Here are the athletes of the week in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Men’s cross country
UW-Oshkosh’s Andrew McGuire, a senior from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, was the top Titans’ finisher at the Notre Dame Invitational (Gold Division) with a time of 25:04, which placed him fifth among 193 finishers on the five-mile course.
The Titans are ranked eighth in NCAA Division III.
Other nominees included UW-Eau Claire’s Jules Miller, a senior from Green Bay East; UW-La Crosse’s Michael Behringer, a freshman from Onalaska; UW-Platteville’s Curtis Bendorf, a sophomore from Fennimore; UW-River Falls’ Scott Bowman, a sophomore from McFarland; and UW-Whitewater’s Dan Machmueller, a sophomore from West Allis.
Women’s cross country
UW-Oshkosh junior Ayla Mitchell of New Richmond led the 11th-ranked Titans at the Notre Dame Invite (Blue Division), winning the 5,000-meter event in 17:28, the only NCAA Division III runner in the top seven.
UW-Whitewater’s Katie McCabe, a junior from Random Lake, also was among the nominees for weekly honors.
Football
Sophomore wide receiver Michael Zweifel of Whitewater continued to be a dominating presence for UW-River Falls, earning the league’s offensive player of the week honors.
Zweifel caught 16 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 36-30 victory over previously undefeated UW-Stevens Point. Zweifel hauled in a 17-yard TD to put UW-River Falls ahead 20-13 with 5:10 left in the first half and then grabbed the eventual 18-yard game-winner with 7:42 remaining in the game, which gave the Falcons a 34-23 margin.
Two of his catches converted third downs and nine of them gave UW-River Falls a first down.
Other nominees featured UW-Eau Claire junior quarterback Kyle Paulson of Amery; UW-Oshkosh junior running back Steve Levonowich of Kenosha Tremper; UW-Platteville junior wide receiver Aunton Terry of Waukesha North; and UW-Stevens Point junior tackle Tyler Van Wayngard of Kaukauna.
Defensively, UW-Eau Claire senior lineman Matt Ebner of Melrose-Mindoro received top billing after the Blugolds whipped previously unbeaten UW-Oshkosh, 34-0. Ebner recorded four total tackles, including 1.5 sacks and another tackle for loss as the Titans accumulated only 165 yards of offense.
UW-La Crosse sophomore safety Dustin Drath of Manawa, UW-Oshkosh sophomore cornerback Nate Heard of Milwaukee Lutheran, UW-Platteville lineman David Akey of Merrill, UW-River Falls senior cornerback Jamie Bisch of St. Croix Central, UW-Stevens Point junior linebacker John Jones of Oregon and UW-Stout senior lineman Scott Riha of Bay Port also were nominated.
Those nominated for the special teams award included UW-Eau Claire junior Craig Kolb of Marshfield, UW-Oshkosh freshman Kyle Calhoun of Kettle Moraine, UW-Platteville junior Tony Smidl of Oshkosh West, UW-Stout freshman Craig Warminski of Stanley-Boyd and UW-Whitewater junior Lane Olson of Racine Horlick.
Women’s soccer
Among the offensive nominees were UW-Oshkosh sophomore midfielder Jennifer Nesbitt of Sturgeon Bay and UW-Stevens Point senior midfielder Emily Walsh of Waunakee.
The defensive honor went to midfielder Mary Jean Cornelius of UW-Stevens Point, a sophomore from West Bend. She helped the Pointers register two shutouts while improving to 9-2, 7-0 over UW-La Crosse and 6-0 against UW-Platteville.
Other nominees included UW-Oshkosh senior defender Jenny Drott of Mukwonago.
Women’s tennis
Junior Rachel Benn of UW-Stevens Point and a local product earned the singles honor after improving to 8-2 with wins against Ripon College and UW-Stout in No. 1. Other nominees were UW-Eau Claire junior Brenna McCormick of Greendale, UW-Oshkosh freshman Eva Counsell of Elkhorn, UW-River Falls senior Mindy Rudiger of Menomonie, UW-Stout freshman Emily Jubert of Green Bay Southwest and UW-Whitewater senior Jenny Woyahn of Waukesha South.
In doubles, nominees included UW-Eau Claire’s McCormick and junior Erin Welch of Tomah and the UW-Oshkosh pair of senior Jenna Abbott of Oshkosh North and freshman Emily Bostwick of Whitefish Bay. UW-River Falls’s Rudiger and UW-Stout’s Jubert also earned nominations with partners from Minnesota.
Volleyball
UW-La Crosse senior outside hitter Amber Schoonover of Tomah was the top athlete, making the Millikin University (Ill.) all-tourney team. She recorded 51 kills and 31 digs in four matches as the Eagles finished 3-1 in the event and 4-1 overall for last week. She registered 17 kills against Anderson University (Ill.) and had 15 digs in a win against 12th ranked UW-Whitewater.
Also nominated were UW-Eau Claire senior middle blocker Jenna Weber of Antigo, UW-Oshkosh freshman middle blocker Kelsey Mauer of Sheboygan Falls, UW-Platteville sophomore libero Abby Carey of Belmont and UW-River Falls freshman outside hitter Kara Buffington of Hudson.