BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for football and hockey on Monday. Student-athletes from Concordia, Gustavus, Hamline, Macalester, Saint John's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors for October 31 - November 6, 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
Ty Bruckner
Macalester College
Sr. | Wide Receiver
Bel Aire, Kan. | Wichita North
Ty Bruckner helped the Scots defeat St. Scholastica, 54-35, on 11/5 with ten catches for a program-record 265 yards and three touchdowns. Five of his receptions went for 35 yards or more, including touchdown grabs of 38 and 59 yards. His receiving yardage total is the sixth-highest in MIAC history.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
John Kohler
Saint John's University
Sr. | Cornerback
Birchwood, Wis. | Rice Lake
John Kohler intercepted two passes - both in the endzone to prevent Carleton scores - in the Johnnies' victory over the Knights on 11/5 to secure a spot in the conference title game. Kohler intercepted one pass in the first quarter and came away with his second in the second quarter to help put the game out of reach.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Dalton Thelen
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Return Specialist
Cold Spring, Minn. | ROCORI
Dalton Thelen posted 310 all-purpose yards - including a MIAC-record 261 on kickoff returns - to help Gustavus hold off St. Olaf, 49-37, on 11/5. Thelen returned eight kickoffs for 261 yards, the most in a conference game in recorded MIAC history. Thelen's 93-yard yard return for a touchdown late in the contest helped seal the game for the Gusties. He also caught five passes for 53 yards and a 26-yard touchdown in the win.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Sam Dabrowski
Hamline University
Sr. | Forward
Onalaska, Wis.
Sam Dabrowski scored the game-winning goal at 18:46 in the third period to lead the Pipers to a 3-2 victory over Saint Mary's on 11/4. Dabrowski added another score in a 2-1 loss to the Cardinals on 11/5.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Lukas Haugen
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Goaltender
Minnetonka, Minn.
Lukas Haugen stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced to pick up the 2-1 win for the Oles 2-1 at Bethel on 11/5. The junior was two seconds away from his first collegiate shutout before the Royals scored an extra-attacker goal in the final moments of the game. Thirteen of Haugen's 24 saves came in the final period to help the Oles to the road win.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Jerica Friese
Concordia College
Jr. | Forward
Argusville, N.D. | Fargo Shanley
Jerica Friese posted five points in the Cobbers' two wins over Finlandia last weekend. She had a pair of assists in the win on 10/4 and then added a hat trick on 10/5. It was Friese's second career hat trick. Friese's play helped Concordia get off to a 3-0 start to the season for the first time since 2012.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Kayla Vrieze
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Defender
Eagan, Minn.
Kayla Vrieze helped the Gusties to two shutouts on the blue line, with wins of 7-0 and 1-0 against Lake Forest, limiting the Foresters to only 13 shots over the weekend. Vrieze also added a goal and two assists on 11/4, as well as eight shots between the two games.