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, Hamline, 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 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
Dylan Wheeler
Saint John's University
Sr. | Wide Receiver
St. Paul, Minn. | Mounds View
Dylan Wheeler caught nine passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the Johnnies' 45-20 win at nationally-ranked Bethel on 9/28. Six of his receptions went for first downs, and two more resulted in SJU scores. Wheeler became the first Johnnie in program history to record 100 receiving yards or more in the season's first three games in the win.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Juan Bertaud
Hamline University
Jr. | Cornerback
Denver, Colo. | Mullen
Juan Bertaud snagged three interceptions in the Pipers' 24-14 loss to Carleton on 9/28. Two of his three picks came in the fourth quarter. Bertaud added four solo tackles in the game.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Marcus Merkelbach
Carleton College
Jr. | Kicker
Seattle, Wash. | Garfield
Marcus Merkelbach nailed a 39-yard field goal just before halftime to extend the Knights' lead in an eventual 24-14 win over Hamline on 9/28. Merkelbach also had three PAT conversions in the win, averaged 56.4 yards per kickoff, and pinned the Pipers inside their own 20-yard line on two of his three punts.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Peyton Howie
Bethel University
So. | Middle Blocker
Blaine, Minn. | Irondale
Peyton Howie paced the Royals to a 4-1 week by posting 66 kills over five matches (3.88 per set) while committing just 11 errors for a .359 attacking efficiency. Howie put down a career-high 16 kills while adding a career-high seven blocks in the Royals' five-set MIAC-opening win over St. Olaf on 9/25. In the nation's capital at the Worthington Classic, Howie had 14 kills apiece in three-set victories over Marymount (9/27) and Lynchburg (9/28) before capping off the weekend with 13 kills in a straight-set win over Catholic (9/28). In Bethel's three-set loss to Gallaudet, Howie had nine kills and three blocks. In total, Howie posted 13 total blocks, 22 digs, and four service aces while accounting for 78 points for the week.
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Kaitlyn Kotek
Hamline University
Jr. | Setter
Northfield, Minn.
Kaitlyn Kotek averaged 9.31 assists and 2.31 digs per set across a trio of matches for the Pipers last week. Kotek posted a four-set career-high 48 assists in a win over Luther on 9/25 and added a pair of 30-plus assists performances in conference matches against St. Catherine (9/27) and St. Olaf (9/28). In Hamline's five-set loss to the Wildcats, Kotek turned in a 39-assist, 16-dig double-double.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Shea Bechtel
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Forward
Plainfield, Ill. | North
Shea Bechtel recorded three goals and one assist in the Oles' 2-0 week that included a win over nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire. After picking up an assist in the 4-2 victory over the Blugolds on 9/25 to become the first Ole ever to reach the 100-point milestone, the senior scored his first collegiate hat trick in less than seven minutes of game time in an 8-1 win at St. Scholastica on 9/28.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Griffin Blokker
Bethel University
Fy. | Goalkeeper
Doylestown, Pa. | Central Bucks West
Griffin Blokker recorded back-to-back shutouts with eight saves for the Royals in a pair of 2-0 wins over UW-River Falls on 9/25 and Carleton on 9/28. He had six saves against the Falcons while facing 14 shots before collecting two saves against the Knights in his third shutout of the season.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Chloe Valleau
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Midfielder
Paris, France | International School of Paris
Chloe Valleau registered the first two-goal game of her collegiate career for the Oles in a 4-0 victory at St. Scholastica on 9/28. The junior opened the scoring in the 27th minute and closed the scoring in the 76th minute.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Katelyn Olson
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Goalkeeper
Cloquet, Minn.
Katelyn Olson led the Gusties to their fourth and fifth shutouts of the season, including the first conference win of the year, over the weekend. Olson made two saves against Hamline on 9/28 and added eight saves against UW-River Falls on 9/29. Olson saved a late Falcon PK and two last-second shots to seal the 1-0 victory for the Gusties. Olson also had seven saves in the Gusties' loss at Saint Mary's on 9/25, another one-goal decision.