Central College’s Joshua Van Gorp (junior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) was selected as the American Rivers Conference Male Athlete of the Week.

Van Gorp, a 6-foot, 10-inch center, averaged 23.5 points in a pair of men’s basketball conference victories last week, including a 68-58 upset win over the preseason title favorite University of Dubuque at Pella Saturday. Central (6-3 overall, 2-0 conference) also scored a 73-67 win at Nebraska Wesleyan University Wednesday.

At Nebraska Wesleyan, Van Gorp had 24 points and six rebounds along with three blocked shots. He hit 12 of 15 shots from the field. Against Dubuque, Van Gorp posted his fourth career double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, along with a block. He was 10-of-16 from the floor and shot 70.9% for the week.

Van Gorp is shooting 68.3% from the field for the season, ranking 10th in the NCAA Division III, and is averaging 16.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game through Central’s nine contests so far this year.

The win over Dubuque on Saturday, marked the first time the Dutch knocked off the Spartans since 2018. Central continues league play on Saturday with a women’s-men’s doubleheader at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.