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 Concordia, Hamline, Macalester, Saint Mary's, and St. Scholastica claimed the Conference's weekly honors for outstanding performances throughout the holiday break.
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, 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
Raheem Anthony
Saint Mary's University
Sr. | Guard
Chicago, Ill. | DePaul College Prep
Raheem Anthony averaged 29.3 points while shooting 58 percent from the field (45-of-78) in four wins for the Cardinals over the last ten days. Anthony scored a career-high 41 points - including a game-winning three-pointer from just inside half-court with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation - to lift SMU to an 83-82 win over North Park on 12/30/22. He went on to score point totals of 21 against Finlandia (1/2), 23 against Hamline (1/4), and 32 against Saint John's (1/7). The Cardinals' win over the Johnnies snapped a 29-game losing streak against the Johnnies.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Bradley Cimperman
Hamline University
So. | Guard
St. Paul, Minn. | Woodbury
Bradley Cimperman helped the Pipers to a pair of victories with a strong defensive showing over the team's latest three-game stretch. Cimperman averaged 6.33 rebounds and totaled three steals in contests against North Central (12/31), Saint Mary's (1/4), and Augsburg (1/7).
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Peyton Starks
Macalester College
So. | Guard
St. Louis, Mo. | John Burroughs School
Peyton Starks averaged 27.5 points per game to lead the Scots to a pair of conference victories last week. Starks logged 25 points and shot 53 percent from the floor (9-for-17) with three threes in a win over St. Olaf on 1/4. She added a season-best 30 points while going 13-for-22 in a win over St. Scholastica on 1/7.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Makayla Anderson
Concordia College
So. | Forward
Bismarck, N.D. | Century
Makayla Anderson was named the Most Outstanding Player for the D3hoops.com Classic after helping the Cobbers win two games in Las Vegas, including a double-overtime victory over No.6-ranked Amherst. Anderson posted career-high numbers in both points and rebounds in the upset win, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. She averaged 8.25 rebounds and 1.75 steals per game over the Cobbers' four holiday break contests.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Arkhip Ledenkov
The College of St. Scholastica
Jr. | Forward
Polotsk, Belarus | Ostroshitsko-Gorodokskaya
Arkhip Ledenkov had back-to-back two-goal games over the weekend, helping the Saints secure a series sweep over Concordia. The junior also posted two assists, with one in each win.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Kevin Lake
Hamline University
Sr. | Goaltender
Anchorage, Alaska | South
Kevin Lake registered a career-high 47 saves in the Pipers' 3-2 victory at No. 9-ranked UW-Stevens Point on 1/6. Lake's previous collegiate-best was 39 saves.