BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for baseball, softball, and tennis Monday. Student-athletes from Gustavus, Saint John's, St. Olaf, and St. Scholastica claimed the Conference's weekly honors for February 20-26, 2023.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (outdoor track & field 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 Baseball Player of the Week
Max Nyrop
Saint John's University
Sr. | First Base
Alameda, Calif.
Max Nyrop batted .583 (7-for-12) with a home run and two RBI as the Johnnies went 1-2 against Luther over the weekend in Leavenworth, Kan. Nyrop's solo shot in the top of the 10th inning proved to be the game-winning run in the 10-9 victory in the series opener on 2/25. The homer enabled Nyrop to move into a tie for third on SJU's all-time list with 19. Nyrop went 4-for-6 with runners on base and 2-for-3 with two outs in the three games.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Wyatt Rudolf
Saint John's University
Sr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Carver, Minn. | Chanhassen
Wyatt Rudolf made his SJU debut over the weekend and picked up a win in relief duty, allowing two runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings of work of the Johnnies' 10-9 victory in 10 innings over Luther the season opener on 2/25.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Hannah Peschel
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Outfield
Shoreview, Minn. | Mounds View
Hannah Peschel recorded a slash line of .625/.647/.813 and had multiple hits in all four of the Oles games over the weekend while tallying three doubles, six RBI, and seven runs scored. After having at least two hits, one RBI, and one run scored in the Oles' first three games, the junior recorded her first-career four-hit game by going 4-for-5 with a double, three runs, and three RBI, as the St. Olaf came back from 13-5 down in the fifth inning to defeat UW-Eau Claire by a 17-13 score on 2/26.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Haley Rosenthal
The College of St. Scholastica
Sr.
Mahtomedi, Minn.
Haley Rosenthal went 2-0 over the weekend, striking out a combined 12 batters for the Saints. She pitched a total of 12.2 innings, only allowing five hits and shutting out both of her opponents in the circle to earn a 0.00 earned run average. The senior closed for the Saints against Ripon on 2/25, striking out one batter to pick up the 7-3 win. The next day against UW-Stout, Rosenthal pitched a total of 10.0 innings, allowed zero runs, and struck out 11 batters in a 1-0 victory.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Nick Aney
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Rochester, Minn. | Century
Nick Aney helped the Gusties to a sixth place team finish among seven of the top-10 teams in the country at the ITA Indoor Championships over the weekend. In the No. 1 doubles spot, Aney went 2-1 over three matches, including a win over No. 10 Emory's top pair - the NCAA runners-up from 2022. Aney also helped the Gusties to a victory over No. 8 North Carolina Wesleyan, winning in the No. 1 doubles spot, 8-4. Aney was 2-0 in No. 1 singles over the weekend with a win over No. 8 North Carolina Wesleyan and a 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 1 University of Chicago.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Allison Szalay
Gustavus Adolphus College
Fy.
Urbandale, Iowa | Dowling Catholic
Allison Szalay won all three of her doubles and singles matches against nationally-ranked competition over the weekend. Szalay teamed with Molly Austin at No. 2 doubles to win, 8-4, against No. 18 Washington University-St. Louis; 8-3 against DePauw; and 8-5 against No. 26 Denison. Szalay won all three singles matches in straight sets at the No. 2 spot. She defeated Wash U 6-2, 6-4, DePauw 6-0, 6-4, and Denison 6-4, 6-3.