CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced the league’s Athletes of the Week for the week ending September 7, 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 - William Wadsley (Gilbert, Iowa/Gilbert), Central College
Wadsley secured the first individual title of his collegiate career at the Dutch Invitational, leading Central in its opening 6K race of the season Friday night. He clocked a winning time of 19:35.0, finishing 6.3 seconds ahead of the runner-up among 80 competitors. Wadsley’s performance helped the Dutch to a first-place team finish among three teams, totaling 15 team points.
Women’s Cross Country - Runner of the Week - Keelee Leitzen (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead), Loras College
At the Bob Schultz Invite, Leitzen captured an individual victory, crossing the finish line in 18:22.3 to take first place among 76 runners. The standout performance saw Leitzen finish nearly 55 seconds ahead of the runner-up, who clocked in at 19:16.8. The performance helped lead Loras to a first-place team finish among seven teams, with the Duhawks posting a team score of 20 points.
Football - Defensive Player of the Week - Adam Link (Eldridge, Iowa/North Scott), Wartburg College
Link delivered a defensive masterclass in No. 9 Wartburg College’s 36-21 season-opening road victory over Monmouth College on Saturday, Sept. 5. The senior linebacker tied a career best with eight total tackles while making two interceptions and forcing a fumble. Link’s playmaking helped the Knights overcome a 21-14 halftime deficit and rally for the road victory.
Football - Offensive Player of the Week - Joey Helminiak (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead), Loras College
Helminiak led the Loras offense with a standout performance, completing 21-of-36 passes for 383 yards while accounting for four touchdowns. The quarterback threw three touchdowns and rushed for another on the Duhawks’ opening drive, setting the tone early. Late in the fourth quarter, Helminiak connected with Isaiah Washington on a 71-yard touchdown pass to extend Loras’ lead to two scores and help secure the victory.
Football - Special Teams Player of the Week - Daniel Giusto (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), Loras College
Giusto turned in a strong performance in the kicking game, averaging 46.5 yards on four punts totaling 186 yards. The standout outing included two punts of 50-plus yards, including a long of 51 yards, while also pinning St. Olaf inside the 20-yard line once.
Women’s Golf - Golfer of the Week - Madyson Mummelthei (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock), Wartburg College
Mummelthei helped lead the Wartburg women’s golf team to its first tournament victory since the 2020-21 season at the Kohawk Invite over the weekend. The sophomore tied for second individually with a two-round score of 154 (+6), carding a 76 (+4) in the opening round before closing with a 74 (+2) in the second round. Mummelthei recorded 25 pars throughout the tournament, the second-most among all participants, while helping the Knights post a team score of 618 (+42) to claim the team title.
Men’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Lindseth Christian (Papillion, Neb./Papillion La Vista South), Nebraska Wesleyan University
Christian helped Nebraska Wesleyan open the season unbeaten, going 1-0-1 across two starts while allowing just one goal over 180 minutes in goal. Christian recorded a shutout in the Prairie Wolves’ 1-0 victory over Concordia-Moorhead on Sept. 6, making two saves to secure the clean sheet, after making five saves in a 1-1 draw at Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 1. One of just three A-R-C goalkeepers to record a shutout during the opening week.
Men’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Kyp Ridenhour (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport North), Simpson College
Ridenhour helped Simpson open the season with a 1-0-1 record, scoring once and adding an assist during the Storm’s opening week. Ridenhour scored the game-winning goal in Simpson’s 1-0 victory over Saint Mary’s, providing the decisive offensive play in the shutout win.
Women’s Soccer - Defensive Player of the Week - Caroline White (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas-Center Grimes), Simpson College
White played a key role in helping Simpson post a strong opening week, scoring once and adding an assist while contributing to a pair of impressive defensive performances. White scored the game-winning goal in the Storm’s 1-0 shutout victory over Grinnell and helped Simpson hold No. 1 Washington University to 5.5 goals below its season scoring average.
Women’s Soccer - Offensive Player of the Week - Lila Gwyn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Central College
Gwyn paced a torrid Central offense during the opening week, recording three goals and two assists across three contests. Coming off the bench in two of the Dutch’s three matches, Gwyn generated 17 total shots, putting seven on frame while providing a consistent offensive spark.
Women’s Tennis - Player of the Week - Salalee Seejong (Koh Samui, Thailand/Theeparatpittaya), University of Dubuque
Salalee helped the Univ. of Dubuque open the season with a perfect 4-0 record. In singles play, Salalee went 3-0 at No. 1 and added a 1-0 mark at No. 2, while posting a 3-1 record at No. 1 doubles. Salalee went undefeated in singles across the Spartans’ two matches on Sept. 5, earning wins over Ripon and Marian (Wis.), including a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory against Marian. UD swept both opponents 7-0 after opening the season with 6-1 wins over Edgewood and Lawrence.
Women’s Volleyball - Defensive Player of the Week - Taylor Bechen (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial), University of Dubuque
Bechen helped UD to a 3-2 record during the opening week, including a notable victory over No. 17 Hope College at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic. The standout defensive specialist totaled 131 digs across five matches, averaging 6.55 digs per set. Bechen’s impressive week earned her a spot on the Illinois Wesleyan Classic All-Tournament Team.
Women’s Volleyball - Offensive Player of the Week - Charley Hernandez (Glenwood, Iowa/Glenwood), Buena Vista University
Hernandez helped Buena Vista open the season 4-0 for the first time in 20 years, leading the Beavers to four victories at the Concordia-Chicago Invite. Hernandez paced the BVU offense with 50 kills and just five errors for a .429 attack percentage. She also recorded three double-doubles (kills-digs) across the four matches, including 18 kills in a 3-0 victory over Concordia-Chicago to close the week, tying for the sixth-most kills in a three-set match in program history.
Weekly Report
The American Rivers Conference kicked off the 2026-27 fall season with a busy few weeks across the conference.
Cross Country: All eight A-R-C institutions competed over the weekend in various meets. This weekend, the Central Dutch and Simpson Storm will compete at Grinnell’s Les Duke Invite.
Football: Three teams found the win column on the opening weekend of the football season. The No. 9 Wartburg Knights claimed a victory over RV Monmouth, Coe claimed their 26th straight Bremner Cup win over Cornell, and Loras grabbed a win over St. Olaf in Brandon Novak’s first game leading the Duhawks.
Women’s Golf: All eight women’s golf programs competed at the Kohawk Classic over the weekend to kick off the season. The Knights of Wartburg claimed their first tournament win since the 2020-21 season. A majority of the programs will meet on the links again this weekend at the Wartburg Fall Invite.
Men’s Soccer: Three teams remain undefeated in the A-R-C: Nebraska Wesleyan, Simpson, and Wartburg.
Women’s Soccer: Although only getting on the pitch once this fall, the Loras Duhawks remain the lone A-R-C team undefeated this season.
Women’s Volleyball: The Beavers are off to their best start in 20 years, beginning 4-0. BVU remains undefeated through the opening weekend, followed by a 3-1 Nebraska Wesleyan.
Women’s Tennis: The Spartans of UD got out to a quick 4-0 record, followed right behind by the Knights of Wartburg with a 3-0 start to the season.
Championship Central: The first championship of the 2026-27 academic year will be the Men’s Tennis Individual Tournament on September 25-26 as the University of Dubuque 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.
