November 24, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that the Luther College women’s swimming 800 freestyle relay team of Erin Mykleby (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley), Addison Choi (Aurora, Colo./Grandview), Rachel Burns (Albany, Minn./Albany), and Amy Schneider (East Dubuque, Ill./Dubuque [Iowa] Wahlert), and Central College men’s basketball player Miguel Ley (San Antonio, Texas/Judson) have been named the IIAC Female and Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 23. The Conference also announced the Performers of the Week for the Conference’s five sports in competition over the weekend.

Women’s Swimming & Diving – Luther College 800 freestyle relay team (Erin Mykleby, Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley; Addison Choi, So., Aurora, Colo./Grandview; Rachel Bruns, So., Albany, Minn./Albany; Amy Schneider, Sr., East Dubuque, Ill/Dubuque [Iowa] Wahlert)
The Luther quartet won the 800 freestyle relay in a 169-31 home dual win against Morningside. Their time of 7:47.16 established a B-standard qualifying time for the 2009 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships and broke the old Luther pool record by a full minute. (IIAC Female Athletes of the Week)

Men’s Basketball – Miguel Ley, Central College, San Antonio, Texas/Judson
Ley, a junior guard, averaged 19.7 points per game as the Dutch opened the season with a 3-0 mark. He shot 52.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent (4-9) from 3-point range in wins over Faith Baptist, Graceland, and CalTech. He also connected on 11 of 13 opportunities at the charity stripe. (IIAC Male Athlete of the Week)

Wrestling – John Helgerson, Wartburg College, West Union, Iowa/North Fayette
Helgerson, a sophomore heavyweight, recorded two falls and a major decision en route to the heavyweight title at the Concordia (Wis.) Open. Seeded third, he posted a 10-5 win over seventh-rated Mark Corsello of Elmhurst in the final.

Men’s Swimming & Diving – Taylor Nelson, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa/Decorah
Nelson, a junior, won the 50 freestyle in 22.06 seconds, and swam on Luther’s winning 400 medley (3:36.95) and 800 freestyle (7:03.13) relays, in the Norse’s 157-44 dual win over Morningside. The 800 freestyle relay broke the pool record by 35 seconds.

Women’s Basketball – Lindsay Bava, Loras College, Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic
Bava, a junior guard, averaged 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game as the Duhawks posted a 2-1 mark last week. She shot 44.7 percent (21-47) from the field, 36.8 percent (7-19) from the 3-point line, and 84.2 percent (16-19) from the free-throw line while grabbing 17 rebounds. She scored a season-high 25 points against Augustana (Ill.)

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

• Wrestling – Cornell College senior 174-pounder Kyle Kehrli (Winthrop, Iowa/East Buchanan) posted a perfect 5-0 week with three first-period pins and two major decisions. He defeated Wheaton’s eight-rated Toby Boltz to claim the 174-pound title at the Turkey Open. Kehrli is ranked sixth at 174 and owns a 9-2 season record.

• Wrestling – Loras College junior 157-pounder Erik Hanson (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) posted a 4-1 record on the way to a runner-up finish at the Concordia (Wis.) Open. He posted three decisions and a major decision before falling 4-1 to top-ranked Aaron Wernimont of Wartburg.

• Women’s Basketball – University of Dubuque junior forward Jennifer Nichols (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Alverno College Tip-Off Tournament after averaging 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in a pair of games of the weekend. She scored 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting (including 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range) in a season-opening loss to the College of St. Catherine.

• Women’s Basketball – Simpson College senior forward Whitney Franker (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) was named MVP of the Nebraska Wesleyan Tip-Off Classic. She averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks as the Storm went 2-0. Franker scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a season-opening win against Carthage.

• Women’s Basketball – Cornell College senior forward Tiffany Cowan (Atchison, Kan./Truman) was named MVP of the Lakeland Tip-Off Tournament. She posted a pair of double-doubles, including a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a 54-43 win over Lakeland in the championship game. The 3-0 Rams have equaled their best start since the 1999-2000 season.

• Men’s Basketball – University of Dubuque senior center Michael Okpalaeze (New Orleans, La./Redeemer-Seton) averaged 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds as the Spartans opened the season with a 3-0 mark. He has shot 60.0 percent (21-35) from the field this season and scored 20 points in back-to-back wins over Edgewood and Beloit.

• Men’s Basketball – Buena Vista University senior forward Travis Person (Tipton, Iowa/Tipton) averaged 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 steals, and 1.0 assist per game as the Beavers posted three wins to open the season. He is second on the team in scoring while shooting a team-high 52.2 percent (12-23) from the field. He is also the early league leader in steals with 13, including 11 in the first two games.

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