FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering March 2-8. 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 - Carson Orvis, Kalamazoo College
Sophomore pitcher Carson Orvis helped Kalamazoo to an 11–1 win at Oberlin and a series sweep on Sunday. He pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out nine batters. Orvis currently leads the MIAA with 20.2 innings pitched and 79 batters faced. He also ranks among the league’s top three with a 1.74 ERA, two wins, zero losses, four games started, and 28 strikeouts.
MIAA Baseball Position Player of the Week - Ryar Rinehart, Kalamazoo College
Senior first baseman Ryar Rinehart helped the Hornets to a doubleheader sweep of Oberlin on Sunday. In seven at-bats across the two games, Rinehart recorded five hits, including a home run and a double, while driving in seven runs and drawing a walk. He finished the day with a .714 batting average, a 1.286 slugging percentage, and a .778 on-base percentage. Defensively, Rinehart was perfect in the field with four putouts and an assist. He currently leads the conference with five home runs, 28 RBIs, and 36 total bases, and ranks among the league’s top five with a 1.378 OPS, 17 hits, a .878 slugging percentage, 60 putouts, and nine double plays.
MIAA Men's Golf Athlete of the Week - Michael Shubeck, Adrian College
Sophomore Michael Shubeck competed at the Pfeiffer Invitational over spring break, shooting rounds of 77 and 80 for a two-day total of 157. His performance placed him 25th out of 56 golfers during Adrian’s spring break trip.
MIAA Women's Golf Athlete of the Week - Rachel Fay, Adrian College
During the Bulldogs’ spring break trip, freshman Rachel Fay shot rounds of 85 and 77 for a two-day total of 162 at the Pfeiffer Invitational, tying for 11th out of 65 golfers. In her second round of 77, Fay was +6 through the first nine holes before finishing the back nine at -1.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Gibson Heethuis, Hope College
Junior attacker Gibson Heethuis delivered an outstanding week in Hope’s 15–3 win over Carthage and 14–6 victory over Wooster. Against Carthage, Heethuis totaled six goals and two assists, and he followed with four goals and two assists versus Wooster. He finished the week with 10 goals and four assists to lead Hope in scoring, while also contributing defensively in the ride with a turnover in both games. Heethuis currently leads the MIAA with 2.5 assists per game and 6.0 points per contest, and ranks among the top three in the league with 3.5 goals per game.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Drew Garrison, Calvin University
Junior defender Drew Garrison delivered a standout weekend for the Knights, helping anchor the defense in a 14–13 overtime win over Wooster and a 13–10 victory against Carthage. On Friday, he held Wooster’s top attackman to just two goals and helped limit the Fighting Scots to their lowest scoring output of the season to that point. Garrison finished the game with four ground balls and four caused turnovers, including a key strip in overtime. Following the turnover, he fired a 60-yard pass to a Calvin attackman that led to the game-winning goal. He followed with another strong defensive performance against Carthage, recording six ground balls and two caused turnovers. Garrison currently ranks among the league’s top five with 5.0 ground balls and 2.6 caused turnovers per game.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Jackson Early, Hope College
Senior faceoff midfielder Jackson Early helped lead the Flying Dutchmen to a 2–0 week with a 15–3 victory over Carthage and a 14–6 win against Wooster. After shifting from attack to faceoff midfielder, Early has stepped into the role as an outstanding leader. He went 11-of-12 (.917) at the faceoff X against Carthage and 16-of-19 (.842) versus Wooster, while totaling 19 ground balls, two assists, and a goal over the two games. Early currently leads the MIAA with a .701 faceoff percentage and ranks second in the league with 7.5 ground balls per game.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Sarah Rott, Hope College
Junior attacker Sarah Rott was a major offensive presence in Hope’s 14–7 win at Aurora and 20–11 victory over DePauw. Against Aurora, Rott played a key role in helping the offense break down the Spartans’ backer zone. She followed with a dominant performance versus DePauw, scoring four goals and adding six assists while running the Flying Dutch offense. Her 10 points helped Hope feature nine different goal scorers, and she was instrumental in transition, sparking fast breaks that led to several easy goals. Rott currently ranks third in the conference with 2.33 assists per game.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Abby Malone, Adrian College
Sophomore midfielder Abby Malone delivered a strong all-around performance in the Bulldogs’ 20–6 spring break win over Warner. She helped anchor the defense, collecting three ground balls, a caused turnover, and two draw controls while helping hold Warner to just six goals. Offensively, Malone also contributed two goals and an assist.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Caleigh Randall, Hope College
Senior midfielder Caleigh Randall helped lead the Flying Dutch to a 14–7 win at Aurora and a 20–11 victory over DePauw. Her dominance in the draw circle was key to both wins, as she recorded 14 draw controls across the two games, including nine against DePauw, giving Hope additional offensive opportunities. Her ability to read the draw late in the game helped Hope maintain possession when it mattered most. Randall also contributed offensively, scoring two goals in each contest and adding two assists against DePauw. She currently ranks second in the league with 7.00 draw controls per game.
MIAA Softball Pitcher of the Week - Gianna Kerschbaum, Hope College
Senior pitcher Gianna Kerschbaum went 2–0 for the Flying Dutch while making five appearances across six games. In those outings, she totaled 19.2 innings pitched with two saves, one shutout, a 2.14 ERA, just seven walks, and six earned runs allowed against 90 batters faced, while recording 15 strikeouts. Kerschbaum currently leads the MIAA with two saves and eight strikeouts looking. She also ranks among the conference’s top five with a 1.67 ERA, three wins, 29.1 innings pitched, 34 hits allowed, 13 walks, 25 strikeouts, and 120 batters faced.
MIAA Softball Position Player of the Week - Taylor Gerhardt, Adrian College
Junior outfielder Taylor Gerhardt helped the Bulldogs to a 4-4 record over the week. In 29 at bats over the eight contests, Gerhardt totaled 13 runs, 14 hits, five runs batted in, two doubles, a triple, two walks, 10 stolen bases, and a sacrifice hit. She had a .483 batting average, a .621 slugging percentage, and an on-base percentage of .531. In the field, Gerhardt had a perfect performance with 22 putouts. She currently leads the league with 16 runs, 16 hits, two triples, and 16 stolen bases.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Drew Hackney, Trine University
Sophomore Drew Hackney went 4–1 at No. 1 singles for the Thunder over the week, highlighted by a standout victory over Division II Cedarville’s Roman Issayev, 6–3, 5–7, 12–10, in a super tiebreak. Hackney also earned singles wins against Concordia–Wisconsin’s Hayden Latus (6–1, 4–1, ret.), Wartburg’s Robert Matera (6–2, 6–2), and Concordia–Chicago’s Collin Dickey (6–0, 6–0). He additionally teamed with Emmett Wirth at No. 2 doubles to secure three doubles victories during the week.
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Elina Locane, Trine University
Senior Elina Locane went a perfect 5–0 in both singles and doubles during the week, helping the Thunder to a 4–1 record over spring break. In singles play, she opened with a comeback super tiebreak win over Division II Mary’s Natalia Jorge Mazaro (1–6, 6–0, 10–5). Locane also secured victories against Concordia–Wisconsin’s Payton Steward (6–3, 6–1), Wartburg’s Morgan Kathman (6–1, 6–3), Concordia–Chicago’s Amelia Engleman (6–0, 6–1), and Allegheny’s Gabrielle Bassette (4–6, 6–1, 10–6). In doubles, she partnered with Lexi Maloney to earn wins over Mary (6–4), Concordia–Wisconsin (6–1), Wartburg (6–1), Concordia–Chicago (6–0), and Allegheny (6–1).