BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for football, volleyball, and soccer on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Bethel, Gustavus, St. Catherine, Saint John's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors for October 17-23, 2022.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Transitioning from the fall to winter seasons, team sports (football, soccer, volleyball, and hockey) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (swimming & diving) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
To view each sport's 2022-23 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the 2022-23 Athlete of the Week archive for complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Embry
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Running Back
Birmingham, Ala. | Ramsay
Jordan Embry carried the ball 51 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 21.7 seconds remaining, in the Oles' 33-28 victory at St. Scholastica on 10/22. Embry's 51 carries set a new school record and are the most at any level of the NCAA this fall, while his 270 yards are the second-highest total in program history and are the seventh-highest single-game total in NCAA Division III this season. Embry carried the ball 11 times and had all 70 of the Oles' yards on the game-winning drive that culminated in his third touchdown of the game.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Metoriah Faoliu
Saint John's University
Sr. | Defensive Tackle
Wildomar, Calif. | Vista Murrieta
Metoriah Faoliu gave the Johnnies an early lead with a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 13:21 left in the first quarter in a 41-27 win over Gustavus on 10/22. Faoliu finished with six tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and a sack in the win. The 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown was SJU's longest since 2018 and the first by a Johnnie defensive lineman since 2007.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Mark Thrower
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Cornerback
Aurora, Colo. | Overland
Mark Thrower recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and blocked another punt in the Oles' 33-28 victory at St. Scholastica on 10/22. Late in the second quarter, the junior got a piece of a punt that netted just four yards to set up the Oles at the Saints' 30-yard line, leading to a touchdown. Early in the third quarter, Thrower recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for the first touchdown of his collegiate career.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Catherine Moore
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Opposite
Lake Elmo, Minn. | Mounds Park Academy
Catherine Moore recorded 33 kills (4.71 per set) and hit .509 from her spot on the outside to lead the Oles to back-to-back MIAC wins on the road last week. The junior had 19 kills - her second-highest total of the season - while hitting .486 in a four-set win at Saint Benedict on 10/21 before adding 14 kills while hitting .545 in a 3-0 victory at Concordia the next day.
MIAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Kelsie Sealock
Bethel University
Sr. | Defensive Specialist
Plymouth, Minn. | Osseo
Kelsie Sealock paced the Royals to wins over Augsburg and Saint Mary's last week by averaging 5.86 digs per set with 31 total digs and a .968 reception percentage. Sealock also added a service ace and seven assists. In the four-set victory over the nationally-ranked Auggies on 10/21, she tallied 20 digs and four assists before adding 21 digs in the three-set victory over Saint Mary's on 10/22.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Mizael Harris
Augsburg University
Fy. | Forward
Portland, Ore. | La Salle Catholic College Prep
Mizael Harris scored six goals and had two assists for 14 points in two Auggie wins last week. Harris scored four goals with two assists, tying single-game school records for both goals and points (10), in Augsburg's 9-0 win at North Central on 10/18. He scored two more goals and drew a penalty kick for the fourth time this season in Augsburg's 6-2 win over regionally-ranked UW-Whitewater on 10/21.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Wesley Sanders
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Goalkeeper
Urbandale, Iowa | Waukee
Wesley Sanders helped the Gusties to a 2-1 win over regionally-ranked Luther on 10/17 and a 4-0 win at Bethel on 10/22. Sanders made seven saves against the Norse and then posted his eighth clean sheet of the season with five saves at Bethel.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Amanda Elton
St. Catherine University
Sr. | Forward
Cottage Grove, Minn. | Park
Amanda Elton tallied three goals and an assist for seven points over two Wildcat wins last week. Elton posted two goals and a helper in an 8-0 rout of UM-Morris on 10/18 before scoring the insurance goal in a 2-0 win versus Augsburg on 10/22.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Kate Praetz
St. Catherine University
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Bolinbrook, Ill.
Kate Praetz turned in a four-save performance to earn her fifth shutout of the season in the form of a 2-0 victory over Augsburg on 10/22. Praetz has allowed one goal over her last five appearances.