April 26, 2004

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College baseball player Aaron Port (Nevada, Iowa/Nevada HS) and Central College track and field performer Raegan Schultz (Barnum, Iowa/Manson Northwest Webster HS) were named IIAC Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 25.

Port, a junior outfielder, hit .600 (15-for-25) and drove in 11 runs in six games during the week. In his final three games of the week, he went 12-for-14 (.857 avg.) with five runs scored, nine runs batted in, two doubles and a home run. Included in that three game stretch was a 4-for-5, three RBI, two run scored performance in an 11-4 victory over Luther, a 3-for-4, two RBI performance in a 9-1 victory over Cornell and a 5-for-5, four RBI, two run scored performance in a 13-0 victory over Cornell.

Schultz, a senior, automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships with her heptathlon performance at the Drake Relays. In her first heptathlon competition of the year, she record 4924 points, a school record that leads all Division III performances to date by nearly 300 points. Schultz’s javelin mark of 138 feet was an NCAA provisional mark and a school record. She also had a personal-best throw in the shot put of 37-1. Her other marks included a 15.15 second run in the 100-meter hurdles, a 26.21 second run in the 200-meter dash, a 2:28.57 run in the 800-meters, a 16-9.25 mark in the long jump and a 5-1.75 mark in the high jump.

The IIAC also announced its Players of the Week for the Conference’s six sports in competition during the week. Port and Schultz earned the weekly honor for baseball and women’s track, while the following individuals were recognized for their athletic performances.

Men’s Golf: Wartburg College sophomore Kevin Ault (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge HS) shot back-to-back even-par 72s in the first two rounds of the Iowa Conference Championship and holds a one stroke lead heading into this weekends final two rounds. In the first 36-holes of the Conference Championship, there were only six rounds of even-par or lower, two by Ault. During the week, he also finished second in the Mount Mercy Amana Classic with a 78, three strokes behind the winner.

Softball: Cornell College sophomore pitcher Becky Roberg (Osceola, Iowa/Clarke HS) threw two complete game shutouts during the week. In 12 innings, she surrendered 10 hits and struck out eight batters while walking three. Roberg threw five innings of three-hit ball and struck out four in a 9-0 victory over Buena Vista. She also struck out four and surrendered seven hits in a 2-0 victory over Dubuque.

Men’s Tennis: Coe College senior Nick Barnes (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington HS) went 10-1 at the Iowa Conference Championship including 5-1 in singles play and 5-0 in doubles action with partner Adam Elliott. Barnes, who was named the Conference MVP for the third straight year, won Conference’s Flight A Doubles Championship for the fourth consecutive year and was the Flight A Singles runner-up for the second straight year. He also led Coe to the Conference team title.

Men’s Track & Field: Loras College junior John Reilly (Marshalltown, Iowa/East Marshall HS) won the shot put at the Loras Open with an NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 57-0.75. The throw, a Loras school record, is the second longest throw in NCAA Division III to date.

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