February 3, 2003

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, February 2. Coe College basketball player Bruce Sain (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson HS) was named IIAC Male Athlete of the Week and Loras College basketball player Alicia Davis (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead HS) was named IIAC Female Athlete of the Week.

Sain, a senior forward, averaged 18.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in three contests during the week. In games against Loras (70-61 loss), Luther (56-55 win) and Upper Iowa (80-61 win), he shot 60.5 percent from the floor on 23-of-38 shooting including 5-of-6 on three pointers. He had his best statistical game of the week against Upper Iowa in which he scored 22 points in 26 minutes on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He grabbed six rebounds (2-4), and had two assists, two blocks and one steal. In a losing effort against Loras, he scored 19 points (8-of-12 shooting), grabbed four rebounds (0-4), and had three steals, one assist and one block. Against Luther, he scored 14 points (6-of-13 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line), grabbed five rebounds (2-3), and had one assist and one block.

Davis, a junior center, averaged 23.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in two contests during the week. In games against Coe (79-64 win) and Dubuque (77-69 loss), she shot 80 percent from the floor on 20-of-25 shooting. Against Coe, she scored 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 shooting from the free throw line. She grabbed eight rebounds (2-6), had four blocks, two steals and one assist. In a losing effort against Dubuque, Davis scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 shooting from the line. She also grabbed eight rebounds (1-7) and had one block.

The IIAC also announced the Players of the Week for the Conference’s five sports in competition during the week. Sain and Davis earned Player of the Week honors for men’s and women’s basketball while the following individuals were recognized in their respective sports.

Men’s Track and Field: University of Dubuque sophomore Basil Steele (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a victory in the 55-meter hurdles at the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointer Invitational. Steele’s time of 7.67 seconds is currently the fourth fastest qualifying time in the nation, just two-hundredths of a second off the top mark.

Women’s Track and Field: Wartburg College sophomore Kelli Marlow (Pella, Iowa/Pella HS) won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at the Dennis Young Invitational at Buena Vista University. She ran 27.05 seconds in the 200-meter dash, winning by 27-hundredths of a second and ran 60.39 seconds in the 400-meter dash, winning by 1.38 seconds.

Wrestling: Coe College 174-pound junior Gary Franck (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Benton HS) posted a 4-0 record with one fall and two major decisions at the Buena Vista Duals. He defeated Division II South Dakota State’s Bryan Cowdin (8-7), won by major decision over Dana’s Art Castillo (14-4), pinned Northwestern (Iowa)’s Matt Ernster at 3:32 and won by major decision over St. John’s (Minn.) Dan Willaert (23-10).

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