FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering April 5-12. 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 - Landon Kozlowski, Adrian College
Junior pitcher Landon Kozlowski threw 7.1 strong innings in a 4–1 victory over Kalamazoo, helping lead the Bulldogs to the win. Facing one of the top offenses in the country, Kozlowski allowed no earned runs on six hits and one walk while recording three strikeouts.
MIAA Baseball Position Player of the Week - Braylon Ryan, Alma College
Freshman outfielder Braylon Ryan batted fifth throughout Alma’s 4–0 week, which included a 23–13 win at Hope and a series sweep of Trine. He delivered a dominant all-around performance, totaling 17 RBIs, seven runs, 12 hits, two doubles, two triples, a home run, and three stolen bases without striking out. Ryan posted a .571 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage, and a .522 on-base percentage while playing flawless defense, recording seven putouts. He currently leads the MIAA with a .452 batting average and four triples, and ranks among the top five with a 1.229 OPS, 41 RBIs, and a .750 slugging percentage.
MIAA Men's Golf Athlete of the Week - Ethan Tiller, Calvin University
Junior Ethan Tiller competed at the Hope College Bob Ebels Invitational on April 10–11 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan. In a field of 13 teams and 82 players, Tiller earned medalist honors with rounds of 72 (+1) and 70 (–1) to finish even par for the tournament. He won the event by three strokes over the next closest competitor.
MIAA Women's Golf Athlete of the Week - Natalie Kulka, Trine University
Junior Natalie Kulka tied-for-seventh out of 121 players at the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling hosted by Illinois Wesleyan over the weekend. She opened with a 72 in round one and followed with a 79 in challenging, windy conditions on day two.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Luke Schuemann, Albion College
Sophomore midfielder Luke Schuemann helped Albion to a 1–1 week, highlighted by a 13–12 overtime victory over Adrian. Across the two games, Schuemann totaled nine goals and four assists. He recorded six goals and three assists, including the game-winning goal in overtime, against the Bulldogs, and added one ground ball. Against Calvin, he contributed three goals, one assist, and a ground ball. Schuemann currently ranks among the league’s top five with 2.46 goals per game, 3.77 points per game, and 8.15 shots per contest.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Drew Garrison, Calvin University
Junior defender Drew Garrison delivered a stellar performance in Calvin’s first-ever win over Albion (17–15). Despite suffering an injury midway through the third quarter and missing the final 22 minutes, Garrison recorded seven ground balls and five caused turnovers, helping the Knights build a 15–9 lead before exiting. He currently ranks second in the league with 3.17 caused turnovers per game and fourth with 4.75 ground balls per game.
MIAA Men's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Connor Laidlaw, Albion College
Sophomore faceoff midfielder Connor Laidlaw helped Albion to a 1–1 week, highlighted by a 13–12 win over Adrian. Against Calvin, he went 24-of-35 (.686) at the faceoff X, collecting 14 ground balls while adding a goal and a caused turnover. He followed with a 14-of-27 (.519) performance and eight ground balls versus Adrian. Laidlaw currently leads the conference with 113 ground balls and 6.69 ground balls per game.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Jacey Smith, Calvin University
Senior Jacey Smith led Calvin’s offense during a 2–0 week, highlighted by a 19–10 win over Albion and a 12–9 victory against Kalamazoo. She totaled 11 points with 10 goals and one assist, shooting an impressive 82.9 percent on the week, including 80 percent against Albion and 85.7 percent versus Kalamazoo. Smith also contributed two ground balls and one caused turnover.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Ava Lazzareschi, Adrian College
Senior defender Ava Lazzareschi helped lead the Bulldogs to a 15–7 win at Saint Mary’s and a 17–3 victory over Trine. She totaled seven caused turnovers and five ground balls while anchoring a defensive unit that allowed just 10 combined goals across the two games. Lazzareschi currently ranks second in the conference with 2.00 caused turnovers per game and fourth with 3.00 ground balls per contest.
