October 2, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College golfer Andrea Schiltz (Algona, Iowa/Bishop Garrigan) and University of Dubuque football player Walner Belleus (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee) have been named the IIAC Male and Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, October 1. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s eight sports in competition during the week.

Women’s Golf – Andrea Schiltz, Wartburg College, Algona, Iowa/Bishop Garrigan
Schiltz, a senior, holds a four stroke lead after the first 36-holes of the Iowa Conference women’s golf Championship. She tied her own Conference record with a 72 in the opening round and followed that with a 75 for a 147 heading into next weekends final two rounds. Her 147 is the lowest mid-point score since the IIAC went to a 72-hole Championship in 2003.

Football – Walner Belleus, University of Dubuque, Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee
Belleus, a senior, amassed 331 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns to go along with nine tackles and an interception in Dubuque’s 51-34 victory over Luther. He had six receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown, returned two kickoffs for 105 yards including an 88-yard touchdown and returned one punt for a 73-yard touchdown. Belleus returned the interception 22 yards, had one carry for eight yards and forced a fumble.

Women’s Cross Country – Caroline Zelent, University of Dubuque, Merrill, Wis./Merrill
Zelent, a junior, won the Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer Open in a time of 25:02. She won the 39 runner meet by 10 seconds.

Men’s Cross Country – Eric Osterhaus, Simpson College, Waterville, Iowa/Waukon
Osterhaus, a sophomore, finished second of 37 runners at the Simpson Buxton Open. He finished the 8,000-meter race in 27:45 and led the Storm to the meet’s team title.

Women’s Soccer – Ashley Curran, Simpson College, Omaha, Neb./Millard West
Curran, a senior forward, scored four goals and added two assists for 10 points in two games during the week. She scored Simpson lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Augustana (Ill.). In an 8-0 Conference win over Buena Vista, she scored three goals, including the game winner, and had two assists.

Men’s Soccer – Harrison Kibombo-Lugujjo, Wartburg College, Kampala, Uganda/RCNUWC (Norway)
Kibombo-Lugujjo, a senior forward, scored four goals and added an assist for nine points in two games during the week. He netted his third career hat trick in Wartburg’s 3-1 win over North Park. In an 8-0 Conference win over Coe, he scored a goal and had an assist as the Knights extended their unbeaten streak to eight (7-0-1).

Women’s Tennis – Heidi Bothun, Luther College, LaCrosse, Wis./Logan
Bothun, a senior, went 4-0 during the week with a pair of wins at #2 singles and at #2 doubles. She posted singles victories over Simpson’s Martha Davis (6-1, 6-1) and Grinnell’s Rachel Engh (6-2, 6-1). Bothun teamed with Amy Christenson for doubles victories over Simpson (8-0) and Grinnell (8-5).

Volleyball – Terri Berger, Central College, Sioux City, Iowa/Heelan
Berger, a junior setter, averaged 12.21 assists per game in five matches including four 30-plus assist matches. In Central’s 3-0 win over Wartburg, she had 38 assists along with 11 digs, seven kills and four blocks. Playing just two games of a 3-1 win over Benedictine (Ill.), she recorded 29 assists. Berger had 40 assists and seven service aces in the Dutch’s lone loss of the week, a 3-1 decision to Trinity (Texas). She finished the week with a pair of 32 assist performances, 3-0 sweeps of Franklin and Marshall and Sul Ross State.

Other Outstanding Weekly Performers
The IIAC also recognized the following outstanding athletic performances from the past week.

• Buena Vista University senior Jen Stork (Lidderdale, Iowa/Kuemper) posted three rounds in the 70s during the week. She won the Waldorf Invitational with a 77 and then went 75-76 in the first two rounds of the Conference Championship to sit in second, four strokes off the pace.

• Central College senior punter Brant VerMeer (Montezuma, Iowa/Montezuma) averaged 38.7 yards per punt in Central’s 13-7 overtime win over Wartburg. Five of his nine punts pinned the Knights inside there own 20-yard line including two punts that went out of bounds at the 6-yard line, one that went out at the 3-yard line and one that was downed at the 1-yard line.

• Loras College junior defensive end Justin Sparrgrove (Boscobel, Wis./Boscobel) had eight tackles, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and his first career interception in the Duhawks 32-30 win over #14-ranked Coe.

• Loras College junior forward Matt Pucci (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) scored three goals in two games during the week including the game winner against regionally ranked and previously unbeaten Aurora.

• Cornell College freshman middle hitter Laura Dudgeon (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) hit .323, averaged 3.63 kills and 0.95 blocks per game in five matches during the week, earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Wisconsin-Platteville Tournament.

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