CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Loras College track & field athlete Grace Alley (Seneca, Ill./Seneca) and Buena Vista track & field athlete Kyle Miller (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) have been named American Rivers Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 4, 2024. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, and wrestling. Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week
Grace Alley, Loras College
Sr., Seneca, Ill./Seneca

• The Duhawks competed at the Illinois Wesleyan Keck Indoor Invitational over the weekend.
• No. 2-ranked Loras placed third among ten competing teams with 101 points.
• In the 400-meter race, Alley crossed the finish line first out of 22 racers, posting a time of 58.45.
• This time is the sixth all-time in school history and currently ranks 18^th on the Division III indoor performance list.
• Alley finished first out of 20 competitors in high jump, recording a mark of 1.75m (5-8.75) to set a personal best and tie the conference record.
• The senior ranks first in Division III for her high jump mark.
• Alley finished off the meet competing in the 60-meter hurdles where she finished third with a time of 9.24.
• Loras will be back in action on Saturday when they compete at the Midwest Elite event hosted by Wisconsin-Whitewater.
• She was named Women’s Field MVP at last year’s conference championship.
• The Seneca, Illinois native is picking up her third career Women’s Indoor Field Performer of the Week honor (12/13/21, 2/28/22, 2/5/24). Additionally, she has collected three Outdoor Field Performer of the Week honors in her career (5/17/21, 4/25/22, 4/3/23).

Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week
Kyle Miller, Buena Vista University
Sr., Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle

• The Buena Vista University Beavers competed at the Wartburg College Indoor Select this past weekend where they finished fourth as a team.
• Miller took home the title in the 800-meter run as he finished in 1:52.39.
• He set a new meet record and a new school record as he moved into No. 3 in Division III this season.
• The Beavers hit the road this weekend as they head to Brookings, S.D. to compete at the SDSU Indoor Classic.
• This mark’s the Carlisle, Iowa native’s first-career Men’s Indoor Track Performer of the Week honors. Additionally, this is the first BVU student-athlete to pick up Men’s Indoor Track Performer of the Week since January of 2016.

Men’s Basketball – Player of the Week
Josh Van Gorp, Central College
Sr., C, Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian

• Van Gorp had another big week for the Dutch as they picked up two key conference wins.
• On Wednesday, Central picked up their first win over Buena Vista (104-89).
• Shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe, he had 21 points.
• Grabbing ten rebounds gave him a double-double while also recording one assist, one steal, and one block.
• Taking the court against No. 20-ranked Loras, Central showed no fear and won 90-65.
• Van Gorp recorded another double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds.
• Additionally, he had one block and one assist in the victory while shooting 79%.
• He continues to lead Division III in field goals (216), fourth in field goal percentage (67.1%), fifth in scoring (23.4), and 14^th in rebounding (11.0).
• The Dutch have the week off until Saturday when they travel to Dubuque for an important A-R-C contest.
• Van Gorp was the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player in the A-R-C.
• This is the Pella, Iowa native’s fifth Player of the Week accolade of his career, including back-to-back honors (12/5/22, 12/19/22, 1/9/23, 1/29/24, 2/5/24).

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Women’s Basketball – Player of the Week
Cassie Nash, Simpson College
Sr., G, Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast

• Nash led the Storm to a 1-1 week in conference action.
• Simpson began the week falling to Coe College, 63-54.
• Nash was 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free throw line to record 19 points.
• She had 14 rebounds to record a double-double.
• Additionally, she had four steals, two assists, and one block.
• On Saturday, Simpson bounced back with a 77-66 win over Luther.
• The senior shot 65% from the field to post 30 points.
• To have another double-double on the week, Nash had a career-high 17 rebounds.
• Over the Norse, Nash had seven steals, four blacks, and three assists in the win.
• She averaged 24.5ppg, 15.5rpg, and 5.5spg on the week as she recorded two double-doubles.
• The Storm moved to 12-9 overall and 7-5 in A-R- C action.
• Simpson will back on the floor tonight, Monday, February 5, in a makeup game from January at Loras College to begin a busy week of games. Wednesday the Storm host Nebraska Wesleyan and then they face Loras again on Saturday.
• Nash was named the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year.
• The senior guard is garnering her fifth Player of the Week honor in her career (3/15/21, 2/14/22, 2/6/23, 2/12/23, 2/5/24).

