Athletes of the Week & Weekly Report Announced by A-R-C - January 5, 2026

1/5/2026 3:55:00 PM

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

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced that Wartburg College women’s basketball student-athlete Katie Boulanger and Loras College men’s wrestling student-athlete Landry Barker have been named American Rivers Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 4, 2026. 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 Basketball - Performer of the Week - Katie Boulanger (New Prague, Minn./New Prague), Wartburg College

  • Helped lead the Knights to a 4-1 over winter break. Wartburg picked up wins over Hardin Simmons, Lake Forest, Concordia-Wisconsin, and Nebraska Wesleyan. 

  • Over the five games, she led the Knights in scoring with an average of 19.8 points per game along with 4.2 rebounds per game. 

  • Versus Hardin Simmons, Boulanger had a career high 29 points while shooting 9-of-10 from the field and five-of-five from deep. 

Male Athlete of the Week - Men’s Wrestling - Performer of the Week - Landry Barker (Covington, La./St. Paul’s), Loras College

  • Barker posted a 3-0 record in the 184lb weight class at the Gator Boot Duals. 

  • He picked up wins on Averett (tech fall), Alvernia (decision), and nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace wrestler (major decision). 

  • The Duhawks picked up three wins as a team while in Nashville, including two over nationally ranked programs. 

Men’s Basketball - Performer of the Week - Carter Sievers (Albert City, Iowa/Newell-Fonda), Buena Vista University

  • Sievers averaged 21.0ppg, 4.0rpg, and 4.0apg over 31.5 minutes per game in the five games he appeared in over the winter break. 

  • He turned in a season-high 28 points against Carleton.

  • Sievers recorded the game-winner over Univ. of Dubuque on Saturday, to snap a seven game losing streak to the Spartans. 

Women’s Wrestling - Performer of the Week - Sarah Zimmerman (Hays, Kan./Hays), Simpson College

  • Zimmerman posted a 5-0 record during winter breaking to help the Storm to a 4-1 dual record.

  • She posted four tech falls at the Gator Boot Duals with wins over Emmanuel, Randolph, Lock Haven, and Huntingdon. 

  • Zimmerman won by forfeit in the Cornell dual. 

Weekly Report

Happy 2026, A-R-C fans and supporters! 

Conference basketball is officially in full swing now in 2026. On the men’s side, Loras and Nebraska Wesleyan sit a perfect 4-0 in league action and on the women’s side, Coe sits at the top at 4-0. 

Six A-R-C men’s wrestling programs are heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa this weekend for the NWCA National Duals. The Wartburg Knights earned the No. 1 overall seed. 

Simpson and Wartburg women’s wrestling will head to the NWCA National Duals this weekend as well. The Wartburg women earned the No. 1 seed and Simpson earned the No. 2 seed. This will be a great test as teams prepare for the second A-R-C Women’s Wrestling Tournament in a few weeks. 

Championship Central: The A-R-C takes a break from conference championship action until January now. The next championship will be women’s wrestling on January 24 in Pella, Iowa. The full 2025-26 championship calendar can be found here: https://tr.ee/xwew1v

Winter Sport Standings: Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | Men’s Wrestling 

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, ??and LinkedIn @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.