Athletes of the Week & Weekly Report Announced by A-R-C - October 13, 2025

10/13/2025 3:55:00 PM

By: Ali Wilson, A-R-C Assistant Commissioner

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Coe College women’s tennis student-athlete Sophia Fain and Wartburg College men’s soccer student-athlete Flori Gembo have been named American Rivers Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending October 12, 2025. The A-R-C weekly awards are nominated and voted on by the league’s sports information departments. The conference office then selects the female and male athletes of the week based upon sport performers of the week. 

Female Athlete of the Week - Women’s Tennis - Performer of the Week - Sophia Fain (Waterloo, Iowa/Columbus), Coe College

  • Fain won her second straight A-R-C A-Singles Individual Championship over the weekend, entering the tournament as the top seed. 

  • Additionally, she reached the A-Doubles championship match with partner Alice Tysoe but fell to teammates Addison Leasure and Aisha Gurung. 

  • She was 4-0 in singles action and 3-1 in doubles at the tournament. 

Male Athlete of the Week - Men’s Soccer - Offensive Performer of the Week - Flori Gembo (Coralville, Iowa/Liberty), Wartburg College

  • Gembo recorded his first career hat trick in a 5-2 conference win over the Univ. of Dubuque. 

  • This was the first hat trick in the Wartburg program since 2021. 

  • He helped guide the Knights to a 1-1 week in conference action. 

Men’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Michel Heinrich (Hanover, Germany/Kaiser Wilhelm Ratsgym), Luther College

  • Heinrich finished third out of 88 runners at the Coach Finanger Invitational, a 4k event.

  • He crossed the finish line in 12:30.4. 

  • The Norse finished first out of six teams with 31 team points. 

Women’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Mari Paulsen (Eagan, Minn./Eagan), Luther College

  • Paulsen finished sixth out of 78 runners at the Coach Finanger Invitational, a 4k event. 

  • She finished in a time of 15:40.0. 

  • Luther finished second out of six programs with a team score of 50. 

Football - Defensive Player of the Week - Will Speltz (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago), Loras College

  • Speltz recorded 14 total tackles, nine assists and five solo against Nebraska Wesleyan in the Duhawks first win of the season. 

  • Additionally, he added four sacks and four tackles for loss. 

Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Meven Obregon (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista), Buena Vista University

  • Obregon set a career-high and game-high in rushing yards with 165. 

  • Additionally, he had a season-high 22 carries. 

  • It marks the program’s highest single-game individual rushing total since 2022. 

  • He got the scoring going in under two minutes with a 42-yard touchdown run. 

Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Aiden Konig (Danville, Ill./Danville), Loras College

  • Konig was perfect on PATs. 

  • He recorded the 37-yard game-winning field goal with just four seconds remaining to push the Duhawks to its first win of the season. 

Men’s Soccer - Defensive Performer of the Week - Alejo Marcon (Resistencia, Argentina/Pella Christian), Central College

  • Marcon scored the game-winning goal against Wartburg during a 1-0 conference win. 

  • He played all 180 minutes of action during Central’s 1-0-1 week. 

Women’s Soccer - Defensive Performer of the Week -Maia Jaroch (Omaha, Neb./Westside), Rosemount), Buena Vista

  • Jaroch went 1-1 in the goal during the week in conference action. 

  • She had a career-high 18 saves in the match against Luther which is tied for fifth all-time in Beaver program history. 

Women’s Soccer - Offensive Performer of the Week - Katie Callahan (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), Loras College

  • Callahan scored two goals back-to-back in the 5-0 win over Luther. 

  • She added an assist to the game-winning goal in the 3-0 shutout over Simpson. 

  • Loras remains perfect in conference action this fall. 

Men’s Swimming & Diving - Performer of the Week - Kamen Rangelov (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), Coe College

  • Rangelov was impressive in the opening weekend of the swimming & diving season as he won a pair of events in the 50-free and 100-free. 

  • He posted times of 21.91 and 47.93, respectively, to claim the victories. 

  • Additionally, he swam a leg on the winning 200 medley relay team. 

Women’s Swimming & Diving - Performer of the Week - Devyn Nabarrete (Erie, Colo./Erie), Coe College

  • Nabarrete played a big role in the Kohawks opening weekend in the pool as Coe picked up a dual win over Illinois College. 

  • She picked up a pair of wins while swimming a leg of the winning 200 medley relay team. 

  • She claimed individual wins in the 200 IM (2:24.28) and 100 breaststroke (1:13.99).

Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Performer of the Week - Anna Sash (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny), Wartburg College

  • Sash showcased her performance at the net, recording nine total blocks across a pair of Wartburg victories. 

  • She opened the week with two solo blocks, nine kills, and two service aces against conference opponent Buena Vista. 

  • Sash has brought her total up to 79 total blocks and sits No. 4 nationally. 

Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Performer of the Week - Kaitlyn Mumm (Waukee, Iowa/Des Moines Christian), Central College

  • Mumm had four solo blocks and 18 kills across a pair of non-conference victories for the Dutch. 

  • She recorded a .389 hitting percentage on 36 attempts. 

Weekly Report

Central and Wartburg remain undefeated in football standings. Football NPI was released and Wartburg sits at No. 4 and Central is No. 14. The Knights set a new A-R-C record on Saturday winning its 30th consecutive conference football game. Wartburg is 44-4, overall, since 2021. 

The A-R-C Women’s Tennis Individual Tournament wrapped up over the weekend with Sophia Fain of Coe earning her second consecutive A-Singles title. Coe’s Addison Leasure and Aisha Gurung picked up the A-Doubles title. 

Central and Loras sit at 2-0-2 and Nebraska Wesleyan 2-0-1 in the men’s soccer standings. On the women’s side, Loras is a perfect 4-0 while the Univ. of Dubuque is 3-0-1. In the first NCAA NPI ranking, the Loras women sat at No. 13. 

Univ. of Dubuque and Simpson remain unblemished in conference action so far in the volleyball standings at 3-0.

Championship Central: The A-R-C Women’s Golf Championship is wrapping up today in Long Grove, Iowa at Glynns Creek. The full 2025-26 championship calendar can be found here: https://tr.ee/xwew1v

Fall Sport Standings: Football | Men’s Soccer | Women’s Soccer | Women’s Volleyball | Women’s Tennis

Watch all A-R-C action on the American Rivers Sports Network. 

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

Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.

The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.