MIAA Athletes of the Week - October 15, 2018

MIAA Athletes of the Week - October 15, 2018
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has announced the student-athletes selected as Athletes of the Week, for the week of competition ending on October 14, 2018. 
 
The MIAA Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by coaches following one week of competition, and selected by a panel of MIAA Sports Information Directors, including the MIAA Director of Media Relations.
 
This week's winners are listed below with their respective achievements during last week's competition. 

MIAA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week

Tyler Johnson, Calvin
Junior
Springfield, Ill.

Johnson led Calvin to a third-place finish at the UW-Oshkosh Pre-National Invitational Oct. 13 with a 15th-place finish against a field of top-ranked teams. Johnson finished the 8K race in 25:31, just eight seconds out of a top 10 finish.

MIAA Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week

Katie Diekema, Calvin
Senior
Kenmore, Wash.

Diekema was the top MIAA finisher at the UW-Oshkosh Pre-National Invitational Oct. 13, placing 18th overall with a time of 22:29.47. Diekema and Calvin competed against a field of 15 nationally-ranked opponents.

MIAA Football Offensive Player of the Week

Jacob Jodway, Olivet
Senior, Wide Receiver
Quincy, Mich.

Jodway pulled in 10 receptions for 212 yards - the second-highest receiving total by an MIAA player this season - with two touchdowns in Olivet's 50-49 loss to No. 14 Trine Oct. 13. Jodway's 38-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter on a fourth-and-two play helped give Olivet a 21-7 lead, and his 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-six helped the Comets tie the game late. He added a 48-yard catch on fourth-and-15 during Olivet's final drive, which ended with the game's final touchdown score.
 

MIAA Football Defensive Player of the Week

Tim McPhee, Adrian
Senior, Linebacker
South Lyon, Mich.

McPhee registered a career-high 14 tackles, including seven solo tackles, in Adrian's 28-23 road win over Alma Oct. 13. McPhee had half of Adrian's sack and was part of another tackle-for-loss and broke up two passes for the Bulldogs, who held Alma to just 130 yards passing. At one point in the game, McPhee was part of five consecutive defensive plays with two solo tackles and three assists.
 

MIAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week

Jamison Brown, Kalamazoo
Freshman, Linebacker
Detroit, Mich.

Brown returned a blocked Albion punt 30 yards for a touchdown in Kalamazoo's 20-19 win over the Britons Oct. 13 to stay undefeated on the season. Brown's fourth-quarter score broke a 6-6 tie on the first play of the final stanza.

Daniel Settecerri, Hope
Senior
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Settecerri led Hope to a pair of 284 team scores in the final two rounds of the MIAA men's golf season. Setteccerri shot even-par 70 on both days to tie for third overall and help the Flying Dutchmen capture the 2018 MIAA Championship.

Nooh Aljabaly, Trine
Sophomore, Forward
Coldwater, Mich.

Aljabaly scored five of Trine's eight goals to aid the Thunder in a pair of MIAA victories. Against Kalamazoo Oct. 9, Aljabaly conveted on a penalty kick in the 18th minute for what proved to be the game-winner and added a second goal in the 71st minute in Trine's 3-0 home win. Then, against Olivet Oct. 13, Aljabaly converted in the 23rd, 36th, and 41st minutes for his first collegiate hat trick to aid in a 4-0 halftime lead on the way to Trine's 5-0 road win.
 

Trent Vegter, Calvin
Senior, Defender
Hudsonville, Mich.

Helped Calvin secure their third and fourth MIAA shutouts at Alma Oct. 9 and against Adrian Oct. 13 to put the Knights in sole possession of first place in the MIAA standings. Vegter helped hold Calvin opponents to just two shots on goal total; the senior defender added a goal in both contests while notching an assist agianst Adrian.

Samantha LaRocca, Albion
Senior, Midfielder
Clinton Twp., Mich.

LaRocca accounted for all three of Albion's goals last week, including both goals in Albion's 2-0 win over Olivet Oct. 13. LaRocca scored in the final minute of the first half for the game-winner and then tallied the game's second goal in the 48th minute. LaRocca started the week with a penalty kick goal against Kalamazoo Oct. 10.
 

Catie Stamper, Kalamazoo
Freshman, Defender
Kalamazoo, Mich.

Stamper was a key factor in Kalamazoo going 2-0-0 against MIAA opponents last week. Against Albion Oct. 10, Stamper played all 90 minutes in Kalamazoo's 3-1 win, which gave the Britons their first MIAA loss of the season. Then, at Saint Mary's Oct. 13, Stamper tallied an insurance goal thanks to a forward run from her defensive position; in Kalamazoo's 5-0 shutout, the Hornets held the Belles to five shots on goal.

Meredith Heckert, Saint Mary's
Freshman
Lake Geneva, Wis.

Heckert helped Saint Mary's wrap up the fall competition season with a 4-0 week in two dual contests. In Saint Mary's 6-3 win over Judson University Oct. 12, Heckert won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles to go with an 8-0 win at No. 2 doubles. Later in the day against Rose Hulman, Heckert's 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles clinched a 5-4 team win for the Belles; it went with an 8-6 win with doubles partner Lilly Chamberlain at No. 2 doubles.

Grace Ditzenberger, Hope
Senior, Middle Hitter
Centennial, Colo.

Ditzenberger aided Hope in a 4-0 week, which included wins over not only MIAA foe Albion, but No. 7 Thomas More and No. 19 Ohio Northern. Against Ohio Northern Oct. 13, Ditzenberger set a Hope record with 12 blocks in a five-set match and second-most in the nation this year; she added 13 kills in Hope's come-from-behind win. Against Albion, Ditzenberger hit .400 with four kills and six blocks in a 3-0 Hope victory Oct. 10.
 

Haley Novak, Alma
Sophomore, Setter
Midland, Mich.

Novak led Alma to a 3-0 week, which included a 3-1 victory over MIAA challenger Adrian Oct. 10. In that match, Novak had 51 assist to go with 13 digs, three kills, and one solo block to keep the Scots in second place in the MIAA race by a half game. Novak finished the week averaging 11.9 assists per set, 2.7 digs per set, and 0.7 blocks per set.