NIACC Rewind 2007-2008

Rewind for July

Significant coaching hirings highlight this month’s activities at NIACC, which included some post-season honors for Trojan student-athletes.

Osage native and former state high school champion wrestler Mark Schwab has been named head wrestling coach at North Iowa Area Community College, announced NIACC athletic director Dan Mason.

Schwab had been head coach at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake the past three seasons, guiding his team to a seventh-place finish in the NCAA Division III national meet in 2008. He is from North Iowa originally, having grown up in Osage. He was a state champion high school wrestler at Osage High and a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler as well.

Prior to BVU, Schwab had spent nine years as assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, helping the program win two national titles and finish second once. Schwab had also served as an assistant coach at Purdue University in Lafayette, IN (1991-93), and at the University of Northern Iowa, his college alma mater (1990-91), after compiling a 115-18 collegiate mark and earning All-American honors twice for the Panthers. He graduated from UNI with a degree in Criminology. In 2003, Schwab earned a Masters degree in Education while at Minnesota.

While competing at UNI, Schwab posted a 49-9 record in his initial season, the most wins by a true freshman in NCAA history, and placed fifth in the 1986 NCAA Division I championships. He trained for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team during a redshirt year at UNI and won a bronze medal for the U.S. team at the World Cup event in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. A knee injury and a staph infection combined to keep Schwab off the mats for more than a year, but Schwab finished his career with the Panthers on a positive note as a senior, placing sixth nationally in 1990 after winning the 118-pound title at the NCAA West Regionals and earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.

Schwab’s prep wrestling career was nearly flawless as he won 106 of 107 matches and earned four state titles for Osage High while earning three Junior National Freestyle titles and a national championship in the Greco-Roman category. Brothers Mike and Doug have achieved plenty of success on the wrestling mat at well. They also captured state titles as prep wrestlers, with Mike eventually earning All-American honors at UNI and Doug winning a title at the 1999 NCAA Division I 141-pound finals while wrestling for the University of Iowa. Doug has since gone on to become an assistant coach at Iowa and he earned a berth on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling team in June by winning the 145.5-pound classification at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas.

In football, Steve LaLonde, who had previously served as head football coach for three seasons at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, is the new head coach at NIACC. LaLonde’s teams were characterized by strong passing games while the Mounties competed in the Canadian Inter-university Sport (CIS) association, Canada’s collegiate division of athletics.

After serving as offensive coordinator at Mount Allison, LaLonde took the head coaching job in 2005. He inherited a program in the midst of a 34-game losing streak, but the program had made big strides by 2006 as the Mounties made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

Along with extensive coaching experience, LaLonde has strong credentials as a player. He was a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos, along with the Erie Invaders of the Arena Football League.

A native of Canada, he was an All-Conference collegiate player for Bishop’s University in Quebec while earning an undergraduate degree in Business Administration. He also holds a Master of Education degree from American Intercontinental University in Hoffman Estates, IL.

While this will be LaLonde’s first head coaching position in the U.S. he has served as an offensive coordinator at Lafayette High School and Mount St. Joseph Academy in Buffalo N.Y. At Mount St. Joseph, a prep school, he was dean of students, athletics director and physical education department head.

NIACC also hired a full-time staff head athletic trainer in a new position designed to better care for student-athletes on campus. Mark Vrba begins his first year at NIACC after being contracted out by Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa as the Head Athletic Trainer since August of 2002. Born and raised in Mason City, Vrba graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in May of 2002 with Bachelors Degrees in Athletic Training and Biology. He then went to work for Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa as a clinical athletic trainer and was contracted out to cover NIACC as the Trojans’ head athletic trainer.

While working at Mercy, Vrba obtained a Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion: with an emphasis in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania in December of 2005. In May of 2006 Vrba was named coordinator of the Mercy Athletic Republic Sports Training program and remained head of this program until Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, serving in that role until April 2008. Along with his Athletic Training Certification, Vrba is also a Performance Enhancement Specialist as well as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist which he uses to train local junior high school, high school and college athletes to help them acheive their performance enhancement goals to improve in their sports.

In news about students from NIACC, Samantha Shoger and Spenser Rahm were named 2008 NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-Americans for their efforts both on and off the field during the past two seasons.

Shoger, who is from Nora Springs and played at Nora Springs-Rock Falls High, was a two-year starter for theTrojans and hit .323 this season with 42 hits, eight doubles, two triples and two homers. She posted a 3.94 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale during her NIACC career.

Rahm, who is from Wesley and prepped at Bishop Garrigan High, finished 11th at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Nationals in the pentathlon last March, producing a school-record 2,929 points. He had won the Region XI pentathlon earlier in the winter. Rahm posted a 3.84 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Distinguished Academic All-Americans needed to earn a 3.75 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale over two years.

Shoger and Rahm are among 46 student athletes from North Iowa Area Community College earning either All-American honors or first- or second-team Academic honors from Region XI as the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference announced recipients from all of its teams.

First-team members needed to post a 3.5 grade-point average or higher on a 4.0 scale. They include Shoger and Rahm, football players Matt Fehr, Aaron Franck, Jeremy Gerbig, Jared Johanns, Brad Kemnitz, Ryan Luedtke and Chase Toedter; wrestlers Glenn Rhees and Jason Schweer; soccer player Brayden Ott; cross country member Juan Rodriguez; and baseball players Shayden Bertagnolli, Scott Birkedal, Matt Borgford, Ben Harmon, John Lee, Danny Mousel and Jesse Zahrt.

Second-team members needed to post a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49 on a 4.0 scale. They include football players Nils Berggren, Lorenzo Brown, David Frampton, Drew Hagen, Casey Iossi, Cale Johnston, Nick Lenzen, David Smith, Brad Theilen and Zane Zirbel; volleyball players Amy Schilling and Anita Whitehead; soccer player Sam Broadbent; women's basketball player Tiffany Braun; cross country runners Tommy Sanchez, Kevin Coy and Trevor Thein; softball players Molly Niedert, Traci Lerch, Nicole Sternat and Courtney Hanson and baseball players Drew Boyer, Jeremy Ische, Pete Sullivan, Riley Tincher and Zack Welter.

Rewind for June 19

North Iowa Area Community College shortstop Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) became the third Trojans baseball All-America player in the past three seasons, earning second-team honors among schools from the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division II classification.

Smith finished 15^th in the nation with a .469 batting average and was tied for 10^th in runs batted in with 66. A two-year starter for the Trojans after transferring from the University of Northern Iowa, Smith also had 21 doubles, five triples and 10 homers for head coach Todd Rima’s team.

After hitting over .400 on NIACC’s spring trip to Cocoa, FL, Smith continued his hot hitting with a pair of six-hit games, including a 6-for-7 effort in a victory over eventual NJCAA Division II World Series participant Des Moines Area Community College. He led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference in hitting during the regular season and went 11-for-16 in the Region XI playoffs with a pair of homers and nine RBI.

Despite nagging back problems, Smith batted .353 with 54 hits and 10 stolen bases as the team’s starting shortstop in 2007 and Rima believed Smith could be an All-Region XI player if we had a completely healthy season. Smith played nearly every game for NIACC in a 36-16 season and now follows Danny Reed (first team in 2006) and Tom Heithoff (third team in 2007) as a NIACC All-America baseball player.

In track and field, NIACC long distance running standout Jordan Anderson has committed to run at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, said NIACC head track and field coach Curtis Vais.

Anderson, who transferred to NIACC last winter after competing at Illinois State University, earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish in the 10,000-meter race at the NJCAA outdoor track and field nationals in Levelland, TX. He was also named an All-American by the NJCAA USA Coaches Association after placing 10^th in the 5,000.

During the indoor track and field season, Anderson was first among U.S. runners and fifth overall in the national indoor track championships in Charleston, IL, running the race in 14 minutes, 50.03 seconds. He was second among U.S. runners and 10^th overall in the 3,000, earning NJCAA USA Coaches Association All-American honors in both events.

Anderson’s performance in the 5,000 at indoor nationals earned him an invite to the prestigious Penn Relays, where he finished ninth in the college division race in 14:36.89. Last fall, Anderson was one of the top individuals in the Missouri Valley Conference before heading to NIACC. He has the potential to immediately help both the track and field and cross country programs for head coach Jeff Langdon at Belmont.

Another NIACC track standout, Ronnisha Hall, looks to be headed to an Atlantic Sun Conference institution as well. She signed a letter-of-intent to compete at Jacksonville University in Florida, a three-time team champion in the conference meet.

Hall, who is from Pahokee, FL, placed third in the hammer throw and fifth in the javelin at this year’s NJCAA outdoor track and field championships, helping the Trojans finish 11^th as a team. She had placed third in the shot put and weight throw at indoor nationals in March and finished her NIACC career with six top-10 finishes in various throwing events.

　

Rewind forMay 19

Freshman Marin Thorson of St. Ansgar High School became North Iowa Area Community College’s first-ever individual national champion in track and field, winning the women’s discus event Saturday at the NJCAA Outdoor Nationals at South Plains College.

Thorson, a three-time state champion while in high school, had her best toss of the year, 157 feet, 4 inches and needed every bit of it, edging the 157-3 toss by Kelsey Poljansek of Cowley County Community College. Thorson had been seeded behind Poljansek in the national rankings before Saturday’s competition.

Sophomore Ronnisha Hall of Pahokee, FL and Pahokee High School finished off an illustrious career at NIACC by placing fifth in the women’s javelin with a school-record toss of 125-6. Central Arizona’s Ashton McGuire won the event with a throw of 132-10. Hall competed in four events at nationals, placing third in the hammer throw on Friday with a personal-best toss of 154-2 and also participating in the shot put and discus over the weekend. For her two-year career – indoor and outdoor track combined – she was a top-10 finisher six times, placing third three times.

Freshman Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) finished 14^th in Saturday’s 5,000-meter women’s race. She was clocked in 19 minutes, 39.93 seconds on Saturday. She was 11^th in the 1,500 – sixth among Americans – and earned NJCAA USA Coaches Association All-American honors (top six Americans). Overall, NIACC (coached by Curtis Vais) finished 11^th as a team with a total of 20 points as Central Arizona (131 points) edged the host school (124) for team honors.

In the men’s competition, sophomore Jordan Anderson of Mason City High finished 10^th on Saturday in the 5,000, running a 15:30.37. On Thursday, he had placed sixth in the 10,000, having moved up a spot in the official standings and earning All-American honors. He earned NJCAA USA Coaches Association All-American honors in the 5,000 as well.

