DUBUQUE, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) released its weekly athletes of the week on Monday afternoon. The University of Dubuque Spartans had three student-athletes named defensive athletes of the week as Riley Johnson (Men's Soccer), Samantha Jurgens (Women's Soccer), and Taylor Bechen (Volleyball) all earned weekly honors. 

Johnson (Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook) played all 180 minutes in goal last week as the Spartans recorded two 3-0 shutouts against regionally-ranked Wartburg College and Simpson College to clinch a share of the American Rivers Conference regular season title and the number one seed in the A-R-C Men's Soccer Tournament. Johnson recorded eight saves in the two shutouts and now has five total shutouts this season for the Spartans. This is Johnson's second weekly honor this season (10/26/26, 9/28/26). 

Jurgens (Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North) led the Spartans defense to a 2-0 week where they defeated Wartburg College 1-0 before knocking off Simpson College (2-1) to move to second in the conference standings and a chance at the conference title Tuesday night at Loras College. Jurgens finished the week with nine saves in 180 minutes in net, including seven saves against Wartburg. Jurgens has now been named an athlete of the week two times this season, both coming in the month of October (10/26/26, 10/12/26). 

Bechen (Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny Centennial) continues to rack up athlete of the week honors, earning her 15th career honor and fifth of the season after recording 76 digs (6.91 d/s) throughout three games this week. The Spartans swept cross-town rival Loras College before splitting a pair of games at UW-Whitewater, defeating Carthage in four sets. Bechen had 34 digs against Carthage, marking the eighth time this season she has had 30+ digs in a match.