CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced the league’s Athletes of the Week for the week ending November 1, 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 won his third consecutive A-R-C cross country title on Saturday in Storm Lake. He crossed the finish line in 23:47.5 and helped guide the Knights to their ninth straight title.
Women's Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Keelee Leitzen (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead), Loras College
Leitzen went back-to-back at the conference championship claiming the gold again. She finished in 21:40.4 to best the field.
Football - Defensive Player of the Week - Brecken Ritzert (Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian), Central College
Ritzert led the team with eight solo tackles including a 10-yard sack that forced a punt. He also returned a second quarter interception 47 yards to set up a Dutch touchdown right before halftime.
Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Quincy Drummer (Missouri City, Texas/Ridgepoint), Coe College
Drummer rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while adding one reception for 18 yards and a score in the Kohawks' win over Nebraska Wesleyan. Drummer surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, highlighted by touchdown runs of 1, 1 and 95 yards. He is averaging 7.8 yards per carry, which ranks fourth nationally in NCAA Division III, while his 1,000-plus rushing yards rank eighth in the nation.
Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Ian Gebhardt (Arlington, Tex./Mansfield Summit), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Gebhardt returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter against Coe, tying the game at 7-7. The return marked his second consecutive week with a return touchdown after an 83-yard punt return score against Loras and was the first kickoff return touchdown by a Prairie Wolf since 2019. Gebhardt finished with 222 all-purpose yards, including 176 yards on six kickoff returns and five receptions for 47 yards, leading all players in the game. He ranks fourth nationally in NCAA Division III in both total return yards (727) and all-purpose yards per game (178.57).
Men’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Nate Hersom (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale), Simpson College
Hersom anchored the Storm defense with 14 saves across two road contests. Hersom recorded six saves in a shutout draw against Central before making another eight saves to help Simpson secure a 2-1 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan in the opening round of the A-R-C tournament.
Men’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Jameson Carl (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore), University of Dubuque
Jameson scored the equalizing goal in the 63rd minute to help the Spartans secure a 1-1 draw against Loras and claim the outright A-R-C regular-season conference championship. Needing only a draw to clinch the title, Jameson's second-half goal proved to be the difference as the Spartans secured the conference crown.
Women’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Zoey Sizemore (Omaha, Neb./Mercy), Central College
Sizemore recorded 11 saves during the week to help lead her team through competition. She came up with four saves in an A-R-C tournament first round victory over Nebraska Wesleyan, helping secure the win and advance her team in postseason play.
Women’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Olivia DeVos (Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk), Central College
DeVos scored unassisted goals in both matches this week, providing a consistent offensive spark for the Dutch. DeVos capped off the week with the game-winning goal against Nebraska Wesleyan in an A-R-C tournament first round victory, helping Central advance in postseason play.
Men's Swimming & Diving - Performer of the Week - Teagan Cleveland (Norfolk, Iowa/Norfolk), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Cleveland won a pair of individual events to help the Prairie Wolves secure a 155-12 dual victory over Sterling on Friday. Cleveland claimed first place in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.54 before adding another victory in the 100-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 49.85. He also contributed to Nebraska Wesleyan's winning 200-yard freestyle relay, recording a 22.26 split.
Women's Swimming & Diving - Performer of the Week - Bea Massa Micon (Torino, Italy), Nebraska Wesleyan
Massa Micon helped the Prairie Wolves sweep their dual meets against Sterling (168-22) and College of Saint Mary (147-57), capturing first-place finishes in three events. Massa Micon won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.34, recording the fastest time in the A-R-C this season, and claimed the 100-yard freestyle in a season-best 52.76, which ranks first in the conference and 24th nationally in NCAA Division III. She also led off the winning 200-yard medley relay with a personal-best 27.31 in the 50-yard backstroke. The Prairie Wolves' winning relay time of 1:51.73 ranks 43rd nationally in Division III.
Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Player of the Week - Nora Konz (Treynor, Iowa/Treynor), Buena Vista University
Konz led the team with 3.67 digs per set across 12 sets as the Beavers went 3-0 on the week. She recorded 16 digs in a four-set victory at Simpson before delivering a career-high six service aces in a four-set win at Central. Konz also reached double figures in kills to record three double-doubles on the week, bringing her season total to seven. Buena Vista improved to 22-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play, securing the No. 2 seed in the A-R-C tournament for the first time in program history.
Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Player of the Week - Charley Hernandez (Glenwood, Iowa/Glenwood), Buena Vista University
Hernandez ed the Beavers with 66 kills across three matches, averaging 5.50 kills per set as the team went 3-0 on the week. She recorded two double-doubles, bringing her season total to 15, and tallied 27 kills in a four-set victory at Simpson, tying for the fifth-most in a single match in program history. She followed with a match-high 15 kills in Saturday's four-set win at Central, marking Buena Vista's first-ever victory in Pella. The Beavers improved to 22-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play, securing the No. 2 seed in the A-R-C tournament for the first time in program history.
Men's Wrestling - Wrestler of the Week - Bryson Spaulding (Villa Park, Ill./Immaculate Conception College Prep), Central College
Spaulding went undefeated at the Luther Hill Invitational on Sunday, winning all four of his matches in the 157-pound Open Division round-robin bracket to claim the tournament title. His victories included two pins, a decision over Central's Chase Bremmer (11-4) and a 6-1 decision over Central's Casey Jackson.
Women's Wrestling - Wrestler of the Week - Autumn Calvert (Kansas City, Mo./Winnetonka), Simpson College
Calvert captured the 207-pound bracket title at the Luther Hill Invitational, finishing the tournament with an undefeated 5-0 record. She recorded three victories by fall, including a 26-second pin, along with a technical fall over Central's Asia Young (10-0) and a 7-0 decision over Lindenwood's Erin Cauble. Calvert capped off the dominant performance with a pin of Lindenwood's Kamauri Fowler in 4:54 to secure the tournament championship.
Weekly Report
Cross Country: Wartburg's Isaiah Hammerand and Loras' Keelee Leitzen claimed individual honors over the weekend at the 2026 A-R-C Cross Country Championships. For the eighth straight year, the Wartburg Knights swept the team titles.
Football: Coe and Wartburg remain undefeated in league action, sitting at 5-0.
Men’s Soccer: The semifinals are set for Wednesday evening as Simpson heads to UD and Loras travels to Wartburg. The championship match will be held Saturday.
Women’s Soccer: Simpson will head to Loras and Central will travel to UD for the semifinal round of the tournament on Wednesday. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday.
Women’s Volleyball: The final week of the regular season is upon us. The UD Spartans have claimed at least a share of the league regular season title and will have a chance to claim it outright on Wednesday at Simpson.
Wrestling: The 2026 season got underway for men's and women's programs across the A-R-C.
Championship Central: The men's and women's soccer tournaments are underway in the A-R-C. The semifinals are slated for Wednesday, November 4 and the championship on Saturday, November 7. 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
Winter Sport Standings: Men's Basketball | Women's Basketball | Men's Wrestling
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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.
