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, Gustavus, Saint Benedict, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors for April 3-9, 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
Bryce Novak
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Outfield
Cleveland, Minn.
Bryce Novak hit .462 (12-for-26) as the Gusties went a perfect 7-0 last week, including a 6-0 to start the MIAC season. Batting from the leadoff position, Novak extended his hitting streak to 12 games, highlighting it with a four-hit performance in the second game of a doubleheader against Hamline on 4/3. Throughout the week, Novak tallied nine runs, nine RBI, a double, and a grand slam (against Macalester on 4/8). He also had a perfect fielding percentage in centerfield with seven putouts.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Sam Lavin
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Algonquin, Ill. | Marian Central Catholic
Sam Lavin threw six no-hit innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts to earn the win in the Oles' 1-0 game-one victory at Saint Mary's on 4/8. The junior faced the minimum 18 batters in the game, as the only Cardinal to reach base did so on an error in the fourth frame and then was caught stealing.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Gabby Spencer
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Outfield
St. Paul, Minn. | Roseville
Gabby Spencer hit .833 (10-for-12) over the course of four MIAC victories for the Bennies last week. Spencer scored eight runs over the four games, hitting a double, a triple, and two home runs while driving in nine runs and going a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts. Spencer also walked off St. Olaf in a 3-2 win on 4/7 after belting two home runs in the 7-3 series opener. She added four RBI and three stolen bases in a pair of wins over Augsburg on 4/8.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kayla Simacek
Bethel University
Sr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Hastings, Minn.
Kayla Simacek earned a pair of MIAC wins against Gustavus with a combined 23 strikeouts and one walk allowed in the Royals' two-game sweep on 4/8. Simacek struck out 15 hitters in the extra-innings opener while giving up one walk and one hit over nine innings. She then struck out eight in game-two, allowing two runs on five hits.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Alex Budde
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Alex Budde defeated three nationally-ranked opponents last week, winning singles matches for the Gusties against No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 13 Caltech, and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Budde also picked up a pair of doubles wins, helping the Gusties defeat Caltech by an eventual 6-3 score, and winning at No. 1 doubles versus Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with partner Gage Gohl.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Maria Bedford
College of Saint Benedict
Sr.
St. Paul, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall
Maria Bedford picked up her 12th straight win in a tiebreaker against NCAA Division II St. Cloud State last week. It is the most consecutive victories overall to start a season in CSB program history. Bedford won at No. 6 singles, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) and added a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles alongside partner Greta Nesbit to help Saint Benedict to victory.