FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering October 13-19. Each week throughout the academic year, the conference recognizes standout performances from student-athletes across its member institutions.
The MIAA Athlete of the Week honors are selected from nominations submitted by head coaches at each school. These awards spotlight the top individual efforts in competition and showcase the high level of play within the conference.
Selections are released every Monday at 4:00 p.m., with the exception of weeks impacted by federal holidays.
MIAA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week - Carston Cole, Hope College
Senior Carston Cole led the Flying Dutchmen to a ninth-place finish at the Augustana Interregional Invitational on Saturday. His season-best 8K time of 25:11.7 placed him 40th overall and first among all MIAA competitors.
MIAA Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week - Sidney Swick, Trine University
Senior Sidney Swick continued her standout fall campaign with a runner-up finish at the Augustana Interregional Invitational on Saturday. Swick's time of 21:42.0 helped lead the Thunder to a second-place finish in a field of 40 Division III schools.
MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week - Noah Beaudrie, Adrian College
Senior quarterback Noah Beaudrie led the Bulldogs to a 48-17 victory at Calvin. Beaudrie carried the ball 12 times for 47 ayrds and three rushing touchdowns. Beaudrie also completed 25-of-33 passes for 322 yards, including a long of 32 yards, and three passing touchdowns. In league play, Beaudrie currently leads the MIAA with a .779 pass-completion percentage, 880 passing yards (including a long of 86), an average of 332.3 total offensive yards per game, and 997 total offensive yards overall.
MIAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week - Roman Schrock, Trine University
Senior strong safety Roman Schrock assisted the Thunder to a 59-7 victory at Olivet on Thursday night. Schrock recorded two tackles, including one for a five-yard loss, along with two interceptions -- one of which he returned 38 yards for a touchdown -- totaling 63 interception return yards. Schrock also added a pass breakup and currently ranks among the top three in the MIAA with three interceptions in conference play.
MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week - Jack Boike, Adrian College
Senior kicker Jack Boike delivered a perfect performance in Adrian's 48-17 victory at Calvin. He went 6-for-6 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals, while totaling 536 yards on nine kickoffs. Boike currently leads the conference in league play with a perfect field-goal percentage (3-for-3) and 27 points from kicking.
MIAA Men's Golf Athlete of the Week - Jack Besner, Trine University
Sophomore Jack Besner earned medalist honors at the final MIAA fall event at Watermark Country Club, shooting a one-under 71. His performance helped the Thunder take a two-shot lead heading into the MIAA Spring Finale.
MIAA Men's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Kyle Jennings, Adrian College
Senior forward Kyle Jennings led the Bulldogs to a 3-2 edge over Alma on Saturday with two goals. In Adrian's 1-1 week, Jennings totaled four points, 10 shots, and eight shots on goal. He currently leads the MIAA with 13 shots on goal in conference play. Jennings is also in the top three with 15 shots and three goals.
MIAA Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Kiah Nichols, Calvin University
Senior midfielder/forward Kiah Nichols led the Knights to a 2-1 edge over Hope, followed by a 5-1 victory at Albion. Nichols scored four goals for a hat trick against the Brits and finished the week with six shots on goal. In conference play alone, Nichols is ranked in the top five with nine shots on goal, five goals, and 10 points.
MIAA Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Kyle Peterson, Adrian College
Sophomore defender Kyle Peterson assisted Adrian to a 1-1 record over the week, including a 3-2 victory at Alma. Along with holding the Bulldogs' opponents to three goals, Peterson scored the lone goal against Albion last Wednesday.
MIAA Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Brooke Baumann, Saint Mary's College
Junior defender Brooke Baumann helped lead the Belles to a 5-1 win over Olivet and a 1-0 shutout at Alma. In addition to anchoring a defense that allowed just one goal all week, Baumann scored on penalty kicks in both matches.
MIAA Men's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Jackson Merkel, Calvin University
Freshman Jackson Merkel opened his college swimming career in impressive fashion against Division II programs Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State. He recorded two NCAA "B" cuts and two times that currently lead the nation. Merkel swam a 49.0 in the 100 back -- just shy of his personal best -- and a 1:49.6 in the 200 back, a six-second lifetime best. He also anchored Calvin's 400 free relay, splitting a 45 to help the team post one of the top 10 times in the country.
MIAA Women's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Emma Merkel, Calvin University
Junior Emma Merkel competed against Division II programs Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday. She recorded a 25.5 fly split in the medley relay to help her team post the third-best time in the country. Merkel also swam a 1:53.9 in the 200 free and a 2:04.3 in the 200 back, both ranking among the top 10 nationally. She saved her best for last, leading off the 400 free relay with a 51.9 in the 100 free -- the fourth-fastest time in the country -- to help her team secure one of the nation's top five relay marks.
MIAA Men's Diving Athlete of the Week - Miles Lee, Calvin University
Freshman Miles Lee competed against Division II teams Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday. In his first collegiate meet -- and the first diving competition of his life -- he scored 142 points on the one-meter board, marking a strong debut to start the season.
MIAA Women's Diving Athlete of the Week - Veronica Skipper, Calvin University
Junior Veronica Skipper competed against Division II divers from Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday. She opened the year with a strong performance, finishing just seven points shy of a regional-qualifying score on her first attempt. Skipper posted scores of 225.4 on the one-meter board and 229.1 in the three-meter dive.
MIAA Volleyball Player of the Week - Olivia Wyma, Hope College
Sophomore middle blocker Olivia Wyma anchored Hope in its 3-0 shutout versus Kalamazoo and 3-1 victory at Albion. Over the two matches, Wyma totaled 23 kills (3.29 k/s), five blocks, and 27 points (3.86 p/s) with a hitting percentage of .378. She is currently in the league's top three with a .404 hitting percentage, 52 kills, and 63 points in conference play.
MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week - Jordan Budzinski, Trine University
Junior defensive specialist Jordan Budzinski led the Thunder to a 3-1 victory over Adrian, followed by a 3-0 win at Kalamazoo. Against the Bulldogs, Budzinski had 16 digs in the four-set match even though they targeted Trine's setter and tried to keep the ball away from her. In the match up vs. the Hornets, Budzinski collected 23 digs to average 7.67 digs per set. Budzinski is currently ranked third in digs per set (5.43) during the regular-season campaign.