As the fall postseason enters full swing, the Maroons winter sports athletes are beginning to do some damage of their own.
Men’s swimming’s first-year Shane Carlson became the first winter sport athlete to win UAA Athlete of the Week honors, the league announced Tuesday. Cross country’s fourth-year co-captain Jessica Winter, women’s soccer’s fourth-year forward Renee Neuner, and football’s third-year quarterback Matt Rinklin were also named.
Carlson won both the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyle to help pace the Maroons to victory at Friday and Saturday’s Maroon Invite at Ratner. His 16:28.89 mark in the latter event set a program record, as did his 4:15.92 effort in the 400-yard individual medley, good for second place in the event.
Outside of Ratner proper, Rinklin completed 18 of 24 passes for 280 yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions, providing more than enough offense with his arm alone to get the team past Eureka 55–7 at Stagg Saturday. He also helped out on the ground, rushing for 22 yards and one TD to help lock up the victory. The win clinched the first winning season since 2001 for the Maroons.
In NCAA action, Winter crossed the line in 21:11, just seven seconds behind UW–LaCrosse fourth-year Julia Rudd, to grab second place at the Midwest Regional meet in Peoria Saturday. While the team finished sixth, one spot out of national championship meet qualification, the co-captain’s All-Region performance won her an individual berth at NCAAs tomorrow.
Women’s soccer will also advance to the next stage of the postseason, partially thanks to Neuner, who tallied twice in the second half over the Maroons’ 3–0 second round playoff victory over Loras at home Sunday. The two scores lifted her season total to 17 and her career mark to 77.
It was Carlson’s first career league certificate. Rinklin, a transfer student new to Chicago, won for the second time this fall. The two fourth-years hardly have places on the wall for the honors, with Neuner garnering her seventh and Winter her tenth, including six previous selections for cross country.
