December 3 , 2007

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Simpson College women’s basketball player Whitney Franker (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) and Wartburg College wrestler Jacob Naig (Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, December 2. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for each of the Conference’s five sports in competition during the week.

Women’s Basketball – Whitney Franker, Simpson College, Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale
Franker, a junior forward, averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists as the Storm posted a 1-1 record. Franker scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting (4-of-9 from three-point range) to lead Simpson to a 71-44 win over Wartburg to open the IIAC schedule. She added 14 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in the Storm’s 93-90 loss at Division II St. Cloud State on Dec. 1. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Wrestling – Jacob Naig, Wartburg College, Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg
Naig, a junior 149-pounder, continues to hold down the top win mark for No. 2 Wartburg after going 6-0 during the week with three fall and two major decisions en route to the 149-pound championship at the Simpson Invitational. Naig also posted a dual win over Loras’ Chris Bishop as the Knights extended their IIAC dual winning streak to 115 on Nov. 29. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Men’s Basketball – Kyle White, Loras College, Antioch, Ill./Antioch
White, a senior forward, posted a 21-point, 17-rebound double-double to lead the Duhawks to a 76-56 win over Central in the IIAC opener for both schools Nov. 28. White hit on seven of 16 shots from the field and seven of eight free throws while also adding a pair of assists in the victory.

Men’s Swimming and Diving – Zach Gries, Loras College, Byron, Ill./Byron
Gries, a sophomore, put together an outstanding performance at the Augustana Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 1, playing a part in seven Duhawk first-place finishes at the meet. Gries captured individual titles in the 200 individual medley (2:12.73), 400 individual medley (4:47.07), and 200 backstroke (2:14.12), swam the first leg of Loras’ winning 400 medley (4:04.94), 200 freestyle (1:35.89), and 400 freestyle (3:41.24) relays, and swam the anchor leg of the Duhawks’ winning 800 freestyle relay (8:06.77).

Women’s Swimming and Diving – Rachel Bruns, Luther College, Albany, Minn./Albany
Bruns, a freshman, swam in six events at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invitational, setting school records in the 100 freestyle (3rd of 60; 53.36s) and as a member of the sixth-place 200 freestyle relay (1:40.29). Bruns also placed 6th of 81 in the 50 freestyle (24.53), 21st of 55 in the 200 freestyle (2:03.21), and swam on the fifth-place 400 freestyle relay (3:40.55) and the 10th-place 400 medley relay (4:10.97). The nine-team meet included the University of Minnesota, University of North Dakota, and University of South Dakota.

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

Men’s Basketball – Buena Vista University senior guard Travis Person (Tipton, Iowa/Tipton) turned in a game-high 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point arc in the Beavers’ 91-58 victory over Dubuque on Nov. 28. It was the IIAC opener for both schools. Person finished 6-of-8 from the field overall and also sank 4-of-5 free-throw attempts.

Women’s Basketball – University of Dubuque sophomore guard Briana Nelson (Riverview, Fla./Freedom) averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game as the Spartans posted three wins during the week. Nelson posted a 21 point, 10-rebound double-double to help Dubuque open the IIAC slate with an 82-79 win on the road at Buena Vista on Nov. 28. She followed that performance with 25 points in wins over Eureka (72-64) and Greenville (65-56) at the Eureka College Classic Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Nelson was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.

Women’s Basketball – Loras College sophomore guard Lindsay Bava (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic) averaged 16 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while leading the Duhawks to home wins over Central (72-63) and Elmhurst (76-57). Bava scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the IIAC opener against the Dutch and followed that up with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Elmhurst.

Women’s Basketball – Buena Vista University junior forward Jenn Schumann (Newell, Iowa/Newell-Fonda) came off the bench on Dec. 1 to score 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting while helping lead the Beavers to a 108-52 non-conference victory over Martin Luther. In addition, she hauled in seven rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded three steals. The 108 points was the third-highest single-game point total in school history, while the 56-point margin of victory ranked fifth all-time at BVU. Schumann also turned in 11 points in 26 minutes during a conference-opening loss to Dubuque on Nov. 28.

Wrestling – Buena Vista University junior 157-pounder Joey Verschoor (Kingsley, Iowa/Kingsley-Pierson) improved to 13-2 overall this season with a third-place finish at the Simpson Invitational on Dec. 1. His only loss was a slim 6-4 setback to top-seed and eventual champion Aaron Wernimont in the semifinals. Wernimont is ranked second nationally.

Women’s Swimming and Diving – Loras College junior Lauren Lehenbauer (Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf) won four individual events and swam on five top-three relays at the Augustana Invitational on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Lehenbauer won titles in the 1650 freestyle (18:35.06), 400 individual medley (4:55.35), 500 freestyle (5:20.22), and 200 butterfly (2:20.44) and swam the first leg on the winning 400 freestyle relay (4:01.67). She also swam the first leg on the second-place 800 freestyle relay (8:41.12) and the third-place 200 freestyle relay (1:57.94), and swam the third leg on Loras’ second-place 400 medley (4:25.81) and 200 medley (2:02.70) relays. Loras also captured the team title.

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