NIACC athletes in other sports had much to celebrate as well:

-In women’s golf, Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) made the NJCAA national meet for the second year in a row and finished tied for 73rd overall last week at the LPGA International Golf Course in Daytona, FL. She had a 54-hole score of 290. Brittany O’Brien (Elgin/Valley Community) also competed at nationals as the two qualified by placing in the top 10 at the Region XI meet last month.

-In baseball, shortstop Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) made the first team, teammate John Lee (Mason City/HS) was a second-team selection in the outfield and Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany) was named honorable mention as the 2008 Region XI baseball team was announced recently.

Smith, a two-year starter, hit .469 with 21 doubles, 10 homers and 66 runs batted in. He’s nationally ranked among NJCAA Division II hitters in batting average and RBI statistics and his 21 doubles set a school record. Last weekend, Smith closed out the 2008 campaign by going 11-for-17 with two homers and nine RBI in three games as the Trojans played in the Region XI tournament in Mason City. His 6-for-7 performance (including a homer and six RBI) helped NIACC defeat eventual Region XI champion Des Moines Area Community College 15-14 on May 10 and he had two hits each in the Trojans’ other two contests. He finished the regular season as the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference’s top hitter, tied for the ICCAC lead in triples, was second in doubles and third in RBI.

Lee, who prepped at Mason City High School and earned All-State honors three times, finished the season with a .387 batting average, including a team-high 11 homers and 55 RBI. He added 14 doubles and stole 17 bases this spring. He ranked among the ICCAC leaders in homers and RBI and led the conference by getting hit-by-pitch 15 times. At the Region XI tournament, he homered in games against DMACC and Southeastern Community College and drove in four runs overall. Lee was ICCAC Scholar Athlete of the Week after going 5-for-10 with three homers against DMACC earlier this spring. The lefty will play Division-I baseball at South Dakota State University beginning this fall.

Younis hit .374 with 10 homers, 58 RBI and 14 doubles. He saved his best for last in 2008, hitting three homers (including a grand slam) and driving in nine runs during a 14-13 loss to Ellsworth Community College May 11 in regionals. In his team’s final 16 games, he produced 25 RBI and hit eight homers. NIACC, under head coach Todd Rima, finished third during the regular season in the ICCAC, winning 12 of 20 conference contests. The Trojans were ranked 13^th in the pre-season by Collegiate Baseball publications and were nationally ranked in the NJCAA polls for much of the season as they finished 36-16 overall.

-In softball, second baseman Whitney Bauer was named second-team All-Region and Leah Mork and Laura Fjelstad were honorable mention picks for the second straight season for NIACC.

Bauer hit .448 with 54 hits, 11 doubles, three triples and 25 RBI. She earned Athlete of the Week honors in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference after hitting over .400 during her team's 10-2 spring trip in Cocoa, FL. She was also named NIACC's Female Athlete of the Year.

Mork earned honorable mention All-Region for the second straight year. Last year she played third base. This season she was a steady shortstop who hit .236 for head coach Tyler Sisco and drove in 14 runs with eight doubles and four homers. Both players competed for DeWitt Central High School before heading to NIACC. Fjelstad, who is from Lake Mills High School, hit .432 as a catcher/first baseman with 45 hits and 25 RBI in the 2008 season. She led the team in home runs and led with an on base percentage of .530. She also led the team in doubles, recording 12 for the season.

Rewind for May 12

The ending of a stellar season and a pair of teams preparing for national events are part of NIACC Athletics highlights from last week. In baseball, despite a career-high three homers and nine runs batted in from Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany), NIACC lost 14-13 to Ellsworth Community College Sunday at the Region XI playoffs to end its season 36-16.

Matt Stice singled in two runs to cap a four-run rally in the top of the ninth inning for the Panthers, who had trailed 13-5. After Stice singled and scored on a Kasey Reyes single to put Ellsworth ahead in the top of the first inning, NIACC had gotten a two-run homer from Younis in the bottom of the frame to put the Trojans ahead 2-1. Younis blasted a three-run homer off Ellsworth starting pitcher Axel Rodriguez as the Trojans extended their lead to 8-1 in the fourth inning with five runs. Ellsworth rallied with four runs in the top of the fifth inning – two on Stice’s homer and two more on a Reyes round-tripper - to narrow NIACC’s lead to 8-5. The Trojans plated five of their own in the bottom of the fifth as Younis hit a grand slam off Panther relief pitcher Orlando Ortega and John Lee (Mason City/HS) hit a solo homer off Foster. After that, Foster was nearly flawless and Ellsworth narrowed NIACC’s lead with two in the sixth and seventh innings and a run in the eighth before its four-run ninth. Lee’s defense nearly saved NIACC as he gunned down a base runner trying to score with a strong throw from left field in the second inning and ran into the left field fence to corral a liner with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh frame.

All-American candidate Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) finished 10-for-16 for the tourney and ended the 2008 campaign with a team-high .468 batting average, 67 runs batted in and 83 hits. He was at his best on Saturday, going 6-for-7 with a homer and five RBI in NIACC’s 15-14 comeback win over Des Moines Area Community College. Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) got the win in relief, tossing five innings of three-hit ball, and he drove in Smith with a two-out single in the bottom of the 13^th inning. NIACC had trailed 11-3 before erupting for eight runs in the sixth inning. The initial 10 Trojans that batted that frame reached base, with RBI singles by Brent Young (Queensland, AUS) and Younis and a two-run single by Smith helping NIACC take its first lead. Trailing 14-11, DMACC eventually tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth inning off Welter. Along with Smith’s six hits, Lee had four hits, Andy Beck (New Albin/Kee) hit a solo homer in the fourth inning and head coach Todd Rima’s team received three hits each by Young and Younis.

On Friday, NIACC opened Region XI play with a 9-7 loss to Southeastern Community College despite three hits by Smith and two apiece by three others. The Trojans outhit SECC 14-8, but couldn’t fully recover from an early 6-1 deficit. Trailing 9-3 in the eighth, a run-scoring single by Danny Mousel (Sioux City/Heelan) and a three-run homer by Smith cut the deficit to two runs but the Trojans couldn’t get any closer.

In track and field, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed first in the women's hammer throw, shot put and javelin toss and was second in the discus to teammate Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) as head coach Curtis Vais’ team participated at the Region XI meet Thursday through Saturday at Iowa Western Community College. Hall threw the hammer 45.28 meters (148 feet, 7 inches), tying her best effort of the season. She threw the shot put 12.53 meters and just missed qualifying for the NJCAA outdoor national meet with a throw of 35.65 meters (the qualifying standard is 36.53 meters).

Thorson threw the discus 43.80 meters to beat Hall's 37.88-meter heave. Thorson was also second in the hammer. Hall and Thorson are both headed to nationals this Thursday through Saturday at South Plains Community College in Levelland, TX. So is Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS), who won the 1,500-meter race in 5 minutes, 07.69 seconds. Her 1,500 time is just over the qualifying standard of 5:03.90, but she's already qualified for the 5,000. Those who had second-place finishes included Steph Wedo (Homestead/Iowa Valley) in the 400 hurdles, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) in the 400, Emily Mujica (Mason City/HS) in the 800 and Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) in the 100. Millonig and Dahn placed fourth and fifth in the 200 as well.

In the men's competition, Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan)won the hammer with a toss of 39.70 meters as NIACC finished 1-2-4 in the event. In the 3,000 steeplechase, Trevor Thein (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) was clocked in 10:03.53, which isn't far from the 9:59.90 qualifying standard, and he placed third.

In women’s golf, sophomore Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) and freshman Brittany O'Brien (Elgin/Valley Community) begin first-round play today in the NJCAA Women's Golf national meet at the LPGA International Golf Club's Legends Course. This is the second time Jones has played at nationals. She was 73rd individually in 2007, carding a 72-hole score of 382 over four days after finishing ninth at the Region XI meet. Jones qualified for this years national meet by virtue of finishing 10th at regionals. O'Brien was sixth at this year's Region XI meet with a 36-hole score of 174. Her first-round score of 80 put her in a tie for second after one day.

 

Rewind for May 6

At North Iowa Area Community College’s graduation ceremonies last Friday, Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) and Whitney Bauer (Clinton/DeWitt Central) were named the school’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Rahm, who was a straight-A student during his time at NIACC, finished 11^th at the NJCAA indoor track and field championships in Charleston, IL in the heptathlon. Bauer, a two-year softball starter, was Athlete of the Week once in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference and was her team’s top hitter this spring.

As for the highlights from the Trojan teams, there were many:

-In baseball, NIACC clinched third place in the seven-team Iowa Community College Athletic Conference by virtue of winning three of four games at Iowa Lakes Community College last weekend. NIACC, which finished 15-9 in conference play, will play Friday against Southeastern Community College at the Region XI Division II playoffs at Roosevelt Field in Mason City.

Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany) was the hero on Saturday, going 5-for-5 with two homers and seven RBI in his team’s 17-12 opening-game win. He added two more hits in game two (as did three others) as the Trojans won 13-1. Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) also had five hits in game one Saturday and he drove in three runs. In game two, NIACC’s seven-run fifth inning was more than enough run support for Austin Denny (Johnston/HS), who fanned five in six innings.

On Sunday, John Lee (Mason City/HS) had a pair of hits and drove in two runs during a 6-2 loss in game one. In game two, Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) had three hits and drove in four runs while Smith added three RBI and Lee had two hits in a 10-2 victory. NIACC upped its overall record to 35-14 with a double header sweep – 14-6 and 11-1 - over the Luther College junior varsity Monday afternoon in Decorah. Smith hit homers in each game and had five RBI on the day. Danny Manning (Ankeny/HS) collected three hits and drove in four runs in game one while Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) had three hits in the nightcap. A total of six pitchers allowed just 11 hits in 13 innings over two games for the Trojans, winners of nine of their last 11 contests.

-In track and field, Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) won the women's discus with a season-best throw of 152 feet, 8 inches (second among NJCAA competitors in 2008) as the top Trojan finisher as head coach Curtis Vais’ team competed at the Central Open on Friday. Teammate Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed ninth in the discus (126-2) and finished fourth in the hammer with a toss of 142-3. Hall has the third best discus throw in the NJCAA and is third in the hammer (her best is 148-7) during the outdoor season. Among other NIACC women competitors, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) ran a 1:02.08 in the 400-meter event and placed second and Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) was fourth in the 200 (26.64)

In the men's events, Juan Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) ran the 5,000 in 16.55.2 to place second overall and Trevor Thein (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) ran a 10:29.97 to place third in the 3,000 steeplechase. On Friday and Saturday, NIACC competes in the Super Regionals in Council Bluffs, an event hosted by Iowa Western Community College.

