BRIGHTON, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering October 12 - October 18. 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 - Elijah Forbord, Hope College
Sophomore Elijah Forbord turned in a personal-best 8K time of 24:38 at the Augustana Inter-Regional Invitational. Forbord finished 17th overall, posting the fastest time among MIAA competitors and the second-fastest mark among Great Lakes Region runners. His performance helped lead the Flying Dutch to an eighth-place team finish in a 37-team field.
MIAA Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week - Adelaide Lulich, Saint Mary's College
Freshman runner Adelaide “Addy” Lulich won the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble with a personal-best time of 22:19. Despite muddy conditions, Lulich stayed with the lead pack through the first 3K before pulling away to win by 20 seconds. The victory marked her third individual title of the season.
MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week - Thomas Vaccaro, Calvin University
Junior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro delivered a record-setting performance in Calvin’s 54–9 victory over Kalamazoo. Vaccaro completed 27-of-34 pass attempts for 334 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception, setting the MIAA single-game record for passing touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 70 yards, finishing with 404 yards of total offense. Vaccaro accomplished all of that in just three quarters of action.
MIAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week - Emil Drake, Trine University
Junior free safety Emil Drake helped lead the Thunder to a 40–16 victory over Albion with a strong performance in the secondary. Drake recorded seven tackles, including four solo stops and one tackle for loss totaling five yards. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 16 yards, contributing to a Trine defense that held Albion to 16 points.
MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week - Riley Dunbar, Adrian College
Junior wide receiver and return specialist Riley Dunbar provided a major special teams spark for the Bulldogs against Hope. Dunbar returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the first half, helping Adrian build a 22–7 lead. His lone kickoff return of the game went the full length of the field for the score.
MIAA Men's Golf Athlete of the Week - Ford Erickson, Calvin University
Junior Ford Erickson earned medalist honors at the Cornerstone Fall Invitational at Thousand Oaks Country Club in Grand Rapids. Erickson finished 3-under-par to take first place individually in a field that featured 11 teams and three additional B squads. He finished seven strokes ahead of the next-best score on the leaderboard.
MIAA Women's Golf Athlete of the Week - Rylee Smith, Trine University
Rylee Smith carded a 73 at the final MIAA fall jamboree, helping lead the Thunder to a first-place team finish. Smith continues to sit atop the conference individual standings following the fall portion of the season.
MIAA Men's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Esteban Mercado, Albion College
Junior midfielder Esteban Mercado helped lead the Britons to an unbeaten week against two of the conference’s top teams. Mercado led Albion in shots in a scoreless draw against No. 12 Calvin before scoring in the Britons’ 3–0 road victory over conference-leading Kalamazoo. His goal came just after halftime and helped put the match out of reach as Albion secured the shutout win.
MIAA Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Jake Ziolo, Calvin University
Junior defender Jake Ziolo played all 180 minutes and helped anchor Calvin’s back line during an unbeaten week. Ziolo contributed to a 0–0 shutout at Albion before helping the Knights limit Hope to no goals from the run of play in a 3–2 victory. He also delivered the game-winning goal against Hope as time expired, finishing the week with two points while making an impact at both ends of the field.
MIAA Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Eva Armbruster, Albion College
Freshman forward Eva Armbruster scored in both of Albion’s matches on the week. Armbruster opened the scoring in the Britons’ 6–0 victory over Olivet before netting the game-tying goal with two minutes remaining in a 1–1 draw at Trine. She finished the week with two goals on seven shots, placing all seven attempts on goal.
MIAA Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Mia Hesley, Hope College
Junior center back Mia Hesley played a key role in Hope’s 0–0 draw against No. 11 Calvin. Hesley played all 90 minutes and helped anchor a defense that held the Knights scoreless for the first time in MIAA play this season. The shutout marked the first time Calvin had been held without a goal since September 8 against North Central.
MIAA Men's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Jackson Merkel, Calvin University
Sophomore Jackson Merkel turned in a standout performance for the Knights, posting several of the top times in the country. Merkel led off the medley relay with an NCAA-leading 21.8 backstroke split before winning both the 100 backstroke in 47.2 and the 200 backstroke in 1:48.2, with both times leading the NCAA. He also led off the 400 freestyle relay with a 45.5 split in the 100 freestyle, a top-five NCAA time and the fastest mark in the MIAA.
MIAA Men's Diving Athlete of the Week - Brodie Brown, Calvin University
Freshman Brodie Brown posted collegiate-best scores on both boards against strong competition. Brown scored 236 points on the 1-meter board and 238 points on the 3-meter board, placing fourth in both events.
MIAA Women's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Emma Merkel, Calvin University
Senior Emma Merkel opened her season with a strong all-around performance for the Knights. Merkel led off the medley relay with a 27.2 backstroke split before winning the 200 freestyle in 1:53.0, a top-five NCAA time. She also placed third in the 200 backstroke with an MIAA-leading 2:04.3 and closed the meet by leading off the 400 freestyle relay with a 51.7 split in the 100 freestyle, the fastest mark of the meet and one of the top times in the NCAA.
MIAA Women's Diving Athlete of the Week - Veronica Skipper, Calvin University
Senior Veronica Skipper posted strong performances on both boards against a competitive field. Skipper scored 234 points on the 1-meter board to place sixth and added 230 points on the 3-meter board to finish fifth.
MIAA Volleyball Player of the Week - Allison Moore, Calvin University
Senior outside hitter Allison Moore helped lead the Knights to a 2–0 week with a pair of strong offensive performances. Moore totaled 27 kills across eight sets, averaging 3.38 kills per set while hitting .434 for the week. She recorded 10 kills with no errors on 21 attempts for a .476 hitting percentage in a 3–0 win at Saint Mary’s before delivering 17 kills while hitting .406 in Calvin’s five-set comeback victory at Trine. Moore also added nine digs and three total blocks across the two matches.
MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week - Olivia Peterson, Calvin University
Freshman setter Olivia Peterson helped lead the Knights to a 2–0 week with wins over Saint Mary’s and Trine. Peterson totaled 73 assists across eight sets, averaging 9.13 assists per set, while also hitting .400 for the week. She was especially effective in Calvin’s 3–0 win over Saint Mary’s, recording 37 assists for an average of 12.33 assists per set while adding five kills on six attempts for a .833 hitting percentage. Peterson also contributed eight total blocks across the two matches, averaging 1.00 block per set.