ST. PAUL, Minn.-- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced their Athlete of the Week award winners Tuesday in the sports of baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s track and field. The awards are nominated by UMAC coaches and athletics communications staff and selected each week by the latter group.
Baseball Player of the Week
Bryan Gerbers, Jr, Crown
De Pere, Wis./De Pere
Gerbers had a huge weekend at Martin Luther in the Polars three game sweep. In game 1 he hit for the cycle and had 5 RBI's and scored 3 times. In all three games combined, Gerbers went 6-12 (.500) with 7 runs scored and 9 RBIs. He had 4 total base hits, including two doubles, and triple, and a home run.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Breckin Silvain, Sr, Minnesota Morris
Omaha, Neb./Roncalli Catholic
Silvain earned a pair of saves in the Cougars’ series win against Bethany Lutheran. In his first appearance, he pitched 2.1 innings, striking out four batters and gave up one earned run. To close out game one, Silvain froze the batter for strike three securing the 6-5 win for the Cougars. In game two, the senior pitched 1.1 innings, while only facing four batters. Of the four batters, three were retired via strikeout as Minnesota Morris took game two 7-4 which claimed the series.
Softball Player of the Week
Brooklyn Ocker, Fr, Crown
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa/Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Ocker was huge for the Polars in the middle of the order. She went 5-9 in the series against Martin Luther with 6 total RBIs and she scored 3 times. In the final game of the series, she was responsible for knocking in 4 runs, including a bases-clearing triple with the bases loaded in the third inning.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Emily Meyer, Jr, Bethany Lutheran
Swea City, Iowa/North Union
Meyer pitched in all five games last week as Bethany went 3-2 and she pitched 26 innings. She allowed all 11 earned runs in the doubleheader loss at Saint Benedict, but responded with 17 shutout innings in the series sweep at Minnesota Morris. Meyer allowed just 15 hits in 17 innings against the Cougars, while adding 10 strikeouts.
Men’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Carson Haack, Jr, Northwestern
Elk River, Minn./Elk River
Haack went 4-0 on Saturday, leading Northwestern to wins of 7-0 and 6-1. The junior won his No. 1 singles matches 6-1, 6-0 and 6-4, 6-2, while adding wins of 6-2 and 6-1 at No. 1 doubles, alongside Sam Majerus. He now owns an 11-5 doubles record this season, all at No. 1.
Men’s Tennis South Division Athlete of the Week
Marcos Fernandez, So, The W
Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gassett
The Owls took on two conference opponents this past weekend and were led by Fernandez, helping the program break its conference win record. Fernandez posted a 3-1 combined record in singles and doubles play. He secured victories at the #5 singles position with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Greenville University and a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Webster University. He also contributed in doubles, earning a 6-4 win at the #2 spot against the Gorloks.
Women’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Reagan Cocking, Crown
Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville
Cocking was huge for the Polars in their 5-2 victory over Morris. She went 2-0 on the day, winning the No. 2 doubles match 7-5 to secure the doubles point. After Morris evened the score at 2, her singles match became the biggest match of the day. She pulled out a 7-1 victory in the tiebreaker to give the Polars a 3-2 lead and propel the Polars to a 5-2 win in their first conference match.
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 7-0 sweep against conference foe MUW. Oliver led the way by winning 6-3 at #1 doubles and then followed up with an impressive 6-0, 6-1 win at #1 singles.
Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Kyle Peterson, Fr, UW-Superior
Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd
Peterson had a strong start to his outdoor career this weekend at the CSB/SJU Optimistic Invite. He set a new UMAC-leading time of 15.34 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles for first place before garnering another UMAC-leading mark of 10.97 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Peterson ranks 49th in all of NCAA Division III with his time in the 110-meter hurdles.
Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Carson Wilhorn, Jr, UW-Superior
Necedah, Wis./Necedah
Wilhorn threw a new personal best in the hammer throw this weekend at the CSB/SJU Optimistic Invite. His mark of 51.15 meters not only bests his previous heave by nearly 1.5 meters, but ranks atop the UMAC and stands 28th in all of NCAA Division III. In the discus, he also set a new UMAC-best with a mark of 41.12 meters.
Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Simone Stephens, Jr, UW-Superior
Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro
Stephens picked up a pair of UMAC bests this weekend at the CSB/SJU Optimistic Invite. She set a PR in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:50.05 for first place. This mark ranks her 70th in all of NCAA Division III.
Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Katie Shilts, Fr, Northwestern
Cameron, Wis./Cameron
Katie Shilts turned in a well-rounded performance in her outdoor debut for UNW at the Optimistic Open on Saturday. She placed 9th in the triple jump at 10.00m (32' 9.75) followed by a 12th-place mark of 4.90m (16' 1") in the long jump. Shilts also competed on the track placing 14th in the 200m with a time of 28.12 seconds. She is currently ranked first in the UMAC in the long jump and second in the 200m and triple jump.