Wartburg's Freiburger and Smith Garner A-R-C Athlete of the Week Accolades

4/26/2021 3:09:11 PM

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Wartburg College track and field athlete Joe Freiburger (Holy Cross, Iowa/Western Dubuque) and Wartburg College women’s soccer player Joy Smith (Polk City, Iowa/Homeschooled) have been named American Rivers Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, April 25, 2021. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in baseball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
 
Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Soccer – Offensive Player of the Week15088
Joy Smith, Wartburg College
Jr., F, Polk City, Iowa/Homeschooled
  • Smith scored the game-winning goal in Wartburg’s 2-0 victory over Luther College on Wednesday, April 21.
  • The victory gave the Knights their fourth conference title and first since 2015.
  • In addition to her goal, the junior led the team with two shots, finishing the season with a team-best six goals and seven points.
  • A 2019 All-Conference performer, Smith is picking up her second Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honor (4/26/21, 9/16/19).
 
Male Athlete of Week – Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week14567
Joe Freiburger, Wartburg College
Sr., Holy Cross, Iowa/Western Dubuque
  • Wartburg senior distance runner Joe Freiburger became the 10th-best performer in Division III history this past weekend with his 14:00.69 effort in the 5,000-meter run at the Drake Relays.
  • He bested his outdoor 5K personal best by 25 seconds, breaking the Wartburg outdoor school record in the process.
  • He took second of 17 runners, competing mostly against Division I athletes.
  • This is Freiburger’s second Outdoor Track Performer of the Week honor of the season and his Wartburg career (4/26/21, 4/5/21).
 
Baseball – Pitcher of the Week15078
Michael Demers, Buena Vista University
Sr., P, Storm Lake, Iowa/St. Mary’s
  • Demers started the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 1 WashU, pitching 7.0+ innings, only allowing one Bear run on four hits.
  • The Beavers took 2-of-3 from the top-ranked Bears in Storm Lake this weekend.
  • The outing marked only his third career start and ninth career appearance.
  • The longest career outing for Demers (previous being 4.2 IP) was one to remember as he had a perfect game going until allowing a leadoff double in the sixth inning.
  • Game 1: Buena Vista 3, WashU 1 – GS, W (1-2), 7.0 IP, 4 H, R (ER), 1.29 ERA, K, .174 BAA, 24-batters faced.
  • The BVU basketball standout and 2020-21 All-Conference performer is picking up his first-career Baseball Pitcher of the Week honor for the Beavers.

Baseball – Position Player of the Week15079
Tyler Tennyson, Buena Vista University
Sr., 1B, Truman, Minn./Fairmont
  • The Beavers took 2-of-3 from No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis in Storm Lake this weekend behind Tennyson’s .538 average and five RBI performance.
  • In the three-game series, he was 7-for-13 at the plate with seven hits, including four doubles.
  • He started the series on fire going 4-for-5 with a double and a game-high three RBI, including the go-ahead single in the fourth inning against the WashU ace.
  • Not only did Tennyson deliver at the plate, but he also pitched 7.1 innings in the opener as BVU shocked WashU 8-2.
  • Game 1: Buena Vista 8, WashU 2 – 4-for-5 (.800), R, 4 H, 3 RBI, 2B, putout
  • Game 2: Buena Vista 3, WashU 2 – 2-for-3 (.667), 2 H, RBI, 2 2B, sac, 7-putouts
  • Game 3: WashU 7, Buena Vista 5 – 1-for-5 (.200), H, RBI, 2B, 7-putouts.
  • Tennyson is collecting his first-career Baseball Position Player of the Week honor in a Beaver uniform.
 
Men’s Golf – Golfer of the Week15082
Harold Dobernecker, Central College
Fr., Nevada, Iowa/Nevada
  • Dobernecker was the medalist at the Central Dutch Shootout on April 22, finishing two strokes ahead of second place, picking up his first-career collegiate medalist honors.
  • He finished with an even par and helped the Dutch finish second as a team at their event, shooting a 308 as a team.
  • The freshman used his first-career hole in one on the 167-yard, par 3 6th hole at Bos Landen Golf Course.
  • This mark’s the Nevada, Iowa native’s first-career Men’s Golf Golfer of the Week accolade.
 
