January 19, 2009

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Loras College basketball players Lindsay Bava (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic) and Brian Centella (Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 18. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for the Conference’s seven sports in competition during the week.

Men’s Basketball – Brian Centella, Loras College, Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake
Centella, a senior guard, surpassed 1,000 career points with a 29-point effort in a win over Cornell Jan. 14. He added 20 points in a loss at league-leader Buena Vista Jan. 17. During the week, he shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) from the field, 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from behind the arc, and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the free-throw line. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Women’s Basketball – Lindsay Bava, Loras College, Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic
Bava, a junior guard, tied a career-high with 30 points in a 63-58 win over Cornell Jan. 14. She was 10-of-12 from the field against the Rams, including a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the 3-point line. Bava also scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in a 77-75 win at Buena Vista Jan. 17. For the week, Bava shot 64.0 percent (16-of-25) from the field and 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from behind the arc, pulled down 10 rebounds, made six assists and five steals. (IIAC Female Athlete of the Week)

Wrestling – Evan Brown, University of Dubuque, Nevada, Iowa/Nevada
Brown, a junior 174-pounder, upset No. 9-ranked Kyle Kehrli of Cornell, 3-1, in a Jan. 16 dual meet. The decision was part of a 24-16 win by the 25th-ranked Spartans over the 10th-ranked Rams. Brown is just the second Division III wrestler to beat Kehrli this season.

Men’s Swimming & Diving – Michael Pettengill, Luther College, Vinton, Iowa/Fort Mill (S.C.)
Pettengill, a junior, played a part in four winning performances for Luther at the Grinnell Invitational. Individually, he won the 200 breaststroke (2:09.36 – Grinnell pool record; old record: 2:09.88) and 100 breaststroke (59.02) and finished third in the 400 IM (4:29.39) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:06.05). He also swam on Luther’s winning 200 medley (1:39.04) and 400 medley (3:40.50) relays.

Women’s Swimming & Diving – Lauren Lehenbauer, Loras College, Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf
Lehenbauer, a senior, won three individual events for the Duhawks at the University of Chicago Invitational over the weekend. She won the 500 freestyle (5:10.89) in school record time, as well as the 400 IM (4:42.95) and the 1650 freestyle (17:52.87).

Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Zach Smith, Simpson College, St. Louis, Mo./CBC
Smith, a senior, won the long jump (22-3 ¼) and triple jump (45-5 ¾), ran on a runner-up sprint medley relay (3:42.47) and placed third in the 60-meter dash (7.12) at the Wartburg Relays Jan. 16. Smith’s effort in the triple jump was the second-best in school history.

Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Faith Burt, Wartburg College, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls
Burt, a freshman, won the 60-meter dash in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.72 seconds. Competing in her first collegiate meet, she recorded the nation’s second-fasted time, defeating a 10-runner field that included recent Wartburg All-Americans Jenny Kordick and Akeya Aimable by .31/100 of a second.

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

• Women’s Basketball – Buena Vista University junior guard Margo Muhlbauer (Manilla, Iowa/IKM) averaged 24.5 points including 26 in a 17-point win at Dubuque. She went a perfect 11-of-11 at the free-throw line, while also shooting 18-of-36 from the field. In addition, she averaged three rebounds and three steals.

• Women’s Basketball – Coe College sophomore guard Sarah Anciaux (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City) recorded her first career triple-double in a 90-66 win over Central Jan. 17. She scored 19 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists.

• Women’s Basketball – Cornell College senior forward Tiffany Cowan (Independence, Mo./Truman) tied Cornell’s career record for made 3-point field goals with three 3-pointers in a 71-61 loss to Dubuque Jan. 17. She has 114 career 3-pointers.

• Men’s Basketball – Wartburg College freshman guard Cole Danielson (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) led Wartburg in scoring and steals as the Knights pushed their current winning streak to four games. He hit better than 54 percent from the field and 61 percent from behind the 3-point line in wins over Luther and Simpson. Wartburg’s current four-game win streak is the longest for the Knights since they won nine in a row during the 2005-06 season.

• Men’s Basketball – Buena Vista University senior center Brian Fogleman (Manning, Iowa/Manning) averaged 15 points during the week, turning in a season-high 18 in BVU’s 11-point home win over Loras Jan. 17. He posted 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a win at Dubuque earlier in the week. He connected on 13 of 21 shots from the field in the two wins, helping the Beavers run their winning streak to 11 games.

• Wrestling – Simpson College senior 157-pounder Ben Hektoen (Birmingham, Iowa/Fairfield) went 5-0 during the week, capturing his first career varsity title at the Central Invitational. He defeated the No. 5-seed in the first round and the top-seed in the semifinals.

• Women’s Swimming & Diving – Luther College freshman swimmer Erin Mykleby (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) figured in seven winning events and placed second in another as the Norse won the team title at the eight-team Grinnell Invitational by 134 points. Mykleby won the 100 backstroke (1:01.67), 200 backstroke (2:14.81) and 200 freestyle (1:58.99), swam on Luther’s winning 200 free (1:42.81), 400 free (3:42.91), 800 free (8:03.40), and 200 medley (1:54.33) relays, and took second in the 200 IM (2:13.68).

• Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Cornell College senior Julia Hanson (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) won the weight throw at the Knox Pentangular with a mark of 47 feet, 8 inches. She broke the Cornell school record of 47-5 set by Ram All-American Lynn Schneider in 2005.

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