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)
 

May 20, 2002

WARTBURG COLLEGE WINS BOTH MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ALL-SPORT TROPHIES

MOUNT VERNON, IA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College has won both the Elmer Hertel All-Sports Traveling Trophy, presented to the Conference institution accumulating the most points in men’s sports and the All-Sports Traveling Trophy, presented to the Conference institution accumulating the most points in women’s sports.  Points are accumulated based on the school’s finish in each of the Conference’s 17 sports with 10 points awarded for a first place finish, nine points for a second place finish, etc.

“Wartburg’s broad-based excellence in their athletic program is reflective of the entire institutions’ commitment to establishing an atmosphere in which their student-athletes can experience athletic and academic success,” IIAC Commissioner John Cochrane said.

Wartburg finished first or tied for first in three women’s sports (basketball, cross-country, and track and field), finished third in volleyball and softball, and sixth in golf, soccer and tennis to amass 60.5 points, edging out Central College (last year’s winner) and Luther College by 1.5 points and Loras College by four points.  The Knights entered the Conference track championship trailing Luther by one point and Central by a half point.  Its first place finish, combined with Central’s third place finish and Luther’s fourth place finish clinched Wartburg it first Women’s All-Sports Trophy since 1993-94.

“Winning the women’s award is especially gratifying because we have been so close the past several years,” Wartburg College Athletics Director Gary Grace said.  “It further validates that Wartburg cannot narrowly be defined by the old cliché as simply a ‘football school,’ ‘wrestling school’ or ‘volleyball school’ when we enjoy success across the board in all sports for both genders.”

The men’s side was not quite as close as the Knights amassed 77 points in the Elmer Hertel All-Sports Trophy competition finishing 18 points ahead of second place Coe College and 19.5 points ahead of third place Luther College.  Wartburg finished first or second in seven of the nine men’s sports including Conference titles in wrestling (10^th straight), baseball (6^th straight), cross-country (4^th straight) and track. For the Knights, it is their fifth consecutive Elmer Hertel Trophy.

“It is especially rewarding to win both trophies because of the respect we have for the other schools in the Conference and their high level of competition.  We are consistently competing against quality student-athletes, great coaches, and first-class fans,” Grace said.  “Finishing so high in both All-Sports competitions indicates we are providing a quality intercollegiate athletic experience for all of our 550-plus student-athletes.  We are providing positive experiences to these student-athletes across a wide-range of sports.

The last time an Iowa Conference school won both All-Sports Trophies was in 1996-97 when Loras College won the Elmer Hertel Trophy and tied Luther College for the Women’s All-Sport Traveling Trophy.  The last school to win both trophies outright in the same year was Central College in 1989-90.

Click here for the complete All-Sport Trophy standings and previous winners.

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