Scheels Cobber Athletes Of The Week
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/18/16)—Recovery and winning were the themes for a pair of sophomore student/athletes from Moorhead who earned this week’s Scheels Cobber Athletes of the Week honors. Sophomore linebacker Alex Berg shook off the disappointment of a last-second loss and had another great game in the Cobber football teams’ win against Hamline and sophomore Brianna Gruenberg won the individual title at the Crown Invite and helped the Cobber women’s cross country team away with the team title.
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
ALEX BERG – So., Moorhead, Minn./Fargo Shanley HS
A week after having hopes of beating national runner-up St. Thomas dashed in the final seconds, Berg stepped up to lead the Concordia defense against the top passing team in the MIAC. Berg’s stellar play helped the Cobbers limit Hamline to its lowest point total of the season and fewest offensive yards of the year.
Berg had a game-high tackles including two tackles for a loss and also picked off a pass in the Cobbers’ 34-14 win over the Pipers. He had five solo tackles and seven assisted tackles and his interception set up a game-changing touchdown at the end of the first half.
Berg’s maturity as the one of the team’s starting inside linebackers has helped the Cobber Black Shirt defense win four of its last five games.
Berg currently leads the MIAC in tackles per game (10.2) and has had at least 12 tackles in three straight games. He is also third in the MIAC in total tackles and fifth in both solo and assisted tackles.
WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
BRIANNA GRUENBERG, So., Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead HS
Gruenberg has been having a breakout season in her sophomore year and she reached the top of that trek by winning the individual championship at the Crown Invite on Saturday. Gruenberg ran a 24:34 over the 6K which beat the second-place finisher by 17 seconds.
Gruenberg has been in the Top 3 of the Cobbers in all six meets this season and has led the team in three of the last four meets. Her top finish of the year before the win in St. Bonifacius came at the season-opening Cobber Invite where she placed third. Gruenberg also had a Top 10 finish at last week’s Jamestown Invitational.
The win at the Crown Invite was the first by a Concordia women’s cross country runner since the start of the 2014 season. It was also the first by Gruenberg since middle school.