FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering February 9-15. 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 Basketball Athlete of the Week - Michael Umeh, Albion College
Senior center Michael Umeh helped lead the Brits to back-to-back wins with an 85–74 victory at Alma and a 74–71 edge over Kalamazoo. He recorded a career-high 26 points against Alma, along with personal bests in field goals made (10) and free throws made (6). In Saturday’s win, Umeh delivered a clutch dunk with 11 seconds remaining to give Albion a three-point lead that ultimately secured the victory. The performance marked his 15th double-digit scoring game of the season and his ninth and 10th games shooting over 70 percent from the field (minimum eight attempts).
MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week - Lauren Vanderstelt, Kalamazoo College
Senior forward Lauren Vanderstelt helped the Hornets to a 1–1 week with standout performances in both contests. In a 77-72 double-overtime win at Adrian, she recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, seven blocks, and a steal. Vanderstelt followed with a near triple-double in a 79-75 overtime loss to Albion, posting 14 points, 13 rebounds, nine blocks, and two assists. She currently leads the league with 10.4 rebounds per game, 239 total boards, 206 defensive rebounds, 4.0 blocked shots per contest, and 92 total blocks.
MIAA Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week - Abe VanDuinen, Calvin University
Sophomore Abe VanDuinen delivered a standout performance in the 800m run during the Saturday session of the GVSU Big Meet, posting a significant personal best of 1:53.65. His time shattered the previous school record and propelled him to the top of the MIAA standings.
MIAA Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week - Owen Fremeau, The University of Olivet
Junior Owen Fremeau broke his own school records in both the shot put and weight throw at the GVSU Big Meet on Friday, placing third in the Invite Shot Put and first in the Open Weight Throw. His shot put mark of 17.47m is tied-for-sixth nationally and first in the MIAA, while his weight throw of 19.23m moves him to third in the NCAA and maintains his top spot in the conference.
MIAA Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week - Bailey Puckett, Trine University
Senior Bailey Puckett delivered a breakout weekend at Grand Valley State, running a personal-best 4:49.53 in the women’s mile on Friday night—an improvement of more than six seconds. She followed with another personal best in the 3,000m run on Saturday morning. Puckett’s mile time currently ranks third nationally.
MIAA Wrestling Athlete of the Week - Jayden Lewis, Albion College
Freshman Jayden Lewis delivered a pivotal performance in his final MIAA dual of the season, earning a fall just 1:48 into his match against Trine senior Austin Crowder. The quick pin secured the maximum six team points and helped Albion clinch the dual victory.
MIAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week - Cole Grunwald, Alma College
Senior pitcher Cole Grunwald delivered a dominant performance in his first start of the season, throwing five shutout innings in a 10–0 win at Dubuque. He struck out 10 batters without issuing a walk, allowed just one soft hit, and held opponents to a .063 batting average.
MIAA Baseball Position Player of the Week - Robert Newland, Kalamazoo College
Senior first baseman/outfielder Robert Newland led the team with a 1.507 OPS over four games as Kalamazoo went 4–0 in California, highlighted by a 12–0 win over No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer. Newland hit .571 (8-of-14) with two doubles, a triple, and a .857 slugging percentage, while also going 7-of-8 on stolen bases and scoring seven runs. He added strong defensive play as well, robbing two home runs at the fence.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Connor Ballantyne, Trine University
Sophomore attacker Connor Ballantyne delivered an electric performance in his first collegiate start Saturday, helping power a 15–9 win over Wittenberg. A catalyst on offense and in the ride, Ballantyne scored four goals on five shots, including the season-opening goal and a fourth tally that put the game out of reach for the Tigers. He also added a ground ball in a standout all-around effort.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Drew Garrison, Calvin University
Junior defender Drew Garrison picked up right where he left off last season, leading the defense Saturday in both ground balls and caused turnovers. He finished with five ground balls and four caused turnovers while playing a key role in the ride that limited Capital to a 59 percent clearing rate. Garrison was instrumental in holding Capital to just three goals through the first three quarters and helped seal the 11-8 game with a crucial ground-ball pickup late.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Jenna Allie, Adrian College
In a 20–9 season-opening win over Ohio Northern, senior midfielder Jenna Allie totaled eight points with five goals and three assists. She scored her five goals on just seven shots, good for a 71 percent shooting rate, and also contributed three caused turnovers and five ground balls in a dominant all-around performance.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Bella Norton, Adrian College
Sophomore goalkeeper Bella Norton earned the win in net in the Bulldogs’ season-opening 20–9 victory over Ohio Northern. She recorded 14 saves while allowing just nine goals, finishing with an impressive 61 percent save rate.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Specialist Athlete of the Week - Madeline Turcotte, Adrian College
Junior Madeline Turcotte delivered a dominant performance in the draw circle during the Bulldogs’ season-opening victory over Ohio Northern. She secured 10 draw controls to help her team to a 19–9 advantage, while also contributing five goals and two assists in an outstanding all-around effort.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Carter Kendall, Albion College
Freshman Carter Kendall helped the Brits to a 7–0 sweep over Manchester in their spring opener on Saturday. He secured a 6–2 victory at No. 2 doubles and followed with a dominant straight-sets win at No. 1 singles, 6–3, 6–0.
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Sabrina Lopez, Calvin University
Junior Sabrina Lopez earned the Knights’ lone point in their match against Division II Ferris State on Saturday with a 6–4, 6–0 victory over Nadia Baird at No. 6 singles. The win was especially impressive given the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) difference, as Lopez entered the match at 4.65 compared to Baird’s 5.54, highlighting her growth and development this season.