November 6, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Simpson College volleyball player Tara Christensen (Hinton, Iowa/Hinton) and Wartburg College soccer player Harrison Kibombo-Lugujjo (Kampala, Uganda/RCNUWC (Norway)) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 5. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s six sports in competition during the week.

Volleyball – Tara Christensen, Simpson College, Hinton, Iowa/Hinton
Christensen, a freshman setter, helped Simpson clinch a share of the Iowa Conference regular season title and win the Conference Tournament to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1997. In the regular season finale against Loras, Christensen had 60 assists and 12 digs in a 3-1 victory. In a 3-2 semifinal win over Wartburg, she had 69 assists and 13 digs.

Men’s Soccer – Harrison Kibombo-Lugujjo, Wartburg College, Kampala, Uganda/RCNUWC (Norway)
Kibombo-Lugujjo, a senior forward, scored three goals in two games of the Iowa Conference men’s soccer Tournament, including the game winner in each match. He scored twice in Wartburg’s 4-0 semifinal victory over Luther and scored off a direct free kick in the 106th minute of the Championship match against Loras, giving the Knights a 2-1 win and their third Tournament title in four years.

Football – Jermar Jackson, University of Dubuque, Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon
Jackson, a junior quarterback, scored all four Dubuque touchdowns in a 27-25 victory over Buena Vista. It was the Spartans first win over the Beavers in 16 tries. Jackson rushed for 114 yards and four scores on 25 carries, and also passed for 213 yards on 15-of-36 passing to six different receivers.

Women’s Soccer – Whitney Franker, Simpson College, Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale
Franker, a sophomore goalkeeper, recorded two shutouts and made 15 saves in the Iowa Conference women’s soccer Tournament. She made 10 saves in a 3-0 Simpson victory over Wartburg in the semifinals. In the Championship match, she made five saves in a double-overtime scoreless tie before Loras advanced, 3-1, on penalty kicks.

Women’s Swimming & Diving – Lauren Lehenbauer, Loras College, Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf
Lehenbauer, a sophomore, won three events in Loras’ season opening victory over Coe (138-99). She placed first in the 100-yard butterfly (1:04.37), the 500-yard freestyle (5:25.93) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:22.75).

Men’s Swimming & Diving – Michael Pettengill, Luther College, Vinton, Iowa/Fort Mills (S.C.)
Pettengill, a freshman, was part of two school records in Luther’s victory of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (183-56). He swam the second leg of the winning 400-yard medley relay that set a Luther pool record of 3:38.15, bettering the old mark by nearly six seconds. Individually, he won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:01.22 shaving a second off the previous school mark.

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

• Central College senior defensive lineman Taylor Vanden Wynboom (Britt, Iowa/West Hancock) had six tackles and three sacks in Central’s 31-28 double-overtime win over Coe. He had a 15-yard sack in the second overtime that pushed Coe back from the 10-yard line to the 25, forcing a 41-yard field goal try that was missed, and a third-down fourth quarter sack that kept Coe out of field goal range.

• Coe College junior quarterback Robert DeMoulin (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) completed 18-of-24 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Kohawks double-overtime loss to Central.

• Loras College sophomore defender Jenna Kosek (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) converted on the decisive penalty kick in the Conference Championship match to send Loras to its sixth straight NCAA Tournament. She anchored the defense that surrendered just on goal in 200-minutes during the IIAC Tournament, and also added an assist in a 2-1 win in the semifinals over Luther.

• Coe College junior setter Kristy Upah (Toledo, Iowa/South Tama) averaged 11.92 assists and 2.17 digs per game in three matches during the week. She recorded 53 assists and 12 digs in the regular season finale against Central, clinching the #3-seed for Coe in the Conference Tournament where she had 50 assists in a 3-1 win over Loras and 40 assists in a 3-0 loss to Central.

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