FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering March 23-29. 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 Baseball Pitcher of the Week - Robert Ahlgren, Kalamazoo College
Junior pitcher Robert Ahlgren helped Kalamazoo to a 4–0 week, earning wins in relief at Elmhurst (15–4) and Trine (7–5). Across the two appearances, Ahlgren pitched 6.2 innings, recording 11 strikeouts while allowing just one hit and no walks, finishing with a 0.00 ERA.
MIAA Baseball Position Player of the Week - Robert Newland, Kalamazoo College
Senior first baseman/outfielder Robert Newland helped Kalamazoo to a 4–0 week on the road, with wins at Elmhurst (15–4), DePauw (13–5), and a doubleheader at Trine (14–6, 7–5). In four starts and 21 at-bats, Newland recorded eight runs, 12 hits, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, and a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases while batting .571. He was also flawless defensively with six putouts. Newland currently leads the MIAA with 38 hits, 62 total bases, and 26 stolen bases.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Herby Basil, Albion College
Freshman defender Herby Basil led the Brits defensively during a 1–1 week, highlighted by a 13–6 victory over North Central. He recorded five caused turnovers and three ground balls in the win, then added three more ground balls against Elmhurst.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Kathryn Kalinowski, Saint Mary's College
Junior attacker Kathryn Kalinowski delivered standout performances in Saint Mary’s 3–0 week, with wins at Franklin (18–4), Beloit (22–3), and against Wisconsin–Stevens Point (13–7). She totaled 15 assists across the three games, including a program-record eight assists versus Beloit, surpassing the previous mark of six. Kalinowski also added four assists against Franklin and three against Stevens Point, helping the Belles improve to 8–1 on the season. She finished the week with four goals, 19 points, an .875 shots-on-goal percentage, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls. Kalinowski is currently tied for first in the league with 3.5 assists per game and 21 total assists.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Ava Lazzareschi, Adrian College
Senior defender Ava Lazzareschi once again led the Bulldogs defensively in their 2-0 week which included a 24-9 victory over Augustana and a 20-4 win at Alma in the conference opener. Over the two contests, Lazzareschi totaled eight caused turnovers (including seven vs. the Scots) and seven ground balls. She is currently tied-for-fifth in the conference with 14 ground balls this season.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Madeline Turcotte, Adrian College
Junior draw specialist Madeline Turcotte delivered a stellar week in the circle, helping Adrian to wins over Augustana (24–9) and Alma (20–4). She recorded 16 draw controls across the two games while also contributing eight goals, five assists, and six ground balls. Turcotte currently leads the conference with 6.78 draw controls per game.
MIAA Softball Pitcher of the Week - Hailey Mellec, Hope College
Junior pitcher Hailey Mellec earned two wins for the Flying Dutch over the week. She threw a complete game in a 9–1 victory over Greenville, posting a 0.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts, including three looking, while allowing just two hits and one run across five innings against 21 batters faced. Mellec also pitched four innings in a 9–4 win at Millikin, recording seven strikeouts while allowing six hits and two runs. She is currently second in the league with 58 strikeouts and fourth in innings pitched (53.0), strikeouts looking (17), and wins (6).
MIAA Softball Position Player of the Week - Allie Trantham, Albion College
Junior catcher/infielder Allie Trantham helped lead the Brits to a 4–3 week, highlighted by a standout performance in a doubleheader at Grand Christian where she hit two grand slams and a home run. In 23 at-bats across the week, Trantham recorded eight hits, 16 RBIs, a double, and three home runs. She was also flawless defensively with 16 putouts and an assist. Trantham currently leads the MIAA with 29 RBIs and ranks fourth in the league with 73 at-bats.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Diego Castellanos, Calvin University
Sophomore Diego Castellanos secured the clinching point in Calvin’s 4–3 conference-opening win over Hope. With the match tied and all eyes on court four, Castellanos battled through a three-set match against higher-rated Karsten Patel, winning the first set in a tiebreak before closing out a 6–4 third-set victory. Competing in a high-pressure environment with a large, split crowd, Castellanos delivered a gritty performance to seal the Knights’ comeback after dropping the doubles point.
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Emma Kealy, Saint Mary's College
Senior Emma Kealy earned four key victories in the Belles’ wins at Albion (7–0) and Alma (6–1) over the weekend. Against Albion, she teamed with Shannon Dudy for a 6–0 win at No. 1 doubles and followed with a dominant 6–0, 6–0 victory at No. 1 singles. At Alma, Kealy and Dudy secured a 6–2 win at the top doubles flight, and she added a 6–1, 6–1 singles victory. Kealy won 36 games while dropping just four over the weekend and is currently riding a nine-match winning streak.
MIAA Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week - 4x400m Relay, Calvin University
The Knights competed at the Thrills in the Hills Invitational hosted by Emory over the weekend, finishing fourth in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:17.06. The quartet featured sophomore Benjamin Habers leading off, followed by senior Connor Lubberts and junior Bob Horton, with senior Koby VanderWoude anchoring. Their time currently ranks 11th nationally and leads the MIAA by 13.5 seconds.
MIAA Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week - Owen Fremeau, The University of Olivet
Junior Owen Fremeau won three events at the Albion–Alma–Olivet Triangular on Friday, capturing titles in the hammer throw, shot put, and discus. His hammer throw mark of 60.20m broke the school record by nearly six meters and ranks second nationally. Fremeau also recorded a shot put mark of 17.06m, which currently ranks fourth in the country.
MIAA Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week - Mia DeJonge, Calvin University
Senior Mia DeJonge competed at Emory’s Thrills in the Hills Invitational over the weekend. In the preliminary round of the 100m hurdles, she clocked a 14.41, moving to third in Calvin program history while ranking first in the MIAA and fifth nationally. DeJonge also ran the lead-off leg of Calvin’s conference-leading 4x100 relay, which posted a time of 48.71 and currently ranks 29th in the nation.
MIAA Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week - Dasha Mason, Calvin University
Freshman Dasha Mason opened her Calvin outdoor track and field career in impressive fashion at Emory’s Thrills in the Hills Invitational. She placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.79m, which ranks third nationally, third in school history, and leads the MIAA by nearly three feet.