-In softball, NIACC ended its season 18-25 by losing two of three games at the Region XI tournament in Ft. Dodge. The Trojans opened tourney play by losing 10-0 to Iowa Lakes on Friday. They beat Ellsworth 5-4 Saturday afternoon before losing 8-0 to Kirkwood Community College later that day. Last Monday, head coach Tyler Sisco’s team split a double header with Kirkwood, winning the second game 21-19 on a walk-off grand slam by Samantha Shoger (Nora Springs/NS-RF). The Trojans dropped double headers on Tuesday and Wednesday against Iowa Central and Marshalltown respectively heading into regionals.

-In men’s golf, NIACC finished seventh of 10 teams in the Region XI tournament Sunday and Monday at Ft. Dodge Country Club. Jim Dingeman (Pella/HS) and Jason Urdahl (Mason City/Newman Catholic) tied for 21^st individually with two others, shooting a 161 for 36 holes. Greg Engels (Rockford/RR-MR) was 27^th with a score of 163 while Steve Wyborny (Rockford/RR-MR) tied for 28^th with a 164. On May 1, NIACC finished in a tie for fourth as a team at the Marshalltown Invitational, totaling 318 strokes. Kirkwood Blue (293) won team honors.

 

Rewind for April 28

A trio of national qualifiers in two sports and a heavy dose of games and meets highlighted NIACC’s athletic schedule this past week.

On Saturday in Okoboji, women’s golfers Brittany O’Brien (Elgin/Valley) and Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) earned top-10 finishes at the two-day Region XI meet, qualifying for the NJCAA women’s golf championships in Daytona Beach next month. O’Brien had a two-round score of 174, shooting an 80 on Friday to put her in a tie for second after the first day of play. Jones carded a combined score of 181 to earn her second national berth in two years. She was the 10^th and final individual to earn a trip to nationals. Des Moines Area Community College shot a team score of 680 to earn the lone team berth from the region. NIACC was fourth with a team score of 747.

On Tuesday, O’Brien shot an 87 for 18 holes as the Trojans played at the same course in Okoboji in the Iowa Lakes Community College Invitational and finished fifth as a team. The men played in Okoboji also, with Steve Wyborny (Rockford/RR-MR) leading NIACC with a 73 for 18 holes to help NIACC’s men place fifth out of nine teams. Greg Engels (Rockford/RR-MR) shot a 76 to support Wyborny’s season-best effort in a meet full of ICCAC schools. Kirkwood Community College had a team score of 294 to win the meet, edging Iowa Lakes (297); NIACC had a team score of 311.

Other NIACC athletic teams had busy schedules last week, none busier than the softball team, which is in the midst of five double headers in five days. The Trojans’ best effort occurred last Wednesday as NIACC won its second consecutive home double header, beating Ellsworth Community College 12-5 and 12-4 as Leah Mork (Dewitt/Central Dewitt) and Andrea Aguilar (Victoria, TX/Memorial) both had three hits and drove in four runs. That gave the Trojans three out of four wins in games played on consecutive days against the Panthers. On Tuesday, NIACC had beaten Ellsworth 11-2 and lost 7-2 in a double header played in Iowa Falls. Aguilar picked up all three wins on the mound for NIACC.

In Wednesday’s opener, NIACC opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first inning as Mork produced the first of her two doubles to drive in two runs. Ellsworth cut the lead to 3-2, but a four-run NIACC fifth inning and a five-run sixth inning iced the contest for the Trojans. Mork had a run-scoring double in the sixth and three Ellsworth errors helped the cause as well. In Wednesday’s nightcap, NIACC trailed 2-1 early but the Trojans used some timely hitting (including a two-run single by Aguilar and an RBI single by Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) to put away the Panthers in six innings.

On Tuesday, Fjelstad and Molly Niedert (Sumner/Sumner-Fredricksburg) each doubled and homered, Aguilar homered and Traci Lerch (Dewitt/Central Dewitt) tripled twice as NIACC took game one from Ellsworth. A seven-run seventh inning broke open a close game as the Trojans had 14 hits in all. Although NIACC lost the second game on Tuesday, Allyson Gross (Titonka/WCLT) and Fjelstad had two hits apiece. On Saturday and Sunday, NIACC lost twin bills to Kirkwood (10-0 and 13-3) and Muscatine Community College (6-5, 14-2). In Sunday’s opener, Neidert produced a grand slam to give the Trojans a 5-1 first-inning lead and nearly upended the third-ranked team in the nation before falling in the final inning. Fjelstad had four hits in the double header for head coach Tyler Sisco’s team, which is now 16-18 overall. NIACC plays 3:30 p.m. home double headers Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday against Kirkwood, Iowa Central Community College and Marshalltown Community College respectively.

In baseball, NIACC moved to 28-12 overall, 12-8 in conference play by winning four of six games last week. Last Monday in Cedar Rapids, Danny Mousel (Sioux City/Heelan) totaled three homers and drove in nine runs as NIACC swept host Kirkwood 13-11 and 10-8 in a double header. Mousel’s grand slam in the opener helped Bryce Howard (Centerville, UT/West) pick up a victory in relief and Pete Sullivan (Waterloo/Columbus) earned the save. Sullivan then earned the win in game two and Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) notched the save as NIACC rallied with nine runs in the final two innings after trailing 5-1 midway through the contest.

Over the weekend, NIACC won three of four contests with visiting Ellsworth after having a pair of non-conference double headers rained out last Wednesday and Thursday. On Saturday, the Trojans took game one 12-10 and lost the nightcap 8-1 at Roosevelt Field. NIACC scored five runs in the third frame of Saturday’s opener, getting two-run doubles (and three RBI in all) from Lee and Andy Beck (New Albin/Kee). In the fifth frame, NIACC tallied six runs to help Chuck Lukanen (Apple Valley, MN/Eastview) earn his sixth victory of the spring. Sullivan earned his second save of the week after Ellsworth made a late comeback. Beck led NIACC with three hits. Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany) and Welter hit homers as the Trojans made the most of nine hits. In game two on Saturday, NIACC had just three hits, two by Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper).

On Sunday, head coach Todd Rima’s team won 5-4 in eight innings and finished the weekend by overcoming a 7-0 deficit to win 9-8. In game one, Sullivan picked up another win in relief while Younis’ RBI double drove in Mousel with the winning run. In game two, Mousel hit his second grand slam of the week and added a solo homer and Lee scored the winning run after a mad scramble around home plate in the bottom of the seventh after Ellsworth had tied the game 8-8 in the top of the inning. Welter picked up the win in relief, helping his own cause by blooping a single that scored Lee. NIACC plays a 2 p.m. non-conference home double header against Marshalltown on Thursday. On Saturday and Sunday in Estherville, NIACC plays Iowa Lakes as it prepares for the Region XI playoffs in Mason City.

In track and field, most of NIACC’s program competed at the Loras College Open in Dubuque Saturday while men’s long distance standout Jordan Anderson (Mason City/HS) ran last Thursday night at the nationally-renowned Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA. Anderson placed ninth in the college division 5,000-meter race with a time of 14 minutes, 36.89 seconds, the fourth fastest time among NJCAA runners this season and more than 13 seconds better than his clocking at the NJCAA indoor national meet.

At Loras, women’s long distance runner Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) finished fourth in the women's 5,000 and qualified for the NJCAA outdoor track and field nationals to highlight the team’s efforts last Saturday. Nehowig ran her race in 19 minutes, 05.50 seconds as the Trojans had numerous top-5 finishes in the women's competition. Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) placed second in the 400 in a time of 1:02.57 and finished fourth in the 200 with a 27-second clocking. Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) ran a 12.93 to place second in the 100 and teammate DeAubrey Johnson (St. Paul, MN/Central) was fifth in 13.30. Millonig and Johnson were among those who combined to help NIACC earn a first-place finish in the 400 relay, running the race in 52.32. Emily Mujica (Mason City/HS) also ran well for NIACC, finishing eighth in 2:30.68 in the 800.

In the discus, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) and Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) finished fourth and fifth respectively, both posting season-best numbers. Hall's toss of 148 feet, 7 inches is second best among NJCAA competitors. Thorson's 148-2 is third in the NJCAA. Hall placed seventh in the javelin and threw the hammer 139-8 to place ninth. In the men's competition, Ashton Smith (Moscow Mills, MO/Buchanan) was NIACC's top finisher, placing fourth in the 200 (22.50) and sixth in the 100 in 11.33 seconds after running an 11.21 in qualifying heats.

 

Rewind for April 21

Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) set a school record with a toss of 147 feet, 11 inches to finish second in the discus as the North Iowa Area Community College women's track and field team placed sixth at the Dick Young Classic at Grinnell College last Saturday. Thorson's throw is second on the NJCAA performance lists this season.

Another thrower for the Trojans, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed fourth in the javelin throw (111-5) and the hammer throw (148-7) and was sixth in the shot put (39-6 3/4). In the 400-meter race, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) ran a 1:01.29 to finish fifth while Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) was eighth in the 100 (13.31) and in the 200 (27.53). NIACC's 400 relay team was sixth with a 52.74 clocking while the 3,200 relay team placed fifth in 10:32.22. NIACC finished with 38 team points. Nebraska Wesleyan (176.5 points) won the team competition while Simpson College was second (156.3).

In the men's competition, NIACC placed 12th in the team competition as Nebraska Wesleyan (201 points) was the team champion. Juan Rodriguez of Bogota, Colombia, placed fourth in the 10,000 with a 33:44.69 clocking while Jordan Anderson (Mason City/HS) was fifth in the 1,500 in a time of 4:05.39. Head coach Curtis Vais’ program travels to Dubuque on Saturday to compete in a meet at Loras College.

Although the baseball team had four straight losses to start the week, the Trojans regrouped with their best offensive output of 2008 in a 29-17, 7-3 double header sweep of Southwestern College last Wednesday. John Lee (Mason City/HS) hit for the cycle in one game and Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) had six hits in one game and nine on the day. On Sunday in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play, NIACC split a double header with host Kirkwood Community College, losing game one 2-1 and winning the nightcap 4-2 on Smith’s two-run homer in the eighth inning. Austin Denny (Johnston/HS) earned the victory on the mound and Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) picked up his seventh save as head coach Todd RIma’s team made the most of five hits to move to 23-11 overall.

Today, NIACC plays again at Kirkwood in a double header. On Wednesday, NIACC plays the Loras junior varsity in Dubuque, before traveling on Thursday to Rochester to face Rochester Community Technical College in non-conference play. On Saturday and Sunday in Mason City, the Trojans host Ellsworth Community College in ICCAC action.

