CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Wartburg College men’s cross country runner Joe Freiburger (Holy Cross, Iowa/Western Dubuque) Luther College women’s tennis player Renata Martinez (Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico/Tecnológico de Monterrey) have been named American Rivers Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, October 17, 2021. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and volleyball. Female Athlete of the Week - Women’s Tennis – Player of the Week
Renata Martinez, Luther College
Fr., Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico/Tecnológico de Monterrey

• Martinez takes home Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors after winning the 2021 American Rivers Conference Women’s Tennis Individual A-Flight Singles.
• The freshman went a perfect 5-0 in this year’s A-Flight.
• The Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico native defeated Luther’s Shelby Cook (5-7, 7-5, 10-8) to clinch the gold medal.
• In doubles, Martinez partnered with Lexi Hastings and finished as runner-up in this year’s A-Doubles.
• Martinez is garnering her first-career Player of the Week honor.

Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Cross Country – Runner of the Week
Joe Freiburger, Wartburg College
Sr., Holy Cross, Iowa/Western Dubuque

• Freiburger finished first out of 232 runners at the Augustana (Ill.) Invitational.
• The senior finished with a time of 24:16.8 and five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
• The No.1 Knights finished first with a score of 39 against tough competition.
• Freiburger is a three-time All-Conference performer and two-time Conference MVP.
• The Holy Cross, Iowa native is collecting his eleventh-career Runner of the Week honor (10/18/21, 10/4/21, 11/9/20, 10/26/20, 10/13/20, 9/28/20, 9/14/20, 11/3/19, 10/21/19, 9/23/19, 9/9/19).

Women’s Cross Country – Runner of the Week
Kassie Rosenbum, Loras College
Sr., Guttenberg, Iowa/Clayton Ridge

• Rosenbum finished 1^st out of 246 runners at the Lewis and Clark Invitational in Portland, Oregon.
• She finished with a time of 20:10.9, setting a school record for the second time this season, taking 16 seconds off the previous record.
• The senior finished 39 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, a runner from the University of Oregon.
• The No.33 Duhawks finished sixth out of 23 teams with a score of 181.
• Rosenbum is a two-time All-American, three-time All-Conference performer, and two-time Academic All-Conference honoree.
• This is the Guttenberg, Iowa native’s twelfth Runner of the Week honor (10/18/21, 10/4/21, 9/20/21, 9/13/21, 10/26/20, 10/13/20, 9/28/20, 9/14/20, 10/21/19, 10/7/19, 9/23/19, 9/2/19).

Football – Offensive Player of the Week
Brandon Kyles, Buena Vista University
So., QB, Richmond, Texas/B.F. Terry

• Kyles led the Beavers to a 50-7 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan.
• The sophomore had three passing touchdowns.
• He completed 22-of-28 passes leading to 285 passing yards.
• Kyles led the Beaver offense to 561 yards of total offense.
• The Richmond, Texas native is garnering his first-career Offensive Player of the Week honor.

Football – Defensive Player of the Week
Tyler Geiman, University of Dubuque
Jr., CB, Beach Park, Ill./Zion-Benton

• Geiman helped the Spartans to a 41-28 win over Simpson College.
• He tallied nine solo tackles to help Dubuque stay unbeaten in league play.
• The junior had two interceptions on the day, with one being a returned for a touchdown.
• The Spartans are now 5-1 overall and 4-0 in league play.
• The Beach Park, Illinois native is picking up his first-career Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Football – Special Teams Player of the Week
Ramon Garcia, Buena Vista University
Jr., K, Denison, Iowa/Denison-Schleswig

• Garcia helped the Beavers to a 50-7 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan.
• He made 5-of-6 PATs and was 3-of-3 in FG attempts.
• Garcia’s three made field goals (20-yards, 31-yards, 30-yards) marks his single-game career-high.
• The Denison, Iowa native is collecting his second-career Special Teams Player of the Week award (10/18/21, 9/13/21).

