January 7, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College women’s basketball player Elizabeth Campbell (Rockford, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) and Cornell College men’s basketball player Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 6. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s three sports in competition during the week.

Women’s Basketball – Elizabeth Campbell, Wartburg College, Rockford, Iowa/R-R-MR
Campbell, a senior guard, registered the third-highest single-game scoring effort of her career with 25 points in a 78-69 win over previously-unbeaten Loras College. Campbell hit 8 of 13 shots from the field, including five of nine from three-point range. She also registered three assists and team-highs with seven rebounds and two blocks, continuing her streak of blocking at least one shot in six consecutive games. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Men’s Basketball – Griffin LaDew, Cornell College, Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial
LaDew, a junior guard, netted 27 points behind 7-of-12 shooting from three-point range in a 61-56 comeback win over Central Jan. 5 in Mount Vernon. With 2:29 left on the clock and Cornell trailing 53-51, LaDew hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Rams the lead for good. It was LaDew’s fourth 20-point game of the season. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Wrestling – Clayton Rush, Coe College, Aledo, Ill./Aledo
Rush, a freshman 125-pounder, was named the Outstanding Wrestler at Cornell’s Matman Invitational this past weekend. Rush improved his record to 22-2 on the year and avenged one of his earlier losses to second-ranked Chris Heilman of Cornell, defeating him 6-5 in the championship match. Rush also picked up two technical falls during the Matman Invitational.

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

Men’s Basketball – Buena Vista junior guard Andre Wagner (Omaha, Neb./Northwest) scored four of BVU’s first six points with the Beavers trailing 38-30 to begin a 26-9 run over the final 11:39 of regulation as BVU stayed perfect in league play with a 56-47 victory at Luther. The junior scored 10 of his 11 points during that stretch, including a 6-of-6 performance from the charity stripe.

Women’s Basketball – Luther College freshman guard Camille Stenhaug (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting while leading Luther to an 81-64 victory over Buena Vista. Stenhaug made five of six free throws while pulling down three rebounds and collecting a steal.

Women’s Basketball – Central College freshman center Andrea Clark (Guthrie Center, Iowa/Guthrie Center) scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe in an 81-65 victory Jan. 5 at Cornell. Clark also pulled down seven rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked three shots, and made two steals.

Wrestling – Buena Vista junior 157-pounder Joey Verschoor (Kingsley, Iowa/Kingsley-Pierson) captured the 157-pound individual title at the Cornell Matman Invitational this past weekend. Verschoor, rated eighth nationally and seeded second in the tournament, won the title with a 5-4 upset victory over top-seeded and fourth-ranked Pat McAuley of Cornell in the championship match. He also picked up a pair of major decision and a technical fall as he improved his overall season record to 23-3.

Wrestling – Simpson College sophomore 149-pounder Curtis Barber (Winterset, Iowa/Winterset) posted a 7-2 record competing at Williams College over the weekend. Barber split a pair of matches in duals against Ithaca and host Williams Friday. He followed that performance up with a third-place finish at the Williams Invitational on Saturday. Barber posted six wins on the day with three major decisions and a pin. His only loss came 2-1 to eventual runner-up Jon Paxos of Ithaca.

Wrestling – Wartburg College junior 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) rolled up four bonus-point wins during the Ursinus North-South Duals. Only one of three Knights to go 4-0 on the day, Wernimont improved his season record to 28-1 and his current win streak to 20 matches with three major decisions and a pin.

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