Posted: Apr 15, 2019
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has announced the student-athletes selected as Athletes of the Week, for the week of competition ending on April 14, 2019.
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.
Pierce Banks, Adrian
Junior, P
Sterling Heights, Mich.
Banks threw 6.0 innings to lift Adrian to a 12-3 win over Calvin April 12, earning the win while striking out seven on the day. Banks gave up five hits and one walk but did not give up an earned run in the start.
Thomas Miller, Adrian
Sophomore, SS
Saline, Mich.
Miller batted .611 in a four-game series against Calvin April 12-13, including a 4-for-4 effort in the first game of the April 13 doubleheader, a 7-2 Adrian win. Miller had one double in all four games, and added a home run in a 3-for-4 performance in Adrian's April 12 11-3 victory; Miller tallied three RBI and three runs in that contest.
Jackson Jones, Kalamazoo
Sophomore
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Jones garnered medalist honors at the Tyler Intercollegiate April 8, shooting a one-under 71 to aid Kalamazoo in a first-place finish. Jones also tied for eighth at the Shootout at Stonehedge April 12-13, going 77-74--151 in Kalamazoo's third-place effort.
Hunter Kehoe, Saint Mary's
Sophomore
Traverse City, Mich.
Kehoe tied for third overall at the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling April 13, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan. Kehoe was steady with a 75 to finish three over, two shots off medalist honors in a field of 92 competitors.
Gerald Haadsma, Albion
Freshman, Midfield
Battle Creek, Mich.
Haadsma aided Albion to two MIAA wins, including a 14-10 win over Alma April 13. In that game, Haadsma was 20-24 in face offs, adding 11 ground balls while tallying a goal and two assists. Earlier in the week, Haadsma went 16-25 in faceoffs and grabbed six ground balls in Albion's 17-5 win over Trine April 9.
Scott Shepard, Albion
Junior, Attack
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Shepard scored five goals to go with two assists for a team-best seven points in Albion's 14-10 win over Alma April 13. Along with a four-goal game in Albion's 17-5 win against Trine April 9, Shepard finished the week with 83.3 shots on goal percentage.
Emily Kraker, Saint Mary's
Sophomore, Goalie
Westerville, Ohio
Kraker helped shut down two Saint Mary's opponents in a 2-0 week against MIAA challengers. Kraker started the week with 15 saves to go with two ground balls in Saint Mary's 16-7 road win against Kalamazoo April 10. Kraker then added 10 saves on 18 shots faced in the Belles' 22-8 win over Hope April 13.
Erin Doyle, Saint Mary's
Sophomore, Midfield
Niskayuna, N.Y.
Doyle fueled Saint Mary's offense in two MIAA victories last week to stay unbeaten in league play. In the Belles' 22-8 victory over Hope April 13, Doyle scored 10 goals to go with one assist, four ground balls, and three draw controls. Doyle also tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals and two assists in Saint Mary's 16-7 road victory against Kalamazoo April 10.
MIAA Softball Pitcher of the Week
Ellie Borst, Calvin
Sophomore, P
Hudsonville, Mich.
Borst threw 15.0 innings in three appearances, including two complete game victories, to aid Calvin in three MIAA wins last week. In a 2-1 win over Saint Mary's April 13, Borst scattered six hits while striking out five to earn the complete-game win; later in the day, Borst threw one inning of relief against the Belles, striking out two of the three batters faced. Borst also earned the win in Calvin's 8-5 victory at Adrian April 10.
MIAA Softball Position Player of the Week
Makenna Hartine, Trine
Junior, SS
Niles, Mich.
Hartline batted .571 with a 2.000 slugging percentage in a 3-1 week for Trine. In 16 plate appearances, Hartline walked nine times, had four hits with three being home runs, and scored 10 runs with seven RBI for the Thunder. Hartline went 2-for-3 with a double and home run while scoring six runs in the doubleheader sweep against Kalamazoo April 10. On the weekend, Hartline blasted two home runs at the Alma doubleheader while walking four times in the opening contest.
Mark VanderStoep, Hope
Senior
Holland, Mich.
VanderStoep went 4-0 in a pair of MIAA wins for Hope, with a near-perfect effort in the Flying Dutchmen's win over Trine April 13. VanderStoep won 8-0 at No. 1 doubles and 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Earlier in the week, VanderStoep was a two-time winner against Calvin, posting an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles and 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
MIAA Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Taylor LaBarge, Hope
Senior
Hudsonville, Mich.
LaBarge posted a 6-0 overall record on the week, including two wins in both MIAA singles and doubles play, competing at No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles. Against Saint Mary's, LaBarge was an 8-7 (5) winner in doubles before a 6-2, 6-2 No. 4 singles win. Against Trine, LaBarge won 8-1 in doubles and 6-2, 6-1 at singles. The senior added two wins in Hope's match against Augustana.
Noah Bailey, Olivet
Junior
Lenox, Mich.
Bailey turned in two top performances last week, winning the long jump and the triple jump in a three-team meet at Albion APril 12. Bailey's winning mark of 7.14m in the long jump set a new Olivet record, breaking the previous best that has stood since 1968; that measurement is also ninth in NCAA Division III. Bailey also won the triple jump with a distance of 14.25m, which ranks 13th nationally.
Caleb Ferguson, Calvin
Junior
Naperville, Ill.
Ferguson posted a time of 9:16.11 in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Bison Outdoor Classic April 13, hosted by Bucknell University. Ferguson, the top NCAA Division III finisher in 11th place against a field featuring NCAA Division I and Division II competitors, now ranks first in the event in the MIAA and 10th in NCAA Division III.
Ariel Floyd, Olivet
Sophomore
Mt. Clemens, Mich.
Floyd finished first, second, and fifth in three field events at a three-team meet hosted by Albion April 12. Floyd won the hammer throw, breaking the Olivet record in the event with a mark of 48.72m to rank first in the MIAA and 33rd in NCAA Division III. Floyd placed second in the discus (36.05m), moving up to seventh in the MIAA. Floyd added a fifth-place finish in the shot put (10.76m).
Katie Diekema, Calvin
Senior
Kenmore, Wash.
Diekema ran the 1500m in 4:30.51 at the Bison Outdoor Classic April 13, hosted by Bucknell University. Diekema's time, good enough for 20th among NCAA Division I and Division II competition, ranks third-best in NCAA Division III and was the fastest time by an NCAA Division III competitor in the event since March 29.
