Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week – CASSIE NASH, Simpson College
Nash netted a hat trick to lead the Storm to a win over Central on the road to open their conference season. She scored in the fifth, 57th, and 65th minutes for her fifth career hat trick. Simpson is undefeated through nine games for the first time in program history.
Simpson defeated Central 3-1
Male Athlete of the Week – Football Offensive Player of the Week – J JENSEN III, Simpson College
Jensen completed 32 of 41 passes for a season-high 343 yards. He threw five touchdowns and had zero interceptions. He led Simpson to its first win over Loras since 2018. The victory was also the team’s largest margin of victory over any opponent since 2012.
Simpson defeated Loras 66-14
Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week – COLE LEGGETT, Simpson College
Leggett took home tenth place out of 170 total runners at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational. He crossed the line with a time of 27:01.1 to finish 50 seconds behind first place. The Storm finished fourth out of 11 teams with 86 team points.
Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week – TEAGHAN BOOTH, Simpson College
Booth finished runner-up out of 101 total runners at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational with a time of 23:29.7, 50 seconds behind first place. Simpson finished as team champions out of ten teams with 50 team points.
Football Defensive Player of the Week – CJ HANGARTNER, Simpson College
Hangartner did a little bit of everything to lead the Storm to its first win over Loras since 2018. He recorded five tackles, including two for loss, 0.5 sack, and a quarterback hurry. He was responsible for a blocked punt at the five-yard line which led to a one-yard rushing touchdown for Simpson. Additionally, he intercepted a pass on a fourth down play in the second quarter.
Simpson defeated Loras 66-14
Football Special Teams Player of the Week – BEN BRYANT, Wartburg College
Bryant had four punt returns for 63 yards, with a long of 25-yards. He recorded one touchdown in the No. 13/15-nationally ranked Knights win.
No. 13/15 Wartburg defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 34-0
Women’s Golfer of the Week – KYE DAYWITT, Coe College
Daywitt tied the 18-hole Coe College record on Thursday in a dual against Mount Mercy. She fired a two-over par 74 to finish second on the individual leaderboard. Her round featured five birdies, including four on the back nine. She posted a 41 on the front then a blazing three-under 33 on the back.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week – JAVIER PASTOR VALLS, Luther College
Pastor Valls scored two goals in the Norse 3-1 win over Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday for his first multi-goal game of the season and just the second of his career. He was in action for 82 minutes.
Luther defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 3-1
Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week – BEN KROGMAN, Loras College
Krogman recorded two penalty kick saves against Wisconsin-Platteville and recorded a shutout against Buena Vista in the conference opener for the Duhawks. In the goal, he recorded seven saves and faced 22 shots.
Loras tied with Wisconsin-Platteville 1-1
Loras defeated Buena Vista 5-0
Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week – CHRISTINA SALERNO, Loras College
Salerno helped earn the Duhawks two more shutout victories to bump their shutout total to nine this season. The Duhawks, with the guidance of Salerno, limited (RV) Carleton to four total shots and Buena Vista to zero total shots. The Loras defense has not allowed a goal in a contest this season.
No. 20 Loras defeated (RV) Carleton 1-0
No. 20 Loras defeated Buena Vista 7-0
Women’s Tennis Player of the Week – ABBY OSTERMANN, Luther College
Ostermann finished the week 6-1, finishing 4-0 in singles and 3-1 in doubles. The Norse had three conference matches this week and one non-conference match as they clinched at least a share of the league title on Saturday against Nebraska Wesleyan. Ostermann defeated Leia Papanicholas of Loras 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. She paired up with Riley O’Donnell to defeat Buena Vista’s Taylor Fritz and Macy Weller 6-0, at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 singles, Ostermann took down Hailey Meseck of Buena Vista 6-1, 6-0. She paired up again with O’Donnell to defeat Addi Duranski and Crystal Craft of Nebraska Wesleyan, 6-2. She took down Parker Brown of Nebraska Wesleyan at No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-1. Her lone loss on the week came in non-conference action against the duo of Amelia Asfaw and Mariam Nechiporuk of Carleton, 6-0. Ostermann finished her stellar week with a win over Miriam Shteyman of Carleton in singles, 6-1, 6-3.
Luther defeated Loras 7-0
Luther defeated Buena Vista 7-0
Luther defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 7-0
Luther lost to Carleton 2-5
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week – AUTUMN FINCH, Loras College
Finch totaled 42 kills, 21 total blocks, 19 digs, and four service aces in a 1-2 week for the Duhawks. She currently leads the conference in blocks per set with 1.12.
Loras lost to Cornell 2-3
Loras lost to Edgewood 0-3
Loras defeated Wisconsin-La Crosse 3-1
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week – ALLISON FEIGENBAUM, Wartburg College
Feigenbaum had a standout week for the Knights. She hit a blistering .492 on the week as Wartburg posted a 2-1 record. She added 34 kills and seven blocks.
Wartburg defeated Grinnell 3-1
Wartburg lost to Wisconsin-Platteville 0-3
Wartburg defeated Augustana (Ill.) 3-1
Weekly Report
The soccer conference season got underway over the weekend. Dubuque, Loras, and Luther men’s soccer programs got out to a good start beginning the conference slate with wins. On the women’s side, Loras, Simpson, and Wartburg all began the conference schedule with a win.
After another weekend of conference football, Coe and Wartburg remain the two unbeaten teams in A-R-C action. This week's football slate includes Buena Vista traveling to Nebraska Wesleyan, Central hosting Simpson, Loras hosting Coe, and Luther heading to Dubuque.
The conference volleyball schedule tips off this Tuesday with Wartburg hosting Buena Vista and Coe hosting Luther. On Wednesday night, Loras and Dubuque will square off while Simpson will head to Nebraska Wesleyan. Friday, Central and Luther take the court.
The A-R-C Women’s Golf Championship will tee off on Saturday, October 5 from Ames Golf & Country Club in Ames, Iowa. More information regarding the championship can be found on the championship page with a preview of the championship being released on Friday.
The A-R-C partnered with FanWord earlier this summer, an AI storytelling platform, and will be using the platform throughout the academic year to enhance the storytelling of student-athletes, alumni, coaches, and many others. Fans, student-athletes, and coaches are encouraged to contact Ali Wilson, A-R-C Assistant Commissioner, if they have a compelling story.
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.
