Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Basketball Player of the Week – TAYLOR BRUNSON, Coe College
Brunson continued her scoring pace as the Kohawks picked up two conference wins on the week. She scored 32 points over Loras before a 16 point effort against Central. She averaged 20.5 points over the two games. She went 14-for-21 from the floor against the Duhawks and added four rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. Against the Dutch, she recorded six rebounds, one steal, and one block. She scored ten points in the fourth quarter to lead Coe in the comeback win on the road in Pella.
Coe defeated Loras 72-54
Coe defeated Central 68-64
Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Basketball Player of the Week – JOSH VAN GORP, Central College
Van Gorp had a week to remember as he broke the single game points and single game field goal conference records that had stood since January 26, 1974. Van Gorp dropped 55 points on 26 made field goals. He added 15 rebounds for a double-double on Saturday. To begin the week, he recorded 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Central defeated Simpson 85-60
Central defeated Coe 75-73
Men’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week – KEVIN KRETZ, Luther College
Kretz won the 50 freestyle in 22.30 and then the 100 fly in a time of 53.58 over Coe this weekend. He was a member of the 200 free relay that finished second with a time of 1:32.92.
Luther defeated Coe 190-35
Women’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week – NEV NELSON, Luther College
Nelson led the Norse to a victory on Saturday. She picked up two relay victories and one individual title. The 200 medley relay hit the wall in 1:55.54 and the 200 free relay finished in 1:42.61. Her individual win came in the 100 IM with a time of 1:04.60.
Luther defeated Coe 183-49
Men's Tennis Performer of the Week - GAVIN MURRIE, University of Dubuque
Murrie had a great start to the 2025 spring tennis season for the Spartans. He picked up two singles wins at No. 1 and two doubles victories at No. 1 over Crown College and Edgewood College.
Dubuque defeated Crown 7-0
Dubuque defeated Edgewood 5-2
Men's Indoor Track & Field - Field Performer of the Week – KALE PURCELL, Central College
Purcell and the Dutch competed at the Wartburg Indoor Select over the weekend. Purcell won the triple jump out of 13 competitors with a mark of 14.71m. This was his new personal best and currently stands No. 4 in Division III this season.
Men's Indoor Track & Field - Track Performer of the Week – HUTTON EDNEY, Wartburg College
Edney competed at home this weekend at the Wartburg Indoor Select. He won the 800m race with a time of 1:51.55 and currently stands second in the country this season. This time also broke the Wartburg all-time record. He was a member of the winning 4x400m relay team that finished with a time of 3:20.88 out of 20 relay teams. This time ranks tenth in Division III this season.
Women's Indoor Track & Field - Field Performer of the Week – OLIVIA BOHLEN, Central College
Bohlen competed at the Dutch Winter Multi Meet on January 31. She won the pentathlon out of eight competitors with 3,476 points. She moved up to fifth in Division III this season after her performance.
Women's Indoor Track & Field - Track Performer of the Week – JOJO TYYNISMAA, Wartburg College
Tyynismaa and the Knights competed at the Wartburg Indoor Select over the weekend. She was a member of the 4x400m relay team that picked up a win out of 12 relay teams with a time of 3:58.93. This relay time currently stands No. 16 in the country. She grabbed an individual second place finish in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.86, which stands tenth in Division III this season. She finished the 60m race in 8.00 to finish ninth out of 42 total competitors.
Men’s Wrestler of the Week – MASSOMA ENDENE, Wartburg College
Endene, ranked No. 1 in the nation, defeated No. 2 ranked Parker Venz from Augsburg at the annual “Battle of the Burgs”. Endene’s victory was a 10-1 major decision. This was the lone bonus point win on the night for Wartburg. Endene’s winning streak is extended to 52.
Wartburg fell to Augsburg 22-13
Coe defeated Simpson 53-0
Women’s Wrestler of the Week – PAIGE GERSHMEL, Simpson College
Gershmel went 5-0 with three falls and two tech falls to win the 138lb weight class bracket at the Grand View Open over the weekend. Her falls came in times of 1:06 (Missouri Valley College), 2:57 (University of Iowa), and 1:32 (Baker University). She won the championship match over Baker University’s Leighanna Patz.
Weekly Report
The first NCAA NPI rankings were released this morning. On the men’s side, Nebraska Wesleyan leads the way at No. 27 followed by Dubuque at No. 66. Nebraska Wesleyan picked up two big conference wins last week over Dubuque and Loras to move to 9-2 in league action. Dubuque sits at 8-2. On the women’s side, Wartburg continues to charge at No. 16 and Coe at No. 58. Wartburg women continue to dominate the standings as they stand 11-0 with Coe following behind at 8-3.
The next championship on the docket for the A-R-C is the Swimming & Diving Championship at Coe College on February 20-22.
The American Rivers Conference, along with other Division III conferences, celebrated Officials Appreciation Week last week for winter sports. The league not only appreciates and thanks officials for the single week, but the entirety of the sports season. The work never is unnoticed.
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.