Men’s Swim & Dive – Performer of the Week
Colin Halverson, Luther College
So., Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek

• On Saturday, the Norse travelled to Cedar Rapids to take on Coe and picked up a 226-26 victory.
• Halverson broke the Luther three-meter, six-dive record that was previously set in 1983, with a score of 276.70.
• In the one-meter dive, Halverson posted a score of 284.70 to break the Coe College pool record and hit the NCAA Division III Regional Diving qualification mark for the first time this season.
• The sophomore won both the three-meter and one-meter dives.
• Halverson and the Norse will be back in the pool in a few weeks for the A-R-C Championship, hosted by Luther College.
• Halverson was named the 2023 Diver of the Meet.
• The Oak Creek, Wisconsin native is garnering his fifth Performer of the Week honors (11/7/22, 11/22/22, 1/23/23, 11/6/23, 2/5/24).

Women’s Swim & Dive – Performer of the Week
Mia Prater, Luther College
Fr., Superior, Colo./Monarch

• The Norse picked up a 203-84 victory on Saturday over Coe.
• Prater won all four of the events she competed in.
• In the 100-yard backstroke, she posted the tenth fastest time on Luther’s all-time list with a time of 1:01.06.
• The 200-yard medley relay team posted a time of 1:56.01.
• The freshman hit the wall with a time of 54.05 in the 100-yard freestyle.
• In her final event, she swam in the 200-yard free relay, where the quad finished with a time of 1:44.33.
• Prater and the Norse will now take some time off and prepare for the A-R-C Championships on February 22-24 in Decorah.
• This is the Superior, Colorado native’s second time earning Performer of the Week honors (10/23/23, 2/5/24).

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Men’s Tennis – Player of the Week
Eli Young, Luther College
Jr., Tiffin, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana

• Tennis season is now upon us and the Luther Norse picked up their first win of the spring season over Wabash (8-1).
• Young teamed up with Lev van Hemert to pick up a No. 2 doubles win over Cole Borden and Liam Grennon (8-1).
• At No. 6 singles, the junior picked up a 7-5, 6-3 win over Eduardo Werneck.
• Luther is 1-0 overall.
• The Norse will be back on the courts this Friday against Wisconsin-Whitewater followed up Saturday beginning conference action against Simpson and non-conference action against Grinnell, Monmouth, and Wheaton as they team competes in both Decorah, Iowa and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin this weekend.
• Young was named honorable mention all-conference a season ago.
• The Tiffin, Iowa native is collecting his first career Men’s Tennis Player of the Week honor.

Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week
Eli Mackowski, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Jr., Fountain Hills, Ariz./Desert Mountain

• Mackowski and the Prairie Wolves competed Saturday at the Fred Beile Classic at Doane University.
• The junior posted a mark of 2.08m (6-09.75) in high jump to finish second out of 12 competitors.
• This mark currently ranks third in Division III and sixth all-time in Nebraska Wesleyan program history.
• The Prairie Wolves will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Brookings, S.D. for the SDSU Classic.
• This is the first time the Fountain Hills, Arizona native is earning Indoor Field Performer of the Week accolades, and first for NWU since 2020.

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Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week
Distance Medley Relay, Wartburg College
Aubrie Fisher, Fifth Yr., Ackley, Iowa/AGWSR
Rachel Nagel, Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Jefferson
Ellie Meyer, Jr., Iowa Falls, Iowa/Iowa Falls-Alden
Lexi Brown, Fifth Yr., New London, Iowa/New London Junior-Senior

• The No. 8-ranked Wartburg College Knights hosted their Indoor Select Meet over the weekend.
• The Knights won the meet out of ten teams, recording 274 total points.
• The DMR team won the race, finishing with a 11:44.60 time.
• The relay team’s time currently is the fastest in Division III by over 35 seconds.
• The Knights are back in action this Saturday at Boston University.
• This is the first time Wartburg’s DMR team has received Women’s Track Performers of the Week honor for the indoor season.

Wrestling - Wrestler of the Week
Matt Rogge, Wartburg College
Jr., 184lbs., Eastman, Wis./Prairie du Chein

• In a battle of the unbeatens in the A-R-C, the Wartburg College Knights came out on top over Coe College on Friday night (40-3).
• In the 184-pound weight class, Rogge won by tech fall over Coe’s No. 12-ranked Jared Voss (15-0).
• This was the junior’s fourth tech fall of the season.
• The No. 2/2-ranked Knights are now 14-1 overall and 7-0 in conference duals.
• Wartburg will be back on the mat on Friday night when they travel to face Loras. A win for the Knights and they will be conference champions for the 41^st time in program history.
• The Eastman, Wisconsin native is picking up his first Wrestler of the Week honor in his career.