March 24, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Luther College softball player Kim Hess (Paynesville, Minn./Paynesville) and Central College baseball player Brett Mahan (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 23. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s three sports in competition during the week.

Softball – Kim Hess, Luther College, Paynesville, Minn./Paynesville
Hess, a junior outfielder, hit .714 with 10 hits in 14 at-bats as the Norse posted a 3-1 record last week. She scored three runs, drove in one, hit a triple and stole two bases during the four-game stretch. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Baseball – Brett Mahan, Central College, West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley
Mahan, a senior pitcher, went 2-0 with a 3.21 earned-run average and 15 strikeouts. He started the week by pitching the first seven innings of Central's 8-7, eight-inning win over Augsburg where he struck out 10 while allowing seven runs on seven hits. Mahan followed that up by throwing a complete-game one-hitter March 23 as the Dutch the first game of an IIAC doubleheader against Simpson. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Men's Tennis – Sam Zerbib, Coe College, Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia
Zerbib, a junior, went 3-0 on the weekend, picking up a win (6-4, 6-0) at No. 1 singles in a dual win over Cornell and pairing with Elliot Rausa for wins at No. 1 doubles over Cornell (8-3) and Wartburg (8-4) at No. 1 doubles.

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

Baseball – Coe College junior pitcher Ryan Nicholson (Downers Grove, Ill./North) improved to 3-1 on the year with a 2-1 conference-opening win March 23 against Dubuque. He twice picked off runners at first base, while a runner stood in scoring position at third base. Nicholson threw a complete game, allowing one run on six hits with three strikeouts.

Softball – Wartburg College senior first baseman Ashley Rogers (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) drilled a home run and finished with four RBIs as No. 16-ranked Wartburg swept No. 9-ranked Washington (Mo.) Friday, March 21. Her two-run home run in the opener broke up scoreless tie in the third inning and helped lead the Knights to a five-run inning. In Wartburg's 6-2 win in the nightcap, Rogers helped spark a four-run rally in the sixth with an RBI double. It was her third time in the last five games that Rogers has posted multiple RBIs.

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