CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced the league’s Athletes of the Week for the week ending September 27, 2026. The A-R-C weekly awards are nominated and voted on by the league’s sports information departments.
Football - Defensive Player of the Week - JJ Martin-England (Lenox, Iowa/Lenox), Simpson College
Martin-England led the Simpson defense with 15 total tackles, including six solo stops, while also recording 0.5 tackles for loss. The sophomore capped the defensive effort with an interception to help anchor the Storm defense.
Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Noah Cracraft (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley), Simpson College
Cracraft delivered a standout performance for Simpson in its matchup against Howard Payne in Texas, hauling in nine catches for 236 yards and three touchdowns. His 79-yard touchdown reception was the longest receiving touchdown in the conference this season, while his 236 receiving yards rank second for a single game in the A-R-C this year. Cracraft now ranks third in the NCAA in receiving yards, averaging 170 per game, and his seven total touchdowns are tied for second nationally.
Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Pato Marvite (Batavia, Ill./Batavia), University of Dubuque
Marvite played a key role in Dubuque’s 35-28 victory over McMurry, converting all five of his extra-point attempts while recording five kickoffs for 259 total yards. With 1:22 remaining, Marvite delivered a crucial 29-yard onside kick that was recovered by the Spartans, allowing Dubuque to secure a first down and run out the clock for its first win of the 2026 season.
Women’s Golf - Golfer of the Week - Lia Maxwell (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead), Coe College
Maxwell led the Kohawks at the Midwest Region Classic, finishing tied for 38th after carding rounds of 84 and 81. The junior recorded a team-best 12 pars throughout the tournament and added three birdies during her second round.
Men’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Riley Johnson (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook), University of Dubuque
Johnson returned from injury to anchor the Spartans to a 1-0-1 week on the road, helping Dubuque earn a scoreless draw against defending Midwest Conference champion Lake Forest. Johnson recorded five saves across 90 minutes to secure the Spartans’ first shutout of the season. In a 4-1 victory over Beloit, Johnson added six saves, finishing the week with 11 saves across 169:56 in goal.
Men’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Jonathan Ademi (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park), Loras College
Ademi scored two goals on the week to help lead the Duhawks to a 2-0 record. The standout attacker finished with four total shots and four points across the two victories.
Women’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Kelly Nelson (Luke Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich), Loras College
Nelson made an impressive debut in her first career start for Loras, recording a shutout in the Duhawks’ victory. The goalkeeper turned aside six shots to preserve the clean sheet and help Loras secure the win.
Women’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Rylee Rustad (Gilbert, Ariz./Casteel), Central College
Rustad matched a school record with three assists in a single game while adding a goal of her own to lead the Duhawks to an 8-0 victory over Greenville on Thursday.
Men's Tennis - Player of the Week - Daniel Rohlman & Luke Doig, Coe College
Rohlman and Doig captured the gold medal at the American Rivers Conference Individual Tournament, entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Kohawk duo opened with a 6-1 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan before defeating Loras, 6-4, in the semifinals. Rohlman and Doig capped their championship run with a victory over fellow Kohawks Jumpei Kasai and Murilo Rejaili, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, to claim the conference title.
Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Player of the Week - Hayleigh Mattox (Tabor, Iowa/Fremont-Mills), Simpson College
Mattox helped lead Simpson to a 2-1 record over the weekend, including victories over Carleton and Minnesota Morris. The Storm standout anchored the defense at the net with 16 blocks, including one solo block, while adding 19 kills on 39 swings for a .231 hitting percentage. Mattox finished the weekend with 31.5 points, the second-highest total on the team.
Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Player of the Week - Ella Foote (Scottsbluff, Neb./Scottsbluff), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Foote led Nebraska Wesleyan to a 3-1 record last week with wins over Grinnell, Minnesota Morris and Martin Luther. The standout hitter was the only A-R-C player to hit above .430 while recording at least 81 attacks, finishing with 43 kills on 81 attempts for a .432 hitting percentage and 12 total blocks. Foote averaged 3.31 kills and 4.23 points per set across 13 sets, highlighted by a career-high 15 kills on 24 attacks with a .583 hitting percentage and three blocks in a sweep of Martin Luther. Foote also added five service aces and finished the week with 55 total points.
Weekly Report
Cross Country: The cross country season is winding down. This weekend, A-R-C programs will compete at the Dan Huston Invite at Wartburg and the "Running of Cows" at Carleton.
Football: Conference football begins this week, as teams enter week five of the season. Central will host UD, Wartburg will travel to Nebraska Wesleyan, Coe will host Loras, and Simpson will head to Storm Lake to face Buena Vista.
Women’s Golf: The conference championship is within reach now for the women's golf programs. Central, Loras, and Simpson are the lone teams still to compete between now and the conference championship, which is set for October 11-13 at Sunnyside Golf & Country Club.
Men’s Soccer: Loras still putting on a strong non-conference season sitting at 6-1 with two non-conference contests to go.
Women’s Soccer: Loras remains undefeated at 7-0 and the lone A-R-C team undefeated. The Duhawks have two non-conference games remaining before the conference schedules kicks off.
Women’s Volleyball: Buena Vista remains one of the few teams undefeated in the country right now, sitting at 11-0. The Spartans of UD have faced a tough schedule and sit at 13-3.
Women’s Tennis: The women's tennis regular season is winding down and the Kohawks still remain ahead of the pack at 4-0 in conference action. Coe faces UD, Buena Vista, and Nebraska Wesleyan to conclude their conference regular season this week.
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
Watch Live: Watch all A-R-C action on the American Rivers Sports Network.
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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.
