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 Augsburg, Bethel, Gustavus, Saint John's, Saint Mary'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 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
Aaron Syverson
Saint John's University
Sr. | Quarterback
Minnetonka, Minn.
Aaron Syverson finished 34-of-38 passing for 324 yards and three touchdowns in the Johnnies' 35-13 win over No. 5 Wartburg on 9/14. Syverson completed his first 10 passes and 18 of his first 19 throws. Syverson's .895 completion percentage and 34 completions were both the third-best in SJU history. His 324 passing yards served as his 11th game with 300 or more, the second-most in program history.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Hayden Sanders
Saint John's University
Sr. | Linebacker
Brooklyn Park, Minn. | Champlin Park
Hayden Sanders led the Johnnies with 10 tackles (six solo), including 4.0 for a loss and 2.5 sacks as the Johnnies earned a 35-13 win over No. 5 Wartburg on 9/14. SJU recorded 10 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, which helped limit Wartburg to only nine rushing yards for the game. The 10 sacks were the most for SJU since it recorded the program record of 13 in the 62-3 win over Monmouth (Ill.) on 11/19/2005 in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs. The 14 tackles for loss were the most since 2018.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Collin Swan
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Kicker/Punter
Lake Mary, Fla. | Trinity Prep
Collin Swan accounted for 12 points with three field goals and three extra points in the Oles' 53-7 win over Luther on 9/14. The fifth-year senior connected on field goals of 29, 29, and 32 yards to match his career high with three makes in the victory. He also punted three times for a total of 86 yards.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Brenna Bruchert
Saint Mary's University
Jr. | Outside Hitter
Eau Claire, Wis. | Memorial
Brenna Bruchert helped the Cardinals to a 5-1 week while recording double-digit kills in all six matches. Bruchert tallied at least 20 kills in four of the six matches, including a career-best 27 in a five-set win at Ripon on 9/14. Bruchert averaged 4.79 kills per set and 5.29 points per set for the week, totaling 115 kills and seven service aces while hitting .288 overall.
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Morgan Ryan
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Libero
Chanhassen, Minn. | Minnetonka
Morgan Ryan helped the Oles extend their winning streak to seven matches with a 4-0 weekend at the Duhawk Classic. Ryan by registered 96 digs (6.00 per set) to go with 15 assists and seven aces. The junior logged her first double-double of the season with a career-high-tying 27 digs, 10 assists, and three aces in a four-set win over Dubuque on 9/13 and had 27 digs and four aces in a five-set victory over Loras the next day. Ryan had at least 19 digs in all four victories.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Mitchel Munzing
Augsburg University
Jr. | Midfielder
Portland, Ore. | Grant
Mitchel Munzing had a four-goal, one-assist week, leading the Auggies to a pair of victories. Munzing missed the first half of Augsburg's win versus Crown on 9/11 due to attending his physics class lab, but made a memorable second-half debut, recording a hat trick and assisting on a fourth goal. He went on to score in the sixth minute of Augsburg's 2-0 win over UW-Whitewater on 9/14.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Jared Hecht
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Defender
Apple Valley, Minn. | Eastview
Jared Hecht helped the Gusties shut out two opponents with identical 2-0 victories over Bethany Lutheran on 9/11 and Loras on 9/14. In each game, Hecht led a defensive unit that allowed just one shot on goal. Against Bethany Lutheran, a team that has reached the UMAC championship game five years running, Hecht and the defense allowed one shot on goal and five total shots, and against Loras, the defending ARC champion, Hecht and the Gusties again allowed just one shot on goal with three total. Hecht has now led a defensive unit that has allowed just one shot on goal three times this season and has allowed only five shots on goal in the past four games combined.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Jessica Oliver
Bethel University
So. | Forward
Rosemount, Minn.
Jessica Oliver paced the Royals to a 2-0-1 week after tallying 17 points behind seven goals and three assists. Oliver kicked off the week by scoring Bethel's final two goals in a 3-3 tie at Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/11. Oliver followed that up on 9/13 with a historic performance against Crown, playing a role in every goal of the Royals' 6-0 victory. Oliver tallied a first-half hat trick while tying a pair of program single-game records with three assists and nine points for the match. Oliver capped off the weekend by scoring both goals in the Royals' 2-0 victory against UW-Stout on 9/14.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Katelyn Olson
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Goalkeeper
Cloquet, Minn.
Katelyn Olson helped the Gusties maintain an unblemished record last week by fending off UW-Superior, 1-0, on 9/10 and tying regionally-ranked Simpson, 2-2, on 9/14. Olson collected her third clean sheet of the season against the Yellowjackets, making six saves in the 1-0 shutout. Olson collected a season-high 10 saves on 9/14, marking the third time in her career that she reached double-digit saves in a game. Olson made six saves in the second half to give the Gusties a chance to tie the game with just five minutes remaining.