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 Carleton, Gustavus, Macalester, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine, 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 spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (outdoor track & field and golf) 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
Damian Tamayo Vera
The College of St. Scholastica
Sr. | Designated Hitter
Miami, Fla. / Felix Varela
Damian Tamayo Vera hit .400 (8-for-20) with five home runs, ten RBI, and nine runs scored in six conference games for the Saints last week. All five of Tamayo Vera's home runs came on 4/12, as he hit a two-run shot in the first game of a doubleheader against St. Olaf before belting three home runs in game two and adding his fifth of the afternoon in the ninth inning of a previously halted game against Carleton. Tamayo Vera also walked five times across the six games.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Ben King
Macalester College
Sr. | Right-Handed Pitcher
Chicago, Ill. / Whitney M. Young Magnet
Ben King tossed a one-hit shutout to lead the Scots to a 3-0 victory at Gustavus on 4/7. King had a perfect game through five innings and a no-hitter through six innings. King fanned nine Gustie batters and walked one, facing 23 batters in a seven-inning shutout. The win broke the Scots' 10-game losing streak against Gustavus and helped the Scots sweep the Gusties for the first time since 2018.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Olivia Tautges
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Shortstop
Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd
Olivia Tautges hit .516 (16-for-31) with four home runs, 14 RBI, and eleven runs scored to help the Bennies go 7-1 against four MIAC foes last week. Tautges had at least one hit in all eight games and multiple hits in seven. Her solo shot in the top of the eighth inning against Concordia on 4/11 was the 31st of her CSB career, making her the program's all-time leader in home runs.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Taylor Graf
St. Catherine University
Jr. | Pitcher
Prescott, Wis.
Taylor Graf went 3-0 in the circle last week, guiding the Wildcats to wins over St. Scholastica (4/7), Carleton (4/11), and Bethel (4/12). In 17.0 innings of work, Graf allowed six hits and six earned runs while striking out 24 batters and holding opposing hitters to a .103 average. Graf struck out a career-best 13 against the Saints and added eight Ks against the Knights before coming on in relief duty against the Royals and striking out three more to help the Wildcats to a series split with Bethel.
MIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Dominik Knutson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr.
Dvur Kralove nad Labem, Czech Republic / SPOS
Dominik Knutson picked up a pair of singles wins and a doubles triumph in the Gusties' three clashes with top-15-ranked opponents on 4/10. Knutson won 6-4, 7-5 at No. 2 singles against No. 8 WashU before claiming a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory at No. 15 Mary Washington. Knutson was also part of a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles against WashU, while his doubles matches against Mary Washington (4/10) and No. 14 Emory (4/11) went unfinished.
MIAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Kiley Pickens
Carleton College
Jr.
Orange, Conn. / Amity
Kiley Pickens won twice in both singles and doubles to propel the Knights to a 2-0 week and a berth in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs. Pickens started the week with a pair of victories over crosstown rival St. Olaf on 4/8, prevailing 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles while adding a 7-6 (7-4) victory at No. 2 doubles. Pickens then sparked the Knights to a win over No. 24-ranked Bethel on 4/10 with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph in singles and a 6-4 win in doubles.