ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced their Athlete of the Week award winners Tuesday in the sports of men's and women's basketball, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s tennis. The awards are nominated by UMAC coaches and athletics communications staff and selected each week by the latter group.
MEN'S BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tyrus Buckner, Senior, Crown Polars
Richton Park, Ill. / Homeschool
- Buckner averaged 27 ppg and 8 rpg in the Polars two games including a 37-point effort leading to a win over BLC. Buckner shot 79% from the field going 23-29, tallied 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kaitlyn VanderPloeg, Senior, North Central Rams
Clear Lake, Iowa / Clear Lake
- VanderPloeg averaged 16.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in two conference games.
MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Austin Carlson, Senior, Crown Polars
Montrose, Minn. / Delano
- Carlson is now 1st in the UMAC in the Mile Run with a time of 4:24.36 this weekend. He ran the 800m with a time of 2:00.06 (1st in the UMAC), slightly under his own season best. He also ran in the 4x800m relay and set a school record time of 8:18.37.
WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ella Dufault, Sophomore, Crown Polars
Waseca, Minn. / Waseca
- Dufault set two times this weekend as the SDSU D2/NAIA Open that put her 1st in the UMAC: in the 1 Mile Run with a time of 5:17.73 and a 3000m time of 10:33.06. Both are school records.
MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Garrett Lynch, Senior, UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Portage, Wis. / Portage
- Lynch competed at the Warren Bowlus Invite this past weekend, taking part in the two-day heptathlon. He finished with a score of 4,270 points, which now is the third best mark in program history. His season bests in pole vault and 1,000-meter race helped him place 11th overall in a nationally ranked field.
WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Hannah Hutton, Freshman, UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Spooner, Wis. / Spooner
- Hutton saw action at the Warren Bowlus Invite this weekend, and vaulted to a new personal best on the campus of UW-Stout. Her mark of 2.89 meters now leads the conference as she placed 13th overall in a nationally rank field of opponents.
MEN’S TENNIS NORTH DIVISION ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Griffen Jarchow, Junior, Northwestern Eagles
Luverne, Minn. / Luverne
- Jarchow had a terrific showing in UNW's season opener at Lawrence University. The junior won his No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-3, and his No. 1 doubles match, 6-4.
WOMEN’S TENNIS NORTH DIVISION ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Claudia Curtis, Sophomore, UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Lake Mills, Wis. / Lake Mills
- The Yellowjacket women's tennis teams cruised to victory over the weekend against Macalester and Concordia University (Wis.). Curtis was slotted at the No. 3 positions for both singles matches, and she took down the Scots' Megan Twomey 6-0, 6-2 and the Falcons' Ruth Dolde 6-2, 6-4. In doubles action, both at the No. 2 positions, she teamed up with Brooke Wilfong to defeat Macalester 6-2, then joined forces with Giulia Araujo De Barros for another 6-2 win against Concordia. Curtis boasts a four-match win streak in singles and a three-match streak in doubles play.
The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.
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