HELENA, Mont. – The Frontier Conference has announced its eighth edition of the 2025-26 Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week awards. Carroll College senior guard Lorence Dela Cruz has been named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week for the week of December 8-14.

Defensive Player of the Week: Lorence Dela Cruz, Carroll 

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Dela Cruz, a senior guard from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, was selected as the Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

The second-year transfer was simply phenomenal in Carroll's two lopsided home victories over Bismarck State (N.D.) and Dickinson State (N.D.).  Dela Cruz was perhaps the most important player on the court in the pair of wins, coming away with six steals in both games - helping spark extended runs that carried the Saints in both wins.

Carroll is off to its best Frontier Conference start in program history with a perfect 7-0 mark in league play, and Dela Cruz is a big reason why. He now leads the Saints with 27 total steals this season, surpassing the three-time Frontier Defensive Player of the Week Kellen Harrison.

This is Dela Cruz's first career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference Player of the Week award.
 

WEEK	OFFENSE	DEFENSE
8	Kyle Gruhler, Montana Western	Lorence Dela Cruz, Carroll (Mont.)
7	Isaiah Crane, Carroll (Mont.)	Kellen Harrison, Carroll (Mont.)
6	Emanuel Steward, Montana Western	David Young, Montana Western
5	Kyle Gruhler, Montana Western	Kellen Harrison, Carroll (Mont.)
4	Leon Sayers IV, MSU-Northern	Liam Thompson, Bellevue (Neb.)
3	JR Cison, Valley City State (N.D.)	Jaden Phillips, Bellevue (Neb.)
2	Kyle Gruhler, Montana Western	Hayden Diekhans, Montana Tech
1	Kyle Gruhler, Montana Western	Kellen Harrison, Carroll (Mont.)

Dela Cruz and the Saints will head to the desert this week for the annual Cactus Classic, looking to end the calendar year strong with a trio of games against Benedictine-Mesa, Embry-Riddle, and Arizona Christian.