UMAC Player of the Week Awards – October 16, 2023
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced its Player of the Week award winners Monday in the sports of football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, and men’s and women’s cross country. The UMAC Player of the Week awards are nominated by UMAC coaches and athletics communications/sports information staff and selected each week by the latter group.
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Paul Garrett, Senior, Greenville University
Goodwater, Ala. / Clay Central
-Accounted for three of Greenville's four touchdowns against Martin Luther.
-Ran for 210 yards on 23 carries for an average of 9.1 yards per carry.
-Totaled 225 yards of total offense.
FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
David Baumann, Junior, Martin Luther College
Belle Plaine, Minn. / Luther Prep
-Made an acrobatic interception near the sideline to guide Martin Luther to its first victory of the year, defeating Greenville 31-29.
-Recorded 10 total tackles and had 1.5 tackles for loss.
FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Happ, Senior, University of Minnesota Morris
Brighton, Colo. / Prairie View
-Went 6-for-6 on extra points, added a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
-Punted twice with an average of 32.5 yards per kick in a 45-0 win over Westminster on Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grace Kieselhorst, Junior, Martin Luther College
Watertown, Wis. / Luther Prep
-Had 39 kills in two matches this week, leading Martin Luther to 3-2 victories over Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday and North Central on Friday.
-For both matches, Kieselhorst had an average hitting percentage of .234.
-The junior also collected 44 assists for the week.
VOLLEYBALL SETTER OF THE WEEK
McKenzie Newton, Senior, University of Minnesota Morris
West Fargo, N.D. / West Fargo Sheyenne
-Played in two matches on Saturday against Concordia (Moorhead) and Saint Benedict.
-In a five-set win over the Cobbers, Newton notched a double-double with 37 assists and 18 digs to go along with five kills.
-For the two matches, she averaged 5.88 assists and 2.62 digs per set.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jenna Anderson, Junior, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Bemidji, Minn. / Bemidji
-The Yellowjacket junior tallied 9.00 digs per set in a 3-0 win over St. Scholastica.
-Her 27 digs was her third-highest mark of the season.
MEN'S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Kidd, Sophomore, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Superior, Wis. / Superior Senior
-Kidd fired seven total shots in two matches for Wisconsin-Superior, resulting in a hat trick against Northwestern and a goal against Bethany Lutheran.
-The Yellowjackets won both matches 7-0 and 2-0, respectively.
MEN'S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Paredes, Junior, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Mequon, Wis. / Homestead
-Picked up two clean sheets last week against Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran, improving his season record to 10-2-2.
-In the process, the Yellowjacket goalkeeper broke the program shutout record and is now the leader with 14.
WOMEN'S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Haley Mersberger, Sophomore, University of Northwestern
Kiel, Wis. / Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah
-Scored one goal and assisted another in Northwestern's 3-1 win over top-ranked UW-Superior.
-Added her fourth hat trick of the year in a 5-0 win over North Central.
WOMEN'S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samantha Hansen, Freshman, University of Northwestern
Cottage Grove, Minn. / New Life Academy
-The freshman made 10 massive saves to spark Northwestern to a 3-1 win over previously UMAC unbeaten UW-Superior.
-Followed that up with a clean sheet against North Central on Saturday.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Michael Butterfield, Junior, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Bovey, Minn. / Greenway
-Led the UMAC field at the Augustana Interregional Invitational with a time of 26:54.
-This time is just 18 seconds off of a personal best and still over a minute faster than the next UMAC runner.
-The Yellowjackets competed against a field with nine teams picking up national ranks and 33 picking up regional rankings.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Halle Barker, Junior, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Superior, Wis. / Superior Senior
-Competing in the Augustana Interregional Invitational, Barker ran a 23:44 which boosted her standings to fifth all time on the UW-Superior top ten list.
-The field consisted of nine nationally ranked squads and 22 regionally ranked teams.