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 Bethel, Concordia, Gustavus, and Saint Benedict claimed the Conference's weekly honors for March 6-12, 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
Ty Koehn
Bethel University
Gr. | Outfield
Arden Hills, Minn. | Mounds View
Ty Koehn batted .615 (8-for-13) with seven RBI in a trio of Royal wins last week. Koehn had multiple hits in all three games, including a double against UT-Dallas on 3/10 and a home run in the second game of a doubleheader with Roger Williams on 3/11. He finished the week with a slugging percentage of .923 and an on-base percentage of .571.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Alex Rudquist
Concordia College
So. | Right-handed Pitcher
Rochester, Minn. | Lourdes
Alex Rudquist went 6.0 innings and only allowed two hits while striking out five in the Cobbers' 8-1 victory over Husson on 3/7. The right-hander faced the minimum number of hitters in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings, and retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced during that stretch.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Tiffany Thompson
College of Saint Benedict
Jr. | Outfield
New York Mills, Minn.
Tiffany Thompson hit .440 (11-for-25) with a team-high 10 runs batted in to lead the Bennies to a 9-1 record last week. Thompson finished the week with an OPS of 1.100, a slugging percentage of .600, and an on-base percentage of .500. She tallied three multi-hit games and four extra-base hits during the ten-game span.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Elly Novak
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Montgomery, Minn. | Tri-City United
Elly Novak posted a 5-1 record and added a save in her seven appearances in the circle for the Bennies in Florida last week. Novak posted an earned run average of 1.22 and a WHIP of .79. She allowed 22 total hits and six earned runs with 42 strikeouts and five walks across 34.1 innings of work.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Alex Budde
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Alex Budde helped the Gusties to a victory over nationally-ranked Trinity in the first round of the Stag-Hen Invitational over the weekend. Budde started with a win in the No. 2 doubles spot with partner Gage Gohl. He then extended his singles winning streak to four by taking down his third nationally-ranked opponent in the last two weeks. Budde won in the No. 6 spot, clinching the win for the Gusties with a come-from-behind set three victory, battling from 2-5 to win 7-5.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Maria Bedford
College of Saint Benedict
Sr.
St. Paul, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall
Maria Bedford moved to 5-0 on the season with four straight singles wins during the Bennies' trip to Florida last week. Bedford won all four singles matches in straight sets and went 3-1 in doubles play, including a 6-4 decision against Division II Cedarville on 3/10.