Scheels Cobber Athletes Of The Week

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/15/16)—This week’s Scheels Cobber Athletes of the Week award winners used their veteran experience to excel on the field and rink. Seniors Hank Van Liew and Ellen Rethwisch both had career performances as they led their teams by example on Saturday.  Van Liew was a one-man wrecking crew on defense for the Cobber football team in their regular-season finale against St. John’s and Rethwisch scored the game-winning goal in overtime to keep the Concordia women’s hockey team unbeaten on the year.

Scheels is once again pleased to sponsor the Cobber Athletes of the Week award.  Each week the Concordia sports information department will choose a deserving Cobber male and female athlete of the week.

MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
HANK VAN LIEW – Sr., Snowqualmie, Wash./Mount Si HS
Van Liew had the best statistical game of his career against No.8-ranked St. John’s on Saturday. He posted a career-high 17 tackles, had 1.5 tackles for a loss and also assisted on a sack. Van Liew’s presence from the middle of the Cobber defense helped contain the Johnnie offense until the fourth quarter. The 17 tackles are the most by a Concordia player this season and most since the 2012 season when Peter Hvidston also had 17 against Jamestown.

Van Liew’s season-ending performance caps a tremendous senior year which saw the inside linebacker finish third in the MIAC in total tackles and sixth in both solo and assisted tackles. Van Liew finished the year with 39 solo and 59 assisted tackles for 89 total tackles. His total tackle mark was only five shy of teammate Alex Berg who led the league with 94 total tackles.

Van Liew had double-digit tackle totals in five of the team’s 10 games and had at least six tackles in nine games this year.
    
WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
ELLEN RETHWISCH, Sr., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS
Rethwisch had a monster game on Saturday to help Concordia outscore St. Benedict 7-6 in overtime. She scored the game-winning goal with less than 1-minute to play in the extra period which allowed the Cobbers to remain the only unbeaten team in the MIAC this season. Concordia is now 3-0-1 in all games and 2-0-0 in the MIAC.

In addition to the game-winning goal Rethwisch also scored the go-ahead goal in third period to allow CC to take a 5-4 advantage midway through the final frame. To cap her three-point game against the Blazers she added an assist on the Cobbers’ second goal of the game.

Rethwisch also had a career-high 11 shots on goal in the game. That total is the most by a Cobber player since 2012 when Abby Taffe had 13 in a game against St. Olaf.  

Rethwisch now has two goals and four assists on the season and is tied for the team lead in points with six. Her four assists are tied for second in the MIAC.