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, Hamline, St. Catherine, 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. Transitioning from the fall to winter seasons, team sports (football, soccer, and volleyball) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (swimming & diving) 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
Bryon Sauvy
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Running Back
St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville
Bryon Sauvy rushed for a career-high 231 yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters of play as the Oles outdueled St. Scholastica, 44-41, on 10/25. Eleven of Sauvy's 17 carries resulted in either a first down or a touchdown, with five of his runs leading to gains of 20 yards or more. Sauvy accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Oles' 390 rushing yards on the day - the program's highest single-game total in at least three decades.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Kyle Mages
Concordia College
So. | Linebacker
Osakis, Minn. / Osakis
Kyle Mages recorded 9.0 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown in the Cobbers' 26-7 win at Augsburg on 10/25. Mages' first interception resulted in a 17-yard pick-six to put Concordia on top, 13-0, in the second quarter. His second interception of the afternoon came on the very next drive at the Cobbers' own three-yard line, preventing an Augsburg score. Mages has snagged three interceptions in his last two games.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Carson Hegerle
Saint John's University
So. | Wide Receiver
West Fargo, N.D. / West Fargo
Carson Hegerle totaled 199 all-purpose yards and recorded the MIAC's first punt return touchdown of the season in the Johnnies' 49-10 victory over Carleton on 10/25. Hegerle logged 70 receiving yards, 67 punt return yards, and 62 kickoff return yards in the game. His 57-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the first by a Johnnie since 2018.
MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Grace Bathurst
Hamline University
So. | Middle Blocker
Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead
Grace Bathurst hit .383 and averaged 4.73 points and 4.0 blocks per set across four matches for the Pipers last week. Bathurst tallied double-digit kills in every match and hit north of .400 against conference foes Bethel (10/24) and Carleton (10/25). She added 16 total blocks, ten digs, and four service aces for the week.
MIAC Volleyball Specialty Player of the Week
Sophia Rubio
Bethel University
Fy. | Setter
Woodbury, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran
Sophia Rubio totaled 118 assists (9.83 per set) in a 3-0 week for the Royals that included a five-set win over Wartburg (10/22), a sweep of Hamline (10/24), and a four-set victory against Macalester (10/25). Rubio tallied 30-plus assists in all three matches, including 43 at Wartburg and 42 against Macalester. She also recorded 24 digs, five total blocks, and three service aces across the three matches.
MIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Ross
Bethel University
Sr. | Forward
Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove
Jordan Ross propelled the Royals into the postseason with a seven-point effort in the team's 4-2 win over Carleton on 10/25. Ross scored Bethel's second, third, and fourth goals of the game, securing a hat trick on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute of play. He was also credited with an assist on the opening goal of the game.
MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Foster Conlin
Saint John's University
Sr. | Defender
Mooresville, N.C. / Mounds View
Foster Conlin played 159 minutes on the back line for the Johnnies last week, helping the team to secure a pair of shutouts against UW-Stout (10/22) and Concordia (10/25). Conlin's efforts led to SJU holding its opponents to 10 shots in total, and only six on goal. He also added two assists on the offensive end of the field and has now played 70 minutes or more in all of the team's games this season, including 11 complete-game performances.
MIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Lauryn Skoruppa
Saint Mary's University
Sr. | Forward
Littleton, Colo. / Mountain Vista
Lauryn Skoruppa scored four times and assisted on two other goals to lead the Cardinals to a pair of critical conference victories over Saint Benedict (10/22) and St. Scholastica (10/25). Skoruppa played a role in all five of the team's goals in a 5-1 win over the Bennies, tallying a hat trick - with three goals in the first 46 minutes of play - and adding a pair of assists before scoring the first goal of the game in a 2-1 win over the Saints. The hat trick was her first of the season and the second of her collegiate career.
MIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Brianna Valdez
St. Catherine University
So. | Goalkeeper
Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville
Brianna Valdez made 13 saves in a pair of shutout victories for the Wildcats against conference opponents last week. After stopping five shots in a 3-0 win against Bethel on 10/22, Valdez collected eight saves in another 3-0 win against Gustavus on 10/25. Valdez has not allowed a goal in five consecutive games and now has ten shutouts for the season - the second-most in NCAA Division III this fall.