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, Hamline, 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 winter season, team sports (basketball, hockey, and tennis) 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
Jacob Cook
Concordia College
Jr. | Forward
Ashby, Minn.
Jacob Cook averaged 24.0 points and shot 60.6 percent from the field in a pair of games last week. In Concordia's win over St. Olaf on 2/5, Cook scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had three assists. He went on to score 29 points and pulled down eight more boards against nationally-ranked Saint John's on 2/8.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Myles Barnette
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Guard
Maple Grove, Minn. | Wayzata
Myles Barnette played disruptive defense in a pair of Gustie victories, helping to force 23 turnovers while limiting opponents to 42.6 percent shooting. Barnette coralled eight rebounds, two steals, and tallied a blocked shot in wins over Saint Mary's (2/5) and Bethel (2/8).
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Makayla Anderson
Concordia College
Sr. | Forward
Bismarck, N.D. | Century
Makayla Anderson scored 23 points in each of the Cobbers' two wins last week. Anderson shot 59.2 percent from the field and 82.3 percent from the free throw line as Concordia beat St. Olaf on 2/5 and Saint Benedict on 2/8. She also recorded five assists on the week.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Chloee Smith
St. Olaf College
So. | Forward
Stigler, Okla. | Keota
Chloee Smith recorded 29 rebounds, seven steals, and three blocked shots in a split week for the Oles. Smith pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds and logged four steals in a win over Augsburg on 2/8. That performance came after grabbing 12 boards and totaling three steals and three blocks in an overtime loss at Concordia on 2/5. Smith also helped the Oles limit their opponents to 32.5 percent shooting and averaged a double-double with 14.5 points and 14.5 rebounds for the week.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Jonathan Panisa
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Forward
Irvine, Calif.
Jonathan Panisa led St. Olaf to a sweep of St. Scholastica by recording three goals and two assists in a pair of one-goal wins. The junior had his first collegiate three-point game with two goals and one assist in a 5-4 home win on 2/7 before scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in a 3-1 road victory on 2/8.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Marko Belak
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Goaltender
Woodbury, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall
Marko Belak helped the Gusties to their first victory over Saint John's since 2015 with a 3-0 shutout win on 2/8. Belak made 25 saves on 2/8 after recording a career-high 36 saves in a 2-2 overtime tie on 2/7. Belak stopped all five shootout attempts by the Johnnies to secure the shootout advantage and an extra point in the conference standings.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Lily Mortenson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Forward
Champlin, Minn. | Benilde St. Margaret's
Lily Mortenson collected her second hat trick of the season on 2/8 against Saint Benedict, totaling four points in the Gusties' 6-0 win. Mortenson scored once in the second period and twice in the third - all on the power play - for her second hat trick in three weekends. She chipped in an assist on 2/8 as well and totaled eight shots in each game.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Harper Powell
Hamline University
Fy. | Goaltender
Two Harbors, Minn.
Harper Powell posted back-to-back shutouts to lead the Pipers to a pair of 5-0 wins over Concordia on 2/7-8. Powell logged 21 saves on 2/7 and another 14 on 2/8 for 35 stops and no goals allowed in the series.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Aiden Patel
Carleton College
Fy.
Plainview, N.Y. | JFK
Aiden Patel went 4-0 during the Knights' weekend trip to Wisconsin, winning twice in singles and doubles. He factored in two team points as the Knights’ earned a 5-2 victory over nationally-ranked Carthage on 2/8, helping to secure a 6-4 comeback win at No. 3 doubles before adding a 7-5, 6-2 triumph at No. 3 singles. He returned to the court on 2/9 against Carroll and again prevailed in a 6-4 doubles match before tallying a 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4) win at the No. 3 singles spot.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Noor Omar
Gustavus Adolphus College
Fy.
Fridley, Minn. | Al Amal
Noor Omar went 4-0 in a trio of matches for the Gusties over the weekend to remain undefeated in the singles dual season. Omar recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Division II MSU-Mankato at the No. 5 singles spot on 2/8 before adding two more singles wins on 2/9, playing at No. 4 against MSU-Moorhead and No. 3 against Concordia. Omar won 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 against the Dragons and 6-0, 6-0 over the Cobbers in her MIAC debut. She helped to record one more point against the Cobbers with an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles.