BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for swimming & diving and indoor track & field on Tuesday. Student-athletes from Carleton, Gustavus, Macalester, Saint John's, 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 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 Swimming Athlete of the Week
Peyton Richardson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Crystal Lake, Ill. | Prairie Ridge
Peyton Richardson led the Gusties to victory at the Roger Ahlman Invitational on 12/6-7. Richardson touched the wall first in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.96 and won the 100 fly with an NCAA B cut time of 48.69. He added another individual win in the 200 fly with a time of 1:52.94. Richardson was also part of four second-place relay teams over the weekend.
MIAC Men's Diving Athlete of the Week
Eli Grabinski
Saint John's University
Sr.
Sauk Rapids, Minn. | Sauk Rapids-Rice
Eli Grabinski was the top Division III diver at the Rochester Invitational on 12/5-7, placing third overall in both events. He scored a 431.90 in finals off the 1-meter board and tallied 438.85 points in the 3-meter competition.
MIAC Women's Swimming Athlete of the Week
Paige Steenblock
St. Olaf College
Jr.
Northfield, Minn.
Paige Steenblock won all three of her individual events at the Roger Ahlman Invitational on 12/6-7. Steenblock finished first in the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.51), 400-yard individual medley (4:37.21), and 200-yard butterfly (2:11.33). The junior's times in the 200 IM and 400 IM are both the fastest in the MIAC this season, while her time in the 200 fly ranks third.
MIAC Women's Diving Athlete of the Week
Nina Schwab
Carleton College
Fy.
Piedmont, Calif.
Nina Schwab won both the 3-meter and 1-meter diving competitions at the Rochester Invitational in a 33-diver field that included entrants from both NCAA Division II and III. Schwab easily surpassed the qualifying standard for the NCAA Diving Regional when she posted scores of 432.70 on the 3-meter board on 12/5 and 435.75 on the 1-meter board on 12/6. Schwab won both competitions by more than 10 points.
MIAC Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
Ignatius Fitzgerald
St. Olaf College
Jr.
Missoula, Mont. | Hellgate
Ignatius Fitzgerald ran the fifth-fastest time in NCAA Division III this season while winning the 3,000-meter run in 8:30.90 at the Chuck Petersen Open on 12/7. Fitzgerald's time was more than five seconds faster than the second-place finisher, is the fastest in the MIAC this season, and ranks ninth on St. Olaf's all-time indoor list.
MIAC Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Soren Kaster
Carleton College
So.
Horace, N.D. | West Fargo Sheyenne
Soren Kaster won the heptathlon at the M City Indoor Classic on 12/6-7. Kaster established new indoor PRs in all four events on day one. He clocked a time of 7.46 in the 60-meter dash and followed that up by measuring 6.08 meters in the long jump, smashing his previous indoor PR by 1.5 feet and setting a new overall personal best. He improved his previous top mark in the indoor shot put by more than five feet as he measured 10.80 meters and concluded day-one action by clearing 1.68 meters in the high jump, a new overall PR by more than two inches. Day two saw Kaster clock a time of 9.24 in the 60-meter hurdles, another personal best and tying him for 10th in team history. He then climbed from third place in the overall standings to first place thanks to a strong showing in the pole vault as Kaster cleared 4.30 meters on his first attempt, making him 6-for-6 in indoor PRs. Kaster completed the 1000-meter run in 2:54.57 and secured the 19-point victory.
MIAC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
Ariella Rogahn-Press
Macalester College
Fy.
Albuquerque, N.M | Bosque School
Ariella Rogahn-Press ran the 400 meters in 57.34 at the M City Classic on 12/6 at the University of Minnesota. The performance, which was her first race as a collegian, broke Macalester's school record of 57.57, set in 2018. No other runner finished the race in less than 1:05.00.
MIAC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Megan Geraets
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Mankato, Minn. | East
Megan Geraets had the top Division III distance in the long jump at the University of Minnesota M City Classic on 12/6, taking second place overall with a mark of 5.44 meters (17-10.25). It is the best mark in the MIAC this season and 13th in NCAA Division III.