CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Loras College men’s golfer Jake Peiser (Niles, Ill./Niles West) and Loras College women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Stevie Lambe, Marion Edwards, Elayna Bahl, and Alyssa Pfadenhauer have been named American Rivers Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 2, 2021. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in baseball, men’s golf, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.  
Female Athletes of the Week – Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week
4x400-Meter Relay Team, Loras College
Stevie Lambe, Jr., Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque Senior
Marion Edwards, Jr., Chicago, Ill./DeLaSalle Institute
Elayna Bahl, Jr., Epworth, Iowa/Western Dubuque
Alyssa Pfadenhauer, Fr., West Burlington, Iowa/Danille

• The 4-by-400-meter relay team won the race at the Wartburg College Friday Night Lights Meet on April 30 with a school record and the nation's second fastest time (3:44.87).
• The time ranks second in Division III by only .04 seconds and is just shy of cracking into the top-ten all-time list for Division III history (tenth fastest is 3:43.75).
• The Duhawks finished third at the meet.
• Three of the runners (Lambe, Edwards and Pfadenhauer, and Terrianna Black) were on the 4-by-100-meter relay team that set the third-fastest time in Division III (47.60) at the meet.
• This is the second time this Outdoor season that a relay team has earned Outdoor Track Performer(s) of the Week honors, both from Loras (April 5, 4x100-meter relay team).

 
Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Golf – Golfer of the Week
Jake Peiser, Loras College
Sr., Niles, Ill./Niles West

• Peiser won the 2021 A-R-C Men’s Golf Individual Title with a 72-hole score of 290 (71-76-72-71), helping guide the Duhawks to a second-place team finish.
• After shooting a day one 36-hole score of 147 (71-76), just one stroke of the lead, he took sole possession of the lead after round three and never looked back.
• The senior is the fifth conference champion and the first since 2012, marking the second-lowest score for a conference champion (Peter Weber, 2005, 286).
• The Duhawk team finish is the highest team placing since 2011 when the Duhawks finished third.
• The Niles, Ill. native is the first Duhawk to earn Golfer of the Week honors since Jake Garbner on April 22, 2018.
• Peiser is garnering his first-career Men’s Golf Golfer of the Week accolade.

 
Baseball – Pitcher of the Week
Brady Held, Simpson College
Jr., P, Indianola, Iowa

• Held tossed a complete-game four hitter in Simpson’s 3-1 win at Luther on Sunday to snap a seven-game winning streak for the Norse.
• For the third time all season Luther was held to one run, the first time by an A-R-C opponent.
• The junior had nine strikeouts in the victory, while picking up his third win of the season.
• Game 1: Simpson 3, Luther 1 – GS (CG), W (3-3), 7.0 IP, 4 H, R (ER), 1.00 ERA, 3 BB, 9 K, .154 BAA, 29-batters faced.
• Held is the first pitcher for Simpson to earn Pitcher of the Week honors this season, the last being Brady Leonard on March 2, 2020 in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
• The Indianola, Iowa native is collecting his second career weekly honor (5/3/21, 3/11/19).

Baseball – Position Player of the Week
Derek Kolbush, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Sr., INF, Lincoln, Neb./Pius X

• In the series opening game against Central, Kolbush drove in eight RBIs in NWU’s win over the Dutch.
• He hit a grand slam, a double, and a single to drive in his runs on the afternoon.
• He finished the series with 10 RBIs, six hits, and two home runs with four runs scored with a .429 average.
• Game 1: Nebraska Wesleyan 13, Central 1 – 3-for-5 (.600), R, 3 H, 8 RBI, 2B, HR (grand slam), 9-putouts.
• Game 2: Central 8, Nebraska Wesleyan 7 – 2-for-4 (.500), R, 2 H, HR, BB (IBB), 9-putouts.
• Game 3: Central 4, Nebraska Wesleyan 3 (F/9) – 0-for-2 (.000), R, 2 BB, SB, sac.
• Game 4: Central 8, Nebraska Wesleyan 3 – 1-for-3 (.333), R, H, 2B, BB, 5-putouts.
• The senior is the second Prairie Wolf to earn Position Player of the Week honors this season as Kaleb Knox has won it on March 15 and April 19.
• Kolbush is garnering his first-career Position Player of the Week honor.

 
Softball – Pitcher Player of the Week
Kendra Cooper, Luther College
Jr., P, Lansing, Iowa/Kee High

• Cooper picked up two wins this week during the three-game series against Simpson, winning both games she pitched.
• In game one of the series, she pitched nine innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out nine as Luther posted a 7-4 victory.
• In the rubber match, she allowed one unearned run on four hits and struck out six as Luther won 7-1.
• She improves her record on the season to 12-5.
• Game 1: Luther 7, Simpson 4 (F/9) – GS (CG), W (11-5), 9.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 9 K, .216 BAA, 42-batters faced.
• Game 3: Luther 7, Simpson 1 – GS (CG), W (12-5), 7.0 IP, 4 H, R (unearned), 3 BB, 6 K, .154 BAA, 30-batters faced.
• Cooper is collecting her third Softball Pitcher of the Week honor, first since March 8.
• The junior now has four Pitcher of the Week honors in her Luther career (5/3/21, 3/8/21, 3/1/21, 3/2/20).

