BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for basketball and hockey on Monday. Student-athletes from Augsburg, Carleton, Gustavus, Hamline, Saint Mary's, and St. Scholastica claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
 
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the winter season, team sports (basketball and hockey) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (swimming & diving and indoor track & field) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
 
The MIAC Athlete of the Week archive has complete details on each week's selections and winners.
 
Saint Mary's AJ Ruskowski nailed down the Defensive Player of the Week awards after a dominant weekend performance over Concordia.

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MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
AJ Ruskowski
Saint Mary's University
Sr. | Goaltender
Traverse City, Mich.
AJ Ruskowski recorded his first shutout of the year in a 5-0 win over Concordia on 12/6. Ruskowski had 29 saves in the victory. He returned to the ice against the Cobbers on 12/7 and recorded a season-best 44 saves in a 2-2 draw in which he also stopped all three shootout attempts by Concordia to secure an extra point in the conference standings.