BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for football, volleyball, soccer, and hockey on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Bethel, Carleton, Gustavus, Macalester, St. Catherine, Saint John's, Saint Mary's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors for October 24-30, 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, basketball, 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
Cade Sheehan
Augsburg University
So. | Quarterback
Rochester, Minn. | Mayo
Cade Sheehan completed 24-of-35 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a score to lead Augsburg to its third straight win, a 38-35 triumph over Concordia, on 10/29. Sheehan claimed his third four-touchdown passing game of the season and seventh game with four or more touchdown passes in his career with Saturday's effort. He also rushed 14 times for 63 yards and a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Isaac Simons
Carleton College
Sr. | Linebacker
Oconomowoc, Wis. | Lake Country Lutheran
Isaac Simons totaled 15 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss and nine solo stops, in the Knights' loss to Gustavus on 10/29. Simons also had a fumble recovery in the second quarter. Simons helped Carleton hold Gustavus - which entered the day seventh in the nation at 322.0 passing yards per game - to 87 passing yards in the game.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Andrew Abegglen
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Kicker
Mound, Minn. | Mound-Westonka
Andrew Abegglen made three field goals in the Gusties' win over Carleton on 10/29. Abegglen's field goals came at distances of 28, 21, and 20 yards. Abegglen also had four kickoffs for an average of 58.2 yards per kick, including two touchbacks in the game.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Maggie Rosen
St. Catherine University
Jr. | Outside Hitter
Clear Lake, Wis.
Maggie Rosen helped the Wildcats secure a berth in the MIAC Playoffs for the first time since 2010 with a pair of wins over Saint Benedict (10/26) and Macalester (10/29) last week. Rosen hit .371 over the seven sets with 32 kills (4.57 per set) to go along with three blocks, one assist, and five digs.
MIAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Selena Rodrguez
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Defensive Specialist
St. Paul, Minn. | North
Selena Rodriguez recorded 68 digs (6.80 per set) in a 2-1 week for the Oles that locked up the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Playoffs. The senior had 29 digs to go along with seven assists in a four-set win at Carleton on 10/29 after tallying 22 digs in a sweep of Saint Mary's the night before and 17 in three sets at UW-River Falls on 10/26.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Lucas Johnson
Bethel University
Jr. | Midfielder
Monticello, Minn.
Lucas Johnson netted both of the Royals' goals in a 2-0 victory over Augsburg on 10/29 that clinched the program's first MIAC Playoff berth since 2004. Johnson scored the game's first goal off a throw-in at the 5:30 mark before finishing off a corner kick 13 minutes later for the first multi-goal performance of his career.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Juan Valdivia Cortes
Bethel University
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Minneapolis, Minn. | Cristo Rey
Juan Valdivia Cortes earned back-to-back shutouts against Concordia (10/26) and Augsburg (10/29) while leading the Royals to their first MIAC Playoff appearance since 2004. After collecting five saves against the Cobbers, he stopped a penalty kick in the 69th minute of a must-win game against the Auggies to preserve the Bethel victory.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Casey MacVeagh
Carleton College
Jr. | Forward
Thetford, Vt. | Thetford Academy
Casey MacVeagh registered a crucial assist and a dramatic goal as the Knights secured the MIAC’s regular-season title with a 2-2 tie against Saint Benedict on 10/29. Needing either a win or a draw during the regular-season finale to take home the crown, the Knights trailed 1-0 before MacVeagh set up the game-tying goal in the 57th minute with a perfectly placed corner kick to the back post. After Saint Benedict regained the lead, she delivered the conference title via a game-tying 24-yard strike that was netted with only eight seconds remaining in regulation.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Jocelyn Radke
Macalester College
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Indianapolis, Ind.
Jocelyn Radke made five saves to blank Gustavus, 1-0, in a game that decided the sixth and final spot in the MIAC Playoffs. Radke's performance, which included four saves in the first half, helped earn the Scots their first MIAC Playoff berth since 2015.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Laudon Poellinger
Saint Mary's University
So. | Defender
La Crescent, Minn.
Laudon Poellinger had a hand in four of the Cardinals' eight goals over the weekend. The sophomore posted a goal and an assist in SMU’s 5-5 season-opening tie with the Foresters on 10/28 before equaling that feat in the Cardinals’ 6-3 loss to Lake Forest the following afternoon.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Bailey Huber
Saint John's University
So. | Goaltender
Mahtomedi, Minn.
Bailey Huber made his first collegiate start and stopped 27 shots in the Johnnies’ 3-1, season-opening win at UW-River Falls on 10/29. Huber allowed the lone goal 4:07 into the game and went on to stop the next 25 shots.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Abby Pirkl
St. Catherine University
Jr. | Forward
New Prague, Minn.
Abby Pirkl led the Wildcats to a weekend sweep of Finlandia with one goal and five assists for six points to start the year. Pirkl had a goal and two assists in an 11-1 rout on 10/28 before helping on three of the team's five goals in a 5-2 win on 10/29.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Chloe Stockinger
Augsburg University
Jr. | Goaltender
Sauk Rapids, Minn. | Sauk Rapids-Rice
Chloe Stockinger stopped 51 of 55 shots she faced, as the Auggies split a set of road games against nationally-ranked opponents to open the season. Stockinger stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 1-0 loss at No. 2-ranked Gustavus on 10/29, then had 22 saves in a 4-3 win at No. 5-ranked UW-River Falls the following day. Stockinger posted a save percentage of .927 for the weekend.