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)
 

February 14, 2002

(Release courtesy of Matt Turk, SID, Simpson College)

WARTBURG COLLEGE WINS 10^TH STRAIGHT IIAC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP; 34 WRESTLERS QUALIFY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
LUTHER’S SOUTH NAMED OUTSTANDING WRESTLER 
LUTHER'S MITCHELL NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

INDIANOLA, IA . . . Second-ranked Wartburg College won its 10th straight Iowa Conference wrestling Championship Thursday night in Indianola.  The Knights outdistanced Luther College 160-135.5 to lay claim to the third longest conference wrestling winning streak in the nation.  Pacific University (Ore.) won 16 straight Northwest Conference titles from 1969-1984 while Augsburg College has currently won 15 straight MIAC titles heading into next week's MIAC Tournament.

The Knights had seven wrestlers qualify for the finals with three Wartburg wrestlers' Mark Sturm (174), Alain Djoumessi (197), and Leroy Gardner III (Hwt.) winning IIAC titles.  Luther's Garrett South was named the Conference’s Outstanding Wrestler.  South, a freshman 165-pounder from Cumberland, Iowa, won his weight class as a #4 seed.  South defeated Wartburg's Kevin Powell, the #3 seed, for the conference title.

Luther head coach Dave Mitchell was named IIAC Coach of the Year for the second time in the past four years.  Mitchell led the Norse to a 12-8 dual record and a #10 national ranking.  The Iowa Conference qualified 34 wrestlers for the Mar. 1-2 NCAA Division III National Championships in Scranton, Pa.  The top two wrestlers in each weight class automatically qualified for the national meet in addition to 14 wildcards.  A complete list of the national qualifiers is listed below.  

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