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 Augsburg, Bethel, Gustavus, Saint John'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
Ryan Thissen
Saint John's University
Sr. | Wing
Rosemount, Minn. | Eastview
Ryan Thissen tied a season-high with 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second-consecutive double-double in the Johnnies' 78-69 win on 1/22 at Augsburg. Thissen added four assists and scored the game's first basket, which enabled him to move into fifth on SJU's all-time scoring list. By the end of the first half, Thissen climbed to fourth all-time with 1,506 career points at Saint John's.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Adam Biewen
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Forward
Golden Valley, Minn. | Robbinsdale Armstrong
Adam Biewen collected nine rebounds and a pair of steals while helping the Gusties remain undefeated in conference play with wins against Hamline (1/22) and Concordia (1/25). Biewen stymied his opponents in both contests, holding his matchups to a combined 5-for-25 from the floor.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Chloee Smith
St. Olaf College
So. | Forward
Stigler, Okla. | Keota
Chloee Smith averaged 22.0 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent (18-for-38) from the field and 36.4 percent (4-for-11) from three-point range in the Oles' two games last week. The sophomore scored at least 20 points in each game, with 20 at Saint Mary's on 1/22 and 24 - one shy of her season-high - against Carleton on 1/25. Smith knocked down two three-pointers in each game and shot better than 47.0 percent in both contests.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Elly Schmitz
Bethel University
Sr. | Forward
Hermantown, Minn.
Elly Schmitz helped keep the Royals undefeated in conference play with nine blocks, six steals, and an average of 7.5 rebounds per game in a pair of victories. In a 73-54 win over St. Scholastica on 1/22, Schmitz grabbed eight boards, all on the defensive end, while adding four blocks, and three steals. She tallied a career-high five blocks for the second time this season in a 64-38 win at St. Catherine on 1/25. Schmitz also brought down seven boards to go along with three steals in the win.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Landon Parker
Augsburg University
So. | Forward
East Grand Forks, Minn.
Landon Parker scored two goals with two assists for a four-point weekend as the Auggies claimed a series sweep of Hamline. Parker scored two goals in Augsburg's 5-1 win at Hamline on 1/24 and had two assists in the Auggies' 3-0 home win on 1/25.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Carsen Stokes
Augsburg University
So. | Goaltender
Prior Lake, Minn. | Shattuck-St. Mary's
Carsen Stokes had 90 saves on 91 shots faced for a .989 save percentage in the Auggies' series sweep of Hamline. On 1/24, Stokes had a season-high 48 saves in the Auggies' 5-1 victory at Hamline. He then stopped all 42 shots he faced on 1/25 to pick up his second shutout of the season in Augsburg's 3-0 home victory over the Pipers.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Nora Stepan
Augsburg University
Jr. | Defender
Apple Valley, Minn. | Eastview
Nora Stepan had a six-point weekend, scoring four goals with two assists for six points to help the Auggies sweep Hamline. Stepan scored a goal and tallied an assist in the Auggies' 4-2 home victory on 1/24 before collecting her first collegiate hat trick with a three-goal effort while adding an assist for a four-point night. Stepan scored the Auggies' first goal on the power play, added another power-play goal to cut the lead to 3-2, then assisted on the game-tying goal with 2:42 left in regulation. She scored the game-winning goal 1:38 into the 3-on-3 overtime.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Makenzie Cole
The College of St. Scholastica
Jr. | Goaltender
Cohasset, Minn.
Makenzie Cole recorded 38 saves in a 2-1 road loss to Bethel on 1/24 before posting a MIAC season-high 60 saves in a 3-0 shutout win at home on 1/25. She finished the series with a goals-against average of 1.03 and a save percentage of .980.