BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball and hockey on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Gustavus, Hamline, Saint Mary's, St. Olaf, and St. Scholastica claimed the Conference's weekly honors for January 9-15, 2023.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the winter season, team sports (basketball and hockey) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (swimming & diving and indoor track & field) 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 Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Bradley Cimperman
Hamline University
So. | Guard
St. Paul, Minn. | Woodbury
Bradley Cimperman scored a single-season program record 51 points, including the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in an 85-82 victory over Gustavus on 1/16. His point total for the game was second-highest in NCAA Division III this season and second-best in MIAC history, one point shy of Devean George's record of 52 set in 1999. Cimperman added 25 points in an 80-69 loss to Carleton on 1/18, and totaled 28 in a 72-70 loss to St. Olaf on 1/21. He finished the week with a .552 field goal percentage (32-of-58), a .481(13-of-27) mark from downtown, and a .871 (27-of-31) clip at the charity stripe.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Austin Holt
Hamline University
So. | Forward
Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Thunder Ridge
Austin Holt accumulated 11 steals, three blocks and averaged 9.3 rebounds over a three-game stretch that included an 85-82 victory over Gustavus on 1/16, an 80-69 loss to Carleton on 1/18, and a 72-70 loss to St. Olaf on 1/21. Holt registered his ninth double-double of the season against St. Olaf with 18 points and 10 boards.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Jaley Coplin
Augsburg University
Sr. | Forward
Shakopee, Minn.
Jaley Coplin logged a new career-high 27 points in the Auggies' matchup with Saint Benedict on 1/21, marking her ninth-straight game in double-figure scoring. Coplin averaged 19.3 points in three games for Augsburg last week and was 11-for-12 from the free throw line, leading the team in scoring in each contest.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Anna Sanders
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Guard
Vadnais Heights, Minn. | White Bear Lake
Anna Sanders averaged 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game in a trio of wins for the Gusties last week. Sanders turned in her best defensive effort against Carleton on 1/21, collecting eight rebounds - seven on the defensive end of the court - and six steals.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Filimon Ledenkov
The College of St. Scholastica
Jr. | Forward
Polotsk, Belarus | Ostroshitsko-Gorodokskaya
Filimon Ledenkov had one goal and six assists for a seven-point weekend as the Saints claimed a pair of wins over St. Olaf. In a 7-4 road victory on 1/20, Ledenkov had two assists and added a shorthanded goal. He then had a career-high four assists on 1/21, helping his team secure the 4-2 win and the series sweep.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Kevin Lake
Hamline University
Sr. | Goaltender
Anchorage, Alaska | South
Kevin Lake registered a career-high 48 saves for the Pipers in a 4-1 victory over Saint John's on 1/21. He logged a 36-save effort in a 6-3 loss to the Johnnies on 1/19. For the series, Lake accumulated 84 saves, a 2.00 goals against average, and a .923 save percentage.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Sidney Polzin
Saint Mary's University
So. | Forward
Chippewa Falls, Wis.
Sidney Polzin had a hand in all five Cardinal goals - scoring three times and adding a pair of assists - in a 5-0 conference win over St. Catherine on 1/20. Polzin kicked off her five-point performance with a first-period assist before scoring her first two goals in SMU’s three-goal second period. She capped off her first collegiate hat trick with the Cardinals’ final goal at 2:34 of the third period. The hat trick was Saint Mary’s first since 2018, while Polzin's five-point night was the program's first since 2011.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Hannah Fritz
St. Olaf College
Fy. | Goaltender
Woodbury, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall
Hannah Fritz went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .959 save percentage in St. Olaf's weekend sweep of St. Scholastica. The first-year goaltender made 24 saves, including sliding across the goal line to stop a quality scoring chance with 1:30 left in a one-goal game on 1/20. She followed that up with a 23-save shutout in a 5-0 victory on 1/21 for her third collegiate shutout.