March 3, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College track and field athlete Hannah Baker (Keota, Iowa/Keota) and Loras College basketball player Kyle White (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 2. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s four sports in competition during the week.

Women's Track and Field – Hannah Baker, Wartburg College, Keota, Iowa/Keota
Baker, a sophomore, was named the Most Valuable Performer at the 2008 Iowa Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships after winning the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and long jump. She set a Conference record and surpassed the NCAA provisional qualifying standard in the 400 with a time of 57.06 seconds. She won the 200 with a time of 25.90, edging teammate KeAnna Martin by 0.02 seconds, and captured the long jump with a leap of 5.30 meters. She is one of two Wartburg women to receive the award, joining Missy Buttry (2003, 2005) and helped the Knights to their sixth straight championship. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Men's Basketball – Kyle White, Loras College, Antioch, Ill./Antioch
White, a senior forward, averaged 21.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as the Duhawks captured their second consecutive IIAC Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He posted back-to-back double-doubles during the IIAC Tournament. In the 77-69 tournament championship win over Buena Vista, White scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket on a three-point play with 1:11 to play in the game. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Men's Track and Field – Guy Dierikx, Central College, Port Byron, Ill./Riverdale
Dierikx, a senior, scored 38 points for the Dutch with one individual and two relay titles and a runner-up individual finish. He won the 400-meter dash (48.74) with a meet and NCAA provisional qualifying mark and finished second in the 200-meter dash (22.53). He also ran the opening leg of Friday's winning 4x200-meter relay (1:30.58) and the anchor leg of Satuday's winning 4x400-meter relay (3:25.11). Dierikx is the first Central student-athlete to receive IIAC indoor track and field MVP honors.

Women’s Basketball – Katelyn Whiton, Simpson College, Panora, Iowa/Perry
Whiton, a senior forward, averaged 24.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as the Storm won two games during the week to capture their fourth IIAC Tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. She scored 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a 93-67 IIAC semifinal win over Dubuque and added 24 in Simpson’s 94-80 over Coe Saturday. Whiton shot 64.5 percent (20-31) from the field on the week and made nine of 10 free throws.

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

Men’s Basketball – University of Dubuque senior guard Tyler Daugherty (Bellevue, Iowa/Bellevue) averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.5 rebounds as the Spartans advanced to the semifinals of the IIAC Tournament. He set a single-game career-high for scoring with 38 points (including a perfect 15-of-15 from the line) against Central in the opening round, the final home game of his career.

Women’s Basketball – Coe College freshman guard Sarah Anciaux (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City) had her two highest-scoring outputs of the season against Buena Vista and Simpson in the IIAC Tournament. She averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in three games during the week and led the Kohawks with 21 second-half points against the Beavers.

-30-