May 8, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College decathlete Kyle Peters (Shell Rock, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) and Central College heptathlete Dana Wilkerson (North English, Iowa/English Valleys) have been named the IIAC Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, May 7. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s four sports in competition during the week.

Men’s Track & Field – Kyle Peters, Wartburg College, Shell Rock, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock
Peters, a sophomore, won the Iowa Conference decathlon with an NCAA provisional qualifying score of 6,106 points, besting the 11 athlete field by 66 points. He posted one of the top-three marks in six of the 10 events and a top-five mark in nine of the 10 events. Peters’ time of 15.66 seconds in the 110-hurdles and 11.2 seconds in the 100-meters, and his discus throw of 34.78 meters were tops among the 11 competitors. He posted the second-best mark in the pole vault (3.55 meters) and third-best marks in the high jump (1.88 meters, tied) and the javelin (45.22 meters). Peters 10.74 meters in the shot put was fourth, and marks of 5.99 meters in the long jump and 4:49.79 in the 1500-meters were fifth-best. He also finished sixth in the 400-meters (51.72 seconds).

Women’s Track & Field – Dana Wilkerson, Central College, North English, Iowa/English Valleys
Wilkerson, a senior, won the Iowa Conference heptathlon with an NCAA provisional qualifying score and career-best 4,543 points, just 17 points shy of an NCAA automatic qualifying score. It is her third straight All-Conference performance in the heptathlon having placed third in 2004 and second in 2005. Wilkerson posted one of the top-three marks in six of the seven events and a top-five mark in all seven events among the 13 competitors. Her 10.01 meters in the shot put was the top mark and her 1.57 meters in the high matched the top mark. She posted the second-best mark in the long jump (5.2 meters) and javelin (34.95 meters); the third-best mark in the 800-meters (2:25.20) and the 100-hurdles (15.9 seconds); and the fifth-best mark in the 200-meters (27.2 seconds).

Baseball – Dan Cutler, Loras College, Davenport, Iowa/Assumption
Cutler, a sophomore pitcher, went 2-0 with a 3.00 earned run average and 12 strikeouts during the week. His victories came against two of the Conference tri-Champions, Central and Simpson, and helped Loras clinched an IIAC Tournament berth for the first time since 2003. In a 4-3 victory over Central, he pitched eight innings, allowed three runs, just one earned run and struck out six. He threw an eight-hit complete game in Loras’ 8-6 victory over Simpson. He struck out six and only of the six runs he allowed were earned.

Softball – Angela Hartwig, Wartburg College, Long Grove, Iowa/North Scott
Hartwig, a freshman pitcher, went 2-0 with two saves and a 0.00 earned run average in four games during the week. She struck out 19 batters, allowed six hits and two walks in 14.2 innings. In her lone start of the week, she threw a complete game three-hitter with 11 strikeouts in an 8-0, six-inning victory over Buena Vista. Hartwig pitched in all three of Wartburg’s Conference Tournament games in relief. She earned the save in the Knights’ 6-0 win over Luther, pitching 1.1 innings of no-hit relief and striking out one. Hartwig picked up the win in a 5-4 victory over Coe, pitching five innings of three-hit relief with five strikeouts. She also recorded the save in the Championship game, a 3-0 win over Coe, pitching 2.1 hitless innings and striking out two.

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