September 10, 2007

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Central College women’s soccer player Tori Rittman (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) and Cornell College football player Andrew Kobler (Brentwood, Mo./Brentwood) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, September 9. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s eight sports in competition during the week.

Women’s Soccer – Tori Rittman, Central College, Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny
Rittman, a senior forward, scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the second overtime of a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Bethel (Minn.) Sept. 8. The goal was the 45th of her career, breaking Central’s career scoring mark. Earlier in the week, Rittman had three goals in win over Mount Mercy – the fifth three-goal game of her career.

Football – Anthony Kobler, Cornell College, Brentwood, Mo./Brentwood
Kobler, a senior quarterback, set a career high with 391 passing yards and accounted for four touchdowns in Cornell’s 35-34 come-from-behind win over Alma (Mich.). He threw three touchdowns, including a game-winning, 52-yard strike to Kyle Krogmann with 1:39 to play. Kobler also rushed for a team-high 86 yards and one touchdown.

Volleyball – Terri Berger, Central College, Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan
Berger, a senior setter, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Washington (Mo.) National Invitational in a field that included four nationally ranked teams. In five matches (16 games) during the week, Berger accumulated 20 kills, 210 assists (13.12 per game), and 51 digs (3.19 per game).

Men’s Soccer – Joshua Jones, University of Dubuque, Little Rock, Ark./Central
Jones, a senior goalkeeper, has helped the Spartans to an IIAC-best 5-0 overall record. He has not given up a goal in 450 minutes of action this season. In road wins over Concordia University Chicago, Monmouth College, and Illinois College, Jones posted a 3-0 record with three shutouts and nine saves. The Spartans outscored their opponents 11-0 during the week and have outscored opponents 18-0 so far this season.

Men’s Cross Country – Eric Osterhaus, Simpson College, Waterville, Iowa/Waukon
Osterhaus, a junior, captured the individual championship at the 45th annual Les Duke Invitational hosted by Grinnell College. Osterhaus traversed the 8,000-meter course in a time of 26 minutes, 34 seconds – outpacing the rest of the field of 152 runners by 13 seconds. Osterhaus’ finish also led the Storm to a third-place team finish with 108 points.

Women’s Cross Country – Ashley Schnell, Coe College, Lincoln, Neb./North Star
Schnell, a freshman, placed third in a field of 135 runners at the Les Duke Invitational hosted by Grinnell College. Schnell completed the 6,000-meter course in 23:03, trailing the winner by 41 seconds. Her third-place finish was the highest of any IIAC competitor and helped the Kohawks to a sixth-place team finish (170 points).

Women’s Golf – Kate Thompson, Wartburg College, Webster City, Iowa/Webster City
Thompson finished in a tie for third place at the Wartburg Fall Invitational, 12 shots behind the tournament medalist. Thompson, a junior, helped guide Wartburg to fourth-place finish in a field that included five programs in the current GolfStat top 10 head-to-head poll and seven programs that were ranked in GolfWorld’s Division III preseason top 25. With scores of 80-79=159, Thompson was the highest finishing Iowa Conference golfer in tourney field.

Women’s Tennis – Molly Beyer, Luther College, Grand Junction, Colo./Grand Junction
Beyer, a senior, went undefeated last week at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles as the Norse defeated Cornell 9-0 and Grinnell 8-1. Beyer needed super tie-breakers to post singles victories over Cornell’s Pavla Brachova (6-4, 3-6, 10-7) and Grinnell’s Camila Alarcon (6-4, 5-7, 10-8). Beyer teamed with Brynne Zinnecker to post an 8-4 win over Cornell’s No. 1 doubles team and an 8-2 win over Grinnell’s No. 1 doubles team.

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

• Football - University of Dubuque senior quarterback Jermar Jackson (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon) had a hand in five touchdowns in the Spartans’ 63-3 win over Wisconsin Lutheran. Through the air, Jackson completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing 13 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard TD scamper midway through the third quarter.

• Volleyball - Luther College sophomore libero Grayce Hamlin (Spring Valley, Minn.) was named to the Saint Mary’s (Minn.) Sugar Loaf All-Tournament Teamafter helping Luther to a 3-1 tournament record and a 4-1 record on the week. Hamlin posted 110 digs in five matches.

• Women’s Soccer - Luther College junior forward Emily Ironside (Dubuque, Iowa) scored four goals last week as Luther posted a 2-1 record with wins over St. Olaf (4-1) and No. 15 Augustana (3-1). Ironside scored two goals in each Norse win, including both game-winners.

• Women’s Tennis – Wartburg College freshman Molly Eslick (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) helped lead the Knights to a 3-1 record last week. Eslick posted a 4-0 record at No. 1 singles, including three wins in straight sets. She also teamed with doubles partner Emily Heying for victories at No. 1 doubles over Augustana (Ill.) and Upper Iowa.

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