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 cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball. The awards are nominated by UMAC coaches and athletics communications staff and selected each week by the latter group.
Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Silas Ebeling, Sr, Martin Luther
Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa
Ebeling had his best race of the season at the Running of the Cows (Pre-Nationals) meet at Carleton. Ebeling led MLC with his 17th-place overall finish (out of 326 runners in the Maize division), running in 26:37.0.
Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Natalie Van De Riet, Sr, Northwestern
Albertville, Minn./Albertville-St. Michael
Natalie was the top UNW finisher at Pre-Nationals on Saturday with a time of 23:29.2 in the 6K. She finished 29th place out of 388 runners.
Football Offensive Athlete of the Week
Elijah Alexander, Sr, Northwestern, QB
Minneapolis/Andover
Alexander engineered a game-winning drive late in Saturday's win at Martin Luther, running for three first downs and eventually the game-winning touchdown with 1:39 remaining. The senior signal caller finished the day with 242 passing yards, 63 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs.
Football Defensive Athlete of the Week
Matthew Wiegand, So, Westminster, LB
Jefferson City, Mo./Capital City
Wiegand had 8 tackles and went for an 8-yard loss. He had 3 fumble recoveries on the day, and one was a 10-yard scoop-and-score in the Blue Jays' 34-7 win over Greenville.
Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Braeden Little, So, Northwestern, WR
Ladysmith, Wis./Ladysmith
Little's return ability set Northwestern up in great field position all afternoon in Saturday's win at Martin Luther. The 2025 All-Conference returner averaged 10.3 yards per punt return with a long of 22, and 30.7 yards per kick return. He also produced 84 scrimmage yards on 7 touches, offensively.
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Joe Stanton, Sr, North Central
Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Stanton was the Sword and Shield Invitational Champion. He carded a two-round score of shot 148 to finish atop of the 88-person field.
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Morgan Philyaw, Sr, Northwestern
Jordan, Minn./Jordan
Philyaw won the Sword and Shield Invitational by five strokes and led the Eagles to a staggering 99-stroke team win. The senior made a pair of birdies on Friday to turn in an 80 (+9), and followed it up with a 79 (+7) on Saturday to clinch her second win of the season and UNW's fourth as a team.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week
Seth Davidson, So, UW-Superior, F
Sartell, Minn./Sartell
Davidson continued his impressive season this past week, as he scored twice against Bethel, earned his third hat trick versus Martin Luther and added another goal against Bethany Lutheran, seeing the Yellowjackets go 3-0 on the week. He currently leads all of NCAA Division III with 16 goals while adding seven assists.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week
Henry Ruhland, So, UW-Superior, GK
River Falls, Wis./River Falls
Ruhland picked up three wins this past week as the Yellowjackets knocked off Bethel 4-1, Martin Luther 11-0 and Bethany Lutheran 2-0. He made nine saves and logged his second shutout of the campaign.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week
Marie Kendall, So, Northwestern, M
Dakar, Senegal/Dakar Academy
Kendall scored 5 goals through the Eagles' two wins this week. She played 147 minutes and finished with 11 shots on target. Kendall's hat trick on Saturday came from two incredible free kicks from nearly 30 and 40 yards out, respectively, and another goal from well outside the box. She is now leading the UMAC in goals, points, shots, and shots on goal.
Women’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week
Britta Holter, So, Northwestern, M
Hudson, Wis./Hudson
Holter held down the Eagles' defense all week, while also making an impact on the scoreboard. The sophomore scored the opening goal against Morris off a corner. Defensively, over both games, UNW allowed four total shots, with only one reaching the keeper. Against Morris, Northwestern limited the Cougars to 33% possession with just 2% possession in the box. Against Crown, Britta and the defense held the Polars to 30% possession with 9% in the final quarter of the field.
Volleyball Offensive Athlete of the Week
Ana Egge, Jr, Northwestern, OH
Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian
Egge had another strong week, tallying 45 kills (4.5 per set), 18 digs and an ace as the Eagles went 2-1, including a pair of conference sweeps. At #3 UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday night, the junior produced 18 kills to tie for the match high. Her 4.8 kills per set this season rank third in NCAA Division III, and her 5.19 points per set are fourth.
Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week
Miranda Wyatt, Jr, Northwestern, MB
Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian
Wyatt was a brick wall at the net all week, totaling 23 blocks (2.3 per set) in UNW's 3 matches. The junior gave #3 UW-Eau Claire problems all night with 9 blocks in a four-set loss, and equaled that total again in Saturday's sweep of Crown. She also had 5 blocks in a sweep of Minnesota Morris, and produced 26 kills (2.6 per set) on the week as well.
Volleyball Setter of the Week
Addeson Jenniges, Jr, Northwestern
Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove
Jenniges had her most prolific week yet this season, dishing out 61 assists (6.1 per set), including a season-high 27 in a sweep of Minnesota Morris. The junior also logged 3 aces and 27 digs, including a career-high 16 in Wednesday's four-set loss at #3 UW-Eau Claire.