In softball, NIACC dropped a pair of games to Iowa Lakes Community College last Wednesday, but recovered to post a 3-2 and 7-4 wins over Southwestern Community College on Sunday in Mason City. Andrea Aguilar (Victoria, TX/Memorial) picked up both victories on the mound for the Trojans, now 13-13 overall. Nicole Sternat (Fredricksburgh/Sumner-Fredricksburg) hit a solo homer for the winning margin and first baseman Molly Niedert (Sumner/Sumner-Fredricksburg) had two hits in game one and threw out the potential tying run in the seventh inning to close out game one. Aguilar drove in a run in the opener and Whitney Bauer (Dewitt/Central Dewitt) doubled in another. Niedert’s pair of run-scoring singles keyed the victory in game two and Bauer and Traci Lerch (Dewitt/Central Dewitt) added two hits apiece to pace an 11-hit team effort. Niedert’s RBI single and Bauer’s RBI triple keyed a three-run first inning for the Trojans. The visitors scored four runs in the top of the second to take a 4-3 lead, but in the bottom of the inning, Bauer tied the game 4-4 with a double and Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) singled her in to put NIACC ahead 5-4. Aguilar took control from there and won her second game of the day (and eighth overall) by tossing five consecutive scoreless frames to finish off SWCC. Lerch’s run-scoring single in the fifth inning and Neidert’s RBI single in the sixth brought home NIACC’s final two runs in the second contest.

Head coach Tyler Sisco’s team has a full schedule of games this week. The Trojans travel to Iowa Falls to play Ellsworth in a 3:30 p.m. ICCAC double header on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the two teams play a twin bill at 3:30 p.m. in Mason City. On Thursday, NIACC plays Kirkwood in a 3:30 p.m. double header at Cedar Rapids. On Friday, Sisco’s team hosts Muscatine Community College at 2 p.m. in a pair of contests. The team plays a handful of games during the weekend close out the busiest cluster of games this season.

In golf, Greg Engels (Rockford/RR-MR) shot a 36-hole score of 165 to lead the NIACC men's golf team to a 10th-place finish at the Community 1st Credit Union Spring Invitational last Saturday at Ottumwa Country Club.

The host school - Indian Hills Community College Maroon team - won the meet with a team score of 584 (four golfers count in the scoring). Steven McGlynn shot a 141 for 36 holes for medalist honors. The Trojans finished with a score of 693. Rounding out the NIACC scorers were Jason Urdahl (Mason City/Newman Catholic), who had a 168, Jim Dingeman (Pella/HS), who carded a 174 and Elliott Sheriff (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale), who scored a 190. Engels had the best 18-hole score for the Trojans with an 81 and he finished with an 84 on his second 18 holes. Urdahl had an 83 on his second round of 18 holes on Saturday. The two-day meet was condensed into one day due to inclement weather.

On Tuesday, Chris Frenz’ program - both the men and women - will travel to Okoboji to compete against Iowa Lakes at Brooks National Golf Course. From Thursday through Saturday, NIACC’s women play again at Brooks National, this time at the Region XI meet.

 

Rewind for April 14

Rescheduled games, baseball’s home opener and 13 softball recruits start off this week’s NIACC Rewind.

NIACC baseball and softball will add to their busy schedule over the next few weeks because of bad weather. This week, the softball team had to reschedule home games with Iowa Central, Muscatine and Kirkwood. The baseball team had to postpone one game with Iowa Central, and rescheduled a road series with Southwestern. Both teams have yet to play home games this season.

NIACC’s golf meet with Marshalltown Community College was cancelled, and the track meet at Cornell Community College was delayed one day from Saturday to Sunday.

The baseball team, ranked 11^th by the first Ringor NJCAA Division II baseball poll of the season, finally played their first home games of the season against 7^th ranked Iowa Central on Sunday, splitting the two games 7-5 and 2-16. Jason Hunt’s solo homer in the fourth sparked a five run fourth. NIACC took momentum in the top of the fourth off of a bases loaded double play to end the Tritons scoring threat. Chuck Lukanen struck out five Tritons in the game.

Game two was a different story, as errors plagued the Trojans into the 16-2 defeat. Iowa Central reached base off of eight his and five errors in the first two innings and scored seven more in the fifth to end the game early. NIACC scored its two runs off a hit by pitch in the third and a past ball in the fourth.

Earlier in the week, NIACC traveled to Centerville to play Indian Hills Community College on April 7, coming out with the sweep of the Falcons. Outfielder John Lee had three hits in and four RBI in the sweep, and the team collectively reached base 33 times on 18 hits, 10 walks and five Falcon errors in the two games. The Trojans collected 11 hits in game one and used a three run sixth inning to take the lead by the final margin of 7-6.

NIACC put the second game away early, scoring eight in the first inning, and drawing six walks from the Falcons starting pitcher. The Trojans capped off the night by scoring four in the sixth and adding one more in the seventh to take game two, 13-3.

In softball, 13 recruits have signed national letters of intent to play for the Trojans in the 2009 season. Highlighting the signings was Laci Pustina of Highland, Wisconsin, who struck out 13 batters in the state finals two years ago as a sophomore. Last week, Pustina threw a no hitter. NIACC softball also signed 10 local recruits and two more Wisconsin players, adding up to six more all-conference players and an honorable mention All-State player in Brooke Manhahl of Hudson, Iowa. The full list of recruits can be seen on the NIACC softball website.

On the diamond, the softball team slipped to 11-9 overall and 1-7 in the ICCAC after 13-0 and 8-0 losses at Iowa Lakes. The team struggled to get the bats going, getting only three hits on the night.

The NIACC Track and Field teams traveled to Cornell College on Sunday to participate in the Cornell Invite, where the women’s team won five events and the men’s team had numerous top five finishes, both leading to fourth place finishes. Allie Millonig and Ronnisha Hall both won two events during the meet, Millonig winning the 100 and 200 meter dashes and Hall winning the shot put and the javelin. Marin Thorson won the discus throw. The men were led by Ashton Smith, who finished second in the 200 meter dash and third in the 100 meter dash, and Spenser Rahm, who finished second in the hammer throw, third in the discus, and fifth in the shot put.

NIACC golf had one result, as Kayli Jones led the Trojans women’s golf team with a two-day score of 189 at the Grand View College Classic in Fort Dodge. The women’s team shot a team score of 790 to finish ninth out of 11 at the meet. Dakota Wesleyan won the women’s event with a score 666. The NIACC men shot 670 to take 14^th out of 16 at the same event. Greg Engels and Justin Abell both recorded 166 strokes to lead the Trojans with 66^th place finishes individually. Grand View took the meet with a score of 590.

 

Rewind for April 6

The North Iowa Area Community College head football coach Scott Strohmeier resigned this past week after compiling a 16-14 record and earning two Graphic Edge Bowl bids during his three years at the school. Strohmeier’s teams finished in the top 11 in total offense during the past two seasons and three players – Anton Cullom, Ben Alford and Lorenzo Brown – earned All-American status. A national search for a new head coach has already begun, said NIACC athletic director Dan Mason.

John Lee (Mason City/HS) was named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Division II Baseball Scholar Athlete of the Week for March 27 through April 2. Lee hit .500 (5-for-10), hit three home runs and drove in seven runs in a sweep of Des Moines Area Community College on April 2.

Last Friday, Lee homered and had three hits in one game and added a double in another as NIACC defeated host Marshalltown Community College 14-9 and 14-13 in a non-conference double header. Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) homered and drove in five runs in game one and Andy Beck (New Albin/Kee) produced seven hits on the day as NIACC moved to 17-5 on the season.

Smith’s had four hits in the opener, adding a double to go with his round-tripper. Danny Mousel (Sioux City/Heelan) also homered and Lee, Beck, Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany) and Mousel had three hits apiece as the Trojans collected 23 hits in all. Trailing 5-4, NIACC took the lead for good with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Trojans added one in the sixth and three in the seventh to ice the game as reliever Bryce Howard (Centerville, UT/West) picked up the victory.

In the second game on Friday, NIACC survived a seven-run Marshalltown second inning and a three-run bottom of the seventh as reliever Peter Sullivan (Waterloo/Columbus) picked up the victory and Drew Boyer (Alberta, CAN/Xavier) earned the save. A six-run fourth inning enabled NIACC to tie the game at 9-9 and the Trojans added three in the fifth and two in the seventh for what proved to be the winning tallies. Shayden Bertagnolli (Roy, UT/HS) homered, Beck drove in five runs on four hits and Younis pitched in with a pair of hits and RBI. NIACC, which is 5-3 in the ICCAC, plays perennial conference power Iowa Central Community College Saturday and Sunday in home double headers at Roosevelt Field. The Trojans have a non-conference twin bill slated for 2 p.m. today at Indian Hills Community College.

In softball, NIACC and head coach Tyler Sisco will be busy hosts this week, with 3:30 p.m. home ICCAC double headers on Tuesday (versus Ellsworth Community College) and Thursday (Iowa Central), a 1 p.m. Saturday twin bill against Muscatine Community College and a noon double header versus Kirkwood Community College. Last Friday, the Trojans traveled to Muscatine, losing 8-0 and 7-2 to fall to 11-7 overall, 1-5 in ICCAC action.

In track and field, freshman Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) placed fourth in the women's discus and teammate Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed seventh for North Iowa Area Community College's best individual finish at the Central College Invitational on Saturday.

NIACC, along with a host of others, went to Pella to participate at Central after a meet scheduled at the University of Northern Iowa was cancelled. For Thorson, it was worth the trip as she tossed the discus 44.29 meters (145 feet, 4 inches) as UNI's Rachel Jansen (50.24 meters) won the event. Hall's toss in the discus was 40.62 meters (133 feet, 3 inches).

Hall placed seventh in the hammer throw (44.37 meters) and was 10th in the shot put (11.59 meters) to round out the throwing leaders for NIACC's women. In the running events, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) placed seventh in the 400 meter dash with a clocking of 1 minute, 1.64 seconds. Meanwhile, Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) was 15th of 42 runners in the 100 with a time of 13.17 seconds.

In the men's competition, Juan Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) placed 11th of 40 runners by running a 16:03.42 in the 5,000 and Andrew Godfrey (Norwalk/HS) placed 11th in 58.98 in the 400 hurdles. Meanwhile, Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) was 16th of 49 participants by tossing the discus 39.68 meters (130 feet, 2 inches). The track program travels to Mt. Vernon on Saturday for the Cornell College Invitational.

In golf, NIACC participated in the Grand View College Viking Classic, which began Sunday and finishes today in Ft. Dodge. On Thursday, head coach Chris Frenz’ program plays at Marshalltown Community College. On Sunday, NIACC travels to Iowa Central for a meet at the Ft. Dodge Country Club.

