BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball, hockey, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Gustavus, Hamline, Macalester, Saint John's, Saint Mary'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. Transitioning to the spring season, team sports (basketball, hockey, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (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
Bradley Cimperman
Hamline University
Sr. | Guard
St. Paul, Minn. | Woodbury
Bradley Cimperman averaged 26.0 points per game while shooting .621 (18-for-29) from the floor and .394 (13-for-33) beyond the arc. Cimperman scored 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting and 9-of-11 from the three-point line in a 92-59 victory over Carleton on 2/12, good for the second-highest single-game point total in the MIAC this season. The St. Paul native then notched 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in a 73-56 win over Bethel on 2/15.
MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Wyatt Olson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Post
St. Peter, Minn.
Wyatt Olson helped the Gusties secure wins over St. Olaf and Saint John's to claim at least a share of the regular season conference title. Olson had six rebounds and a steal while limiting the Oles to shooting 37.7 percent from the floor and forcing 15 turnovers in an 83-55 win on 2/12. He went on to tally a game-high eleven boards to go along with a blocked shot and a steal as the Gusties topped nationally-ranked Saint John's in a title-clinching win on 2/15. Olson and the Gusties limited the Johnnies to season-lows in points (62), field goal attempts (48), rebounds (25), and assists (8) while snapping a 15-game losing streak against SJU and the program's first regular season crown since 2011-12.
MIAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Peyton Starks
Macalester College
Sr. | Forward
St. Louis, Mo. | John Burroughs School
Peyton Starks averaged 24.5 points in a 1-1 week for the Scots. Starks tallied 24 points in a loss to Saint Benedict on 2/12 before notching 25 points and six assists in a win over St. Olaf on 2/15. Starks shot 50.0 percent (19-of-38) from the field and 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from the charity stripe for the week. Starks - now the second-leading scorer in Macalester program history with 1,613 career points - is on pace to be the first MIAC women's basketball player since at least 1999 to lead the conference in scoring for three consecutive seasons.
MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Syd Hauger
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Guard
Springfield, Minn.
Syd Hauger led the Gusties to a pair of victories against St. Olaf and Saint Benedict last week, collecting six steals and six rebounds between the two games, including five steals against St. Olaf on 2/12. Hauger helped the Gusties force 19.5 turnovers for the week, including 29 against the Oles, holding St. Olaf to four shots or fewer made in each quarter. Hauger's stingy defensive play continued against the Bennies on 2/15 when she and the Gusties held CSB to 28.6 percent shooting from long range.
MIAC Men's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Jonathan Panisa
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Forward
Irvine, Calif.
Jonathan Panisa recorded his first collegiate hat trick in the Oles' 5-0 victory over Saint Mary's on 2/14. Panisa found the back of the net twice in the first period and once more in the second to become the first Ole to score a hat trick since 01/20/2023.
MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Parker Gnos
Saint John's University
So. | Defender
Excelsior, Minn.
Parker Gnos helped the Johnnies to their first regular-season sweep of Augsburg since 2016 over Valentine's Day weekend. The sophomore aided the defensive effort by holding the Auggies to three goals in the two games while contributing on the offensive end as well with two goals and two assists, including what proved to be the game-winning score in a 4-1 road win on 2/15.
MIAC Women's Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Iyla Ryskamp
Hamline University
Jr. | Forward
Orono, Minn.
Iyla Ryskamp tallied three goals and an assist on eight shots-on-goal in a sweep of St. Catherine on 2/14-15. Ryskamp netted one goal and the assist in a 4-1 home win on 2/14 before scoring twice - once on a power play - in a 6-0 road victory the following day.
MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Makenzie Cole
The College of St. Scholastica
Jr. | Goaltender
Cohasset, Minn. | Grand Rapids
Makenzie Cole stopped a total of 122 shots in the Saints' two-game series with nationally ranked Gustavus on Valentine's Day weekend, including setting a new MIAC record with 74 saves on 2/15. Cole's 74-save effort surpasses the previous conference-game high of 72, which had stood for nearly a quarter of a century.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Makayla Steffes
Saint Mary's University
So. | Third Base
Winona, Minn.
Makayla Steffes opened the season with seven hits and seven runs scored in eleven at-bats over four wins for the Cardinals. Steffes recorded a hit in every game, which included going 2-for-3 with triple against Bethany Lutheran (2/15) and 3-for-4 with a double against Nebraska Wesleyan (2/16). She also picked up a pair of wins in the circle for SMU.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Dominique Walicke
Bethel University
Fy. | Pitcher
Chandler, Ariz. | Perry
Dominique Walicke picked up a shutout victory in her Royal debut, striking out eight Northwestern batters in a complete-game win on 2/15. Walicke walked nine and allowed three hits while stranding eleven on base.
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Marco Siviero
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Sao Miguel de Oeste, Brazil | Goliath Academy
Marco Siviero led the Gusties to a 6-1 win over UC-Santa Cruz on 2/15. Siviero paired with Josh Christensen for a 7-6 (7-1) win at No. 2 doubles against the Banana Slugs and then won 6-3, 7-5 at No. 1 singles.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Elizabeth Trevathan
Macalester College
Jr.
St. Paul, Minn. | St. Paul Academy
Elizabeth Trevathan won both her singles and doubles matches to help the Scots edge Northwestern-St. Paul, 4-3 on 2/15. Trevathan combined with Savannah Haugen to win, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles before claiming a 6-0, 6-0 win at the top singles spot.