UT's backline allowed just two of the seven shots to reach the junior keeper, and she was right there to stop both of them and keep UCR at bay. 

The shutout was also the Trailblazers' first of the season, and the first since Oct 19, 2025 versus Abilene Christian. 

On Aug 30, Rafajko was under heavy fire against the Utes, recording 9 total saves en route to a 2-1 victory. Utah had 28 shots but just 11 were on target, thanks to the Trailblazer backline being stout yet again. 

Elle's nine saves were tied for 6th most in program history in a single game, last done in 2025. The ten team saves were tied for 5th most for a single game in program history. 

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Rafajko and the Trailblazers will look to keep it rolling on Thursday, Sept 3, as they travel up to Logan to take on Utah State.