 

Rewind for March 31

Two North Iowa Area Community College athletes were named Athletes of the Week in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, highlighting the efforts of the Trojans in spring sports this past week.

In softball, Whitney Bauer (DeWitt/Central DeWitt) earned her Athlete of the Week honor for efforts during her team’s 10-2 spring trip. She had 16 hits in 39 at-bats for a .410 batting average, driving in 10 runs and scoring 13 more during that span. NIACC began its week by dropping an ICCAC double header at Iowa Central Community College on Wednesday, losing game one 9-0 and game two 15-6. Bauer and Samantha Shoger (Nora Springs/NS-RF) produced three hits in the second contest and Molly Niedert (Sumner/Sumner-Fredricksburg) had a double and triple among her three hits as the Trojans had 15 in all. On Saturday, NIACC beat host Southwestern Community College 6-5 in game one of an ICCAC twin bill in Creston before dropping game two 8-4. NIACC is now 11-5 for the season. Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) had home runs in each game for head coach Tyler Sisco’s team, which travels to Iowa Lakes for a Tuesday double header. Fjelstad had two hits and drove in four during game one while Bauer and Shoger added two hits apiece. Leah Mork (DeWitt/Central DeWitt) homered in game two to support Fjelstad offensively.

In baseball, pitcher Chuck Lukanen (Apple Valley, MN/Eastview) was honored as Athlete of the Week for his efforts during the week of March 19-25 by the conference. He tossed a two-hit shutout against Southeastern Community College on March 22 in Burlington, fanning five during a 3-0 victory. Over the weekend, NIACC split four games at Des Moines Area Community College. John Lee (Mason City/HS) homered and drove in six runs as NIACC beat the Bears 14-3 to complete a sweep of an ICCAC double header on Sunday.

Lee’s big game made a winner of Riley Tincher (Oregon, WI/HS), who scattered eight hits in a five-inning complete game to move to 4-0 overall. Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) had three hits and Lee and Tony Younis of Fuerth, Germany added two hits apiece for the Trojans, who moved to 15-5, 5-3 in ICCAC play. NIACC gave Tincher all the runs he’d need with seven runs in the top of the second inning.

In game one, Lee smacked a pair of solo homers and NIACC beat DMACC 9-4, with Austin Denny (Johnston/HS) raising his record to 4-0 on the season with an eight-hit, seven-inning complete game. Younis added three runs batted in on two hits, Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) had two doubles and the Trojans broke open a close game with a five-run flurry in the top of the sixth inning.

Sunday’s sweep helped head coach Todd Rima’s team regroup after DMACC swept NIACC 17-5 and 11-1 on Saturday. Australian Brent Young had two hits for NIACC in the opener as Lukanen (3-1) took the loss. Molitor and Younis produced two hits each in the nightcap. NIACC is scheduled to play host to Indian Hills Community College on Thursday in non-conference action.

In track and field, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed second in the shot put as the North Iowa Area Community College women's track and field team placed sixth in the Augustana College Viking Olympics last Saturday in Rock Island, IL. Hall tossed the shot put 12.72 meters, just behind Augustana's Marissa Banks (13.16). In the discus, NIACC freshman Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) placed third with a toss of 44.56 meters while Hall had a toss of 41.69 meters for eighth. In the hammer, Hall had a toss of 40.28 meters for sixth place.

In the 400 meter race, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) placed fourth in a time of 1:02.62. In the 100, Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) was fifth in 13.23 seconds while teammate DeAubrey Johnson (St. Paul, MN/Central) was sixth in 13.28 seconds. Millonig was seventh in the 200 in 28.43, the Trojans' 4 x 100 relay placed second in 52.53 seconds while NIACC's 4 x 800 meter team was third in 10:36.02.

NIACC had 55 points for sixth as a team. Augustana won the meet with 250 1/2 points while Winona State (MN) had 176 points and Loras College had 92 points for third.

In the men's competition, Ashton Smith (Moscow Mills, MO/Buchanan) placed second in the 100-meter dash as the NIACC men's team placed eighth with 36 points. Augustana (314 1/2 points) won the meet while Olivet Nazarene University (IL) had 111 points for second.

Ryan Schumacher was third in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 5 1/4 inches and he placed third in the triple jump (41-7 3/4). Andrew Godfrey (Norwalk/HS) finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.21).

In golf, NIACC traveled to Council Bluffs for the Reiver Spring Classic, hosted by Iowa Western Community College, on Sunday, finishing sixth in both the women and men’s team standings. Individually, Brittany O’Brien of Elgin carded a 90 for 18 holes to finish in a tie for 11^th in the women’s meet and Jason Urdahl (Mason City/Newman Catholic) shot an 81 for team honors in the men’s competition. On Saturday and Sunday, NIACC plays in the Grand View College Viking Classic in Ft. Dodge.

 

Rewind for March 24

This week, along with results of NIACC spring sports and notes on how current athletes have gained recognition, there are numerous updates on how former NIACC students are faring at four-year schools.

Due to inclement weather, NIACC’s softball team had their away double header with the William Penn University junior varsity cancelled. The Trojans will play a double header Wednesday in Ft. Dodge against Iowa Central Community College. Meanwhile, a track and field meet NIACC was to have participated in today – the Loras Open in Dubuque – was cancelled as well. Head coach Curtis Vais’ program runs in a meet at Coe College, the Kohawk Open, on Saturday in Cedar Rapids. Meanwhile, the NIACC men’s and women’s golf teams will begin play later this month. The Trojans will travel to Council Bluffs for the Reiver Spring Classic, hosted by Iowa Western Community College, on March 30.

One team did find a dry date to play its games last week, however. NIACC’s baseball team managed to get four games in against Iowa Community College Athletic Conference foe Southeastern Community College in Burlington last Friday and Saturday and won three contests to move to 13-3 overall.

On Friday, Chuck Lukanen (Apple Valley, MN/Eastview) tossed a two-hit shutout against the host Blackhawks in an 8-0 game one victory as the Trojans put the game away with four runs in the top of the second inning. Lukanen is now 3-0 this spring. Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) produced three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in four runs to pace the offense. In game two, Russ Jiskra (Hudson, WI/HS) threw well but lost a 1-0 decision as NIACC managed just three hits, two by Andy Beck (New Albin/Kee)

On Saturday, NIACC pitchers continued to throw effectively during a 6-3, 6-1 double header sweep against Southeastern. Austin Denny (Johnston/HS) also moved to 3-0 overall, getting help from three relievers in the opener. Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) earned his fourth save to complete the four-hitter and John Lee (Mason City/HS) had two hits, including a double for NIACC’s offense. In the second game, Riley Tincher (Oregon, WI/HS) moved to 3-0 as he and two others combined on a six-hitter. Meanwhile, Beck produced three hits, Welter had a pair of RBI and the Trojans broke a 1-all tie with four runs in the top of the fourth inning. NIACC travels to Marshalltown Community College on Thursday for a non-conference double header beginning at 2 p.m. The Trojans are scheduled to host Des Moines Area Community College in double headers on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are the other pieces of news involving NIACC athletics, along with alumni updates:

-In track and field, Colombian native Juan Rodriguez was honored with NJCAA U.S. Coaches Association Academic All-American honors – he has bettered the 3.4 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) thus far in his collegiate career while performing as a distance runner for the Trojans. Meanwhile, 2007 grad Zach Bales-Henry is now on the Drake University men’s track and field roster after earning All-American honors for NIACC.

-In men’s basketball, Justin Redman-Trotter of Eastern New Mexico University was named to the Lone Star Conference’s second team for the second consecutive year. He averaged 18.6 points per contest and was third in the LSC in that category. He was also among the top 20 in four other categories in the conference, including averaging 5.7 rebounds from the guard position.

-In women’s basketball, senior Milica Kovacevic averaged 11 points per game – fourth best on her team – as Waldorf College finished 18-13 overall. Kovacevic also led her team in rebounding and had a team-best .478 field goal percentage.

-In baseball, NIACC’s 2006 All-American player, Danny Reed, was hitting .355 after Northern Illinois University’s annual spring break trip. Meanwhile, 2007 Division II All-American player has played mostly as an infielder for the University of Evansville (IN) in the Missouri Valley Conference. Tommy Mousel, who graduated from NIACC in 2006, is now playing at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. A 2007 NIACC grad, Jared Koch, is a pitcher for South Dakota State University. A 2006 grad, Nick Lauver, had a 1.42 earned run average in seven appearances with a save after 16 games with the University of Northern Iowa. Outfielder Josh Swenson is now playing regularly for Nicholls State University in Louisiana and Justin Johnson is with Morehead State University in Kentucky. At NAIA power Southern Nazarene University of Oklahoma, Alex Rehnstrom – who left NIACC in 2007 – had hit .340 to help the Crimson Storm post a 22-7 mark after 29 games heading into last weekend’s action.

-In softball, NIACC’s top player from 2007, Brittany Balduf, is a regular for the University of Northern Iowa, which was hovering around the .500 mark after two dozen games.

-In football, NIACC’s quarterback coach from last fall, James McNear, is now the starting quarterback for the Omaha (NE) Beef United Indoor Football team. McNear was an All-American player in college and played last year for the Beef. More about McNear and the Beef can be found on www.beeffootball.com.

-In wrestling, NIACC head coach Richard Fergola received an award during a pre-tournament dinner at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships last Wednesday for his work at Dana College in Nebraska during the 2006-07 season. Dana was honored for its academic success under Fergola, who was head coach at Dana before being hired by NIACC last winter.

 

Rewind for March 17

The North Iowa Area Community College baseball and softball teams enjoyed equally successful spring trips in Cocoa, FL to highlight the latest news and notes in NIACC athletics.

Head coach Todd Rima’s baseball team used strong starting pitching to post a 10-2 mark over eight days, including Rima’s 200^th career win with the Trojans. Chuck Lukanen (Apple Valley/Eastview), Brandyn Agnew (Toronto, ON/Mowat), Riley Tincher (Oregon, WI/HS) and Austin Denny (Johnston/HS) started and won two games apiece and closer Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) recorded three saves as the Trojans’ young staff performed well throughout. Welter saved Tincher’s second win with a pair of seventh-inning strikeouts during a 3-2 decision over Dakota Community Technical College of Minnesota on Friday. He also fanned two in the seventh inning to save a win for Agnew in an 8-5 win over Alfred State College (NY) on Thursday. Earlier that day, Lukanen held the University of Connecticut-Avery Point to one run during a 9-1 win.

