CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Coe College women’s golf student-athlete Lia Maxwell and Coe College football student-athlete Brady Kelly have been named American Rivers Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending September 14, 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 Golf - Golfer of the Week - Lia Maxwell (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead), Coe College
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Maxwell set a new 36-hole Coe record en route to the individual title at Monmouth’s Fighting Scot Invite.
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She opened the tournament with a round of 76 and followed it up with a 75 to earn medalist honors.
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The Kohawks finished first out of ten teams with team scores of 319 and 316.
Male Athlete of the Week - Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Brady Kelly (Boca Raton, Fla./Calvary Christian), Coe College
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Kelly is earning his second consecutive offensive player of the week honor after a high offensive game on Saturday on the road at No. 13-nationally ranked Wisconsin-River Falls.
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The Kohawks totaled 627 yards of offense and six touchdowns in a record-setting performance.
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Kelly passed for 519 yards, a new school record and tied the single-game touchdown record.
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His total offensive yardage is the highest in Division III through the opening two weeks of action.
Men’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Lance Sobaski (Brighton, Iowa/Washington), Wartburg College
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Sobaski won the Redbird Invite hosted by Illinois State over the weekend.
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He finished in a time of 24:34.5 to finish 1.4 seconds ahead of second place.
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The Knights finished first out of six teams with an impressive 16 points.
Women’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Maddy Stevens (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas-Center Grimes), Central College
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Stevens is picking up her second consecutive runner of the week honor after crossing the finish line first at the Les Duke Invitational.
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She finished with a time of 23:23.1 to finish 2.6 seconds ahead of second place.
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This is her first collegiate win.
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The Dutch finished first out of six teams with 22 points.
Football - Defensive Player of the Week - Sam Roose (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock), Wartburg College
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Roose was all over the field as the No. 10-nationally ranked Knights picked up a 16-0 shutout win over (RV) Wisconsin-Stout in the second weekend of non-conference action.
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He tallied four tackles, including three solo, a tackle for loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
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He provided three out of the four turnovers against UW-Stout as the Wartburg football program picked up their 500th win.
Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Jaxson Hoppes (Waterloo, Iowa/Waterloo West), Wartburg College
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Hoppes was a standout on special teams for the No. 10-nationally ranked Knights during the 16-0 shutout victory over (RV) Wisconsin-Stout.
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He went 1-for-1 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goal attempts.
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He totaled 246 yards on kickoffs and two touchbacks.
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Hoppes punted on five occurrences for 217 yards, which includes downing a punt inside the one-yard line late in the game.
Men’s Soccer - Defensive Performer of the Week - Gavin Pienkowski (Carlisle, Iowa/ Carlisle), Loras College
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Pienkowski scored one goal on the week in the Duhawks 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran.
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He played a key part of the back line that helped Loras secure two shutout wins.
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Loras picked up wins over Concordia-Wisconsin (5-1), Bethany Lutheran (3-0), and Kalamazoo (4-0).
Men’s Soccer - Offensive Performer of the Week - Sep Heerkens (Tilburg, Netherlands/Koning Willem 2 College), Loras College
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Heerkens scored two goals and recorded two assists in the dominant 5-1 win over Concordia-Wisconsin.
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He added another goal against Bethany Lutheran to end his week total with eight points.
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Loras picked up wins over Concordia-Wisconsin (5-1), Bethany Lutheran (3-0), and Kalamazoo (4-0).
Women’s Soccer - Defensive Performer of the Week - Sierra Morgano (Sussex, Wis./Sussex), Loras College
Women’s Soccer - Offensive Performer of the Week - Emily Bowe (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana), Loras College
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Bowe scored both of the goals in the 2-0 victory over No. 16-nationally ranked Carleton.
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Her pair of goals against Carleton was her first two career collegiate goals.
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The Duhawks picked up another week earlier in the week over Concordia-Wisconsin, 4-1.
Women’s Tennis - Performer of the Week - Aisha Gurun (Kathmandu, Nepal), Coe College
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Gurung picked up a pair of victories over the weekend for the Kohawks, including going 2-0 against Central.
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She teamed up with Addison Leasure in the doubles session for a 6-0 victory at the No. 1 spot.
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In No. 3 singles, she grabbed a 6-0, 6-0 win to cap off the perfect conference day.
Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Performer of the Week - Taylor Bechen (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial), University of Dubuque
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Bechen is earning her second consecutive defensive performer of the week after guiding the No. 23-nationally ranked Spartans to continue the impressive start to the 2025 season.
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The University of Dubuque began the week with an upset win over No. 13-nationally ranked Wisconsin-Platteville.
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Over the weekend, UD swept Wisconsin-River Falls, St. Olaf, and Saint Mary’s (Minnesota) in the Loras Invitational.
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She recorded 50 digs over four games, including a 17 dig performance against UW-River Falls. Additionally, she added five service aces and 13 assists.
Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Performer of the Week - Ashley Glennon (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead), University of Dubuque)
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Glennon and the No. 23-nationally ranked University of Dubuque Spartans improved to 12-0 on the season after a 4-0 week.
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The week began with an upset win over No. 13-nationally ranked Wisconsin-Platteville before picking up 3-0 sweeps over Wisconsin-River Falls, St. Olaf, and Saint Mary’s (Minnesota).
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She finished the week with 40 digs, 28 kills, four block assists, and three service aces.
Weekly Report
Central and Wartburg sit 2-0 after non-conference action. The Dutch earned a massive win over No. 20-nationally ranked Randolph Macon and the Knights picked up a win over (RV) Wisconsin-Stout.
Soccer action remains early in the non-conference slate.
The University of Dubuque women’s volleyball team continues its impressive 12-0 start for the 2025 season and are No. 23-nationally ranked. The Coe College Kohawks are also receiving votes.
Championship Central: The first championship for the 2025-26 academic year will be the Men’s Tennis Individual Tournament on September 19-20 as Wartburg College serves as the host. 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
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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.
