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, Saint Benedict, Saint Mary's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors for September 19-25, 2022.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the fall season, team sports (football, soccer and volleyball) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (cross country 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.
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
Jaran Roste
Bethel University
Sr. | Quarterback
Alexandria, Minn.
Jaran Roste went 19-of-29 through the air for 321 yards and three touchdowns to help the nationally-ranked Royals snap an eight-game losing skid to Saint John's with a 28-24 victory over the then-No. 2 team in the nation on Saturday. Roste's three touchdowns all came in the second half, including the eventual game-winner on a 72-yard score. His 321 passing yards are the second-most in his career and the 72-yard scoring strike is his second-longest. He also added three rushes for 43 yards as part of the Royals' 500-plus yards of offense in the game.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Kamari Durmas
Bethel University
So. | Cornerback
Hayword, Calif. | Hanford
Kamari Durmas hauled in the game-sealing interception to lift the Royals to a 28-24 victory over then-No. 2 Saint John's on Saturday. Durmas picked off a pass at the SJU 46-yard line with just more than two minutes remaining in regulation and returned it 26 yards to secure the Bethel victory. Durmas also added career-highs with seven tackles - all solo - and two pass breakups in the win.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Nathan Wangensteen
Augsburg University
Fy. | Kicker
Chisholm, Minn.
Nathan Wangensteen connected on three field goals for the Auggies in a 50-13 win over St. Scholastica on Saturday. His three field goals are the most by an Auggie in any game since 2004. Wangensteen hit a 22-yarder in the first quarter, a 31-yarder early in the second quarter, and a 27-yarder just before halftime. He was also 3-for-4 on extra-point attempts.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Gabby Heying
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Outside Hitter
Waite Park, Minn. | St. Cloud Cathedral
Gabby Heying combined for 33 kills and 25 digs in a 1-1 week for the Bennies. Heying had 16 kills on 38 swings with five errors for a .289 hitting percentage in Saint Benedict's MIAC-opening victory against Hamline on 9/21. She went on to post 17 kills on 45 swings with four errors against No. 3-ranked Northwester-St. Paul on 9/24.
MIAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Kelsie Sealock
Bethel University
Sr. | Defensive Specialist
Plymouth, Minn. | Osseo
Kelsie Sealock averaged 8.29 digs per set and limited herself to one reception error in 28 total attempts (97.2 percent) to help the Royals to a MIAC win over Concordia on 9/19 before falling to No. 13 UW-Eau Claire in four sets on 9/22. Sealock tallied a match-high 24 digs at Concordia and later bested that with a career-high 34 digs against the defending national champion Blugolds.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Owen Johnson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Midfielder
Apple Valley, Minn. | Eastview
Owen Johnson scored two goals and added an assist as the Gusties defeated previously unbeaten Saint John's, 5-0, on Saturday. Johnson scored what proved to be the game-winning goal 11:46 into the contest, assisted on another goal late in the first half, and scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season unassisted in the final five minutes of the match.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Austin Williams
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Cottage Grove, Minn. | Woodbury
Austin Williams recorded his second straight shutout in conference play with a four-save performance in the Oles' 4-0 win at Macalester on Saturday. Three of Williams' four saves came in the second half, including two in less than a minute and inside the final seven minutes of play to preserve the shutout.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Tessa Anderson
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Forward
Albuquerque, N.M. | Albuquerque Academy
Tessa Anderson had two goals and one assist in the Oles' two games last week with a goal scored in each contest. The senior opened the scoring with her first goal of the season in the Oles' 3-1 win over Coe on 9/21 before setting up St. Olaf's third goal early in the second half. Anderson went on to score the Oles' lone goal in a 2-1 loss at Macalester on 9/24.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Alexis Nguyen
Saint Mary's University
Sr. | Goalkeeper
West Corvina, Calif. | Diamond Bar
Alexis Nguyen made 14 saves in the Cardinals' two games last week, stopping a pair of shots in 45 minutes of relief against Luther on 9/21 before recording a career-high 12 saves in SMU's 1-1 tie against defending conference champion St. Catherine three days later.