BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball, hockey, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus, Hamline, Macalester, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine, Saint John’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. Transitioning to 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 Men’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
JP Kerrigan
Macalester College
Fy. | Guard
Atherton, Calif. | Sacred Heart Prep
JP Kerrigan averaged 26.5 points and 3.5 assists per game while making 14-of-21 (.667) from three-point range and shooting 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the in two victories last week. Kerrigan drained eight threes in 12 attempts from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 31 points in an 81-67 win over Concordia on 2/19. He also dished out a career-best six assists in the win. Kerrigan went on to score 22 points while making 6-of-9 from deep in an 84-70 triumph over Saint Mary’s on 2/22. Kerrigan entered the week averaging 1.5 points per game for the year and finished at a clip of 8.8.
MIAC Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Brendan Ebel
Hamline University
Jr. | Guard
Farmington, Minn.
Brendan Ebel pulled down eight rebounds and came away with three steals in the Pipers’ win over St. Olaf on 2/22. In addition to his lock-down defense, Ebel also contributed a team-high seven assists on the other end of the floor. Both his rebound and assist totals represented new season highs.
MIAC Women’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Emma Kniefel
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr. | Guard
Medford, Minn.
Emma Kniefel led the Gusties to a pair of victories to end the regular season, averaging 22.0 points per game and collecting her fourth 20-point performance in her last five games played. She shot 18-for-26 (69.2 percent) for the week, including a 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) performance for 23 points to help the Gusties clinch a share of the program’s third consecutive regular season championship with a win over St. Catherine on 2/22. Kniefel also posted 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting against Carleton on 2/19 in just 23 minutes on the floor.
MIAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Elly Schmitz
Bethel University
Sr. | Forward
Hermantown, Minn.
Elly Schmitz led the Royals to a share of the MIAC regular season title with a pair of wins last week where she grabbed 18 boards, totaled eight blocks, and added four steals. In 21 minutes of action at St. Scholastica on 2/19, Schmitz collected seven rebounds while matching a career-high with five blocks to go along with three steals. In a 78-66 win over Saint Benedict on 2/22, Schmitz recorded 11 rebounds while also tallying 19 points for her fifth double-double of the season. She added three blocks and one steal to help the Royals to the third regular-season conference title in program history.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Mason Campbell
Saint John’s University
Jr. | Defender
Rosemount, Minn.
Mason Campbell scored a pair of goals, including what proved to be the game-winner in the third period, in the Johnnies’ 4-2, playoff-clinching victory at Concordia on 2/22. Campbell also recorded an assist in a 4-2 loss to the Cobbers in St. Cloud on 2/20.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Tal Halliday
Concordia College
Jr. | Defender
Roseau, Minn.
Tal Halliday blocked six shots – including a season-high five shots in the regular season finale – in a split series against Saint John’s on 2/20 and 2/22. Halliday was +3 for the series and scored one of the team’s two goals against the Johnnies on 2/22.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Molly Terebayza
St. Olaf College
Jr. | Forward
Coon Rapids, Minn.
Molly Terebayza scored all three goals for her third-career hat trick in the Oles’ playoff-clinching 3-0 win at Bethel on 2/22. The junior scored the game-winner at 11:41 of the second period before adding a pair of insurance goals in the third period to secure a berth in the conference tournament.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Kayla Simonson
Augsburg University
Fy. | Goaltender
Delano, Minn.
Kayla Simonson picked up a pair of wins in goal with 48 saves on 51 shots (.941 save percentage) for a 1.50 goals-against average, as the Auggies clinched their first regular season MIAC title since 2000 with a sweep of Saint Mary’s on 2/21-22. Simonson had 33 saves in the Auggies’ 3-1 home win on 2/21 and added 15 saves – to go along with an assist on Augsburg’s first goal – in a 3-2 road win on 2/22.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Megan Erickson
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Catcher
Randolph, Minn.
Megan Erickson went 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate with seven runs batted in, two doubles, and a two-run, walk-off home run in a 2-2 weekend for the Bennies. Erickson’s walk-off blast came in the bottom of the seventh to give CSB a 7-6 win over UW-Eau Claire on 2/23. Erickson finished the week with an on-base percentage of .500, a slugging percentage of .800, and an OPS of 1.300.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Sarah Christy
St. Catherine University
So. | Pitcher
Willow River, Minn.
Sarah Christy picked up a win and a save in 9.0 innings pitched for the Wildcats in victories over Coe on 2/22 and 2/23. Christy closed out a 6-4 win on 2/22, pitching two no-hit innings with a pair of strikeouts. She then started against the Kohawks on 2/23, tossing a complete-game shutout with six strikeouts and only three hits allowed.
MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Gage Gohl
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr.
Sioux Falls, S.D. | Lincoln
Gage Gohl went 2-1 in doubles play and 2-1 in singles play at the 2025 ITA Division III National Team Indoor Championships. Playing the defending national champion and No. 1-ranked University of Chicago, Gohl and doubles partner Tyler Haddorff won 6-1 at No. 1 to start the tournament. Gohl then won his No. 2 singles match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 against the Maroons. Playing against No. 7 Emory University in the consolation semifinal, Gohl and Haddorff won 7-6 (7-4) at the top doubles spot. Gohl also competed against No. 11 Trinity in the seventh-place match at No. 2 singles, winning 6-2, 6-3.
MIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Mariam Nechiporuk
Carleton College
Sr.
Portland, Ore. | Lake Oswego
Mariam Nechiporuk picked up wins in both singles and doubles as the Knights defeated UW-Eau Claire on 2/22. Nechiporuk started the day by teaming with Amelia Asfaw for a 6-2 triumph at No. 1 doubles before adding a 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles.
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