FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering February 23 - March 1. 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 - Orion Yant, Hope College
Sophomore forward Orion Yant propelled the Flying Dutchmen to the 2026 MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Presented by Collegiate Credit Union title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. In a 73–63 neutral-site semifinal victory over Calvin, Yant led the team with 18 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6-of-8 (.750) from the field and 6-of-8 (.750) at the free-throw line, adding an assist, a block, and a steal. He followed with 14 points in the 72–65 championship win over Trine, going 5-of-7 (.714) from the field and 4-of-6 (.667) from the line, while contributing three assists and a block.
MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week - Terin Maynard, Hope College
Junior guard Terin Maynard anchored Hope’s run to the 2026 MIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Presented by Collegiate Credit Union title, helping the Flying Dutch secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. In the 73–58 semifinal win over Albion, Maynard recorded five points, three rebounds, a team-high four assists, and two steals. She followed with a double-double in the 76–62 championship victory over top-seeded Trine, finishing with 15 points and a game-high 10 assists while adding four steals and two rebounds.
MIAA Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week - Braden Estep, Trine University
Senior Braden Estep delivered exceptional performances at the 2026 MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships Presented by Collegiate Credit Union. He opened the running events by winning the 60m dash in 6.82, a time tied-for-28th nationally. Estep followed with another victory in the 200m dash, clocking 21.93 to rank tied for 29th in the nation. He also contributed to Trine’s third-place finish in the 4x400 relay, which recorded a time of 3:28.20.
MIAA Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week - Owen Fremeau, The University of Olivet
Junior Owen Fremeau delivered record-breaking performances at the 2026 MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships Presented by Collegiate Credit Union. He won the shot put by 2.40m with a throw of 17.99 meters, surpassing his own 2025 meet record of 16.95m and ranking fourth in the nation. Fremeau also captured the weight throw title with a mark of 19.20m, shattering his previous MIAA meet record of 18.88m set in 2025.
MIAA Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week - Sara Schermerhorn, Hope College
Senior Sara Schermerhorn delivered standout performances at the 2026 MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships Presented by Collegiate Credit Union. She defended her 400m crown with a meet-record time of 57.29, surpassing her own 2025 mark. Schermerhorn also finished runner-up in the 60m dash, breaking the 2024 record of 7.68 with a time of 7.61, which ranks 16th nationally, and placed second in the 200m dash with a 24.37—eclipsing her own 2025 record of 24.82 and ranking third in the nation. She capped the meet by anchoring the winning 4x400 relay, which finished in 4:02.20.
MIAA Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week - Alysia Townsend, Adrian College
Sophomore Alysia Townsend delivered a record-breaking performance at the 2026 MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships Presented by Collegiate Credit Union. She set a new MIAA meet record in the long jump with a winning leap of 5.58m, surpassing the 2022 mark of 5.57m and ranking tied-for-41st nationally. Townsend also finished runner-up in the high jump at 1.63m, matching the winning height but placing second based on attempts, and added a fourth-place finish in the 60m dash with a time of 7.86.
MIAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week - Bryan Carney, The University of Olivet
Senior pitcher Bryan Carney led the Comets to a 3–0 shutout at Wilmington on Saturday. In seven innings, he struck out 14 batters while allowing just three hits against 26 batters faced, finishing with a 0.00 ERA for the outing. Carney currently leads the conference with a 0.00 earned-run average, 31 strikeouts, and nine strikeouts looking.
