IOWA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

IIAC SPORTS
Fall
  •  Cross Country (M)
  •  Cross Country (W)
  •  Football
  •  Golf (W)
  •  Soccer (M)
  •  Soccer (W)
  •  Tennis (W)
  •  Volleyball

Winter
  •  Basketball (M)
  •  Basketball (W)
  •  Wrestling

Spring
  •  Baseball
  •  Golf (M)
  •  Softball
  •  Tennis (M)
  •  Track & Field (M)
  •  Track & Field (W)
 

January 7, 2002

UPPER IOWA’S HELLER AND LORAS’ THOMAS NAMED IIAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
BUENA VISTA’S JONES HONORED WEEK’S TOP MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER

MOUNT VERNON, IA . . .  The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 6, 2002.  Upper Iowa University basketball player Tara Heller (Fayette, IA/North Fayette HS) was selected IIAC Female Athlete of the Week and Loras College wrestler Pat Thomas (Scherrerville, IN/Marion Catholic HS) was selected IIAC Male Athlete of the Week.

Heller, a senior guard, averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in two games during the week leading the Peacocks to a school record seven straight victories.  In a 78-73 victory over Loras on Friday, she scored 17 points on seven-for-18 shooting and dished out five assists.  In that contest she also had four steals and grabbed three rebounds.  The following evening, in an 81-62 victory over the University of Dubuque, Heller scored 24 points on 11-for-22 shooting.  Eighteen of 24 points came in the second half when Upper Iowa outscored Dubuque 54-36.  She finished the game with two assists, a steal and a block.

Thomas, a junior heavyweight, won all four of his matches by fall at the “Flash” Flanagan Open hosted by Loras.  In the first round, he pinned Waldorf Community College’s Al Kulhman at the 3:24 mark.  He followed that performance with a pin of Mount St. Clare College’s Shawn Savage at 0:19 and a pin of Division I Northern Illinois University’s Seth Livingston at 0:24.  In the Championship Match, Thomas pinned University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse’s Deke Stanell at 3:23.  Thomas’ four matches at the “Flash” Flanagan Open lasted only 7:30 of a possible 24 minutes of match time.  On the season, he is 13-4 with 10 pins, six of which were 30 seconds or less.

The IIAC also announced on Monday the Players of the Week for the Conference’s three winter sports.  Heller and Thomas earned the awards for their respective sports and Buena Vista University’s Adam Jones (Jefferson, IA/Jefferson-Scranton HS) was selected Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.

Jones, a senior guard/forward, averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games.  In a 77-55 victory over Coe on Friday, he scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists.  The following evening against Cornell, Jones scored 28 points on eight-for-13 shooting including seven-for-11 from three-point land.  In the 96-56 Beavers’ victory, he also grabbed five rebounds and handed out two assists in 24 minutes of play.

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