Jan. 16, 2023 – Wrestling junior Zeb Gnida and men's track and field senior Mike Jasa helped lead their teams over the past week, earning both Loras College student-athletes American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Athlete of the Week honors in their respective sports.

Gnida was a perfect 6-0 on the mat last week, surpassing the four wins he had racked up during the entire season up to that point. His performances not only earned him the conference's Wrestler of the Week honor, but also made him the conference's overall Male Athlete of the Week as he takes home each award for the first time in his Duhawk career.

This past week, Gnida helped No. 12 Loras roll past No. 11 Central College in dual action on Thursday as he pinned Central's Austin Roos in just 1:19 to take the 174-lb bout in Loras' 38-9 victory. He followed that up with a perfect 5-0 record and a bracket championship at Cornell College's Cliff Keen-Mike Dunroe Invitational on Saturday. Gnida earned two wins – including his championship bout –by major decision, two wins by decision, and one by tech fall to claim the 174-lb title.

Jasa set NCAA Division III history on Saturday at St. Ambrose University's Battle in the Hive as he helped lead the men's track and field team to a first-place finish in the seven-team meet. His performances as an individual runner and a member of the 4x400-meter relay team earned him the A-R-C's Track Athlete of the Week award for the seventh time in his career.

Jasa's 600-meter time of 1:18.67 not only won him the race and set a new school-record, but it also became the top Division III time ever recorded, surpassing the only mark from Colfay Pointer in 2019 (University of Dubuque) by almost a full second. On top of that, Jasa's split of 48.9 seconds was the fastest on the race-winning 4x400-meter relay team that now ranks third in Division III this season with a 3:20.14.