Co-Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Field Performer of the Week – Emma Seipel (Nekooska, Wis./Nekoosa), Loras College
Seipel competed at the A-R-C Indoor Track & Field Championship over the weekend and ended with the honor of Most Valuable Field Performer following her performance. Seipel picked up wins in the 60 meter dash (7.60), 200 meter dash (24.74), and long jump (5.84m). She grabbed a runner-up finish in the triple jump with a mark of 11.40m. Her final two podium finishes came in the 400 meter dash (58.15) and the 4x400 meter relay. The Duhawks won their fourth consecutive A-R-C Indoor Track & Field title.
Co-Female Athlete of the Week – Women’s Track Performer of the Week – JoJo Tyynismaa (Tama, Iowa/South Tama), Wartburg College
Tyynismaa had a strong showing at the 2025 A-R-C Indoor Track & Field Championship. Following the completion of the championship, she was honored with Most Valuable Track Performer. She set a new championship record in the 60m hurdles during prelims with a time of 8.76. She followed her prelims performance up with a time of 8.79 which was good enough to claim gold. Her other individual win came in the 400 meter dash (57.45). She finished second on the podium in the 200 meter dash (25.63) and in the 4x400 meter relay.
Co-Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Field Performer of the Week – Ulysess Patterson (Clinton, Iowa/Clinton), Simpson College
Patterson was named A-R-C Most Valuable Field Performer following the A-R-C Championships over the weekend. Patterson competed in the heptathlon where he finished first with a new championship record of 5,021 points.
Co-Male Athlete of the Week – Men’s Track Performer of the Week – Otis Patterson (Chicago, Ill./Harold L. Richards), University of Dubuque
Patterson had a strong showing at the 2025 A-R-C Indoor Track & Field Championships and following the completion of the championship, he was honored as Most Valuable Track Performer. He claimed two individual gold medals, one gold relay medal, a second place medal, and third place. He grabbed individual wins in the 200 meter dash (21.07) and 400 meter dash (49.53). The relay gold came in the 4x400 meter relay. He finished second in the high jump with a mark of 1.96m and finished third in the long jump with a mark of 7.03m.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week – Josh Van Gorp (Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian), Central College
Van Gorp led the Dutch in scoring as they won three games, including two road games to win the A-R-C Tournament Championship. In the championship game, Van Gorp played 39 minutes and recorded 21 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Central defeated Coe 99-83
Central defeated University of Dubuque 78-71 (OT)
Central defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 68-57
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week – Lauren Woeste (Atkins, Iowa/Benton Community), Wartburg College
Woeste helped lead the Knights back to the NCAA Tournament after winning their second consecutive A-R-C Women’s Basketball Tournament title. She led Wartburg with 17 points per game and six rebounds per game in the two tournament games this past week. Additionally, she added three steals per game as well as three assists per game.
Wartburg defeated Luther 77-56
Wartburg defeated Coe 61-55
Baseball – Pitcher of the Week – Charlie Jaeger (Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque Wahlert), University of Dubuque
The Spartans opened up their 2025 season in Florida with a 2-1 record. The wins include wins against teams receiving votes in the preseason D3baseball.com Top 25 poll. He pitched 6.2 innings against Aurora allowing one earned run on five hits. He recorded seven strikeouts during this outing.
University of Dubuque defeated Aurora 4-1
Baseball – Position Player of the Week – Carter Betts (Omaha, Neb./Millard West), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Betts led Nebraska Wesleyan to a 5-0 start, the program’s best start since 1991. He posted a .412 batting average, .824 slugging percentage, and 1.389 OPS over five games, helping the P-Wolves outscore opponents 54-22 during the week. He recorded seven hits while driving in eight RBIs and scoring 11 runs.
Nebraska Wesleyan defeated Hamline 11-5
Nebraska Wesleyan defeated Hamline 11-10
Nebraska Wesleyan defeated Lawrence 6-3
Nebraska Wesleyan defeated Lawrence 13-2
Nebraska Wesleyan defeated Lawrence 13-2.
Softball – Pitcher of the Week – Emma Beck (Grundy Center, Iowa/Grundy Center), Central College
Beck threw 172. Innings over the weekend, earning a 2-1 record while tossing a pair of complete games. She allowed 18 hits, six runs while striking out six batters.
Central lost to Calvin 4-2
Central defeated WashU 4-3
Central defeated Calvin 9-1
Softball – Position Player of the Week – Grace Stevenson (Plano, Ill./Plano), University of Dubuque
The Spartans opened their season unbeaten 4-0 and Stevenson guided the team to this mark. She led the team in RBIs with eight, home runs with two, and 15 total bases. She recorded eight hits on 14 at bats with a slugging percentage of 1.071, on base percentage of 64.7%, and hitting percentage of 57.1%.
University of Dubuque defeated Webster 9-3
University of Dubuque defeated Webster 10-0
University of Dubuque defeated Johnson & Wales 6-4
University of Dubuque defeated Chatham 13-8
Men’s Tennis Performer of the Week – Alex Slaymaker (Geneseo, Ill.), Central College
Slaymaker did not drop a set during Central’s dual win on Saturday. At No. 6 singles, he won 6-0, 6-0 over August Krahn. In No. 2 doubles, he teamed up with Travis Subbert to grab a 6-0 win.
Central defeated Cornell 7-0
Men’s Wrestler of the Week – Massoma Endene (Dallas, Texas/James Bowie), Wartburg College
Endene dominated at the 2025 NCAA Region VI Championships. Endene wrestled in three matches at the regional championship and picked up three falls. His falls came in times of 1:07, 1:43, and 6:07. He was named Regional Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second consecutive season and won the most falls award at the regional. Endene is on the hunt for his third straight NCAA title as he advances to the national finals in Rhode Island. His overall winning streak is extended to 57. The Knights won the regional title.
Weekly Report
The 2025 A-R-C Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments did not disappoint over the last week. Nationally ranked Wartburg picked up the women’s title while Central went on the road twice this week to claim the men’s title over Nebraska Wesleyan. The NCAA Tournaments kick off later this week.
The Wartburg College Knights men’s wrestling program won their 11th regional title over the weekend at the Region VI Championship. The American Rivers Conference claimed regional titles in all ten weight classes and are advancing 26 wrestlers to the national stage.
The Loras College Duhawks and Wartburg College Knights claimed indoor track & field titles over the weekend. This was the fourth straight title for the Duhawk women and 12th overall for the Knight men.
Spring sports are officially in full swing in the American Rivers Conference with many programs heading to warm weather to compete during spring break.
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.
