CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference announced that Coe College baseball player
Daniel Berger (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) and Coe College softball player
Allie O’Brien (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center Grimes) were named American Rivers Conference Athletes of the Week, for the week ending Sunday, March 24, 2019. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in baseball, men’s golf, softball and men’s tennis.
Male Athlete of the Week – Baseball – Position Player of the Week
Daniel Berger, Coe College
So., Catcher, Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon
- The Kohawks opened their conference season with two wins against Central.
- Berger delivered four hits in seven at-bats (.571) and drove in three runs.
- He doubled in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, a 7-1 Coe win.
- Berger gunned down a Central baserunner that had rounded third and then tried to get back.
- He is now hitting .419 on the season.
Female Athlete of the Week - Softball – Position Player of the Week
Allie O’Brien, Coe College
Sr., 1B, Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center Grimes
- The Kohawks went 4-2 against a rival and two of the better teams in Division III.
- O’Brien homered in the first game of the Cornell DH and knocked in two runs in the sweep.
- She then went 9-for-16 at the plate with four RBIs as Coe took two from WashU and dropped two to Illinois Wesleyan.
- This is O’Brien’s third Female Athlete of the Week and Position Player of the Week honor (3/26/19, 3/11/18, 3/7/16)
- O’Brien is a three-time All-Conference award winner, taking home second team honors in 2016 and 2017, followed by first-team accolades in 2018.
Baseball – Pitcher of the Week
Jack Greene, Coe College
Jr. LHP, Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown
- The Kohawks began A-R-C play with a doubleheader sweep against Central College.
- Greene tossed seven shutout innings in Coe's 7-1 win in the nightcap win.
- He walked just two batters, struck out four and gave up just four hits in facing 27 batters.
- This is Greene’s second Pitcher of the Week accolade (3/26/19, 3/25/18).
- Greene is a two-time All-Conference performer, earning second-team in 2017 and first-team in 2018.
Men’s Golf – Golfer of the Week
Blake Bender, Simpson College
Sr., Spencer, Iowa/Spencer
- The Storm were in action at the Blackburn Invitational this past weekend.
- Bender finished fourth overall in a field of 42 with rounds of 78-76 = 154.
- The 76 was Simpson’s lowest of the tournament.
- Simpson was second as a team in the seven-team field.
Softball – Pitcher of the Week
Emily Bell, Simpson College
So., RHP, Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail
- The Storm notched two wins last week against Olivet and North Park.
- Bell got the win in both games, throwing 15.0 innings and allowing just 11 hits.
- She shut out Olivet on four hits allowed and four strikeouts; only one runner advanced to scoring position.
- Bell then gave up two runs and struck out seven in an extra-inning win against North Park.
- Record stands at 7-1 as A-R-C play gets underway this weekend.
Men’s Tennis – Player of the Week
Jake Smith, Luther College
Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn
- Luther won two of three matches during the first part of its spring trip.
- Smith played No. 6 singles and won all three matches.
- Defeated Eloi Pradier of Stevens Institute of Technology (6-4, 6-3); Kyrus Tsai of Calvin (6-0, 6-0); and Justin Folkert of Hope (6-7 [8-10], 7-6 [8-6], 10-7).
- Smith upped his season record to 12-3 for the year.