Sophomore shortstop Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) was the offensive hero in Thursday’s wins, producing three hits and driving in five runs against Avery Point and adding a pair of hits in the Alfred State win. Outfielder John Lee (Mason City/HS) had three hits and two runs batted in against Alfred State and Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) and Brent Young (Queensland/Australia) also had a pair of RBI.

Lee had two hits and NIACC used a three-run eighth inning to edge Hagerstown Community College (MD) 5-3 in Tuesday’s first game. Molitor singled and doubled for the Trojans as NIACC dropped game two that day 5-4 to Montgomery College of Germantown, MD. On Monday, the pitching and the offense were clicking on all cylinders as Rima’s squad beat Rock Valley Community College of Illinois 13-2 and routed the London (Ontario) Badgers 12-1. NIACC pitchers allowed just three hits in 11 total innings and Smith drove in five runs on the day.

On Saturday, NIACC beat Ontario 11-3 for Denny’s second pitching victory as Molitor produced four hits, Welter doubled twice and Smith and Lee also had two hits. Tony Younis (Fuerth, Germany) homered and drove in three runs as the Trojans ripped out 14 hits in all. Later that day, Smith added two more hits but NIACC lost a 2-1 decision to Genesee Community College of New York before heading home.

NIACC opens its home season with a non-conference double header against Dakota County at 2 p.m. Thursday, playing on the NIACC campus. At 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the Trojans play away double headers in West Burlington against Iowa Community College Athletic Conference opponent Southeastern Community College.

The fortunes of first-year head coach Tyler Sisco’s softball team mirrored Rima’s as the Trojans finished 10-2 before leaving Florida on Friday. Pitchers Andrea Aguilar (Victoria, TX/Memorial) and Traci Lerch (DeWitt/Central DeWitt) both went 5-1 during the spring trip, with Lerch finishing her week with a 2-0 shutout of Lackawanna Community College (PA).

Although the team won consecutive double headers to start the trip, NIACC may have played its best ball last Wednesday, beating Illinois schools Waubonsee Community College 3-0 and Kishwaukee Community College 6-2. In the Waubonsee victory, Aguilar tossed a seven-hit shutout and added a triple offensively while Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) and Samantha Shoger (Nora Springs/Nora Springs-Rock Falls) picked up two hits apiece. Lerch picked up the win against Kishwaukee as Nicole Sternat (Sumner/Sumner-Fredricksburg) had three hits and Sternet and Aguilar drove in two runs each.

On Thursday, Aguilar tossed a six-hitter to beat the Ancaster Blizzard of Hamilton, Ontario, 5-1 as her team broke open a 1-all tie with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Shoger and Allyson Gross (Titonka/WCLT) had two hits apiece as NIACC produced six hits. The Trojans lost 8-4 to Waubonsee in the nightcap despite three hits (including two doubles) and two RBI by Whitney Bauer (DeWitt/Central DeWitt). Before beating Lackawanna on Friday, NIACC edged Kishwaukee 5-1 for Aguilar’s fifth victory.

Along with their games against Ancaster, Sisco’s team split two other games with club teams from Canada on Monday. NIACC’s next game is a 5 p.m. non-conference double header Friday in Oskaloosa against the William Penn University junior varsity. The Trojans open their ICCAC schedule with a 3:30 p.m. double header in Ft. Dodge against Iowa Central Community College on March 26.

Two other springs sports programs at NIACC will begin outdoor competition in the coming days. Only two weeks removed from a strong showing at the NJCAA indoor nationals, the NIACC track and field program will travel to Dubuque on March 24 for the Loras Open outdoor meet. Meanwhile, the NIACC men’s and women’s golf teams will begin play later this month. The Trojans will travel to Council Bluffs for the Reiver Spring Classic, hosted by Iowa Western Community College, on March 30.

-In women's basketball, Madelyn Houser was named second team All-Region XI and Katie Monson was given third team All-Region XI honors. Houser averaged 10 points per game and had 95 blocks for the season, second most in one season in NIACC's record books and second most in the conference.  Houser was also in the top 10 for steals per game and rebounds per game.  Monson was second on the team for rebounds per game and was third on the team for points scored.

 

Rewind for March 10

Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS), Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) and Jordan Anderson (Mason City/HS) earned NJCAA Coaches Association All-American honors during the National Junior College Athletic Association indoor track and field championships last weekend, with Hall placing third in both the women’s weight throw and the women’s shot put.

Hall, who placed fourth in the 2007 indoor nationals, tossed the shot put 41 feet, 8 ¾ inches to finish behind winner Kelsey Poljansek of Cowley County Community College (47-0 ¼). Hall then had a toss of 51-1 in the weight throw for third on Saturday as Kamryn Clark of Rend Lake Community College of Illinois (56-8 ¾) won the event. In two NJCAA indoor nationals appearances, Hall has finished third three times and fourth once.

In women’s running events, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) placed fifth in the 600-meter finals last Saturday with a time of 1:43.79. She had qualified for the finals by running her heat Friday in 1:41.19 for the seventh fastest time of the day.

Emily Mujica (Mason City/HS) ran in the women’s 800 on Friday and her 2:31.54 clocking was good enough for 11^th overall. Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley) ran the 3,000 in 11:37.51 to place 14^th overall.

For the men, Anderson ran the 5,000 last Friday in 14 minutes, 50.03 seconds as Rend Lake Community College’s Elkanah Kibet ran a 14:38.78 for first. Anderson competed in the 3,000 later that day, running his race in 8:52.09 to place 10th overall.

Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) was among 16 pentathletes that earned a berth into the NJCAA indoor nationals and he placed 11^th overall on Friday with 2,929 points, well over the 2,786-point effort that earned him first at the Region XI meet on February 23. His best effort in the five-event competition was the shot put, where he was first with a toss of 41-6. He was also seventh in the 1,000, where he ran a 3:03.18.

Joe McCall (Council Bluffs/Abraham Lincoln) placed 11^th in the shot put with a toss of 42-2 ¾.

Three other teams either started or finished their seasons last week:

-In softball, first-year head coach Tyler Sisco received solid efforts from his pitchers and the Trojans opened their spring trip in Cocoa, FL with four straight victories last Saturday and Sunday. Sunday’s double header sweep of Lakeland College of Ohio included a six-hit complete game from Traci Lerch (DeWitt/DeWitt Central) in a 3-1 second-game win. High school teammate Whitney Bauer belted two doubles in a 10-4 victory in game one as Andrea Aguilar (Victoria, TX/Memorial) earned the win. Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) produced five hits in Sunday’s wins.

-In baseball, head coach Todd Rima’s squad won two games on Saturday and another on Sunday to begin the 2008 season 3-0. Chuck Lukanen (Apple Valley/Eastview) tossed four scoreless innings and NIACC produced 13 hits in an 11-1 win over the Minot State (S.D.) junior varsity to open the season. Pre-season All-American Jeremy Ische (Norwood, MN/Central) homered and Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) had three hits to lead the offense. Brandyn Agnew (Toronto, ONT/Mowat) tossed a five-inning shutout in a 10-0 win over Rock Valley Community College of Illinois in Saturday’s second game as German recruit Tony Younis had two hits. A triple play by NIACC’s defense in the fourth inning and an eight-run fifth inning offensively were highlights for the Trojans. On Sunday, Younis had two hits and drove in three runs as NIACC beat the Ontario Blue Jays 12-2. Like the softball team, the Trojans play games in Cocoa, FL all week.

-In women’s basketball, NIACC lost 74-46 to seventh-rated Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge last Tuesday at the Region XI playoffs to finish 8-21 overall. Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) led the Trojans with 13 points and finished the season as NIACC’s top point scorer. Katie Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) and Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) added 10 points apiece for head coach John Oertel’s team. Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) finished the season with 95 blocked shots, the second highest total ever from a NIACC player. She was second in her conference in blocks and also placed in the top 10 in rebounding and steals.

-In men’s basketball, Greg Smalls earned honorable mention All-Region XI after leading his team in rebounding, steals and assists. Second on his squad with a 12.1 per game scoring average, Smalls averaged 5.9 rebounds and a conference-leading four steals per game (104 in all). He also placed fourth in the conference with 4.4 assists per game. NIACC finished 12-19 overall.

 

Rewind for March 3

Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) upgraded her season bests in both the weight throw and shot put as she readies for nationals, beginning Friday and continuing through Saturday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL.

Hall’s 15.97-meter toss in the weight throw is the second best effort in the NJCAA heading into nationals. She also threw the shot put 13.28 meters on Friday, is fifth in the NJCAA. Others that have qualified for nationals with head coach Curtis Vais’ program include Jordan Anderson (Mason City/HS), who qualified in the 3,000 and 5,000, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS), who has qualified in the women’s 600, Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley), who was first in the region in the women’s 3,000, and Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan), who won the Region XI meet in the men’s weight throw.

In men’s basketball, NIACC ended its season with a 77-58 loss to Des Moines Area Community College last Saturday in Estherville at the Region XI playoffs. The Trojans (12-19) were led in scoring by Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley), who tallied 19 points. Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) added 16 points for head coach Bryan Martin’s team. Smalls, Stephens, Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins) and Jeff Loats (Belmond/Belmond-Klemme) finished their careers at NIACC, with Smalls finishing with the most steals in the conference and Stephens ranking among conference leaders in field goal shooting percentage.

In women’s basketball, NIACC lost 69-47 to seventh-rated Iowa Central Community College at NIACC’s gymnasium last Saturday to fall to 8-20 overall heading into the Region XI playoffs. Katie Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) led the Trojans in scoring with 10 points. Three days earlier, NIACC had lost to visiting Marshalltown Community College 64-59 despite 15 points and five assists by Sara Cox (Waterloo/West). On Tuesday, NIACC travels to Ft. Dodge to play Iowa Central in a 7 p.m. matchup.

Two other NIACC programs begin their seasons this week. The baseball program under head coach Todd Rima will head to Cocoa, FL on Saturday after being rated 13^th in the Collegiate Baseball’s pre-season NJCAA Division II poll. A handful of All-Region XI returnees lead the Trojans, who finished 33-20 a year ago. Meanwhile, first-year head coach Tyler Sisco’s softball program also heads to Cocoa, FL on Saturday, with a pair of All-Region XI returnees in Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) and Leah Mork (DeWitt/DeWitt Central). NIACC finished 20-19 in 2007.

 

Rewind for February 25

Three North Iowa Area Community College wrestlers won national titles individually and the Trojans finished fourth as a team at the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association Wrestling Championships held in Rochester, MN last weekend.

