October 11, 2004

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Cornell College tennis player Marie Schutte (Boone, Iowa/Boone) and Wartburg College soccer player Verne Houston (Omaha, Neb./Benson) have been named IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, October 10.

Schutte, a junior, won the Iowa Conference #1-singles title at the Conference Individual Tournament defeating the #2-seed Annalise Conaway of Luther (6-4, 6-2) in the Championship match. En route to the title, the #1-seed defeated the #7-seed Carrie Brannen of Simpson (6-0, 6-4) in the first round and the #4-seed Ashley Peterson of Coe (6-2, 6-4) in the semifinals. Schutte also defeated Peterson (6-0, 6-4) in the regular season finale. She teamed with Emily Loewen to finish third at #1-doubles in the Conference Tournament. The duo, seeded fourth, defeated #5-seed Michelle Stecher/Natalia Fernandez of Loras (8-6) in the first round before losing to top-seeded Kirsten Madsen/Tara Huinker of Luther (8-5) in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Schutte/Loewen defeated #6-seed Sarah Kammerer/Jodie Pearson of Wartburg (8-3).

Houston, a senior forward, scored 10 goals and had one assist in three games during the week. He scored four goals in victories over Iowa Wesleyan (9-0) and Upper Iowa (10-0). He recorded the game-winning goal in the Iowa Wesleyan contest and notched an assist against Upper Iowa. Houston scored two goals on two shots in a Conference victory over Simpson (4-1). He has reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career, and stands two goals and five points shy of breaking the school’s single-season record in both categories.

The IIAC also announced on Monday the Performer of the Week in each of the Conference’s eight sports in competition. Schutte and Houston earned the weekly honor in their respective sport, while the following individuals were recognized for the athletic performances.

Women’s Cross Country: Luther College senior Bethany Schiefelbein (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek) won the Dan Huston Invitational 6K race in a time of 23:10. She finished five seconds ahead of the runner-up in the 142-runner race. Luther won the 6K team title with by 33 points with a team score of 43.

Men’s Cross Country: Wartburg College junior Keith Solverson (Fort Dodge, Iowa/St. Edmond’s) finished second in the Dan Huston Invitational 4K race in a time of 12:21. He finished second by 30-seconds to teammate Josh Moen in the 81-runner race. Host-Wartburg won the 4K and the overall (4K and 8K combined) team championships.

Football: University of Dubuque junior defensive back Thoni Oriental (Riviera Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) helped the Spartans end a 27-game Iowa Conference winless streak and beat Coe (12-7) for the first time since 1919. Oriental intercepted a Joe Brannen pass that led to Dubuque’s first touchdown midway through the third quarter. It was the first interception thrown by Brannen this season. Oriental had two tackles and three pass break-ups, including one late in the fourth quarter when the Kohawks were driving inside the Dubuque 20.

Women’s Golf: Simpson College senior Janelle Claiborne (Lake City, Iowa/Southern Cal) won the Iowa Conference individual Championship defeating Wartburg’s Andrea Schiltz on the first hole of a sudden death playoff. Claiborne shot back-to-back 80s in the final two rounds of the Championship to move from four strokes back after the first 36-holes to the top of the leader board with a 315 (77-78-80-80). She was named Conference Most Valuable Player for the second time in three years and earned All-Conference honors (top-10 finish) for the third time in four years.

Women’s Soccer: Wartburg College senior forward Tiffany Treanor (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) scored four goals in a 6-4 victory over Simpson, the Knights’ first ever win over the Storm. With her performance, Treanor, who holds the school’s career scoring records, set the school’s single season record for goals and points (17 goals, 36 points).

Volleyball: Buena Vista University senior outside hitter Jess Griggs (Ledyard, Iowa/North Kossuth) hit .338 and averaged 3.38 kills, 5.0 digs and 0.62 blocks per game in two matches during the week. In a 3-0 victory over Luther, she had eight kills, 14 digs and hit .421. She had 19 kills, 26 digs, four blocks and hit .304 in a 3-2 victory over Grand View.

-30-