Loras' Rogers and Wartburg's Ciero Named A-R-C Baseball Players of the Week

4/1/2024 1:45:06 PM

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Wartburg College track & field athlete Emma True (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) and Simpson College track & field athlete Spencer Moon (Lake City, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) have been named American Rivers Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 31, 2024. The Conference also announced Performers of the Week in baseball, men’s golf, softball, men’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field.
Female Athlete of the Week - Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week20397
Emma True, Wartburg College
So., Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji
  • True competed at the Good Friday Challenge at her home track at Wartburg on Friday.
  • The Knights finished second with 190.5 points. The winning team was Division I Northern Iowa.
  • True competed in the hammer where she finished third out of 28 competitors.
  • She recorded a mark of 58.05m.
  • Her mark in the hammer currently is the best in Division III this season and set a new Wartburg school record.
  • Additionally, she recorded a mark of 10.69m in the shot put.
  • The sophomore finished 17th in the shot put out of 29 competitors.
  • The Knights are back in action this weekend as they host the Outdoor Select.
  • The Bemidji, Minnesota native is collecting her first career Women’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Week honor.
Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week20068
Spencer Moon, Simpson College
Sr., Lake City, Iowa/South Central Calhoun
  • Moon competed at the Washington University Distance Carnival over the weekend in St. Louis.
  • Moon competed in the 10,000-meter race where he posted a time of 29:18.21.
  • His time lowered his own school record and broke the previous conference record by just over eight seconds.
  • The senior finished runner-up out of 141 runners.
  • Moon is currently ranked third among all Division III student-athletes in the event this season and now ranked 18th all-time.
  • The Storm are back in action this upcoming weekend at the Wartburg Outdoor Select.
  • The Lake City, Iowa native is picking up his second career Outdoor Track Performer of the Week honor (4/24/23, 4/1/24). Additionally, he has earned three Indoor Track Performer honors (1/22/24, 2/12/24, 2/26/24) and three Cross Country Runner of the Week honors (9/6/21, 9/5/23, 9/11/23).
Baseball – Pitcher of the Week20398
Joey Ciero, Wartburg College
Sr., P, Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West
  • Ciero pitched eight scoreless innings to lead the Knights to a 4-0 win over Dubuque.
  • His eight innings of work was a season high in innings pitched.
  • He recorded five strikeouts and allowed six hits on 33 batters faced.
  • The Spartans are now 14-8 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
  • Dubuque is back on the field on April 2 against Loras College.
  • The Glen Ellyn, Illinois native is garnering his first career Pitcher of the Week accolade.
Baseball – Position Player of the Week20399
Daniel Rogers, Loras College
Sr., C/UTL, Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake Central
  • Rogers went 8-for-10 from the plate over two games.
  • Loras went 1-1 on the week picking up a conference win over Wartburg (12-10) and fell in a non-conference contest against nationally ranked (No. 14) Wisconsin-Whitewater (20-10).
  • Game 1: Loras 12, Wartburg 10 – 4-for-5 (.800), four runs, four RBI, 2B, HR, three putouts
  • Game 2: Loras 10, Wisconsin-Whitewater 20 – 4-for-5 (.800), three RBI, two runs, HR, three putouts
  • With his performance over the week, he moved up to second all-time at Loras in career RBIs with 126.
  • Loras is now 12-5 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
  • The Duhawks will be back on the field on Tuesday for a crosstown rival game with Dubuque.
  • The Grayslake, Illinois native is garnering his third career Position Player of the Week accolade in a Duhawk uniform (3/7/22, 5/15/23, 4/1/24).
Men’s Golf – Golfer of the Week20402
Harold Dobernecker, Central College
Sr., Nevada, Iowa/Nevada
  • The Dutch finished sixth at the Garn Championship posting a three-round total of 957 (326-313-318).
  • Dobernecker was the top Division III finisher, shooting 74-75-80 (229).
  • The senior finished in third out of 109 golfers and 11 shots behind first place.
  • The event took place at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky, site of the PGA Barbasol Championship and 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship.
