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 Bethel, Gustavus, Hamline, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine, Saint John's, Saint Mary's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
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, volleyball, 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 2023-24 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the 2023-24 Athlete of the Week archive for complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Matthew Carreon
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Wide Receiver
Houston, Texas | Mount Carmel Academy
Matthew Carreon led the Gusties to a crucial divisional win on 10/28, helping Gustavus defeat St. Olaf in overtime. Trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, Carreon scored the Gusties' final three touchdowns of the game. Carreon scored the first on a 47-yard catch to move the team 60 yards in two plays and cut the Ole lead to five. He added another with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard pass to take the lead. He then scored from 25 yards out on the first play of the team's overtime drive, finishing the game with nine catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Matt Jung
Bethel University
Fy. | Cornerback
Neenah, Wis.
Matt Jung recorded six tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in the Royals' 40-0 win over Carleton on 10/28. Jung scored a touchdown on his second interception of the afternoon, jumping a second-quarter pass and returning it 38 yards to the end zone.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Conor Murphy
Saint John's University
Jr. | Kicker
Sioux Falls, S.D. | O'Gorman
Conor Murphy made all eight of his PAT tries along with two field goals, including a career-long 40-yarder, in the Johnnies' 62-7 win over St. Scholastica on 10/28. In addition to the 40-yard field goal, Murphy also connected on a 27-yarder in the fourth quarter.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Lauren Klaith
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Outside Hitter
Rockford, Minn.
Lauren Klaith combined for a hitting percentage of 0.622 between two conference sweeps for the Gusties last week. Klaith tallied 29 kills with 14 against Augsburg (10/27) and 15 against Bethel (10/28), while committing only one error in 45 attempts.
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Kasie Tweet
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Setter
Adrian, Minn.
Kasie Tweet eclipsed the 1,000-assist mark for the season for the third time in her career. Tweet totaled 74 assists in the Gusties' two wins, with 36 in a sweep of Augsburg on 10/27 and 39 in a sweep of Bethel on 10/28. She added six kills, a pair of aces, and three blocks in the victories. Tweet now has 1,030 assists this season.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Otis Anderson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Defender
Minneapolis, Minn. | Washburn
Otis Anderson broke a program record in his final regular season game as a Gustie, totaling four assists in a 6-1 win against St. Scholastica on 10/28. Anderson assisted the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth goals of the game, breaking the Gustavus record for assists by a single player in a game, which had been set by seven players at three nine times, most recently in 2019. Anderson's four assists are tied for the NCAA Division III single-game high this season. Anderson also played a crucial role defensively, helping the Gusties hold opponents to three goals on 13 shots, including a crucial tie against regular season champion St. Olaf.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Luke Rimington
Hamline University
Sr. | Goalkeeper
Minneapolis, Minn. | Southwest
Luke Rimington played three games without allowing a goal for the Pipers last week. Rimington tallied six saves in a 4-0 win at Beloit on 10/24, helped Hamline to a 6-0 win versus Buena Vista with just under 25 scoreless minutes in-goal on 10/26, and finished the season with four saves in a scoreless draw with Saint Mary's on 10/28.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Amanda Elton
St. Catherine University
Sr. | Forward
Cottage Grove, Minn. | Park
Amanda Elton registered a five-point week for the Wildcats with two goals and an assist in the regular season finale against Bethel on 10/28. It was her fourth straight game with at least one point.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Annie Waters
College of Saint Benedict
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Lakeville, Minn. | North
Annie Waters made eight saves in a 0-0 draw with Carleton on 10/28. It was her second straight shutout and sixth of the season.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Jonathan Young
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Forward
Pelham, N.H.
Jonathan Young had two goals and one assist, was +4, and had a team-high eight shots in the Oles' season-opening split over St. Norbert and Marian over the weekend. Young picked up a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to St. Norbert on 10/27 before scoring early in the third period of the Oles' 3-1 victory over Marian on 10/28.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Austin Ryman
Bethel University
So. | Goaltender
Fairbanks, Alaska | Wenatchee
Austin Ryman led the Royals to a pair of season-opening wins with a 1.50 goals-against average and a combined 61 saves for a 0.953 save percentage in the crease. In the opener against Marian on 10/27, Ryman collected 31 saves while allowing two full-strength goals. In the Royals' 2-1 win over St. Norbert on 10/28 - their first over the Green Knights since 1989 - he collected 30 saves with a 0.953 save percentage. The lone goal surrendered came early in the first period while SNC was on the power play.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Reese Heitzman
Saint Mary's University
Fy. | Forward
Hermantown, Minn. | Proctor-Hermantown
Reese Heitzman enjoyed a banner opening weekend for the Cardinals, scoring three goals and adding two assists in a sweep of Lake Forest over the weekend. Heitzman collected her first two collegiate points in delivering a pair of assists in a 7-0 win on 10/27 before adding the first three goals of her career in SMU's 8-0 win the following afternoon.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Hannah Fritz
St. Olaf College
So. | Goaltender
Woodbury, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall
Hannah Fritz picked up the win in both games of the Oles' sweep of UW-Stevens Point over the weekend, making a total of 45 saves while allowing three goals in 120:00 between the pipes. Fritz stopped all 31 shots she faced to record her sixth-career shutout in a 1-0 win on 10/27 before making 14 saves the following afternoon.