Men’s Soccer – Defensive Player of the Week
Sam Thomann, Wartburg College
Sr., DF, Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls

• Thomann helped lead Wartburg to two shutouts against conference opponents, defeating Buena Vista (8-0), and Central (2-0).
• He played a total of 151 minutes in Wartburg’s two games this week.
• The Wartburg senior tallied one assist in the win over Buena Vista.
• Wartburg has an overall record of 7-4-2 and moved up to 4-1 in conference play.
• Thomann helped lead Wartburg to five-consecutive shutout victories.
• He is a 2020 (Spring 2021) All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree.
• The Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin native is collecting his first-career Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Men’s Soccer – Offensive Player of the Week
Jack Palen, Wartburg College
Sr., F, Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk

• Palen scored four goals in two conference wins against Buena Vista (8-0) and Central (2-0).
• The senior totaled 111 minutes during Wartburg’s two conference wins.
• He tallied a hat trick in the 8-0 win over Buena Vista.
• Wartburg has an overall record of 7-4-2 and moved up to 4-1 in conference play.
• Palen is a 2020 (Spring 2021) All-Conference performer.
• The Norwalk, Iowa native is collecting his first-career Offensive Player of the Week honor.

Women’s Soccer – Defensive Player of the Week
Abby Cozzoni, Simpson College
So., D, Wentzille, Mo./Timberland

• Cozzoni helped lead the Storm to back-to-back shutouts over Dubuque (3-0) and Luther (2-0).
• The sophomore played all 180 minutes of the Storm’s contests.
• She anchored the Storm defense that gave up only six shots on goal over a two-game span.
• Simpson improve to 9-5-1 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
• Cozzoni is a 2020 (Spring 2021) All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree.
• The Wentzville, Missouri native is earning her second-career Defensive Player of the Week honor (10/18/21, 9/16/19).

Women’s Soccer – Offensive Player of the Week
Hailey Kowzan, Simpson College
So., MF, Pella, Iowa/Pella

• Kowzan helped lead the Storm to back-to-back shutouts over Dubuque (3-0) and Luther (2-0).
• The sophomore tallied two goals against the Spartans.
• She added an assist in the Storm’s victory over the Norse.
• Kowzan played 163 minutes in this week's conference play.
• The Simpson Storm have now improved to 9-5-1 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
• The Pella, Iowa native is garnering her first-career Offensive Player of the Week accolades.

Volleyball – Defensive Player of the Week
Katie Foster, Wartburg College
Sr., L, Charles City, Iowa/Charles City

• Foster helped lead the No.5 Knights to a 2-0 week, bringing their overall record to 22-0.
• The Wartburg libero tallied 61 digs over the two matches.
• In Wartburg’s conference win over Coe (3-2), Foster tallied 32 digs.
• The senior added 29 digs in the Knights 3-1 win over Loras.
• Foster recorded no ball handling errors over the two-game span.
• Foster is a four-time All-Conference performer, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2019 Most Valuable Player, and 2017 Freshman of the Year.
• The Charles City, Iowa native is picking up her twenty-first-career Defensive Player of the Week honor (10/18/21, 9/27/21, 9/20/21, 9/13/21, 9/7/21, 3/29/21, 2/22/21, 11/4/19, 10/21/19, 9/30/19, 9/23/19, 9/16/19, 9/9/19, 10/29/18, 10/15/18, 10/8/18, 9/2/18, 11/5/17, 10/29/17, 9/24/17, 9/3/17).

Volleyball – Offensive Player of the Week
Krissa Larson, Central College
Sr., MH, Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock

• Larson helped the Dutch to a 3-0 week, bringing them to 14-8 overall and 3-2 in league play.
• Over the three-game span, Larson had 27 kills.
• The senior had 13 kills in the Dutch 3-1 win over Luther.
• She added 13 kills in the wins against Knox (Ill.) (3-0) and Grinnell (3-0).
• Larson maintained a hitting percentage of .250 on the week.
• The Waverly, Iowa native is picking up her third-career Offensive Player of the Week accolades (10/18/21, 10/12/21, 9/23/19).