May 10, 2004

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Central College track and field performers Tanner Whipple (Roland, Iowa/Roland-Story HS) and Lindsay Schultz (Barnum, Iowa/Manson NW Webster HS) were named IIAC Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, May 9.

Whipple, a sophomore, won the Iowa Conference decathlon with an NCAA provisional qualifying score of 6186 points. He recorded the highest mark among the 12 competitors in the 400-meter dash (50.08 seconds) and the 110-meter hurdles (15.71 seconds). His marks in the long jump (20-6.25), pole vault (12-1.25) and 1500-meter run (4:37.20) were the second best in the competition. Whipple’s other marks include 11.51 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 32-3.75 in the shot put, 5-9.25 in the high jump, 107-5 in the discus and 120-0 in the javelin.

Schultz, a senior, won the Iowa Conference heptathlon with an NCAA automatic qualifying score of 4813 points, breaking the Conference record of 4717 points set by her sister Raegan last year. Lindsay’s performances in three of the seven events provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships in those events – 100-meter hurdles (15.00 seconds), javelin (134-10) and long jump (18-1.5). Her marks in the 100-meter hurdles, the javelin and the shot put (37-8) were tops among the 11 competitors. Her other marks include 26.49 seconds in the 200-meter dash, 2:34.35 in the 800-meter run and 4-9.75 in the high jump.

The IIAC also announced on Monday that Luther College junior second baseman Neil Theisen (Sartell, Minn./Apollo HS) was named IIAC baseball Player of the Week.

Theisen hit .600 (9-of-15), scored five runs and drove in four in four games during the week as Luther extended its winning streak to 10 games. He had at least two hits in each of the four contests including a 3-for-4 performance in an 8-2 victory over Viterbo. In that contest he had a double, drove in three and scored once. In the second game of the Viterbo doubleheader (a 3-0 win) he went 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI. He also went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in a 2-0 victory over Coe before wrapping up the week with a 2-for-5, two run scored performance in a 13-2 victory over Coe.

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