BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for baseball, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, 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. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (golf, outdoor 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 Baseball Player of the Week
Thomas Horan
Concordia College
Sr. | Shortstop
Moorhead, Minn.
Thomas Horan hit .481 (13-for-27) and drove in ten runs in the Cobbers' eight games last week. He hit safely in seven contests with four multiple-hit games - including a pair of three-hit outings - as he helped Concordia go 5-1 in MIAC play. Horan's 13 hits on the week bring his career total to 196, one shy of the program record.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Jacob Fickenscher
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Left-handed Pitcher
Kansas City, Mo. | Park Hill
Jacob Fickenscher tossed a five-hit, seven-inning shutout in the Oles' 4-0 victory over St. Scholastica on 4/11. The southpaw struck out nine batters in the first complete-game shutout of his collegiate career.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Makayla Steffes
Saint Mary's University
So. | Third Base
Winona, Minn.
Makayla Steffes racked up 13 hits and drove in eight runs in an 8-0 week for the Cardinals. Steffes had multiple hits in five of the eight contests and collected extra-base hits in four games, including going a combined 5-for-6 with three home runs in a sweep of Bethel on 4/12. Steffes also secured a pair of wins in the pitcher's circle last week.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Bayleigh Frye
Concordia College
So. | Pitcher
Apple Valley, Calif.
Bayleigh Frye went 4-0 with three shutouts, 24 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 0.50 in four starts for the Cobbers last week. Frye opened the week by shutting out the high-powered Saint Benedict offense for the first time this season with a 1-0 win on 4/8 before adding two more shutouts against Macalester (4/10) and Augsburg (4/13) and a 3-2 win over Hamline (4/12).
MIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Carter Sheard
Bethel University
So.
Maple Grove, Minn.
Carter Sheard tallied a pair of team points in the Royals' 7-2 win over St. Olaf on 4/12. At the No. 1 singles spot, Sheard increased his winning streak to seven matches with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph. Alongside his brother, Watson Sheard, the pair recovered from a 3-1 early deficit to take the point at top doubles with an 8-7 (10-8) victory.
MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Amelia Asfaw
Carleton College
Sr.
Seattle, Wash. | Seattle Prep
Amelia Asfaw went 2-0 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 1 doubles last week as the Knights picked up wins over St. Olaf and Macalester to clinch a berth in the MIAC Playoffs. Asfaw collected a 6-1, 6-1 win over the Oles on 4/9 before adding a 6-1, 6-0 win over the Scots on 4/12. She also teamed with Mariam Nechiporuk for the 8-2 doubles win at St. Olaf and an 8-4 triumph versus Macalester.