Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Wrestler of the Week – ALEX HOFRICHTER, University of Dubuque
Hofrichter and the Spartans competed at the Cliff Keen Mike Duroe Invitational at Cornell College over the weekend ahead of the inaugural A-R-C women’s wrestling championship. She finished atop the podium after picking up one tech fall, one win by forfeit, and three wins by fall. Her fall victories came in times of 1:20, 1:28, and 2:37.
Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week – KAMEN RANGELOV, Coe College
Rangelov continued an incredible season for the Kohawks over the weekend at the Grinnell College Invite. He posted four record-setting times throughout the competition. His weekend began on Friday with victories in the 200 breast and 100 IM. Both times broke the meet records while his 200 breast time of 2:02.99 was a meet, school, and conference record. He followed with two more school record marks on Saturday, picking up his third individual victory in the 100 breast while placing fourth in the 50 free. His time of 56.62 in the 100 breast gave him the top spot on the podium while his record-breaking mark of 21.32 in the 50 free earned him a fourth-place finish.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week – GAVIN SARVIS, Loras College
Sarvis averaged 28 points in a pair of conference wins for the Duhawks last week. He put up a career-high 40 points, shooting 13-of-21 from the field and 6-of-13 from three in the Loras victory over Simpson on Saturday. He added ten rebounds, two steals, and six assists to his stat line.
Loras defeated Luther 61-48
Loras defeated Simpson 100-72
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week – MOLLY LUTMER, Simpson College
Lutmer averaged 16 points and 4.5 rebounds to help Simpson to two conference wins over the last week. She hit six three-pointers in a dominant win over Loras, including five in just the first half. She moved into fifth all-time at Simpson with eight three-pointers on the week.
Simpson defeated Buena Vista 77-55
Simpson defeated Loras 83-52
Women’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week – ELENA LAZZARETTO, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lazzaretto played a key role in the women’s team finishing second overall at the Grinnell Invite with 674.5 points in a competitive field. She finished first in the 100 IM, breaking the school record in the prelims with a time of 1:00.11. She recorded a second-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay, contributing to a school record time of 8:01.70. She posted two third place finishes on the weekend. The first came in the 50-yard freestyle with a 24.57 time and the second came in the 400 IM with a time of 4:50.13.
Men's Indoor Track & Field - Field Performer of the Week – CHRIS BAKER, Coe College
Baker had a record-breaking day at North Central College’s Pat Heenan Invitational on Saturday as he set a new school record in the weight throw to lead the Kohawks. Baker obliterated the previous school record mark with a new distance of 18.31m. Baker’s throw is currently eighth best in Division III and one of just 12 athletes to register a throw of 18m-plus. Baker placed second in the weight throw but also finished third in the shot put with an impressive toss of 15.36m. The throw is his personal best and the third longest in school history.
Men's Indoor Track & Field - Track Performer of the Week – KYLE MILLER, Buena Vista University
Miller and the Beavers competed at the Mount Marty Open on Saturday. Miller made his debut this season in the 800m run after qualifying to the NCAA Indoor National Meet a year ago. He posted a time of 4:27.02 and won by nearly a full three seconds.
Women's Indoor Track & Field - Field Performer of the Week – TAYLOR FLAIG, Loras College
Flaig competed at the Bumble Rumble over the weekend. She finished second in the weight throw after a 17.95 mark. She grabbed a fourth place finish out of 49 after a 13.01 mark in shot put.
Women's Indoor Track & Field - Track Performer of the Week - EMMA SEIPEL, Loras College
Seipel and the Duhawks competed at the Bumble Rumble on Saturday. She picked up three individual wins at the event. She won the long jump with a mark of 5.76 meters. Her triple jump victory win came from a mark of 11.40 meters. Her final win was in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.67 time.
Men’s Wrestler of the Week – KYLER ROMERO, Wartburg College
Romero moved up to 149lbs and went 5-0 to win the Cliff Keen Mike Duroe Invitational at Cornell College. All of his victories came by bonus victories. Romero moved his season record to 19-0. He recorded two wins by fall in 4:18 and just 42 seconds. He picked up two tech fall victories and one major decision win.
Weekly Report
The conference is nearing the mid-point of the conference slate. A big game is slated for Wednesday evening as Dubuque and Loras face off. On the men’s side, these two are tied atop the standings at 6-1.
On the women’s basketball side, the Wartburg Knights hold a two game lead in the conference standings over Coe and Luther.
The A-R-C prepares for the inaugural women’s wrestling championship on Saturday, January 25. Also on Saturday, is the annual men’s wrestling dual pods at Central and Simpson.
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.
