BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball and hockey on Monday. Student-athletes from Concordia, Gustavus, Macalester, 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 winter season, team sports (basketball and hockey) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (swimming & diving and indoor track & field) 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 Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Eric Wentz
Macalester College
Jr. | Guard
Minot, N.D.
Eric Wentz poured in 40 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field, which included making 5-of-7 from three-point range in a loss at Grinnell on 11/23. He also scored 13 points apiece against Northwestern on 11/19 and Bethel on 11/21. For the week, Wentz averaged 22.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Tanner Thomson
The College of St. Scholastica
So. | Guard
Woodbury, Minn. | Stillwater
Tanner Thomson swiped five steals and blocked two shots in a pair of non-conference victories for the Saints over Northland (11/20) and Bethany Lutheran (11/23). He had a blocked shot in each contest and a five-steal night against the Lumberjacks. Thomson added two rebounds in each game.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Makayla Anderson
Concordia College
Sr. | Forward
Bismarck, N.D. | Century
Makayla Anderson scored a career-high 26 points in the Cobbers' 86-75 win over nationally-ranked UW-Stout on 11/23. Anderson shot 71 percent (10-for-14) from the floor and also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Anderson's scoring prowess has helped the Concordia average 106.3 points per game this season, a scoring average that leads all divisions of NCAA women's basketball.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Izzy Quick
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Forward
Brooklyn Park, Minn. | Champlin Park
Izzy Quick collected double-digit rebounds for the third time in four games as the Gusties defeated UW-River Falls by a margin of 56-44 on 11/20. Quick hauled in 11 boards, including ten on the defensive end of the court. She chipped in a steal, a block, a pair of assists, and six points in the win. Quick also drew three fouls and shot 4-for-4 from the line. Her efforts helped Gustavus limit its opponent to less than 50 points for the third time this season.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Hunter Newhouse
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Forward
Minnetonka, Minn.
Hunter Newhouse had a four-point weekend as the Gusties swept Concordia on 11/22-23. In a 4-0 win on 11/22, Newhouse scored a goal and tallied an assist. In a 4-3 victory on 11/23, Newhouse scored two goals, including the game-winning goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Matthew Malin
St. Olaf College
Fy. | Goaltender
Castle Rock, Colo. | Palo Alto
Matthew Malin stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced for the Oles in a 5-1 victory over Saint John's on 11/23. The first year had nine saves in the first period, six in the second, and seven in the third to give St. Olaf the victory and snap the Johnnies' five-game winning streak.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Nora McConnell
St. Olaf College
Fy. | Forward
Edina, Minn.
Nora McConnell scored two critical goals in the Oles' weekend series with Saint Benedict. In a 2-2 tie with the Bennies on 11/23, McConnell scored unassisted at the 11:58 mark in the second period to tie the game at 1-1. She then scored the game-tying tally with 15 seconds remaining in the third to send the contest into overtime.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Magali Fillion
Saint Mary's University
Fy. | Goaltender
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada | Quebec
Magali Fillion recorded back-to-back shutouts in the first two starts of her collegiate career. Fillion made 19 saves in a 3-0 win over nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire on 11/19 before returning to the net for a 21-save performance in another 3-0 win against St. Catherine on 11/22.