FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering September 1-7. 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 - Blake Overmyer, Trine University
Junior Blake Overmyer led the Thunder to a runner-up finish at the Purdue-FW Alumni Opener on Saturday. Overmyer clocked in at 15:52.2 for fifth place overall on the 5k course.
MIAA Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week - Sidney Swick, Trine University
Senior Sidney Swick led the Trine women's cross country team to a victory at the Purdue-FW Alumni Opener on Saturday. Her time of 18:13.3 was good enough for third place overall on the 5k course. This is also the second fastest 5k on the grass in Trine history.
MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week - Dawson Skupin, Kalamazoo College
Senior quarterback Dawson Skupin led the Hornets to a season-opening 14-10 victory at Austin on Saturday. Skupin completed 16-of-24 passes for 216 yards, with two touchdowns and zero turnovers. He also carried the ball 21 times for a total of 98 yards. Skupin accounted for 314 yards of Kalamazoo's 408 total yards of offense. Skupin tied for the league lead over the weekend with a throw of 53 yards. He also leads with a pass-efficiency rating of 169.8 and is second in the conference with 314 total offensive yards per game.
MIAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week - Quincy Dorsey, Adrian College
Sophomore cornerback Quincy Dorsey played a key role in Adrian's season-opening 10-7 victory at Division I Valparaiso. He recorded an interception and a forced fumble, along with three solo tackles and one assist.
MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week - Alexander Minnehan, Calvin University
Junior punt returner Alexander Minnehan assisted Calvin to a season-opening 88-6 victory at Oberlin on Saturday. Minnehan had a 59-yard punt-return touchdown for the Knights that was a huge play inthe second half. After the first weekend of football, Minnehan's punt return leads the league. At defensive back, Minnehan also contributed a solo tackle and a tackle assist.
MIAA Men's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Matt Torrell, Calvin University
Junior midfielder Matt Torrell assisted the Knights to a 1-0 shutout at St. Norbert, followed by a 4-1 victory at Gustavus Adolphus. Torrell scored a goal in both games, including the game-winning goal against St. Norbert. He also added an assist versus Gustavus Adolphus to finish the week with a total of five points. Torrell currently leads the league with four goals and nine points this season.
MIAA Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Maeve Nolan, Kalamazoo College
Sophomore Maeve Nolan helped the Hornets to a 2-0-1 record over the week. Nolan scored the game-winning goal in both the 2-0 shutout at Oberlin and the 3-0 victory at Bethel. She also helped keep Concordia-Wisconsin to zero goals for a draw.
MIAA Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Tom Veresh, Albion College
Sophomore goalkeeper Tom Veresh had a stellar performance in Albion's 0-0 draw against No. 24 Ohio Northern. Veresh was the only MIAA goalie last week to keep a clean sheet. He totaled five saves and commanded the box which allowed him to again intercept many crosses in the run of play and from set pieces. Veresh had a big-time save with very few minutes left on the clock to preserve a great result against one of the top teams in the nation. He currently leads the conference with a .500 goals-against average and a save percentage of .889.
MIAA Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Izzy Kastel, Kalamazoo College
Junior Izzy Kastel played all three games at center back last week on a defense that has yet to allow one goal on the season. Kastel helped the Hornets to a 2-0 shutout at Oberlin, a 3-0 win at Bethel, and a 0-0 draw at Concordia-Wisconsin.
MIAA Volleyball Player of the Week - Aerin Baker, Calvin University
Senior outside hitter Aerin Baker played a key role in Calvin's 3-0 week against NCAC opponents, including a 3-2 edge over Wittenberg, a 3-1 victory at Ohio Wesleyan, and a 3-1 win against Denison. Baker averaged 4.0 kills per set, hit .235, and averaged 2.69 digs per set. She had six aces with only two errors and she served at a 95.3% serving percentage. Baker also contributed 4.46 pts per set for the weekend. She currently leads the conference with 98 kills (3.92 k/s) and 110.5 points (4.42 pts/s).
MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week - Molly Edmunds, Albion College
Sophomore setter Molly Edmunds led the Brits to a 2-1 weekend against competitive NCAC teams, including a 3-1 victory at Ohio Wesleyan and a 3-1 win versus Denison. In three matches, Edmunds totaled 121 assists (10.08 a/s), 38 digs (3.17 d/s), five block assists, and 10.5 points. She currently leads the MIAA with 212 assists and 9.64 assists per set.