February 25, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Luther College track and field athlete Jess Jewell (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah) and Cornell College wrestler Chris Heilman (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary’s) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, February 24. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s six sports in competition during the week.

Wrestling – Chris Heilman, Cornell College, Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary’s
Heilman, a senior 125-pounder, was named the Dick Walker Outstanding Wrestler at the IIAC Wrestling Championships after claming the 125-pound crown with a 9-5 win over third-ranked Clayton Rush of Coe in the finals. He became Cornell’s first IIAC individual wrestling champion since 1998, when Nick Dohrmann won the 126-pound title. Heilman, a two-time All-American, earned his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Women's Track and Field – Jess Jewell, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa/Decorah
Jewell, a senior, set the school record in the shot put and automatically qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 45-11 ½. Jewell’s mark broke the former school record set in 1998 by 11 inches. Her distance currently ranks third in the nation. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Men's Track and Field – Andy Hodge, Wartburg College, Marion, Iowa/Marion
Hodge, a senior, won the 800-meter run (1:57.52) and helped lead the Wartburg men’s distance medley relay to a provisional qualifying effort (10:04.18) at the Wartburg Invitational. The relay’s time is currently among the top six in the country.

Women’s Basketball – Natalie Pucci, Loras College, West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs
Pucci, a senior guard, scored 30 points in a 98-94 overtime win at Buena Vista to clinch a home IIAC Tournament quarterfinal game. She shot 12-of-21 from the 3-point line as the Duhawks went 2-0 on the week.

Men's Basketball – Andre Wagner, Buena Vista University, Omaha, Neb./Northwest)
Wagner, a junior guard, scored 32 points on the week, becoming the 24th Buena Vista men’s basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point scoring mark. He also ran his streak of double-figure scoring to 11 with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting during BVU’s 80-79 victory over Loras Saturday. The win clinched the IIAC regular-season championship for the Beavers, their first since the 2003-04 season.

Men’s Tennis – Greg Janssen, Coe College, Oshkosh, Wis./West
Janssen, a sophomore, improved to 7-3 on the year in singles and 8-1 at doubles with Joey Lankelma after posting a 4-0 record in duals against Carthage and UW-Oshkosh.

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

Men’s Basketball – Cornell College junior guard Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) averaged 24 points and went 12-of-22 from 3-point range in two games last week. He hit seven 3-pointers against Simpson, the third time he has hit the mark this season. LaDew moved into ninth place on the school’s career scoring list with 1,134 points. He ranks third in career 3-point goals with 174.

Men’s Basketball – Wartburg College senior forward Lee Nelson (Northwood, Iowa/Northwood-Kensett) recorded a single-game career high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting in Wartburg’s 72-70 win over Dubuque Feb. 23. Nelson opened the week by hitting the game-winning 3-pointer at Luther Feb. 20 and helped the Knights conclude the 2007-08 season with three consecutive wins.

Women’s Basketball – Central College freshman center Andrea Clark (Guthrie Center, Iowa/Guthrie Center) posted back-to-back double-doubles to close out the season, giving her seven for the year. Clark’s 27 points against Buena Vista was a career high and she finished the season with the most points for a Central freshman since 1998-99.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field – Central College senior thrower Jason Fisher (Montezuma, Iowa/Montezuma) won the weight throw at the UNI-Dome Open with an NCAA provisional toss of 56-9 ½. Fisher also placed fourth in the shot put with a heave of 48-5 ½.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field – Wartburg College sophomore Jenny Kordick (St. Charles, Iowa/Interstate 35) turned in a provisional national qualifying effort in the 55-meter dash (7.3) and helped lead the 4x400-meter relay to an automatic qualifying effort (3:53.28) at the Wartburg Invitational. Her 55 time ranks in the top 15, while the 4x400 squad’s effort is currently the fastest time in Division III.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field – Central College senior Kari Hutchinson (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) broke the Central school record in the 400-meter dash with a winning time of 58.30 at the UNI-Dome Open. The time was also an NCAA provisional qualifying time. Hutchinson also took fourth in the 200 (26.0), ranking as the top Division III finisher in the multi-divisional field.

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