MIAA Women's Lacrosse Specialist of the Week - Madeline Turcotte, Adrian College
Junior draw specialist Madeline Turcotte delivered a standout week in the circle for the Bulldogs, collecting 14 draw controls across two conference victories. In addition to her dominance on draws, she totaled six goals, six assists, eight ground balls, and four caused turnovers. Turcotte currently leads the MIAA with 6.62 draw controls per game, as well as 3.77 goals and 6.46 points per contest.
MIAA Softball Pitcher of the Week - Emma Ludema, Calvin University
Senior pitcher Emma Ludema helped lead the Knights to a 4–0 week in conference play, making two starts and earning a win, including a no-hitter against Kalamazoo. She pitched 9.2 innings without allowing an earned run while recording seven strikeouts. Through three conference appearances, Ludema holds a 0.42 ERA. She currently ranks among the league’s top five with a 2.82 ERA, 22 games started, three shutouts, and 22 walks allowed.
MIAA Softball Position Player of the Week - Isabelle Hochmuth, Saint Mary's College
Freshman Isabelle Hochmuth helped the Belles to a 4–2 week with a standout all-around performance. Over six games and 19 at-bats, she recorded six runs, nine hits, 14 RBIs, a double, three home runs, a walk, and five stolen bases without striking out. Hochmuth also added eight putouts with a perfect fielding percentage. She finished the week with a .474 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage, and a .500 on-base percentage.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Blake Smith, Hope College
Sophomore Blake Smith went a perfect 6–0 over the week, earning three wins at No. 4 singles and three at No. 2 doubles. In singles play, he defeated Kalamazoo’s Will Seymour (6–0, 3–6, 6–2), Alma’s Eli Festerling (6–2, 6–2), and Trine’s Leyton Byler (4–6, 6–2, 6–2). In doubles, Smith teamed with Elliot Dozeman to secure wins over Kalamazoo’s Sebastian Courtright and Will Seymour (7–6), Alma’s Alex Jonas and John Laxton (6–1), and Trine’s Drew Hackney and Emmett Wirth (7–6).
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Eleni Bougioukou, Kalamazoo College
Senior Eleni Bougioukou went a perfect 4–0 this week in MIAA play. Against Alma, she teamed with Soussana Kimbouris for a 6–2 win at No. 2 doubles over Holly Hall and Kayden Alli, then earned a 6–0, 6–1 victory at No. 3 singles against Hall. Versus Adrian, Bougioukou and Kimbouris posted a 6–0 win at No. 2 doubles over Anneka Croftchik and Ella Croftchik, and she followed with a 6–0, 6–1 singles win over Anneka Croftchik. Across her four matches, Bougioukou won 36 games while dropping just four.
MIAA Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week - Cooper Bright, Albion College
Senior Cooper Bright turned in a strong performance at Spring Arbor’s Bill Bippes Cougar Classic, finishing second in the 100m dash with a time of 10.70. He went on to win the 200m dash in 21.50, a mark that ranks first in the MIAA and 41st nationally. Bright also contributed to a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay, which clocked a time of 42.29.
MIAA Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week - James Grey, Albion College
Senior James Grey finished second in the triple jump at Spring Arbor’s Bill Bippes Cougar Classic with a mark of 14.00m, which currently leads the MIAA.
MIAA Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week - Bailey Puckett, Trine University
Senior Bailey Puckett set a new personal best and school record in the 1500m run at the Indiana DIII Championships, clocking a time of 4:25.77—an improvement of more than three seconds. She followed with another personal best in the 800m run, running 2:15.59, a 1.5-second improvement. Puckett’s 1500m time currently ranks first in the conference, second all-time in MIAA history, and fourth nationally.
MIAA Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week - Olivia Andrews, Trine University
Sophomore Olivia Andrews set a new personal best in the pole vault at the DIII Indiana Championships, improving her school record with a clearance of 3.68m. Already the first Trine woman to clear 11 feet, she now becomes the first to surpass the 12-foot mark as well. Andrews currently ranks first in the MIAA and 22nd nationally.