  • Central is back on the course this week when they travel to Illinois for the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational at Ironwood and Weibring.
  • This mark’s the Nevada, Iowa native’s second career Golfer of the Week accolade (4/26/21, 4/1/24).
Softball – Pitcher Player of the Week20295
Olivia Engler, Luther College
Jr., P, Atlantic, Iowa/Atlantic
  • Engler continues her dominance this spring picking up three more wins this weekend in 14.1 innings pitched.
  • Luther picked up two wins over Monmouth (10-0, 8-2) and two more wins over Illinois College (11-0, 13-0).
  • The junior recorded 15 strikeouts and only allowed five hits while in the circle.
  • Engler is now 9-3 on the season.
  • The Norse are now 15-5 overall.
  • They begin their conference slate on Wednesday this week when they host Loras.
  • Engler is picking up her third career Pitcher of the Week recognition (3/4/24, 3/25/24, 4/1/24).
Softball – Position Player of the Week20400
Ashlyn Steen, Simpson College
So., CF, Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon
  • Steen was the driving force at the plate for the Storm as they swept Grinnell to extend the team’s winning streak to 12.
  • Game 1: Simpson 6, Grinnell 5 – 2-for-3 (.667), run, RBI
  • Game 2: Simpson 6, Grinnell 1 – 5-for-5 (1.000), two RBI, run, 3B, two putouts
  • Steen was a combined 7-for-8 at the plate, which included going a perfect 5-for-5 in game two.
  • The sophomore drove in three runs and added a triple, including hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly in game one.
  • The Storm are now 17-5 overall.
  • Steen and Simpson will be back on the dirt this Wednesday and Saturday in conference action when they host Buena Vista and Dubuque.
  • This is the first time Steen is earning Position Player of the Week in her career.
Men’s Tennis – Player of the Week20401
Ivan Burt-Smith, Coe College
So., Selkrik, Scotland
  • Burt-Smith was a perfect 2-0 in Coe’s narrow lose to Carleton on Sunday (5-4).
  • He picked up a win at No. 2 singles over Jing Baiyun 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.
  • He paired up with Jumpei Kasai at No. 1 doubles to defeat Cooper Kline and Jack Rivkin 8-7.
  • The sophomore has improved his singles record to 5-7 this season.
  • The Kohawks are on the court next on Sunday, April 7 when they head to Wisconsin to take on Wisconsin-Whitewater.
  • Coe is 7-8 overall this season and 1-0 in the A-R-C.
  • Burt-Smith is collecting his first career Men’s Tennis Player of the Week honor.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week20403
Kale Purcell, Central College
Jr., Holton, Kan./Holton
  • Holton competed at the Central Dutch Invitational on Thursday.
  • He competed in the triple jump where his best mark came at 14.09m.
  • The junior finished first out of six student-athletes.
  • His mark currently ranks seventh in Division III this season.
  • The Dutch are back in action this weekend in Waverly, Iowa at the Wartburg Outdoor Select.
  • The Holton, Kansas native is taking home his first career Outdoor Field Performer of the Week accolade and first for Central since 2019.
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – Track Performer of the Week20097
Caroline McMartin, Central College
Sr., Pella, Iowa/Pella
  • Pella was in action this past weekend at the Washington University Distance Carnival.
  • The senior posted the fastest time in Division III this season while breaking her own school record by 21 seconds in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:29.21.
  • McMartin finished third out of 209 runners, with the only athletes in front of her from Kansas State and Spewak Racing.
  • Central will be back on the track this upcoming weekend at the Wartburg Outdoor Select.
  • The Pella, Iowa native is collecting her second career Women’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Week honor (4/10/23, 4/1/24). Additionally, she has picked up one Indoor Track Performer of the Week honor (1/29/24) and has earned Cross Country Runner of the Week six times in her career (9/27/21, 9/12/22, 9/26/22, 9/5/23, 9/11/23, 9/25/23).
Don't forget to become a fan of the American Rivers Conference on Facebook @AmericanRiversConference, X (Twitter) @AmerRiversConf, and Instagram @AmericanRiversConference.
 About the American Rivers Conference
The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.