Pioneers name athletes of the week

Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week – Mariah Brown, Jr., (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) - Brown was the Pioneers’ second finisher at the Oshkosh Open on Oct. 21. She crossed the finish in eighth place overall with a time of 26:11, one minute and 27 seconds faster than her previous best.

Cross Country Male Athlete of the Week – Tim Knobloch, Fr., (Moline, IL/Senior) - Knobloch was the Pioneers’ fourth finisher at the Oshkosh Open. This was Knobloch's first time finishing in the scoring top-5 for the Pioneers. The freshman finished 12th overall with a time of 27:30, one minute and 12 seconds faster than his previous best and almost 4 minutes faster than his first race of the season.

Men’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week – Nate Miller, Fr. (Racine, WI/Park) Goalkeeper – Miller has been outstanding all season, but in the Pioneers’ 3-2 win over the 19^th-ranked Dubuque, the freshman played with the poise of a veteran.  The freshman made a number of good saves, and was very effective in controlling Dubuque’s aerial attacks.

Men’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week – Tommy Bitter, So. (Dubuque, IA/Hempstead) Defender – Bitter was extremely sharp on both sides of the ball in the Pioneers’ 3-2 win over 19^th-ranked Dubuque on Oct. 22.  The sophomore scored the first two goals of the game against the Spartans off of two corner kicks.  Bitter also was able to limit Dubuque’s powerful attack all game long.  

Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week – Lindsey Decker, Sr. (Galena, IL) Defensive Specialist – Decker registered 48 digs in thirteen sets played against UW-Whitewater on Oct. 19 and Spalding University and Iowa Wesleyan University on Oct 22.  Decker averaged 3.7 digs per set and included a 21 dig performance in a 3-0 sweep of Iowa Wesleyan.

Volleyball Offensive Athlete of the Week – Allison Jensen, Jr. (Lowden, IA/North Cedar) Outside Hitter – Jensen recorded 39 kills to go along with 19 digs, three service aces and four block assists in thirteen sets played against UW-Whitewater on Oct. 19 and Spalding University and Iowa Wesleyan University on Oct 22.  Over the three matches, the junior recorded a .365 hitting percentage and a kills per set average of 3.25.  In a five set upset of #11 UW-Whitewater, Jensen notched a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs.  Allison had a season high 20 kills to only one hitting error (.500 hitting percentage) against Spalding University.