Men’s Soccer – Defensive Player of the Week15084
Lucas Von Braun, University of Dubuque
So., D, Stockholm, Sweden/Nacka Gymnasium
  • The Spartans wrapped up their 2020 (Spring 2021) season with a 4-0 shutout victory over Coe College on Wednesday.
  • Von Braun helped Dubuque collect their fourth shutout win of the Covid-shortened season, holding Coe to four shots with no shots on goal.
  • The Spartan defense concluded the spring 2021 season with a .75 opponent scoring average, best in the A-R-C.
  • After dropping the conference opener, the Spartans would not lose again, going unbeaten over the final seven contests, including one draw.
  • The Spartans collected their program’s second conference title after the title implication match between Loras and Simpson ended in a 3-3 draw Sunday afternoon.
  • Dubuque finished with a record of 6-1-1 and 19 points in A-R-C play.  
  • The Sweden native is picking up his first-career Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honor, joining Brandon White as the last Spartan to earn Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 14, 2019.

Men’s Soccer – Offensive Player of the Week15085
Andrew Russell, Coe College
So., MF, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie
  • Russell scored the Kohawk game-winner in double overtime in their lone win of the season as they erased a 2-0 deficit to down Buena Vista 3-2 Saturday night.
  • The Kohawks were defeated by conference-champion, the Dubuque Spartans 4-0 on Wednesday.
  • On the week, the sophomore tallied three shots with the game-winner being the only on-goal shot.
  • The last Kohawk to earn Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week was Andrew Burdick on September 9, 2019.
  • This mark’s Russell’s first-career Offensive Player of the Week honor.

Women’s Soccer – Defensive Player of the Week15087
Hailey Osburn, Wartburg College
Jr., D, Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny
  • Osburn was a key part of the Wartburg defense as the Knights defeated Luther College 2-0 on Wednesday and captured the program’s fourth conference title.
  • The junior helped propel Wartburg to its sixth shutout of the Covid-shortened season.
  • The defender played nearly every minute of the season and helped the Knights allow just one goal on the year.
  • On the season, Osburn is the second Knight to earn Defensive Player of the Week honor joining Sarah Campbell (4/12/21, 4/5/21).
  • This is the junior’s third Defensive Player of the Week accolade in a Wartburg uniform (4/26/21, 10/7/19, 10/22/18).
 
Softball – Pitcher Player of the Week15083
Skylar Sadler, Central College
So., P, Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon
  • After pitching less than three innings total since Feb. 27, Sadler threw 9.0 innings of shutout relief in three days and recorded her first two wins of the season.
  • Game 1: Central 6, Loras 0 – W (1-0), 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, .118 BAA, 18-batters faced.
  • Game 2: Central 2, Loras 1 – W (2-0), 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K, .143 BAA, 15-batters faced.
  • The Dutch improve to 11-5 in A-R-C play after the sweep of Loras, now sitting in third place in the league.
  • The sophomore is picking up her first-career Softball Pitcher of the Week accolade.
 
Softball – Position Player of the Week15081
Randie Richmond, Simpson College
Jr., INF, Blakesburg, Iowa/Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
  • Richmond tallied ten hits during the team’s five games, including five doubles.
  • She drove in three runs and tallied three stolen bases for the Storm, while scoring eight runs.
  • As a team, the Storm went 4-1 on the week including a conference sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan this weekend.
  • Game 1: Iowa Wesleyan 10, Simpson 2 (F/5) – 2-for-2 (1.000), 2 H, 3 RBI, 2 2B.
  • Game 2: Simpson 11, Iowa Wesleyan 3 (F/5) – 2-for-3 (.667), 2 H, 3 RBI, 2 2B, sac fly.
  • Game 3: Simpson 7, Nebraska Wesleyan 1 – 3-for-3 (1.000), 2 H, 2B, BB, 2 SB.
  • Game 4: Simpson 12, Nebraska Wesleyan 3 (F/6) – 2-for-3 (.667), 2 H, 2B, BB, 2 SB.
  • Game 5: Simpson 5, Nebraska Wesleyan 2 – 1-for-4 (.250), H.
  • Simpson improves to 9-9 in conference play and 12-14 on the season, sitting tied for fourth in the A-R-C.
  • Richmond is the first Simpson athlete to earn Softball Position Player of the Week since Megan Crockett on April 22, 2019.
  • It marks the first-career Position Player of the Week accolade for the junior.
 
