BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for football, volleyball, soccer, golf, and cross country on Tuesday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus, Hamline, Saint Mary's, St. Olaf, and St. Scholastica 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 fall season, team sports (football, soccer and volleyball) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (cross country 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 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
Jake Breitbach
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Wide Receiver
Golden Valley, Minn. | Armstrong
Jake Breitbach led the Gusties to a 51-7 season-opening victory over Buena Vista on 9/2. Breitbach had a career game to begin his senior season, finishing with 235 receiving yards - 17 yards short of the program record set in 2007. Breitbach scored four touchdowns to tie the single-game program record, while his 13 receptions were three short of the program mark for receptions in a game. His long of 53 yards was a new personal career best. Breitbach currently ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division III in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, No. 2 in receptions per game, No. 3 in total touchdowns and scoring, and No. 4 in all-purpose yards.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Jevon Jones
Hamline University
Jr. | Linebacker
Woodbury, Minn. | Saint Agnes
Jevon Jones had a team-leading nine tackles - eight of which were of the solo variety - one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, and an interception in the Pipers' 45-13 rout of Crown on 9/2. He led or tied for the team lead in each category in the win.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Collin Swan
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Kicker/Punter
Lake Mary, Fla. | Trinity Prep
Collin Swan averaged 41.6 yards on five punts with a long of 68 yards in the Oles' season-opening 34-24 defeat to Central on 9/2. The senior, who entered the game with just four punts in his career, uncorked a 68-yard punt that was downed at the four-yard line in the third quarter. Swan also hit a 38-yard field goal, made all three of his extra points, and recovered his own onside kick that led to a touchdown in the game.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Marlee Turn
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Outside Hitter
Kennedy, Minn. | Kittson Central
Marlee Turn played in all 14 sets as the Gusties went 3-1 at the UC-Santa Cruz Slug Fest on 9/1 and 9/2. Turn led the Gusties with 62 kills (4.43 per set) and had a .236 attack percentage on the weekend, earning All-Tournament Team honors in the process. Turn also had four service aces, 44 digs, and six blocks with double-double kills and digs against Cal Lutheran (9/1) and UC-Santa Cruz (9/2).
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Faith VanErp
Saint Mary's University
Jr. | Setter
Sartell, Minn. | St. Cloud Tech
Faith VanErp dished out 136 assists while also adding eight service aces and 33 digs in four matches at the Sugar Loaf Classic over the weekend. VanErp set single-match career-highs in assists in her first three matches - delivering 30 assists vs. Marian, 32 against Lawrence, and 46 against Minnesota-Morris. The junior also posted the first two set-dig double-doubles of her career.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Trevor Jones
Carleton College
Sr. | Forward
Urbandale, Iowa | Waukee
Trevor Jones scored four goals and added an assist in three Knight victories over the weekend. He poked the ball across the goal line at least once in all three games, collecting what is already a career-high four goals and nine points to lead all MIAC players this season. Jones picked up his first career multi-goal game in the win over Northland on 9/1 and followed that performance with a goal each in games against Augustana (9/3) and Viterbo (9/4).
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Wesley Sanders
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gr. | Goalkeeper
Urbandale, Iowa | Waukee
Wesley Sanders posted a clean sheet and set a new career record in the Gusties' two games over the weekend. Sanders saved all shots against Knox College to lead the team to a 1-0 win on 9/1. Against defending national champions and No. 1-ranked UChicago, Sanders set a new personal-best for saves in a game, with 11. Sanders made a number of key saves in the tie, turning aside four shots in just a few minutes after Chicago's go-ahead goal, setting up the play that led to the Gusties' equalizer.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Hannah Kvant
Bethel University
Fy. | Forward
St. Michael, Minn. | St. Michael-Albertville
Hannah Kvant netted four goals in her collegiate debut, pacing the Royals to a 5-0 season-opening win at Northwestern on 9/1. Kvant tied the Royals' single-game goals record, becoming one of three players to net four scores in a game since 1998. Her four connections to the back of the net came on six shots, all of which were on-frame.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Ezra Kucur
Carleton College
Jr. | Goalkeeper
Seattle, Wash. | University Prep
Ezra Kucur secured the second and third clean sheets of her career in blanking St. Norbert (9/1) and North Central (9/3) over the weekend. She played all 90 minutes in both triumphs and is the only MIAC goalkeeper to play more than 100 minutes this season without yielding a goal.
MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Calvin Boone
The College Of St. Scholastica
Jr.
St. Paul, Minn. | Highland Park
Calvin Boone was the top overall finisher at the St. Olaf Ole Opener on 9/1, finishing the 5K race in 15:38.5. It was the second meet victory of his collegiate career and the first for a Saints men's cross country runner since 2021.
MIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Maj-Lis Helmer
The College of St. Scholastica
Jr.
Duluth, Minn. | East
Maj-Lis Helmer won the second collegiate meet of her career on 9/1 at the season-opening St. Olaf Ole Opener. Helmer won the 5K race with a time of 18:43.2, which bested the rest of the field by 24 seconds. Helmer and the Saints placed second overall with a score of 57.
MIAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week
Gabe Benson
Concordia College
So.
Fargo, N.D. | Davies
Gabe Benson won the Augsburg Invite on 9/2-3 by five strokes after firing a 66 in the final day of competition. His second-round score of 66 is the second-lowest score by a Cobber in program history. He finished the two-day tournament with a 7-under-par total of 137 (71-66), which ties the school record for lowest total at a two-round tournament. The individual medalist honor is the first of his career. Benson only had one bogey at the event and finished with a tournament-best eight birdies.
MIAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Week
Carter Sichol
Carleton College
So.
Winnetka, Ill. | New Trier
Carter Sichol earned medalist honors at the season-opening CSB Invite on 9/2-3 to lead the No. 21-ranked Knights to the team victory over a pair of nationally-ranked squads. Sichol carded a 74 in the first round and a 72 in the final round to finish the tournament with a 2-over-par 146, good for a one-stroke margin of victory. It was her third career victory and the second time she has won the CSB Invite. Carleton posted a team score of 600 (299-301) to finish eight strokes clear of the field.