ST. PAUL, Minn.-- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced their Athlete of the Week award winners Tuesday in the sports of baseball, men’s golf, 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
Joshua Miller, Jr, Bethany Lutheran, SS
Parker, Colo./Lutheran
Miller helped Bethany extend its winning streak to 10 games with wins over Crown, Gustavus, and a series sweep at North Central last week. Miller batted 13-for-20 (.650) with eight runs, 10 RBI, three doubles, a triple, a home run, and one walk. He had a career game against North Central, batting 5-for-5 in game two with a run, two RBI, three doubles, and a triple. His three doubles tied a program single game record held by nine players.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Dreyer Homan, Sr, Northwestern
Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY
Homan made his final Reynolds Field start on Friday a memorable one, throwing a complete-game two-hitter to shut down Martin Luther in a 4-0 win. The senior capped off his regular season with 12 strikeouts in the game with no walks.
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Ben Pearson, So, Martin Luther
New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran
Pearson was atop the leaderboard at the MLC Spring Invitational on Thursday. With about 60 golfers competing, Pearson took first with a score of 72 in a Par 70. Pearson won by four strokes over the second-place finisher.
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Bri Brandt, Fr, Northwestern
Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy
Brandt shot a 79 (+7) at the MLC Spring Invite on Friday to claim her first-career individual medalist honor. The freshman also led UNW to the team title in the event.
Softball Player of the Week
Larissa Snyder, Sr, UW-Superior, UTL
Blaine, Minn./Blaine
Snyder exploded offensively for Superior this week. In 16 at bats, she had 11 hits with four doubles, two triples and a homer with 10 RBIs. Additionally, she drew a pair of walks and stole a base in this week's UMAC contests.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Emily Meyer, Jr, Bethany Lutheran
Swea City, Iowa/North Union
Meyer earned three UMAC victories last week, improving her season record to 18-5 with a 2.21 ERA. Meyer tossed three complete games, allowing zero earned runs with 31 strikeouts. In 20 innings, she allowed just six hits and walked only two batters.
Men’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Yash Chhabra, Jr, UW-Superior
Jaipur, Rajasthan/Sanskar School
Chhabra posted a pair of victories on Friday and Saturday, leading the Yellowjackets to the No. 1 seed of the UMAC Tournament. Alongside Sharan Kanugovi, they defeated Crown 6-2 and Bethany Lutheran 6-1 while Chhabra claimed 6-2, 6-1 and 6-2, 7-6 victories in singles play.
Men’s Tennis South Division Athlete of the Week
Jade Dynamic, So, Greenville
Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville
Dynamic went undefeated this week in both singles and doubles. Dynamic started the week by defeating Illinois College with a 6-2 win in doubles and a 6-3, 6-0 win in singles. In the UMAC South Tournament, Dynamic won two doubles matches and then won the clinching singles match for the Panthers in the finals with a hard-fought 3-set victory by a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Women’s Tennis North Division Athlete of the Week
Britney Prahl, Jr, Martin Luther
New Ulm, Minn./Litchfield
Prahl finished her collegiate career going 4-0 in singles play this past week as the No. 1 player for MLC. Against Hamline, she won 0-6, 6-4 (5-10), 1-0 on Monday, a 6-3, 6-2 win over Bethany on Tuesday, a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Morris on Friday and then a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 win against Northwestern on Saturday. Prahl also won twice in doubles competition, defeating Morris' duo in No. 1 doubles 6-0.
Women’s Tennis South Division Athlete of the Week
Lanie Carder, Jr, Greenville
Flora, Ill./Flora
Carder went undefeated for the week as the Panthers also went undefeated and claimed the UMAC South Tournament Championship. Finishing out the regular season, Carder had a 6-0 win at #2 doubles and a 6-1, 7-6 win at #2 singles against Illinois College. Carder then collected singles and doubles wins over Westminster and MUW in the UMAC South Tournament.
Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Kyle Peterson, Fr, UW-Superior
Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd
Peterson set yet another school record Saturday at the inaugural Dan Conway Classic. His 14.62-second finish in the 110-meter hurdles gave him first place, a personal best, and currently ranks 31st in all of NCAA Division III.
Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Zak Ruhland, Jr, North Central
Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy
Ruhland delivered a record-breaking performance at the Rider/Bolstorff Invite, winning the javelin with a personal-best throw of 52.63m. The mark not only set a new program record, but also currently leads the UMAC this season. Ruhland added to his strong week with a top-10 finish in the 100m (11.25 seconds).
Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Emery Maki, Sr, Northwestern
Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing
Maki raced in three events and two meets this week, claiming 2nd, 3rd and 6th-place finishes. On Wednesday, Maki ran a season-best 2:17.14 to finish 6th out of 59 runners at the Gary Wilson Invitational, for a new top time in the UMAC. On Saturday, Maki placed 2nd in the 400m at the Janis Rider / Doug Bolstorff Invitational with a personal-best time of 59.67. Her new time shaved 2.01 seconds off her previous best and was only four-tenths away from the UNW program record. She also helped her 4x400 team to a third-place finish with a time of 4:16.91 (2nd in the UMAC).
Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Jordan Ohman, Sr, Minnesota Morris
Cable, Wis./Drummond
Ohman continues to impress during her senior season. At the Rider/Bolstorff Invite, she placed second in the discus with a throw of 39.08 meters, setting a new season best. She also became the new leader in the UMAC for hammer throw after throwing a personal best 43.35 meters to finished eighth in the meet.