Head coach Richard Fergola’s team had six wrestlers earn All-American (top eight) status during the two-day tournament, the first the Trojans had participated in since the program disbanded in 1976. NIACC’s wrestling program was officially reinstated in November 2006 and Fergola was hired as head coach in March 2007. NIACC was among 36 schools represented at nationals and the team’s 109 points trailed only Iowa Central Community College (138), St. Louis-Meramac in Missouri (117.5) and Labette Community College of Kansas (111).

Freshman Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) finished his season 31-3 overall, beating T.J. Hepburn of Colby Community College (KS) 3-2 in last Saturday’s 149-pound finals. White beat Hepburn three times this year, including weight division finals at the inaugural Kaye Young/NIACC Open last November and the Colby Tournament of Champions in January. White, who was ranked No. 1 in his division heading into the weekend, won all four matches during the NJCAA nationals. He had earned a spot in the finals by beating Ellsworth Community College’s Kurt Simons 17-9 in Saturday’s semifinals.

Freshman DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) completed a 39-5 season with a 9-8 decision over Highline Community College (WA) in the 157-pound championship. Perkins opened competition with a victory over fourth-rated Cole Garcia of Colby last Friday and ended up 4-0 for the weekend. He had pinned Darren Olsen of Lincoln Community College (IL) in 4:51 during semifinal action.

Sophomore Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) topped off a 26-3 campaign by defeating Neosho County Community College (KS) wrestler Jason Green 7-3 in the 174-pound finals. Like White and Perkins, Rhees was 4-0 during nationals. He had beaten top-seeded Darius Williams of Harper College (IL) 3-1 in the semifinals.

Three other NIACC wrestlers earned All-American honors in last weekend’s meet, which included competitors from 36 schools. T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) finished third at 141 pounds while Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) placed seventh at 133 pounds and Beau Tudor (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) placed eighth in the 285-pound classification. Moen had lost in the quarterfinal round, but won four more matches, including a 6-5 decision over Derick Bartlemay of Clackamas Community College (OR) to earn third place. He was 6-1 at nationals and finished with a 30-11 overall record.

Others competing for NIACC at the national meet included: Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) at 197 pounds, Jordan Bartoszek (Mason City/HS) at 125 pounds and Tyler Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) at 165 pounds. Theilen nearly earned All-American status, having won two consolation matches after losing in the quarterfinals before falling in overtime on Friday to finish 3-2 for the tournament.

Here are the results from other NIACC sports last week:

-In women’s basketball, NIACC defeated AIB College of Business 64-41 at home Saturday in Mason City to give head coach John Oertel his 417^th career victory and put him 25^th overall in wins among all NJCAA women’s basketball coaches. Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) scored 20 points, including six 3-point baskets, and the Trojans opened the game with a 17-5 lead to give the Trojans early breathing room. The win moved NIACC to 8-18 overall, 6-10 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play, heading into Wednesday’s 7 p.m. conference home game versus Marshalltown Community College.

On Thursday, NIACC opened its game with the William Penn University junior varsity by scoring 17 of the first 19 points and cruised to an 86-43 non-conference win. Braun made five 3-point shots en route to 22 points and Caiti Findreng (Elkhorn, WI/Waterford Union) added a season-high 21 points as the Trojans had their highest point total of the year. A night earlier, the Trojans had lost 48-28 at Ellsworth Community College.

-In track and field, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) qualified for the NJCAA indoor track and field nationals with a third-place throw of 12.88 meters in the women’s shot put as North Iowa Area Community College competed in the Region XI competition at the University of Northern Iowa last Saturday. The Region XI meet was part of the UNI Dome Open at UNI and pitted NIACC’s competitors against a host of four-year schools along with others from Region XI community colleges.

Hall’s effort was the best among Region XI competitors and puts her in the national meet in two events – she qualified in the 20-pound weight throw earlier this winter. Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) also placed third overall and first in the region in her event, the 600-meter dash, as her 1:42.12 clocking bettered the NJCAA national qualifying standard. The other woman qualifying for nationals by virtue of their performances in the Region XI meet who was Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley), who won the 3,000-meter race. In the men’s competition, Jake Van Der Broeke (Clear Lake/HS) ran a 1:26.73 to finish fourth overall and third in the region in the 600 while Spenser Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) was the top Region XI competitor with 2,786 points in the men’s pentathlon and was first in the weight throw, qualifying him for nationals in that event. He was second among region throwers in the shot put with a toss of 12.80 meters. The other national qualifier for NIACC by virtue of winning at regionals was Joe McCall (Council Bluffs), who won the shot put.

NIACC will have one more chance to qualify competitors – the Trojans will run Saturday at a meet at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. The NJCAA indoor nationals will be held at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL beginning March 7.

-In men’s basketball, Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) tallied 24 points and Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) added 17 points as NIACC defeated host Clinton Community College 81-70 last Saturday. The Trojans, which lost at Ellsworth 65-57 last Wednesday, finished the regular season 12-18 overall, 3-11 in ICCAC play. Head coach Bryan Martin’s team will play at the eight-team Region XI playoffs in Estherville on Saturday.

 

 

Rewind for February 18

A pre-season All-America honor, a national wrestling preview and the approach of a coaching milestone highlight this week’s NIACC athletics report.

As the snow and cold pelt Iowa, the NIACC baseball team readies for a trip to Florida in early March and one of the Trojans is getting some early recognition. Sophomore catcher Jeremy Ische (Norwood, MN/ Central) was named a pre-season Division II National Junior College Athletic Association All-American after finishing with a .386 batting average and eight homers and 40 runs batted in last spring. Ische is one of five players from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference mentioned in the pre-season player ratings. NIACC finished 33-20 in 2007 and is rated 13^th in one pre-season poll.

As spring programs practice for their initial contests, the NIACC wrestling team culminates a successful season this Friday and Saturday at the NJCAA wrestling nationals in Rochester, MN. Head coach Richard Fergola’s team is ranked fifth heading into the meet, which includes nearly four dozen programs in both scholarship and non-scholarship categories.

Nine Trojans will wrestle at nationals, including two that are rated No. 1 in their weight classes. Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) enters this weekend 27-3, having won the Region VIII meet on February 10 and three other meets. DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) is 35-5 and has beaten the second-rated wrestler and third-rated wrestler already this year. Three other NIACC wrestlers are rated in the top nine of their divisions. T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) and Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) are ranked fourth at 141 and 174 respectively while Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) is ninth at 133.

Others competing for NIACC this weekend include: Beau Tudor (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) at 283, Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) at 197, Tyler Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) at 165 and Jordan Bartoszek (Mason City/HS) at 125.

In basketball, the NIACC women’s and men’s team will travel to Iowa Falls on Wednesday to play ICCAC foe Ellsworth Community College. The women play at 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game following. A win for the women’s team would be the 416^th career victory for women’s head coach John Oertel, which would tie him for 25^th on the all-time NJCAA career list with Greg Krause of North Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. The women’s team also plays a home game at 6 p.m. Thursday against the William Penn University junior varsity and another home contest at 4 p.m. Saturday against AIB College of Business.

Last weekend, the Trojans (6-17 overall) lost 84-34 at Iowa Western Community College on Friday and 62-57 on Saturday at Southwestern Community College. In the Iowa Western contest, Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) tallied 13 points. She also scored 13 points versus Southwestern while teammate Katie Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) added 10 points.

In men’s basketball, NIACC lost home games against Iowa Central Community College and Iowa Lakes Community College last Monday and Wednesday before falling 74-61 at Southwestern on Saturday. Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) led the Trojans with 13 points while NIACC teammate Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) added 13 points. Stephens scored 20 points in the Iowa Central loss while Nate Haaland (Osage/HS) and Jeff Loats (Belmond/Belmond-Klemme) tallied 10 points apiece in the Iowa Lakes defeat.

NIACC’s track and field team competed last Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed sixth in the women’s 20-pound weight throw to top the Trojans individually. Hall also placed ninth in the shot put while Becky Dahn was seventh in the 400-meter dash and 17^th in the 200. On the men’s side, Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper) finished seventh in the 55-meter dash while Al Carlisle (St. Louis, MO/Jennings) placed eighth for NIACC’s best finishes. Carlisle also placed 10^th out of 76 competitors in the 200 with a time of 23.13 while Joe McCall was 12^th out of 51 athletes in the 35-pound weight throw.

On Saturday, NIACC competes in the Region XI meet, which will be held in Cedar Falls at the University of Northern Iowa. The NJCAA national indoor track and field meet is March 7-8 in Charleston, IL at Eastern Illinois University.

 

 

 

Rewind for February 11

The North Iowa Area Community College wrestling team qualified nine of 10 wrestlers to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) wrestling nationals by virtue of its strong effort at Region VIII tournament last Sunday in Willmar, MN.

The Trojans finished third among eight teams. Top-ranked Iowa Central Community College won the team title with 182.5 points and sent all 10 of its wrestlers on to nationals. The host school, Ridgewater Community College, placed fourth with 103.5 points. NIACC and the defending national champion Tritons each had three champions at individual weight classes, with two Trojans winning their titles by beating Iowa Central competitors.

NIACC’s No. 1-rated 149-pound wrestler in the NJCAA, Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita), won his weight class with a 6-3 victory over 2007 national champion Matt Burns of Iowa Central. Meanwhile, second-ranked DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) beat third-rated Carrington Banks of Iowa Central in the finals at 157. NIACC’s third individual champion was 174-pounder Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS), who is currently rated fifth nationally.

T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) – rated fourth at 141 – placed second in his division, losing in the finals to No. 1-rated David Greenwald of Iowa Central. Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) continued a remarkable season by placing second at 197 pounds. Theilen, an All-Region XI wide receiver in football, didn’t come out for the wrestling team until midway through the season.

Third-place finishers for NIACC at regionals included Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) at 133 and heavyweight Beau Tudor (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) while fourth-place finisher Jordan Bartoszek (Mason City/HS) at 125 and 165-pounder Tyler Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) also qualified for nationals.

On February 22-23, head coach Richard Fergola’s team travels to Rochester, MN for the NJCAA wrestling nationals. The event is being held at the University Center of Rochester Regional Sports Center.

In men’s basketball, NIACC followed up a 62-39 blowout win against the Wartburg College junior varsity last Monday with a 71-51 loss at Des Moines Area Community College on Saturday. Tokie Aramona (Kansas City, MO/Bishop O’Hara) scored a season-high 19 points while Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) produced 11 points. The Trojans (11-14 overall) host Iowa Central in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference matchup tonight at 7 p.m. and play host to Iowa Lakes Community College on Wednesday.