Men’s Tennis – Player of the Week15090
Cole Schneider, Luther College
Sr., Coralville, Iowa/Iowa City West
  • Schneider was 2-0 at both singles and doubles for the week as he helped Luther to victories over Wartburg (9-0) and Coe (6-3).
  • In doubles, playing with Nyathi Motlojoa at No. 1, the duo defeated Gregor Kincaid and Jackson Eells of Wartburg (8-2) and Rami Hemaidan and Bo Wilson of Coe (8-4).
  • Motlojoa and Schneider are currently ranked No. 4 in the Central Region.
  • In singles, the senior defeated Jackson Eels at No. 2 (6-2, 6-2) and Jon Lansing of Coe at No. 2 (6-3, 6-1).
  • The two wins this week puts the Norse atop the league standings with a perfect record of 6-0, sitting 9-4 overall.
  • Schneider is garnering his fifth career Player of the Week honor and first of 2021 (4/26/21, 3/9/20, 2/10/20, 3/18/18, 2/18/18).
 
Women’s Tennis – Player of the Week14599
Anna Wanek, Simpson College
Jr., Urbandale, Iowa/Dowling Catholic
  • Wanek is earning back-to-back Player of the Week for the Storm, after remaining perfect (19-0) at No. 1 singles in her first season with the Storm.
  • On Saturday, the junior tallied the team’s lone victory in an 8-1 loss to Iowa Central Community College, winning 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).
  • The Storm enter this year’s A-R-C AQ tournament as the No. 3-seed.
  • The Dowling Catholic prep was named 2020 A-R-C Most Valuable Player.
  • This is the Wanek’s fourth Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honor (4/19/21, 10/19/20, 10/5/20, 9/28/20).
 
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week15080
Kyle Ott, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Jr., Henderson, Neb./Heartland
  • Ott recorded the best hammer throw in the A-R-C this season on Thursday with a mark of 172’-4” at the Prairie Wolf Invite.
  • The performance was third in the meet, behind two NAIA automatic qualifying throws.
  • No teams scores were kept at the event.
  • This marks Ott’s first-career Men’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Week accolade and the first for NWU since Malik Morris earned the honor on April 8, 2018.
 
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week15086
Carly Fischer, Loras College
Sr., Kingston, Ill./Genoa-Kingston
  • Fischer won the hammer throw at Simpson’s Kip Janvrin Invite on Saturday (50.11 meters) which ranks seventh on Loras’ all-time list.
  • The throw also sits 24th in Division III this season.
  • She also placed fifth in the discus, throwing 39.71 meters.
  • Fischer is collecting her first-career Women’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Week honor.
  • Elyse Acompanado was the last Duhawk to earn Women’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Week (5/14/17).

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week14983
Alyssa Pfadenhauer, Loras College
Fr., West Burlington, Iowa/Danville
  • In her Drake Relays debut, Pfadenhauer ran the second-fastest time in Division III and fourth in program history in the 400-meter dash (56.20 seconds).
  • She teamed up with Marion Edwards, Stevie Lambe, and Elayna Bahl to run 3:50.71 in the 4x400-meter relay, placing fourth with the nation’s second-fastest time.
  • The 4x400-meter relay time also ranks seventh fastest all-time in Loras program history.
  • Pfadenhauer is earning her first-career Women’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Week accolade.
  • Loras has taken home all three Women’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Week honors this season.
 
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