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
Maverick Hoogland, Jr, UW-Superior
Catawba, Wis./Phillips
Hoogland took home the crown from this weekend’s season-opening Cougar Twilight. He paced the field with a 20:18.0, leading the Yellowjackets to score a collective 18 points in the race.
Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Natalie Van De Riet, Northwestern
Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville
Van De Riet won the Cougar Twilight 6K race with a time of 24:21.1, nearly two minutes faster than her time last week and 40 seconds faster than the second-place runner.
Football Offensive Athlete of the Week
Martez Stephenson, Fr, Westminster, RB
Florissant, Mo./Lutheran North
Stephenson had 2 touchdowns on 12 rushing attempts for 102 yards on the ground. He added 2 catches for 40 yards and returned a punt and a kickoff for 73 total yards, putting him over 200 all-purpose yards in the Blue Jays win over Eureka.
Football Defensive Athlete of the Week
Jaquan Ellington, Fr, Northwestern, DB
Richland, Ga./ Chattahoochee County
Ellington made a splash in his first home game as an Eagle, jumping a route against Central (IA) and taking his first-career interception 45 yards for a touchdown, making it a three-point game in the second quarter. The freshman also tallied 5 tackles, including 2 solo.
Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Gabriel Nottling, Fr, Martin Luther, PK
Watertown, Wis./Luther Prep
Gabriel Nottling was a weapon in the punting game once again in Week 2. Of his six punts, four went for 50-plus yards (long of 54) and three of them pinned Concordia (Wis.) inside its own 20.
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Anthony Nicolai, Jr, Bethany Lutheran
Saint Peter, Minn./Saint Peter
Nicolai won the UMAC Preview on Thursday, scoring an even-par 72 at Pebble Creek Golf Course. Nicolai tied with teammate Tyson Wicklund and Kaden Burshiem of Minnesota Morris but then won the first playoff hole with a par to earn medalist honors outright.
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Bri Brandt, So, Northwestern
Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian
Brandt took medalist honors at the UMAC Preview with a 74 (+2), beating the rest of the field by 3 strokes. The sophomore made a birdie on the 2nd hole and an eagle on 5, and led the Eagles to a 29-stroke win as a team.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week
Ashton Hosler, Sr, Crown, F
Huntington, Ind.
Hosler had a hat-trick, scoring all three of the Polars goals on four shots on goal in the Polars' win over Greenville.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week
Henry Ruhland, So, UW-Superior, GK
River Falls, Wis./River Falls
Ruhland saw time in net during both of Superior's matches this week. Versus Gustavus Adolphus he played 45 minutes and made four saves before turning away a career-high 10 saves versus Saint John's on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week
Katie Schoeneck, Sr, Martin Luther, MF
College Station, Texas/Luther Prep
Schoeneck accounted for four of MLC's seven goals this week, notching 7 points. She scored just 28 seconds into MLC's win against Faith Baptist on Tuesday and then had a hand in all three goals in a 3-2 win vs. Waldorf on Saturday. She scored twice and then assisted the match-winning goal.
Women’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week
Britta Holter, So, Northwestern, D
Hudson, Wis./Hudson
Holter did a little of everything for the Eagles in their 2-2 draw with Concordia. She held down the back line while also scoring the game-tying goal in the 86th minute. This marks the first goal of her Northwestern career.
Volleyball Offensive Athlete of the Week
Ana Egge, Jr, Northwestern, OH
Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian
Egge put up 42 kills (4.67 per set), 17 digs, 5 blocks, and 2 aces on .400 hitting, including a 16-kill outing against (RV) Dubuque on Friday night. In Saturday's sweep over Concordia-Moorhead, the South Dakotan hit .542, logging 14 kills and 8 digs.
Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week
Savanna Hering, Jr, UW-Superior, DS/L
Superior, Wis./Superior
Hering accumulated 61 digs over the Saint Paul Classic, where the Yellowjackets went 2-1. She logged a season-high 25 digs in a five-set victory over Macalester.
Volleyball Setter of the Week
Sella Fleming, Fy, Minnesota Morris
Hawley, Minn./Hawley
Fleming had another impressive showing for the Cougars at the St. Paul Classic. Over three matches she totaled 110 assists and set a new career high with 45 assists in the match against Carleton. Fleming also totaled 33 digs, nine kills, four aces and two blocks.