 
Softball – Position Player of the Week
Kaci Sherwood, Wartburg College
Sr., 1B, Milo, Iowa/Martensdale St. Mary’s

• Wartburg senior Kaci Sherwood led the Knights to a weekend sweep at Loras College, compiling a .714 batting average with five hits in seven at-bats.
• Over the series, the senior hit her fifth home run of the season, which broke a Wartburg single-season record.
• Sherwood breaks Mara Forsyth’s program record of 14 set in 2017.
• Additionally, Sherwood now owns the conference homerun record at 10 and counting.
• Game 1: Wartburg 10, Loras 0 (F/5) – 2-for-2 (1.000), 3 R, 2 H, RBI, HR, BB, 6-putouts.
• Game 2: Wartburg 11, Loras 3 (F/5) – 2-for-2 (1.000), R, 2 H, 2-putouts.
• Game 3: Wartburg 9, Loras 0 (F/5) – 1-for-3 (.333), R, H, RBI, HR.
• Sherwood is earning her third Position Player of the Week honor of the 2021 season and her fourth-career honor (5/3/21,3/29/21, 3/1/21, 3/2/20).

 
Men’s Tennis – Player of the Week
Cole Schneider, Luther College
Sr., Coralville, Iowa/Iowa City West

• Schneider helped lead Luther to a 3-0 week this past week, including claiming the Norse’s first regular season championship since 2011.
• The senior was undefeated in both singles and doubles, as Luther defeated Loras (9-0), Buena Vista (9-0), and Augustana (7-2).
• In singles play, Schneider defeated Loras’ Riley Collins (6-2, 6-1) at No. 2, Augustana’s Peter Alex (6-3, 7-6 (7-1)), and Danny Kramer of BVU (6-1, 6-2).
• At No. 1 doubles with his partner Nyathii Motlojoa, the duo defeated Blomquist/Kampmier of Loras (8-4), Alex/Boudreau of Augustana (8-2).
• In the BVU match, Schneider teamed up Brook Norwood at No. 1, defeating the Beaver’s Kramer/Schrader (8-0).
• The senior is now 15-4 in singles and 13-2 in doubles for the year.
• The Coralville, Iowa native is picking up back-to-back Men’s Tennis Player of the Week honors.
• Schneider is garnering his sixth career Player of the Week honor and second of 2021 (5/3/21, 4/26/21, 3/9/20, 2/10/20, 3/18/18, 2/18/18).

 
Women’s Tennis – Player of the Week
Devon Bourget, Luther College
Sr., Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial

• Bourget helped lead Luther to the A-R-C AQ Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA III National Tournament.
• Luther defeated both Central and Wartburg 5-0 in the semifinals and championship match respectively.
• Bourget played with Shelby Cook at No. 1 doubles and the duo defeated Olivia Phillips and Madison Overmann of Wartburg (8-4) and Karleigh Schilling and Alyssa Lewton of Central (8-4).
• Due to the Conference’s NCAA Automatic Qualifier tournament being played to decision, both of Bourget’s singles matches at No. 1 were unfinished.
• She was leading (6-1, 2-2) vs. Schilling of Central and (6-2, 5-0) vs. Overmann of Wartburg both at No. 1.
• The senior is now a seven-time Women’s Tennis Player of the Week (5/3/21, 10/14/19, 9/30/19, 9/23/19, 9/16/19, 4/22/19, 9/23/18), on top of being the 2019 A-R-C Most Valuable Player.

 
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week
Sam Beatty, Central College
So., Mount Pleasant, Iowa/Mount Pleasant

• The Dutch competed at the Central Triangular on April 30, finishing second as a team.  
• Beatty recorded a high jump of 6-9/2.06, which won the event while moving up to No. 7 nationally in the high jump.
• The sophomore’s jump also moves into a tie for No. 7 all-time in Central program history.
• Beatty is collecting his first-career Outdoor Field Performer of the Week honor.
• The Central men have now taken home 3-of-5 Field Performer of the Week accolades this season.

 
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week
4x400-Meter Relay Team, Loras College
Shamari Scott, Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Iowa City
Josh Smith, Jr., Dolton, Ill./Marion Catholic
Ted Kruse, Fr., Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque Senior
Mike Jasa, Jr., Fairfax, Iowa/Prairie

• Shamari Scott, Josh Smith, Ted Kruse and Mike Jasa won the 4-by-400-meter relay at the Wartburg College Friday Night Lights meet on April 30 with the fastest time in Division III this season.
• The time also ranked second fastest time in Loras program history (3:12.08).
• As a squad, the Duhawks finished third at the meet.
• The Loras men are currently ranked 8^th in the latest USTFCCA national rankings (released 4.27.21)

 
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week
Terrianna Black, Loras College
Sr., Milwaukee, Wis./Messmer

• Black improved on her national-leading mark in the triple jump at the Wartburg College Friday Night Lights Meet on April 30, winning the event with a leap of 12.28 meters.
• She ranks second all-time for the Duhawks and holds a 0.27m lead over the second-ranked jumped in Division III.
• She won the event on Friday by 0.79 meters and helped the Duhawks to a third-place team finish.
• She also ran on the 4x100-meter relay that ran the third-fastest time in Division III (47.60) and ranks fifth all-time for Loras.
• This marks Black’s first-career Outdoor Field Performer of the Week accolade.
• The Loras women are currently ranked 3^rd in the latest USTFCCCA national rankings (released 4.27.21)