Crossroads League Announces Athletes of the Week | October 6-12
JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League Athletes of the Week were announced on Monday, recognizing the league’s top individual performances from October 6 through 12. Sports Information Directors from the league institutions nominate student-athletes for the awards and vote on each week’s winners.
Volleyball Attacker of the Week
Eva Joldersma, Indiana Wesleyan
Joldersma posted 17 kills against Grace and nine against RV Spring Arbor, helping sixth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan remain perfect in league play with two more sweeps. Joldersma finished the week with 4.3 kills per set on a .268 average.
Volleyball Defender of the Week
McKaylah Flagle, Taylor
Flagle anchored No. 21 Taylor in its five-set win over No. 13 Mount Vernon Nazarene with 34 digs and 22 serve receptions. The TU libero added 15 digs in a sweep of Goshen and finished the week with 6.1 digs per set in the two Taylor victories.
Volleyball Setter of the Week
Abbigail Porter, Indiana Wesleyan
Porter helped No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan to sweeps of Grace and RV Spring Arbor with 12.7 assists and 3.8 digs per set. The senior had 41 assists against Grace and went for a double-double with 35 assists and 14 digs in the win over SAU.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Madelynn Welker, Indiana Wesleyan
Welker picked up two goals and one assist for No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan in a 5-0 victory over Goshen. The senior unleashed six shots in the contest, putting four on target.
Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Brianna Rawlings, Taylor
Rawlings produced her fifth solo shutout of the season and third against a Crossroads League foe in No. 19 Taylor’s scoreless draw with No. 3 Marian. Rawlings registered four saves in the contest and handed MU its first shutout in 23 matches.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Julian Vargas Talamantes, Bethel
Talamantes scored the game-winning goal for No. 5 Bethel in its 2-1 win over rival No. 21 Grace. The senior forward had two shots in the match, putting both on target to fuel the Pilot attack.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Jack Cristini, Spring Arbor
Cristini helped RV Spring Arbor to a 2-0 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene in the lone match of the week for SAU. The senior goalie registered three saves in the win to collect the shutout.
Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Jaynie Halterman, Taylor
Halterman was back at it for No. 1 Taylor, leading TU to a team title at its own Ray Bullock Invitational and topping the field by over a full minute with a time of 20:38.1 Halterman’s performance helped the Trojans post their fourth-best team time in program history.
Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Tristan Trevino, Marian
Trevino competed at the Alabama-Huntsville Invitational, finishing eighth-of-285 against NCAA Division II athletes. The Marian junior crossed with a time of 24:38.3.
Women’s Golfer of the Week
Magnolia Miller, Huntington
Miller took medalist honors at the Fall Classic at Harbor Shores, topping the field of 25 with rounds of 79 and 76 on the par-72, 6,000-yard course.
Men’s Golfer of the Week
Zach Koch, Spring Arbor
Koch ended the Egypt Valley Championships in a tie for first with a pair of Taylor golfers, before edging the Trojan duo in a two-hole playoff for his second individual title of the fall. The junior helped SAU to second in the team standings with scores of 74, 75 and 76.
Women’s Bowler of the Week
Paige Richards, Marian
Richards took 11th place overall at the Western Shootout, posting a score of 1,195 pins with a scoring average of 199.2 pins per game for the Knights.
Men’s Bowler of the Week
Jacob Neubauer, Marian
Neubauer averaged 231 pins per game and totaled 1,386 to help Marian win the Western Shootout. Newbauer’s performance led to a fourth place finish on the individual leaderboard.