BLOOMINGTON, Minn. –Â The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) launched its league-wide Athlete of the Week program ahead of the 1999-2000 academic year. In the two decades since, the conference has recognized hundreds of student-athletes for exceptional performances in competition. In the absence of competitive athletics this fall, the MIAC will take time each week to revisit some memorable performances from the last 20 years of the Athlete of the Week program.
Today’s Athlete of the Week Rewind revisits some outstanding achievements for the dates of October 27 – November 2 over the last 20 years.
MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Andy Traetow (October 28, 2002)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Running Back
Jackson, Minn.
Andy Traetow, playing with a broken bone in his hand, rushed for 252 yards and five touchdowns to help Gustavus defeat Hamline, 42-23, in St. Paul last Saturday. Traetow set school records for rushing yards in a game and rushing touchdowns in a game. He also went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season (1,085) and became the first Gustavus player ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season twice in his career. Traetow broke a bone in his left hand on the first Gustavus offensive series of the game and played the rest of the game (27 more carries for 222 yards and all five touchdowns) with a broken hand and did not fumble. His touchdown runs were for 1, 4, 4, 10, and 17 yards. His longest run of the game was 51 yards. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry on the day.
MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
James Schafer (October 29, 2001)
Saint John’s University
Jr. | Defensive Back
Duluth, Minn. | Park Rapids
James Shafer had a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown, two interceptions, eight total tackles, and four pass break-ups in a 34-0 win over No. 5-ranked Bethel on Saturday in Collegeville. With less than four minutes to play in the first half and Bethel inside the SJU 10-yard line, Schafer picked up a fumble and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Johnnies a 20-0 lead. Schafer also intercepted passes on Bethel’s second possession of the game and on the first play of the fourth quarter.
MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Ben Phillips (October 28, 2002)
Carleton College
So. | Free Safety
Woodstock, Ill.
Ben Phillips blocked a punt and a field goal in Saturday’s game at Bethel. His blocked field goal on a 37-yard try came with 5:41 left in the first half as the Knights trailed by three scores. His blocked punt came late in the fourth quarter and gave the Knights the ball at Bethel’s 45-yard line.
MIAC Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week
Leif Sundberg (November 1, 2011)
Bethel University
Sr. | Goalkeeper
Mahtomedi, Minn.
Leif Sundberg recorded two shutouts last week with a total of 27 saves to end his career on a high note. Dating back to the previous week, Sundberg did not allow a goal over his final three college games, which included wins over both of the conference’s co-champions. Sundberg started his big final week with a 16-save shutout in a 1-0 win over MIAC co-champion St. Olaf. He faced nine corner kicks in the victory. For an encore, Sundberg stopped 11 shots, including a penalty kick and the rebound, in a double-overtime scoreless tie against St. Thomas to conclude his collegiate career. He faced 12 corner kicks in the tie against the Tommies.
MIAC Women’s Soccer Athlete of the Week
Dylan Welch (November 1, 2006)
Carleton College
Jr. | Midfielder
San Francisco, Calif. | French-American International School
Dylan Welch scored the goal heard ’round the MIAC, as her 91st-minute score allowed Carleton to beat Macalester, 1-0, ending the Scots’ 43-match unbeaten streak and handing Macalester its first MIAC loss in three seasons. The win also clinched the first-ever MIAC playoff berth in women’s soccer for Carleton. The Knights earned a foul just across midfield off the overtime kickoff and Sophie Wood took the restart, playing a floating ball into Macalester’s penalty area, which Clare O’Connor headed down to Welch, who struck a volley from eight yards to put Carleton on top. The win ended Carleton’s 15-game losing streak to Macalester that dated back to 1990.
MIAC Volleyball Hitter of the Week
Brandi Blattner (October 31, 2016)
Saint Mary’s University
So. | Outside Hitter
Eyota, Minn. | Dover-Eyota
Brandi Blattner closed the 2016 regular season by leading her team to a pair of big MIAC wins over Carleton (3-1) and Gustavus (3-2) with totals of 49 kills (5.44 per set), 25 digs, and three blocks. In the win over the Knights, she had 28 kills, eight digs, and a block. Blattner followed that up with a spectacular 21-kill, 17-dig double-double that also included a pair of blocks.
MIAC Volleyball Setter/Libero of the Week
Molly Hurrle (October 29, 2013)
Hamline University
Sr. | Setter
Kimball, Minn.
Molly Hurrle was superb in two matches last week, racking up 90 assists – an average of 11.25 per set to go along with 28 digs. Hurrle started with a 39-assist, 16-dig double-double in a 3-1 loss against No. 7-ranked Saint Benedict on Wednesday. She was even better in Saturday’s win versus St. Catherine, as she racked up 51 assists (12.75 per set), 12 digs, and three kills. It was Hurrle’s fifth match with 50 or more assists on the year.
MIAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Chris Erichsen (October 29, 2007)
Saint John’s University
Sr.
Spring Valley, Minn. | Kingsland
Chris Erichsen cruised to a victory in winning the MIAC Championships on Saturday at Como Park. Erichsen ran one of the most dominating races in MIAC history with his 53-second victory over teammate Kelly Fermoyle. He also established a course record on the modified Como Park course while touring the 8,000-meter race in 24:45.
MIAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Hailey Harren (November 1, 2006)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Cold Spring, Minn. | Rocori
Hailey Harren took the lead in the first half-mile and ran away from the pack on her way to claiming her second consecutive MIAC Cross Country title in a time of 21:51.57. She broke the 6,000-meter course record that she set last year by two seconds (21:53.8) and became the first cross country runner from Gustavus to ever win two MIAC individual titles.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Alex Rodriguez (October 29, 2018)
Augsburg University
Sr. | Forward
Miami, Fla. | Shattuck-St. Mary’s
Alex Rodriguez opened the 2018-19 season with a pair of hat tricks to lead nationally-ranked Augsburg to two victories over MIAC foes. Rodriguez scored all three goals in a 3-0 win against St. Olaf on Friday and logged three more scores in a come-from-behind win against Hamline on Saturday. His six goals were the most by any NCAA Division III player on opening weekend.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Bailey Wendt (October 30, 2017)
Saint Mary’s University
Jr. | Forward
Coon Rapids, Minn. | Maple Grove
Bailey Wendt accounted for five of the Cardinals’ eight goals in wins over Marian and St. Norbert on opening weekend. The junior forward recorded her first collegiate hat trick against Marian and added a pair of scores against SNC to equal the total offensive production from her first two seasons, just two games into 2017.