MIAA Baseball Position Player of the Week - Corbin Bennetts, Hope College
Sophomore outfielder Corbin Bennetts helped the Flying Dutchmen to a 2–1 record at Otterbein over the weekend. In 14 at-bats, he recorded seven hits, five runs, seven RBIs, a double, and three home runs while posting a 1.214 slugging percentage and .500 batting average. Bennetts also added an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at the plate.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Rocco Curatola, Trine University
Sophomore attacker Rocco Curatola delivered elite performances for the Thunder against two regionally-ranked opponents, highlighted by Trine’s first-ever win over defending OAC champion Ohio Northern, 7–6. At Ohio Northern, Curatola recorded four points on one goal and three assists, with his lone goal serving as the game-winner on a fast break. He followed by leading a fourth-quarter comeback against Oberlin, finishing with two goals and one assist. Curatola currently ranks fifth in the MIAA with 1.67 assists per game and 3.33 points per game.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Jack Bungart, Kalamazoo College
Senior defender/long-stick midfielder Jack Bungart led Kalamazoo to a 2–0 week with a 9–5 win at Wilmington and a 10–9 victory over Illinois Tech. Bungart made an impact across the field, matching up against each opponent’s top offensive player, forcing turnovers in both the ride and settled defense, contributing ground balls on faceoff wings, and adding two assists in transition. He finished the week with two assists, 14 ground balls, and 10 caused turnovers while helping limit opponents to 69 percent and 50 percent clearing rates. Bungart currently leads the MIAA with 16 caused turnovers and 4.00 caused turnovers per game, and ranks second with 6.00 ground balls per contest.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Connor Laidlaw, Albion College
Sophomore faceoff midfielder Connor Laidlaw helped the Brits to a 17–8 victory at Wilmington on Saturday, winning 14-of-21 (.667) faceoffs and collecting 12 ground balls. He also added an assist and two caused turnovers in the win. Laidlaw currently leads the MIAA with 28 ground balls and 7.00 ground balls per game, and ranks seventh in the league with a .489 faceoff percentage.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Lauren Thomas, Albion College
Sophomore midfielder Lauren Thomas delivered a breakout performance in Albion’s 16–15 overtime victory over Aquinas on Tuesday. She totaled six goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal in overtime, while adding three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Thomas played the entire game at midfield, including key stretches while the Brits were a player down.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Jenna Allie, Adrian College
Senior midfielder Jenna Allie delivered an outstanding all-around performance at New College of Florida on Saturday. She recorded four ground balls, two caused turnovers, and four draw controls, while also contributing two goals and two assists.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Kennedy Hynde, Kalamazoo College
Junior midfielder Kennedy Hynde helped the Hornets to a 1–1 week, highlighted by an 11–7 victory over Ohio Northern on Wednesday. Across the two games, Hynde totaled 10 draw controls, eight ground balls, two goals, and a caused turnover. She currently ranks fifth in the conference with 4.80 draw controls per game.
MIAA Softball Position Player of the Week - Taylor Gerhardt, Adrian College
Junior outfielder Taylor Gerhardt opened the season in Florida against Bethany Lutheran and Eastern on Sunday. In just five at-bats, she recorded two hits, three runs, three walks, a triple, and six stolen bases. Gerhardt finished the day with a .400 batting average, a .800 slugging percentage, and a .625 on-base percentage.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Cameron Crosby, Kalamazoo College
Sophomore Cameron Crosby posted a 2–0 record in singles and went 1–1 in doubles, helping the Hornets to a 5–2 win over Ohio Northern and a 4–3 victory against Oberlin. He delivered a dominant 6–0, 6–2 win over ONU’s Tyler Wood at No. 1 singles and later added another 6–0, 6–2 triumph at the top spot against Oberlin’s Shawn Lisann. Crosby also teamed with Derek Blackwell for a 6–2 win at No. 1 doubles over Oberlin’s Enrique Margain and Cameron Weiss.
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Juliana Pullen, Kalamazoo College
Junior Juliana Pullen remained unbeaten this week with a 4–0 record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles against Wheaton and No. 32 Denison. She partnered with Addison Lyons to earn a 6–4 doubles win versus Wheaton's Madeline Gentry and Tatum Thurstone. Pullen went on to win her singles match 6–3, 6–2 against Gentry. Pullen and Lyons tallied another 6–4 doubles triumph in their doubles match vs. Denison's Peyton Oda and Rafaella Ramos. She then won her singles match against Caitlin Van Winkle, 6–1, 6–3. With the performances, Pullen improved to 8–1 on the season in both singles and doubles play.