General Wednesday, June 1, 2022 NWC Athletic Communications

Nine Athletes Commit to Northwestern in May

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College athletic communications office announces the signings of nine Red Raider recruits during the month of May.

Men's Soccer
Oliver Rivera (Newell, Iowa) has signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Northwestern College as midfielder/forward. recruit_rivera_msoc

In 2022, at the time of signing, Rivera had notched eight goals in four matches, helping lead his Newell-Fonda squad to a perfect 4-0-0 start to the season under head coach Roberto Torrez.

"Northwestern is close to home. The people I met at Northwestern were great people and I enjoyed the time I had there. (Northwestern) is a great place and the players gave me great advice and helped me through the scrimmage," noted Rivera.

Rivera plans to study criminal justice at Northwestern. He is the son of Donaldo and Norma Rivera, and a brother to Larry, Sherrey, Bruce, and Krizia.

Emiliano Ruvalcaba (Colotlan, Jalisco, Mexico) has signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Northwestern College. recruit_ruvalcaba_msoc

Ruvalcaba was a three-sport athlete at Rock Valley High School. Finishing as the state runner-up in football and winning the conference title in the 400m in State Track.

As a right wing, he has notched one goal and two assists. He has had 12 shots with five on-goal for Rock Valley High School. His team sat 6-3-5 in the league.

He is the son of Emiliano and Flora Ruvalcaba, and the brother of Jose, Juan, Pedro, Julissa, and Kenzy. He plans to study exercise science at Northwestern.

Niklas Milletich (Guntramsdorf, Niederösterreich, Austria) has signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Northwestern College. recruit_milletich_msoc

Playing for SC Wiener Neustadt, he was the team captain and played in 11 matches, scoring one goal from his center back position. The season, at the time of signing, was halfway complete.

Milletich on why he chose Northwestern, "I felt welcome from the first moment. The team spirit is extremely high and the academic opportunities are amazing."

He is the son of Johannes and Ursula Milletich, and the brother of Janina and Jasmin. Graduating from the Vienna Business School Mödling, he was in the top 50% of his class and has career aspirations of becoming a Physical Therapist.

Cheer & Dance
MacKenzie Russell (Postville, Iowa) has signed a letter of intent to continue her competitive cheerleading career at Northwestern College.

Russell participated in Cheerleading for two years at Postville High School where she cheered for football and basketball. She was the cheer captain for both the football and basketball teams, while earning Upper Iowa All-Conference Award.

"We're excited to have MacKenzie join us. Her sweet and peppy personality will make a great addition to our teams!" said head Cheer coach Taylor Nygren.

At NWC, she plans to be a double-major in Accounting and Spanish. She was a straight A Honor Roll all four years at Postville High School, earning Distinguished Academic Award and being a member of the National Honor Society.

"I liked the location, the atmosphere, the high academic standards, and the faith-based campus," noted Russell.

She is the daughter of Doug and Amy Russell, and the sister of Matthew, Stephen, and Collin.

Men's Golf
Qwenton Caldwell (Littleton, Colo.) has signed a letter of intent to continue his golf career at Northwestern College. recruit_qwenton_caldwell_mgolf

Attending Addenbrooke Classical Academy, Caldwell played four years of golf and three years of volleyball. He lettered in golf all four years, earned Second Team All-State honors in 2019, and All-Conference Jeffco 5A for the golf season in 2021-22.

"I chose Northwestern College because of the strong faith and beliefs that the college stands by. I also chose the school because I am from a smaller school in Colorado and I like the personal aspect that a smaller school can give you," noted Caldwell. On the golf course, he notched an 18-hole average of 74.1, including a tournament low score of 69.

"We are ecstatic to be adding Qwenton to our recruiting class! He has had a considerable amount of success in high school and he fits our team culture perfectly," said head men's golf coach Aaron Aberson. "We are looking forward to his contributions to our team and our campus community."

He is the son of Orian and Trisha Caldwell, and the brother of Sofie. He was a 2022 Honor Roll student, Valedictorian, and carried a 4.0 GPA at Addenbrooke Classical Academy. He plans to study computer science at Northwestern.

Women's Tennis
Nathania Smith (Canon City, Colo.) has signed a letter of intent to continue her tennis career at Northwestern College. recruit_nathania_smith_wten

"We are looking forward to Nat joining our tennis team this fall. She brings with her a passion for Christ and a passion for tennis," said head women's tennis coach Jamie De Jong. "She's got zip to her strokes, which will be helpful to her growth as a player. Nat will be a great teammate and I trust she will thrive at NWC!"

Smith notes, "The thing that made me choose Northwestern College is definitely the faith-based courses, administrators, and coaches. It is clear that they are living out their walk with Christ every day, and I can't wait to be a part of the Northwestern family!"

Smith is the daughter of Melanie and Clayton, and sister to Matea. She intends to study psychology at Northwestern.

Esports

Noah Luna (Omaha, Neb.) has signed a letter of intent to continue his esports career at Northwestern College, playing Overwatch.

He is the son of Joseph and Angela Luna. He attended LF Christian Academy where he was an Honor Roll, Superior Honor Roll, Academic Award, and Distinguished Christian High School Student Award recipient.

"I was first invited to check it out and after looking through what the school offers, I felt like it was the proper next step to take," noted Luna.

He plans to study psychology at Northwestern College.

Harris Adamson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) has signed a letter of intent to continue his esports career at Northwestern College, playing on the Rocket League team. recruit_harris_adamson_esports

"I am very excited to have Harris joining our program this fall. He's going to bring a great presence to our team, and we're looking forward to helping him grow and develop his skills as an esports competitor," said head Esports coach Cole Prescott.

Adamson is the son of Tom and Heather Adamson, and the brother of Calvin. He plans to study business at NWC, and graduated from Sioux Falls Christian High School.

Volleyball

Hailey Van Dyken (Bozeman, Mont.) has signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at Northwestern College.

On the volleyball court, she has earned both First and Second Team All-Conference honors at Manhattan Christian School in Bozeman, Mont. She recorded seven aces, eight assists, 51 blocks, 38 digs, and 115 kills this past season.

"Hailey is coming off of her senior season where she didn't get to play volleyball due to an injury. She is a good athlete that will have great opportunities to improve her skills in our program," noted head volleyball coach Kyle Van Den Bosch. "Hailey is a great fit for our volleyball program and school and we are excited to welcome her to our volleyball family."

A graduate of Manhattan Christian School, Van Dyken graduated on the Honor Roll, top GPA in her class, a Rotary student, and Academic All-State. She has career ambitions of becoming a pediatric nurse. She is the daughter of Shad and Crystal Van Dyken, and sister to Grant, Shayla, and Isaac.

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Players Mentioned

Nathania Smith: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nathania Smith
: Freshman