Ryan Slager with his family on Saturday, October 20
Ryan Slager-Football
GRINNELL, Iowa – After a record-breaking performance, Grinnell College linebacker Ryan Slager ’19 has been named the Midwest Conference Football Defensive Player of the Week.
Slager, from Orland Park, Ill. (Amos Alonzo Stagg), made history Saturday by breaking the NCAA Division III record for career tackles. He had 18 stops against Lake Forest College, giving him 561 and breaking the previous mark of 545 held by Luther College’s Kyle McGivney from 2008-11.
Slager is currently ranked third for career tackles among all levels of NCAA. His performance sparked a Pioneer defense that limited Lake Forest to its second-lowest scoring output of the season.
The MWC Offensive Player of the Week is Hayden Nelson of Monmouth College, while Brent Anderson of Ripon College was named Special Teams Performer of the Week.
Eliza Bunnell-Women’s Soccer
GRINNELL, Iowa – For the fourth time this season, Grinnell College has had a player earn Midwest Conference Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors.
This week’s honoree is Eliza Bunnell ’19, a defender from Concord, N.H. (Concord). She has been a big factor in the Pioneers’ season-long defensive stinginess, and this past week was proof of that. Her efforts helped Grinnell allow just one goal in a key MWC overtime win against Monmouth College and earlier in the week allow just one goal in regulation against St. Olaf College. For the season, the Pioneers rank second in the league in goals against average at 1.10.
Jared Cloutier-Men’s Soccer
GRINNELL, Iowa – Grinnell College’s Jared Cloutier ’20 has earned Midwest Conference Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Cloutier, a a keeper from Portland, Ore. (Oregon Episcopal School), came up big when he had to, posting his second shutout of the season as Grinnell beat Monmouth College 1-0 to keep its MWC Tournament hopes alive. Cloutier made five saves in the game and now ranks ninth in program history with 104 career saves.
Women’s Golf moves up in the rankings
GRINNELL, Iowa – Already listed third in the GolfStat national scoring list, the Grinnell College women’s golf team has picked up another No. 3 national ranking.
The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) has the Pioneers third in their NCAA Division III national coaches poll. Grinnell received 268 points in a poll of 12 coaches, trailing only Carleton College’s total of 293 and George Fox’s University vote total of 275. Carleton had 11 first-place votes, while No. 4 Rhodes College garnered the other.
Grinnell’s successful fall campaign included a victory at the NCAA D-III National Preview Meet and a sixth Midwest Conference title in a row.