BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball, hockey, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Bethel, Gustavus, Hamline, St. Catherine, Saint Mary’s, and St. Thomas claimed the conference’s weekly honors for March 1-7, 2021.
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, Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
To view each sport’s 2020-21 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the MIAC’s Awards page or visit the 2020-21 Athlete of the Week news archive for complete details on each week’s selections and winners.
MIAC Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Joe Palmer
Augsburg University
So. | Guard
Faribault, Minn.
Joe Palmer led Augsburg in a pair of victories to close its abbreviated 2021 season, averaging 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per-game during the last week. On Wednesday, Palmer scored 22 points with five rebounds and three assists in Augsburg’s 82-78 win at Gustavus. He hit a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line, including eight free throws in the final 1:55 of play. On Saturday, he connected on his fourth career double-double with a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, adding a career-high seven assists, in Augsburg’s 75-71 win over Saint John’s.
MIAC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Kaia Porter
University of St. Thomas
Sr. | Forward
Roseville, Minn.
Kaia Porter helped the Tommies close out a 6-1 season and hand Gustavus its first loss of the winter. The senior forward averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, and made 6-of-10 from 3-point range. St. Thomas finished 45-1 against conference teams over the last four seasons in games where Porter played.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Bud Winter
Saint Mary’s University
Fr. | Forward
St. Louis, Mo.
Bud Winter had a hand in five of Saint Mary’s 12 goals and added a pair of assists in three contests last week. Winter opened the week with an assist in Saint Mary’s 9-3 loss to St. Scholastica, then turned up the offensive heat over the weekend, recording a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to St. Thomas last Friday, before adding a pair of goals in SMU’s 6-5 overtime win over Bethel the following evening. Winter has now recorded two-goal games twice this season and posted four multiple-point games, including each of his last two games.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Bri Stafne
Bethel University
Sr. | Forward
Duluth, Minn. | Hermantown
Bri Stafne scored a third-period hat trick to help the Royals overcome a 1-0 deficit on Saturday versus Saint Mary’s. The senior also tallied a goal in a 7-3 loss to Augsburg on March 3, totaling four goals for the week and 70 points in her Bethel career.
MIAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Taylor Rooney
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Andover, Minn.
Taylor Rooney concluded his indoor season at the Saint John’s Invitational with a time of 7.90 in the 60-meter hurdles to set a new facility record and claim first in the nation in the event. Rooney also placed first in the high jump (1.95 meters) to rank second in NCAA Division III this year.
MIAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Steven Orzolek
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr.
Darwin, Minn. | Litchfield
Steven Orzolek had a lifetime best performance in the shot put with his 17.04-meter toss to finish first at the Saint John’s Invitational. The throw ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division III this season.
MIAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Delaney McLoone
University of St. Thomas
Sr.
New Prague, Minn.
Delaney McLoone swept the 60- and 200-meter dash races at Saturday’s Saint John’s Invitational in Collegeville. Her 7.87-second time in the 60 ranks 11th-best in Division III while her 26.23-second time in the 200 is also a top-50 mark.
MIAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Sydney Klausler
Saint Mary’s University
Jr.
Lakeville, Minn. | South
Sydney Klausler took home top honors in the long jump at the Cardinals’ home invitational over the weekend. Klausler posted a leap of 5.32 meters (17’5.5″) to win the event and record one of the nation’s top-35 distances of the year.
MIAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Andrew Becker
Gustavus Adolphus College
So.
Northfield, Minn.
Andrew Becker set six pool records and two school records during Gustavus’ two-day meet against Hamline, Saint John’s, and St. Thomas over the weekend. Becker and the Gusties’ 200 free relay team started day one the meet by setting a pool and school record with a time of 1:21.84. In the sixth event of the evening, Becker won the 100 free in 45.27 for another pool record. In the final event of day one, Becker and the 400 medley relay team touched the wall in 3:24.42, shattering an 18-year-old pool record. On day two, Becker and the 200 medley relay set a pool and school record with a time of 1:32.25. In the fourth event of the day, Becker won the 100 butterfly in 50.82. Becker and the 400 free relay team set another pool record at 3:02.86. Becker also set a pool record in the 50 free with a time of 20.58.
MIAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Jordyn Wentzel
St. Catherine University
Jr.
Corcoran, Minn. | Delano
Jordyn Wentzel set two conference and program records at the St. Catherine Quad over the weekend. On day one, Wentzel broke her own record from 2019 in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:00.94. The junior also appeared in the 100-yard backstroke, nearly resetting St. Kate’s record with a time of 56.20. Wentzel’s second record came on day two in the 400 individual medley, crushing a conference mark from 2017 by coming in at 4:21.34.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Allie Fauth
Bethel University
Sr. | Second Base/Right Field
Hutchinson, Minn.
Allie Fauth helped Bethel jump out to one of the best starts in program history at 4-0. With a team-best seven hits and seven runs, the senior went 13-for-7 while driving in two runs. Along the base paths, she also swiped six bags for the Royals.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kayla Simacek
Bethel University
So. | Right-handed Pitcher
Hastings, Minn.
Kayla Simacek tossed a five-inning perfect game where she struck out six UW-Stout batters to open the 2021 Bethel softball season. One day later, the sophomore tossed a one-hit shutout while striking out 13 hitters, one shy of the Bethel single-game record. In 13.1 innings of work the Hastings, Minn. native struck out 27, walked none and surrendered two hits picking up three wins along the way.
MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Nazeer Robinson
Hamline University
Sr.
St. Louis, Mo. | Parkway North
Nazeer Robinson started the season strong with a singles win in the No. 2 spot and a doubles win in the No. 1 spot as Hamline defeated Wartburg by a 6-3 margin. Robinson’s victories came 6-3, 6-3 in singles play and 8-1 in doubles.
MIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Bri Dorr
St. Catherine University
Sr.
Princeton, Minn.
Bri Dorr picked up wins at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles against foes from St. Cloud State and Concordia to open the 2021 St. Catherine women’s tennis season. Dorr has not suffered a defeat from the No. 2 singles spot since April of 2018.
