BRIGHTON, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its Athletes of the Week for the period covering September 21-27. 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 Cross Country Athlete of the Week - Lucas Hopkins, The University of Olivet
Junior Lucas Hopkins competed at the Adrian College Heritage Classic on Saturday, posting a season-best time of 25:43 to finish runner-up overall. Hopkins' performance helped lead the team to a fifth-place finish.
MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week - Thomas Vaccaro, Calvin University
Junior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro had a career day in Calvin's 66–20 victory over Olivet. Vaccaro completed 28-of-37 passes for 365 yards and six touchdowns, setting the program's single-game record for passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 385 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns in the win. Vaccaro currently leads the MIAA with 1,258 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 1,439 yards of total offense.
MIAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week - Jett King, Alma College
Senior linebacker Jett King delivered a game-changing performance for the Scots, leading the team with 13 tackles. King returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Alma the lead, then recovered a fumble on the Bulldogs' final drive to help secure the victory.
MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week - Jacob Kluk, Alma College
Senior punter Jacob Kluk played a key role in Alma's 27–24 victory over Adrian. Kluk totaled 232 yards on five punts, averaging 46.4 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards. He placed four punts inside the 20-yard line, including three at the 1-yard line and another at the 3-yard line. Kluk currently leads the MIAA with 877 punting yards, 10 punts inside the 20, five punts of 50 yards or more, and a 43.9-yard punting average.
MIAA Men's Golf Co-Athletes of the Week - Jake Bilby and Lance Decker, Trine University
Junior Jake Bilby and sophomore Lance Decker led the Thunder to a school-record performance at the Ken Venturi Invitational last Tuesday. Trine set new program records for both an 18-hole score (272 strokes) and a 36-hole total (547 strokes). Bilby and Decker shared medalist honors, each carding a program-record 36-hole total of 134 strokes (eight under par).
MIAA Women's Golf Athlete of the Week - Rylee Smith, Trine University
Junior Rylee Smith was the medalist at the second MIAA Women's Golf Jamboree of the season. Smith shot a one-under-par 71 to claim the top spot. She currently leads the conference with a 75.00 scoring average over two rounds.
MIAA Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week - Mikaela Waroway, Calvin University
Senior midfielder/forward Mikaela Waroway led the Knights to back-to-back 1-0 shutout victories over the week. Waroway scored the game-winning goal in the victory over No. 3-Chicago before assisting on the game-winning goal at Ohio Northern. She currently ranks among the conference's top three with six goals, two game-winning goals, 13 points, 26 shots, and 14 shots on goal.
MIAA Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week - Aubree Lee, Calvin University
Junior goalkeeper Aubree Lee helped Calvin record back-to-back shutout victories over No. 3-Chicago and at Ohio Northern. Lee made four saves on 16 shots faced against Chicago before adding three saves on seven shots faced against Ohio Northern. She currently ranks among the MIAA's top five with six goals against, a .714 save percentage, and two shutouts.
MIAA Men's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Josh Bordovsky, Hope College
Junior Josh Bordovsky turned in a strong performance at the Be Better Invitational in Ann Arbor. Bordovsky posted the fastest 100 freestyle time of the meet, leading off Hope's 400 freestyle relay in 46.24, just .09 ahead of the leadoff swimmer from the University of Michigan. He also finished third in the 100 IM with a time of 51.78, behind two Michigan swimmers. Bordovsky opened the meet by swimming the breaststroke leg of Hope's medley relay, posting a 26.08 split that ranked second-fastest in the event. His 100 freestyle and 100 IM times are believed to rank among the fastest in NCAA Division III so far this season.
MIAA Men's Diving Athlete of the Week - Brodie Brown, Calvin University
Freshman Brodie Brown was the top NCAA Division III diver at the meet, turning in strong performances on both boards. Brown scored 182 points on the 3-meter board and 205 points on the 1-meter board.
MIAA Women's Swimming Athlete of the Week - Callie Marks, Hope College
Freshman Callie Marks made an impressive collegiate debut at the Be Better Invitational on Friday. Marks competed in the 500 freestyle, finishing third behind two swimmers from the University of Michigan with a time of 5:10.10. Her time is believed to be the fastest among NCAA Division III swimmers early in the 2026-27 season and would have placed third at last year's MIAA Championships.
MIAA Women's Diving Athlete of the Week - Grace Dawson, Hope College
Sophomore Grace Dawson turned in a strong performance in the 3-meter diving event at the fifth annual Be Better Invitational. Dawson was the top NCAA Division III finisher, scoring 212.00 points in the six-dive event. She finished more than 40 points ahead of the next-highest Division III competitor.
MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Lucas Anderson, The University of Olivet
Senior Lucas Anderson helped lead the Comets to their first victory of the 2026-27 season with a dominant performance against Manchester. Anderson earned a 6–0 victory at No. 1 doubles before cruising to a 6–1, 6–0 win at No. 1 singles. The Olivet captain dropped just one game across his two matches.
MIAA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week - Gabriela Rocker, Hope College
Freshman Gabriela Rocker advanced to the round of 16 at the Central Region ITA Tournament over the weekend. Rocker opened singles play with a victory over Avelynn Wen of Lake Forest before upsetting No. 9 seed Caitlin Van Winkle of Denison in the round of 32. She then fell to No. 4 seed Eleanor Archer of Washington University, 6–3, 6–3, in the round of 16. Rocker also teamed with Sophia Grzesiak to earn a doubles victory over Case Western Reserve in the round of 32 before falling to the tournament's top-seeded duo from Washington University.
MIAA Volleyball Player of the Week - Carly Frank, Albion College
Senior opposite hitter Carly Frank led Albion offensively to a 3-1 record over the week. Across four matches, Frank totaled 52 kills, nine aces, 18 digs, five blocks, and 63.5 points while hitting .281. She currently ranks among the league's top five with a .306 hitting percentage, 171 kills, and 205 points.
MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week - Paige Williamson, Albion College
Senior libero Paige Williamson helped lead the Britons to a 3-1 record over the week. Across four matches, Williamson totaled 93 digs, 21 assists, eight aces, and eight points while committing just two receiving errors. She currently leads the conference with 5.53 digs per set.