BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball, hockey, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus, Macalester, Saint Benedict, Saint Mary's, 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.
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 Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Owen Ziegler
Saint Mary's University
Sr. | Guard
Mount Horeb, Wis.
Owen Ziegler knocked down 13 treys in two Cardinal wins last week, including tying the single-game program record with eight three-pointers against Augsburg on 2/5. Ziegler also matched his career high in the game, scoring 32 points in SMU's 89-80 win over the Auggies. For the week, Ziegler averaged 23.5 points per game, finishing 16-for-35 from the field, including 13-for-30 from downtown, and hitting on 2-of-3 free throws.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Matt Banovetz
Carleton College
Sr. | Forward
Minneapolis, Minn. | Holy Angels
Matt Banovetz averaged 20.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals over three games last week. He shot .561 (23-of-41) overall and .421 (8-of-19) from three-point range. Banovetz began the week with his fourth double-double of the season against Augsburg on 2/5. He fell a rebound shy of another double-double in the 2/7 road win over Hamline, tallying 21 points for his seventh game of 20-plus points this season. He wrapped up the busy stretch by helping Carleton notch another road win on Feb. 10, defeating Bethel thanks to 17 points, six boards, and season season-high-tying four assists. He added four steals and four blocks for the week.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Makayla Anderson
Concordia College
Jr. | Forward
Bismarck, N.D. | Century
Makayla Anderson averaged 18.7 points in leading the Cobbers to a trio of critical victories last week. Anderson scored 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting in a 73-65 win over nationally-ranked Gustavus on 2/7. The win snapped the Gusties' 32-game win streak against MIAC opponents. Anderson added a 19-point performance against Augsburg on 2/10 and scored 16 against Saint Benedict on 2/5.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Peyton Starks
Macalester College
Sr. | Guard
St. Louis, Mo. | John Burroughs School
Peyton Starks averaged 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds over the Scots' three games last week. Starks registered a double-double against Hamline with 22 points and 11 rebounds on 2/10. She also collected five steals and eight blocked shots on the week.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Hunter Hanson
The College of St. Scholastica
Fy. | Forward
Blaine, Minn.
Hunter Hanson scored three goals and had an assist for a four-point weekend as the Saints split with Saint Mary's on 2/9-10. Hanson scored his sixth goal in a 4-2 loss on 2/9 and recorded the first multi-goal game of his collegiate career by scoring one even-strength goal and an empty-netter in addition to recording an assist in a 4-2 victory on 2/10.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
AJ Ruskowski
Saint Mary's University
Jr. | Goaltender
Traverse City, Mich.
AJ Ruskowski kicked out a career-high 48 shots, including 29 in the second period, in the Cardinals' 4-2 win over St. Scholastica on 2/9 before adding 33 saves in the teams' rematch the following afternoon. Ruskowski has recorded 30-plus saves in 10 straight games and 40-plus in two of his last four contests.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Corrine Brown
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Forward
St. Paul, Minn. | Hill-Murray
Corrine Brown registered five points, including goals in back-to-back games and three total assists, as the Bennies split a home-and-home series with St. Olaf on 2/9-10. Brown had a goal and two assists in a 5-0 win at home on 2/9 and added a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss at St. Olaf on 2/10.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Katie McCoy
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Goaltender
Grafton, Wis. | Cedarburg
Katie McCoy posted two wins and a shutout in a weekend sweep over Concordia, saving 21 attempts she saw from the Cobbers. The Gusties' win on 2/10 propelled McCoy into history once more, as she became the all-time winningest goalie in NCAA Division III women's hockey history with 78 victories to her name. McCoy is now 78-13-3 in her Gustavus career.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Marco Siviero
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr.
Sao Miguel de Oeste, Brazil | Goliath Academy
Marco Siviero helped the Gusties secure their first win of the dual-match season on 2/10 in a 9-0 win over UW-Eau Claire. Siviero started the match with an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles and then won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1 singles.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Alli Laux
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Onalaska, Wis.
Alli Laux picked up a singles win against Division II Minnesota State-Mankato on 2/10. Laux came from behind to win in the No. 3 slot, 4-6, 7-6, 10-6 in the team's 6-3 loss to the Mavericks.