BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for baseball, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Concordia, Gustavus, Saint Benedict, and Saint Mary's claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (outdoor track & field and golf) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week archive has complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Baseball Player of the Week
Ben Shumansky
Concordia College
Jr. | First Base
Perham, Minn. / Perham
Ben Shumansky hit .500 (11-for-22) with eight runs batted in and a pair of home runs in the Cobbers' trip to Florida last week. Shumansky recorded a pair of four-hit games in addition to logging a slugging percentage of .772 and an on-base percentage of .522 in the six-game span.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Jackson Hunter
Bethel University
Jr. | Right-Handed Pitcher
Minnetonka, Minn. / Eden Prairie
Jackson Hunter allowed one hit and no runs over five innings pitched in an 8-3 win over Crown on 3/3. Hunter struck out eight of the 17 batters he faced in the game.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Olivia Tautges
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Shortstop
Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd
Olivia Tautges went 14-for-24 (.583) with 10 runs scored and 10 RBI to lead the Bennies to a 4-2 record in six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic last week. Tautges collected seven extra-base hits, blasting three home runs along with a trio of doubles and a triple to her stat line. She recorded multiple hits in four of the six games and has had at least one hit in nine straight contests.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kenzie Gatz
Saint Mary's University
Jr. | Pitcher
Oswego, Ill. / Oswego East
Kenzie Gatz went 2-1 in the circle with 25 strikeouts and an earned run average of 0.75 in four appearances for the Cardinals last week. Gatz struck out nine in a complete-game win over LaGrange on 3/3 and posted a season-high 11 Ks in a 2-0 win over Pomona-Pitzer on 3/6. She went on to toss a combined six innings with five more strikeouts against DePauw (3/7) and Huntingdon (3/8).
MIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Dominik Knutson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr.
Dvur Kralove nad Labem, Czech Republic / SPOS
Dominik Knutson won all six of his matches at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles against a trio of ranked opponents. In addition to doubles wins with three different Gustie partners, Knutson tallied a 6-4, 6-1 singles victory against Caltech (3/4), a 6-1, 6-1 win against Redlands (3/6), and a 6-0, 7-5 triumph against Pomona-Pitzer (3/7).
MIAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Claire Keller
Bethel University
So.
Hastings, Minn. / Hastings
Claire Keller battled to a 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory at No. 3 singles to help the Royals topple previously unbeaten Grinnell, 5-2, on 3/7. Keller is a perfect 6-0 at the No. 3 singles spot this season and improved to 5-1 at No. 3 doubles with a 6-1 win over the Pioneers.