Two Central College athletes received American Rivers Conference player of the week honors in their respective sports on Monday.

Dutch running back Jase Grunder had a dominant showing on the ground in Central’s 45-27 win over Loras on Saturday, earning the conference’s Football Offensive Player of the Week award. Grunder rushed for 241 yards on 28 carries (8.6 YPC) and three touchdowns, and his yardage mark was a career high and the sixth highest single-game total in Central College history. The performance also helped the Dutch improve to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play, in addition to moving Central up to #16 in the AFCA National Rankings. The Dutch football team has their bye week this Saturday and will look to continue its winning ways on October 18th at home against Nebraska Wesleyan.

Central women’s cross country runner Peyton Steffan was named the runner of the week in the conference, after helping lead the Dutch to their fourth straight team title. Competing in the Dan Huston Invitational at Wartburg College on Saturday, Steffen finished second overall in 21 minutes, 55.3 seconds on the 6,000-meter course. The Central women’s cross country team returns to action on Friday, October 17th, when they travel to Peoria, Illinois to compete in the Bradley Pink Classic.