BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University senior captain and center back Asia Hardin has been recognized as the GNAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for games played October 6-12.
 
Hardin (West Linn, OR) played all 180 minutes in the Vikings conference wins over No. 12 Western Oregon (3-0) and Saint Martin's 3-1. WWU remained undefeated in conference play at 5-0-1 to tie for the league lead and extended its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games (7-0-1).
 
While playing every minute of the Vikings victories, Hardin set the program record for minutes played in a career with 7,080, passing the previous mark of 7,011 minutes by All-American midfielder Emily Webster from 2014-17. In 79 career games (all starts), Hardin has missed just 30 minutes of action.
 
In 11 games this season, Hardin has played all 990 minutes and been a key to the Vikings 0.818 goals against average that ranks second in the GNAC.
 
"Asia is an important player on our team," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "She consistently performs at a high level and helps organize the players around her."
 
The award marked the second GNAC weekly defensive honor in her career, also earning selection early during her junior season in 2024.
 
The Vikings are 7-1-3 overall and tied for the lead in the GNAC with 16 points (5-0-1) heading into a pair of conference games this week. WWU hosts Northwest Nazarene for Thursday Throwdown at Harrington Field (7 pm) and crosses the border Saturday to face Simon Fraser on Burnaby Mountain (6 pm).