CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced the league’s Athletes of the Week for the week ending October 4, 2026. The A-R-C weekly awards are nominated and voted on by the league’s sports information departments.
Men’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Isaiah Hammerand (Epworth, Iowa/Western Dubuque), Wartburg College
Hammerand led the way at the Running of the Cows/D3 Pre-Nationals, capturing the individual title with a time of 24:05.1. Hammerand finished 18.2 seconds ahead of the runner-up in a field of 328 competitors, helping lead the Knights to a first-place finish out of 35 teams with 110 total points.
Women’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Dede Davis (Henderson, Texas/Mount Enterprise), University of Dubuque
Davis turned in a strong performance at the Running of the Cows/Pre-Nationals, placing 22nd in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 22:04.2. Davis finished just 57 seconds behind the individual winner in a field of 324 runners. Davis competed in the Navy Championship race, while the remainder of the Spartans’ women’s team competed in the Maize race.
Football - Defensive Player of the Week - Jake Walker (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock), Wartburg College
Walker turned in a dominant defensive performance in the Knights’ 69-26 road victory over Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday. The senior defensive lineman recorded two tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while forcing and recovering a fumble. Walker also added a pass breakup and two quarterback hits as Wartburg’s defense held the Prairie Wolves to just seven rushing yards and forced 10 total turnovers. His disruptive presence up front helped the Knights control the line of scrimmage throughout the victory.
Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Dawson Rud (Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi), Wartburg College
Rud delivered a record-setting performance in the Knights’ victory over Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday, rushing 14 times for a season-high 129 yards and a career-high five rushing touchdowns, all in the first half. Rud added 25 receiving yards to finish with 154 total yards and five total touchdowns. His five rushing touchdowns were one shy of Wartburg’s single-game record, while his eight rushing touchdowns on the season lead the A-R-C and rank eighth nationally.
Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Henry Graham (Fort Madison, Iowa/Fort Madison Senior), Simpson College
Graham delivered a perfect performance in the Storm’s 51-20 victory over Buena Vista, connecting on a 41-yard field goal while going a perfect 6-for-6 on extra-point attempts.
Women’s Golf - Golfer of the Week - Molly Ratchford (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls), Wartburg College
Ratchford earned her first career tournament victory as a Knight at the RedTail Fall Classic on Oct. 2 at Gates Park Golf Course, carding a 75 (+3) to finish atop the individual leaderboard. Ratchford recorded 13 pars and a birdie on the ninth hole. She helped lead the Knights to their second team tournament title of the season, as Wartburg swept the top five individual positions and finished with a team score of 308 (+20).
Men’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Caleb Cross (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North), Wartburg College
Cross posted a pair of clean sheets in goal to help the Knights to a 2-0 week, recording the first two shutouts of his career. Cross made five saves in a 1-0 road victory over (RV) UW-Eau Claire before adding five more saves in a 1-0 win over UW-Whitewater. His efforts helped anchor a Wartburg defense that posted back-to-back shutouts.
Men’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Allan Martinez Garcia (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola), Simpson College
Martinez Garcia scored one goal and added an assist to help lead the Storm to a 4-0 victory over Kansas Christian.
Women’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Amber Pyle (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Goalkeeper, Pyle, recorded her first collegiate clean sheet in a 2-0 victory at Dakota State on Saturday. Making her first start of the season, she played all 90 minutes and made a season-high six saves, including three in the first half to keep the match scoreless at halftime. She added a key save in the 60th minute and helped anchor a defensive effort that limited Dakota State to six shots on goal despite 22 total attempts, securing the Prairie Wolves’ 2-0 victory.
Women’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Abby Bell (Polk City, Iowa/North Polk), Simpson College
Bell had a standout weekend, scoring three of the Storm’s seven goals while adding two assists. Bell scored twice in Simpson’s 5-0 road victory over Monmouth, adding two assists while playing just 40 minutes, before scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 road victory over Wheaton. Bell finished the weekend with eight points on just six shots.
Women’s Tennis - Player of the Week - Aisha Gurung (Kathmandu, Nepal), Coe College
Gurung went a perfect 6-0 during the Kohawks’ final week of the regular season, helping lead the team to three victories and the A-R-C regular-season title. Gurung opened the week with two wins against UD, teaming with Addison Leasure for a 6-0 victory at No. 1 doubles before earning a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles. She added four more victories on Friday, earning a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles and singles victories of 6-1, 6-1 against Buena Vista and 6-0, 6-0 against Nebraska Wesleyan.
Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Player of the Week - Taylor Bechen (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial), University of Dubuque
Bechen helped the Spartans to a 3-1 week with wins over (RV) Edgewood, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point before a loss to No. 1 UW-Oshkosh. Bechen totaled 99 digs (6.19 digs per set) during the week, including a season-high 39 digs in the Spartans’ five-set victory over (RV) Edgewood. She continues to lead Division III in total digs, now with 485 on the season.
Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Player of the Week - Delainey Winkel (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial), University of Dubuque
Winkel helped the Spartans to a 3-1 week with wins over (RV) Edgewood, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point before a loss to No. 1 UW-Oshkosh. Winkel recorded 70 kills (4.38 kills per set) with a .256 hitting percentage, while adding 56 digs across four matches. In the Spartans’ sweep of UW-La Crosse, Winkel posted a season-best .433 hitting percentage and did not commit an attacking error.
Weekly Report
Cross Country: Only Buena Vista will hit the cross country course this weekend as many programs recover this week following the Pre-Nationals meet in Minnesota over the weekend.
Football: Coe, UD, Simpson, and Wartburg all found the win column in the first weekend of conference football. This week, Loras will host Simpson, Buena Vista will head to Wartburg, Coe will host Central, and Nebraska Wesleyan makes the trip to UD.
Women’s Golf: It is conference championship weekend. The 2026 A-R-C Women's Golf Championship will begin on Sunday, October 11 and run through Tuesday, October 13. The championship will be held at Sunnyside Golf & Country Club in Waterloo, Iowa. A preview for the championship will be available on Friday.
Men’s Soccer: Conference soccer finally kicks off this week. Entering conference play, Loras has maintained the best record as they sit at 7-2 overall.
Women’s Soccer: The energy turns up a few levels this week with conference soccer returning to the pitch. Central sits at 8-1 overall and Loras at 7-1 overall as they enter conference action.
Women’s Volleyball: The BVU Beavers remain undefeated overall this season as the conference slate quickly approaches.
Women’s Tennis: The Coe College Kohawks claimed their first regular season title since the 2015-16 season on Friday. The Kohawks will hold the No. 1 seed in the spring for the tournament with the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The women's individual tournament kicks off this Friday and concludes Saturday as Wartburg serves as the host in Waterloo/Waverly.
Championship Central: The next championship of the 2026-27 academic year will be the Women's Tennis Individual Tournament on October 9-10 as Wartburg College serves as the host. The full 2026-27 championship calendar can be found HERE.
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 eight full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. The A-R-C also includes two affiliate members for men’s and women’s swimming & diving: Illinois Tech and University of Minnesota Morris.
