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 December 8-14 over the last 20 years.
MIAC Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Isaac Rosefelt (December 12, 2005)
University of St. Thomas
Jr. | Center
St. Paul, Minn. | St. Thomas Academy
Isaac Rosefelt averaged 27.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, and 2.0 assists while shooting 69 percent from the field and converting on 7-of-8 from the line to lead the first-place Tommies to two key road victories last week. In Monday’s six-point win at Hamline, he had 28 points and 10 rebounds. In Wednesday’s 36-point road victory at No. 11 Gustavus, he blocked nine shots, had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and made 12-of-15 shots.
MIAC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Jamie Rattunde (December 8, 2003)
Saint Mary’s University
Jr. | Guard
Rollingstone, Minn.
Jamie Rattunde averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the Cardinals’ two victories last week. Rattunde, a first-team All-MIAC pick a year ago, recorded her second straight triple-double in SMU’s 67-62 win over Hamline on Wednesday – scoring 15 points, pulling down 12 rebounds, and picking up 10 steals – then turned around and scored 16 points and had nine rebounds with seven assists in the Cardinals’ 82-62 win over St. Olaf on Saturday.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Mario Bianchi (December 11, 2017)
Concordia College
Jr. | Forward
Bloomington, Minn. | Holy Angels
Mario Bianchi totaled seven points in the Cobbers’ two games at Hamline over the weekend. He scored three of Concordia’s five goals in a 5-2 victory over the Pipers on Friday and returned Saturday to assist on all four third period goals as the Cobbers scored five unanswered to rally back from a 7-2 deficit and finish with a 7-7 tie. Bianchi leads the team with five goals and eight assists on the year.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Kelly Crandall (December 11, 2006)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Forward
Plymouth, Minn. | Robbinsdale-Armstrong
Kelly Crandall registered five goals and an assist to lead the third-ranked Gusties to a weekend sweep over Saint Mary’s. Crandall scored the first three goals in Friday’s 4-0 win in St. Peter to record her second career hat trick. On Saturday in Winona, Crandall scored Gustavus’ first and fifth goals and assisted on Stefanie Ubl’s game-winner in the first period as the Gusties completed the sweep with a 5-1 win. Crandall scored a power-play goal each night – the 19th and 20th of her career – to extend her own school record.
MIAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Stephen Grinich (December 8, 2015)
Carleton College
Sr.
McMinnville, Ore.
Stephen Grinich had a great showing on a big stage last weekend at the University of Minnesota’s Jean Freeman Invitational. Grinich qualified for the ‘A’ finals in both the 50-free and 100-fly, where he finished seventh out of 77 swimmers in the 50-free (21.43) and eighth out of 93 in the 100-fly (52.04). He also qualified for the ‘B’ finals with a time of 2:03.24 in the 200-fly but elected not to compete in the finals. He led Carleton to some remarkable relay performances, as the Knights finished second in the 400-medley relay (3:28.71), third in the 400-freestyle relay (3:12.47), fifth in the 200-medley relay (1:35.53), and sixth in the 200-freestyle relay (1:25.39). Carleton was the top Division III finisher and recorded the MIAC’s top time of the season in the 200-FR, 200-MR, and 400-MR.
MIAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Alissa Tinklenberg (December 10, 2013)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Willmar, Minn.
Alissa Tinklenberg added another major highlight to her incredible collegiate career over the weekend at the Jean Freeman Invitational at the University of Minnesota. The Gustie senior set a new school record in the 100-yard backstroke and helped the 200-yard medley relay team set another Gustavus record, while winning a pair of individual events and finished in the top five in all seven of her events. Tinklenberg’s school record of 55.55 came in the 100-back prelims, and she won the event with a time of 55.95 in the finals. She also helped the 200-medley relay set a new school record with its time of 1:44.93 in a second-place finish. Tinklenberg won the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.21) and finished second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:01.29). She also helped the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:31.22) and 400-yard medley relay (3:51.84) finish third and the 400-yard freestyle relay finish fifth (3:33.77). Tinklenberg’s times in those seven individual events and relays all lead the MIAC this season, and the 2013 MIAC Women’s Swimmer-of-the-Year also ranks first in the 100-yard freestyle (51.99), second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.04) and third in the 50-yard freestyle (24.06).
