BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for football, volleyball, and soccer on Monday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus, St. Catherine, and St. Olaf 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.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week archive has complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Caden Kleinschmidt
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Wide Receiver
Morgan, Minn. | Cedar Mountain
Caden Kleinschmidt had a career day for the Gusties, hauling in seven catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-7 win at Macalester on 10/19. His total receiving yards are the fourth-most in a game in program history, tying Rich Ryan's 228 yards against Washington University in 1976. All three of Kleinschmidt's touchdowns came in the first half, and each went for 40 yards or more.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Jacob Halek
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Safety
Maple Grove, Minn. | Providence Academy
Jacob Halek recorded nine tackles (eight solo), one interception, and one fumble recovery as the Oles remained unbeaten with a 36-33 win over St. Scholastica on 10/19. The fifth-year senior recovered a fumble in the first quarter, picked off a pass in the second quarter, and posted the second-highest tackle total of his career in the victory.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Eric Cockhill
Concordia College
Jr. | Kick Returner
Helena, Mont. | Capital
Eric Cockhill returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the Cobbers' win at Hamline on 10/19. The kick return for a touchdown is the first in the MIAC this season. Cockhill also returned six punts on the day, averaging 13.7 yards per return to help swing the average start of possessions in the Cobbers' favor.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Lexie Petrick
St. Catherine University
Sr. | Outside Hitter
Lakeville, Minn. | North
Lexie Petrick tallied a team-best 16 kills in the Wildcats' 3-0 sweep of St. Olaf on 10/16 to help the team to its first win over the Oles since 2011. Petrick averaged 5.33 kills per set with an attack percentage of .368. Petrick recorded her sixth consecutive double-double in the match with 12 digs on top of one block.
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Kasie Tweet
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Setter
Adrian, Minn.
Kasie Tweet led the Gusties to three sweeps by directing the offense with 113 total assists (37.6 per match) and chipping in a pair of double-doubles with more than ten digs on defense. She added five kills, three aces, and three blocks to her stat line through the week, hitting .500 on the attack. Tweet posted 40 assists and ten digs against Concordia on 10/16 before adding 32 more assists, 11 digs, and three service aces against UW-River Falls on 10/19, followed by another 41 assists later in the day against Luther.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Oberholtzer
Bethel University
Gr. | Forward
Wyoming, Minn. | Forest Lake
Jordan Oberholtzer led the Royals to a pair of conference victories last week with three goals on five shots on-frame, including a game-winner. In a 6-0 victory over Augsburg on 10/15, Oberholtzer added back-to-back goals in the 25th and 48th minute. In a 3-2 comeback victory at Saint John's on 10/19, he tallied the game-winning goal in the 64th minute with his only shot on goal for the match as he worked a tough angle and slipped it through the SJU keeper's legs for his MIAC-leading sixth goal in a conference match.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Alexander Grosse
Carleton College
Jr. | Defender
San Francisco, Calif. | Deerfield Academy
Alexander Grosse anchored the Knights' backline that notched a pair of shutout victories last week. Carleton fended off Macalester, 1-0, on 10/15 and tallied a 3-0 victory over Hamline on 10/19, with Grosse helping to hold two of the top individual goal-scorers in the conference without a shot.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Dylan Baker
Carleton College
Jr. | Forward
Minneapolis, Minn. | Breck
Dylan Baker found her way onto the scoresheet in all three of the Knights' matches last week, totaling two goals and a pair of assists. Baker set up the game’s lone score in a 1-0 win at Macalester on 10/16, a result that clinched a playoff berth for the Knights. Baker also added the game-winning score in a victory over Hamline on 10/19. Baker capped the week with the game-opening goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw at regionally-ranked UW-La Crosse on 10/20.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Kate Green
Bethel University
Sr. | Goalkeeper
Bryn Mawr, Pa. | Delaware County Christian
Kate Green earned her second shutout of the season while collecting a combined 20 saves as the Royals went 1-0-1 last week. Green made eight stops in a 1-1 tie with Augsburg on 10/16 before notching a career-high 12 saves in a 1-0 victory at Saint Benedict on 10/19.