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, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field. 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
Adam Loberger, So, Martin Luther, F
Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley
Loberger averaged 30.5 ppg in two contests and shot 52 percent this past week for MLC. Loberger reached the 1,000 point milestone as a sophomore in the Knights' 77-66 victory at Crown. Loberger had a season-high 35 points, and led MLC in assists (4) and steals (2). The forward finished with 26 points in a loss at Minnesota Morris on Saturday.
Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Wilhelmina Wenz, So, Martin Luther, G
Shepherd, Mont./ Shepherd
Wenz broke the MLC single-season rebounding record this past week after grabbing 18 boards. Wenz leads all UMAC players in rpg (10.0) and scored a career high 26 points against Crown and knocked down six three-pointers.
Softball Player of the Week
Emily Doyle, Sr, Bethany Lutheran, INF
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada/St. Boniface
Doyle led Bethany at the plate during its opening weekend dome invitational where the Vikings went 3-1. Doyle batted .556 with five hits, seven runs, two doubles, a triple, home run, five walks, and an RBI. She also recorded a 2.047 OPS and a 1.333 slugging percentage.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Emily Meyer, Jr, Bethany Lutheran
Swea City, Iowa/North Union
Meyer went 1-1 with a save in three appearances as Bethany went 3-1 during the opening weekend of its dome invitational. Meyer recorded a 2.68 ERA in 15.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. She also had two complete games and walked just one batter in 60 at-bats.
Men’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Gideon Heins, Fr, Martin Luther
Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran
Heins went undefeated (4-0) in both contests on Saturday. The freshman won his No. 2 doubles 6-3 and his No. 3 singles 4-6, 6-1 (1-0) against Ripon in the first of the doubleheader. Heins helped MLC also win the nonconference dual against Crown, beating his No. 2 doubles counterpart 6-2 and winning 6-1, 6-4 in No. 3 singles.
Men’s Tennis South Division Athlete of the Week
Jorge Ortiz, The W
Ortiz helped lead his team to their first D3 victory of the season and first win in school history vs. LaGrange. Jorge sealed a win at the #1 doubles and singles spot with a score of 6-0 in doubles and 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles.
Women’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Campbell Amundson, Fr, Bethany Lutheran
Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown
Amundson won all four of her doubles and singles matches as Bethany collected wins over Mount Marty and Buena Vista in Sioux Falls, S.D. over the weekend. Amundson won both No. 1 doubles matches and No. 3 singles matches. Against Mount Marty she won in three sets and then won in straight sets against Buena Vista.
Women’s Tennis South Division Athlete of the Week
Irlanda Oliver, Jr, Greenville
Mexico City, Mexico/Colegio Carol Baur
Oliver helped lead the Panthers to a 5-2 victory over Taylor University. Oliver teamed up with Emily Kowalke at the #1 doubles and the duo posted a dominating 6-1 scoreline. Oliver then battled back from a set down at the #1 singles position to capture a 3-6, 7-6, 1-0 win.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
John Shevchuk, Gr, Northwestern
Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine
Shevchuk highlighted the Mayday Classic for the Eagles with a standout performance in the 60 meters. For the third consecutive week, he lowered his time, first posting a season-best 7.25 in the qualifying round before shaving off another .09 seconds in the finals to clock a 7.14. The time earned him first place in the meet and currently ranks him second in the UMAC standings. Shevchuk also competed in the 200 meters, placing third with another season-best performance of 23.38 (6th in the UMAC).
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
R.J. Perry, Jr, Martin Luther
Bruce, S.D./Great Plains Lutheran
Perry continued his stellar junior season by taking first out of 30 throwers in the shot put (15.57 meters) at Carleton. Perry also took second in the weight throw (15.46 meters), which also had 30 throwers in the event.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
Emery Maki, Sr, Northwestern
Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing
Maki had an impressive week at the Mayday Classic hosted by UW-Superior. She won both events as she earned a first-place finish in the mile by nearly 1.5 seconds, setting a new meet record by almost two seconds with a season-best time of 5:21.64, good for second in the UMAC. She later returned to the track for the 800 meters, edging out a runner from Minnesota Duluth by one tenth of a second to claim another first-place finish in 2:22.99 (5th in the UMAC).
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Amaya Willis, So, Minnesota Morris
Bismarck, N.D./Legacy
Amaya Willis had another strong showing in the weight throw. The sophomore recorded a throw of 14.72 meters to finish third in the meet, only behind Division II athletes.