Northwestern’s athletic teams have started off their fall seasons strong, as five Raiders have received special recognition for atheltic performance:s cross country runner Dylan Hendricks, football kicker Braxton Williams and volleyball players Anna Kiel, Makenzie Fink and Lacey Wacker.
On Sept. 18, Dylan Hendricks, a junior, was awarded the title of GPAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week. Hendricks has had a very successful season leading the team. At the South Dakota Sate University Classic in Brookings, South Dakota, on Sept. 13, he placed 20th overall and finished first out of all NAIA runners. His time was 26:29 in the 8K. The men’s and women’s cross country teams will race again on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Dordt’s campus in Sioux Center.
Anna Wedel, a redshirt junior, was named GPAC Attacker of the Week on Sept. 17. This is her second time receiving this recognition during the fall 2019 season. Wedel, an outside hitter has completed kills in the double digits in 13 out of 14 matches this season. Her career high is 22 kills, which contributed to the team’s win against the Dordt Defenders, along with 13 digs. On Sept. 17, Wedel was also awarded the NAIA Volleyball Attacker of the Week based on her performances against Dordt and Mount Marty.
Makenzie Fink, a junior, also received the title GPAC Volleyball Attacker of the Week for the week of Sept. 23 because of her strong performance against the Dakota Wesleyan, York and Jamestown teams. She hit a team best of .420, and she completed four kills per set against each of these teams. While playing Jamestown, Fink put down 16 kills, which helped NW defeat the Jimmies, giving them their first conference loss of the season.
Junior Lacey Wacker was named GPAC Setter of the Week for the week of Sept. 23, coming off of two strong matches against Dordt and Concordia. Wacker had over 40 assists and three aces in each match. The Raider offense averaged hits of .402 in their matches for the week.
The Raider volleyball team is currently ranked 2nd in the NAIA and came out of homecoming weekend still undefeated, with a 14-0 record (as of Tuesday, Oct. 1).
Additionally, senior football player Braxton Williams was named the GPAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 23. Williams, earned this recognition because of his performance against DWU where he accounted for ten points in the 52-7 NW victory. Williams completed all seven extra point attempts as well as a 31-yard field goal.
