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, Macalester, and Saint John's 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. 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 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 Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Caleb Williams
Macalester College
Jr. | Guard
Wild Rose, Wis.
Caleb Williams averaged 28.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in two non-conference road victories for the Scots last week. In a 102-93 win over UW-Stout on 11/15, Williams scored a season-high 34 points while making all 10 of his free throw attempts and dishing out a career-high seven assists. He went on to register 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in a 92-72 win over MIT in a trip to Boston on 11/18. For the week, Williams shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from three-point range, and was 18-of-21 (.857) from the free throw line.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Luke Budzyn
Saint John's University
Jr. | Forward
St. Paul, Minn. | East Ridge
Luke Budzyn averaged 9.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over his first three varsity starts for the Johnnies last week. Budzyn recorded his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in a two-point loss to UW-Platteville on 11/17 and followed that with a career-high 12 boards in a 77-64 win over Stockton on 11/18. Budzyn also tallied four rebounds in ten minutes of action in SJU's season opener against UW-Eau Claire on 11/14.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Sophia Jonas
College of Saint Benedict
Jr. | Guard
Hudson, Wis.
Sophia Jonas matched career highs with 26 points and six three-pointers in the Bennies' 82-75 loss at UW-River Falls on 11/16. Jonas shot 50 percent from both the floor (9-for-18) and beyond the arc (6-for-12) in the game. She added a season-high four rebounds along with two assists and a steal in 39 minutes of play.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Lydia Lecher
Hamline University
Sr. | Forward
St. Paul, Minn. | Concordia Academy
Lydia Lecher engineered the Pipers' defense with nine rebounds, three steals, and one block in a 78-36 victory over Martin Luther on 11/15. Eight of her nine boards came on the defensive end of the floor. Lecher also contributed 11 points and two assists in the contest.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Erik Palmqvist
Augsburg University
Sr. | Forward
Linkoping, Sweden | Anderstorpsgymnasiet
Erik Palmqvist had a two-goal, three-assist weekend to help the Auggies sweep Saint Mary's to begin MIAC play. Palmqvist had two assists in the team's 6-0 home victory on 11/17 before tallying the first multi-goal game of his career on 11/18 by scoring two goals with one more assist in a 4-1 win on the road. Palmqvist opened the scoring with a goal 4:39 into the game and added a power-play goal early in the second period.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Samuel Vyletelka
Augsburg University
Jr. | Goaltender
Zilina, Slovakia | Grammar School of St. Francis of Assisi
Samuel Vyletelka stopped 67 of the 68 shots he faced over the weekend as the Auggies opened MIAC play with a sweep of Saint Mary's. Vyletelka had 41 saves for his eighth career shutout in his 40th career game in goal to help Augsburg secure a 6-0 home victory on 11/17. The 41 saves are the most in a regulation game in Vyletelka's career. He added another 26 saves in the Auggies' 4-1 win in Winona the following night.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Hailey Holland
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Forward
Aberdeen, S.D. | Central
Hailey Holland led the offensive charge for the Gusties in their sweep of Bethel over the weekend. Holland notched her fourth career hat trick on 11/18, which moves her into third in Gustavus women's hockey history in that stat category. Holland finished the weekend with five points, notching an assist in each game as well.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Sophia Coltvet
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Defender
Arden Hills, Minn. | Mounds View
Sophia Coltvet played a crucial role on both ends of the ice for the Gusties over the weekend, leading the team to its third and fourth consecutive shutouts against Bethel. The senior defender helped the defensive core to allow only 19 shots on goal through both games, including a season-low five on 11/18. Coltvet also extended her point streak to five games by scoring a goal in both contests.