In women’s basketball, head coach John Oertel’s team lost 60-46 to DMACC on Saturday despite 12 points by Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) and 10 points by Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS). The Trojans play their next contest at 6 p.m. Wednesday, hosting Iowa Lakes in the first game of a women’s/men’s basketball double header. The team’s busy week continues Friday with a non-conference game at Iowa Western Community College and ends with a Saturday ICCAC contest at Southwestern Community College, the first game in a women’s/men’s basketball double header.

NIACC’s track and field team competed in an invitational at Buena Vista University last Saturday in Storm Lake and continues its indoor season on Saturday with a meet held at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

In football news, more than 40 players signed national letters-of-intent to play for NIACC last week, including a dozen from North Iowa and 13 from out of state. Head coach Scott Strohmeier continued to see some of his sophomores have a chance to move on and play football at four-year institutions as well. Two signees last week included wide receiver Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside), who committed to Texas Christian University, and defensive lineman Michael Daniels (Leesburg, GA/HS), who signed with Missouri State University. A handful of former NIACC players made commitments to various colleges in the past two months and are already at their new schools this semester.

 

 

Rewind for February 4

The North Iowa Area Community College track and field team continued to have success during the indoor season to highlight winter sports performances this week.

On Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, Becky Dahn (Lake Mills/HS) placed third in the 400-meter dash as the top finisher for the Trojans at the Hilltop Open held at Cornell College. Dahn, who has qualified for the national indoor track and field meet in the 600, ran a 1:02.63 and was nipped by Simpson College’s Suzi Anderson (1:01.57). Dahn also ran a 28.81 in the 200 to finish 17^th of 77 runners. Sprinter Allie Millonig (St. Ansgar/HS) ran a 7.81 in the 55-yard dash, seventh best of all runners in preliminary heats, and Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) was seventh in the weight throw with a toss of 44-11 ½ feet. The men’s team fared well in the 4 x 800 relay, placing second in 8:43.31 and the distance relay team was third in 11:03.85.

On Friday, head coach Curtis Vais’ team heads to Storm Lake, competing at the NAIA Challenge at Buena Vista University.

In other sports action:

-In men’s basketball, Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) scored a season-high 27 points and Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) made 9-of-10 field goals for 18 points, but NIACC lost 75-66 to second-rated Kirkwood Community College Saturday at the NIACC gymnasium. The Trojans regrouped on Monday as Smalls scored 11 points in a 62-39 away win against the Wartburg College junior varsity. The team is now 11-13, 2-6 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play, heading into a Saturday afternoon ICCAC game at Des Moines Area Community College.

-In women’s basketball, despite 15 points by Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS), the North Iowa Area Community College women’s basketball team dropped a 69-56 decision to host Marshalltown Community College Wednesday night. Marin Thorson (St. Ansgar/HS) had a collegiate-high nine points off the bench for head coach John Oertel’s team. On Saturday, Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines/East) tallied 12 points and Katie Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) added 11 points during a 98-50 loss to ninth-rated Kirkwood Community College in Mason City. The Trojans – now 6-14, 5-6 – host the William Penn University junior varsity at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

-In wrestling, NIACC routed Pratt Community College 38-3 on Tuesday in a dual meet held in Baldwin City, KS, as Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) won by technical fall and T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel), Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) and Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) all won their matches by major decision. On Sunday, head coach Richard Fergola’s team heads to regionals in Minnesota as the Trojans ready for the NJCAA national championships later this month. In the most recent rankings, White is first at 149 pounds, DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) is second at 157 and Moen and Rhees are also ranked in the top eight at 141 and 174 pounds respectively.

 

Rewind for January 28

Bouncing back from tough losses highlight this week’s NIACC Rewind.

In wrestling, the Trojans went down to Fort Dodge on Tuesday to grapple against the top ranked Iowa Central Tritons. At 141, top ranked Albert White (Harvey, IL/Chicago St. Rita) won a decision over defending NJCAA champion Matt Burns, 5-2, to cut into an early Central lead. Ranked three DeVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) also won a decision over Central’s Carrington Brooks in two overtimes, but the Trojans lost 27-15. Other NIACC winners at the dual were Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/Dana College), who is ranked sixth at 174, over Joe Johnson, 6-2, and Brad Thielen (Nashua, IA/Nashua-Plainfield) at 197 who pinned Kevin Kelly. The Trojans were back on the road on Saturday to dual against St. Olaf, and NIACC rode seven victories to win 38-15. NIACC received forfeits at 125 and 133, while White, Theilen and heavyweight wrestler Beau Tudor (Cornville, AZ/Camp Verde) all recorded pins against the Oles. The Trojans, now 4-4 in dual meets, travel to Baldwin City, Kansas on Tuesday to face Pratt Community College, then they will travel to the Harper Duals in Palatine, Illinois.

The men’s basketball team went 1-1 this past week, starting with a 72-54 loss at second ranked Kirkwood. The Trojans were led by Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley), who scored 13 points, and Tokie Aramona (Kansas City, MO/Bishop-O’Hara), who added 10 more. The Trojans rebounded at home against Clinton Community College, winning 76-43. Using a staudt defense, the Trojans held the Cougars to just two points over the first 10:10 of the game, and the offense shown through the rest of the game. Nate Haaland (Belmond, IA/Belmond-Klemme) went 4-8 from three point range and came up with 14 points on the night. Kur Deng (London, United Kingdom) was second in scoring with 10, while pulling down eight rebounds. The Trojans, now 10-12 overall and 2-5 in ICCAC play, are off until Saturday when they host Kirkwood at 6 PM.

The women’s basketball team also split their two games, dropping a 107-38 struggle to Kirkwood on Wednesday. Sara Cox (Waterloo, IA/West) scored in double digits for the Trojans, recording 14 points. On Saturday, Madelyn Hauser (Gilbert, IA/HS) scored a career high 23 points and 16 rebounds, 10 of those rebounds on the offensive end of the court, in a 68-51 win over the American Institute of Business. After going into halftime with a 29-28 lead, the Trojans broke away from the Eagles, outscoring them 39-23 in the second half. Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines, IA/East) also had a solid game against AIB, scoring 17 points. The women, now 6-12 overall and 5-4 in the ICCAC, will travel to Marshalltown Community Collge on Wednesday before returing home to host Kirkwood at 4 PM.

The NIACC track and field team went to the ISU Open on Friday and Saturday, a meet usually dominated by NCAA schools. Highlights of the meet were Jordan Anderson (Mason City, IA/HS), one of NIACC’s national qualifiers, who ran a 15:02.87 in the 5000 meter run. The run gave him in third place finish, four seconds behind the race winner. NIACC’s other national qualifier, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS), finished fifteenth in the meet for the women’s shot put, throwing an 11.39 meters (37-4½ feet). The track team will travel to the Hilltop Open at Cornell College on Saturday.

 

Rewind for January 21

Motivational speakers, re-ignited teams and a dual meet with national implications highlight recent NIACC sports program activities.

Last Thursday, NIACC was privileged to have former Trojans football player Shawn Harper as a speaker at an event in NIACC’s gymnasium. Harper, who played professional football after earning All-Region honors for the Trojans two decades ago, spoke about the positive choices athletes had to make their dreams come true. He spoke about dreaming of the NFL, even after receiving scant playing time at NIACC during his freshman year. He also was interviewed by local media during the day as he made his first trip to Mason City since leaving NIACC.

NIACC’s winter programs were busy as the Trojans women’s basketball team edged host Southeastern Community College in Burlington by a 48-43 margin last Wednesday and beat visiting Southwestern Community College 62-56 on Saturday. Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) scored 15 points, Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) added 11 points, eight rebounds and head coach John Oertel’s team produced 14 steals in Wednesday’s victory. On Saturday, Braun tallied 13 points, but Sara Cox (Waterloo/West) was the key factor in the win, making five 3-point field goals and scoring 19 points.

In men’s basketball, NIACC lost a non-conference game 61-59 last Tuesday against the Simpson College junior varsity as Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central tallied 12 points. Stephens, the team’s leading scorer this season, was out of the lineup Saturday, but a balanced scoring attack led by Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) highlighted a 64-52 win over visiting Southwestern. Smalls scored 13 points and added five rebounds and five assists. Tokie Aramona (Kansas City, MO/Bishop O’Hara) added 12 points for head coach Bryan Martin’s team, which forced 18 turnovers.

Both basketball programs travel to Cedar Rapids to face Kirkwood Community College. The women’s team – 5-11, 4-3 in conference play - plays at 6 p.m. The men’s team (9-11, 1-4) will play shortly thereafter.

In wrestling, NIACC moved to fifth in the most recent NJCAA rankings as the Trojans readied for Wednesday’s away 7 p.m. dual meet with defending national champion Iowa Central Community College. Although NIACC lost a dual meet last Monday at home to Labette Community College (KS), head coach Richard Fergola’s team received wins from top-ranked 149-pounder Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita), second-rated 157-pounder DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) and sixth-rated 174-pounder Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS). On Saturday, Perkins won his weight class with five wins at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Brand Open. Rhees finished third in his division.

In track and field, head coach Curtis Vais’ squad competed last Saturday in Cedar Falls at the University of Northern Iowa Open meet. Ronnisha White (Pahokee, FL/HS) was the top finisher for the Trojans, placing fifth in the women’s weight throw.

 

Rewind  for January 14

A positive pre-season ranking, a coaching award and a shutout highlighted NIACC athletics this past week.

The pre-season ranking – 13^th by Colleigate Baseball Newspaper – was given to the NIACC baseball team, which finished 33-20 in 2007 under head coach Todd Rima. The Trojans return four starters and a top pitcher (including three All-Region XI players) and a pair of transfer students have already signed Division I letters-of-intent.

In wrestling, head coach Richard Fergola was informed that he would be honored by before the NCAA Division I wrestling championships on March 19 for his work the previous season while at Dana College in Nebraska. Fergola’s team finished fourth in last year’s NAIA championships before he was hired at NIACC and his former team was recognized for its academic success as well. This year’s NIACC team is progressing well too.

On Friday, the Trojans shut out Minnesota West Technical Community College 54-0 to move to 3-2 in dual meets. On Saturday, five Trojans won their respective weight divisions at an open meet hosted by Central College in Pella. Weight class winners included Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) at 133 pounds, T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) at 141, Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) at 149, DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) at 157 and Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) at 174. White moved to the top of the NJCAA rankings individually at his weight division and Moen, Perkins and Rhees are also rated in the top eight. The Trojans were tied for seventh in the team rankings. They’ll host third-rated Labette Community College of Parsons, KS, in a 6 p.m. home dual meet tonight.

In men’s basketball, despite 19 points by Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS) and 15 points by Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central), the North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team lost 76-64 at Iowa Lakes Community College last Wednesday night in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play. The Trojans then fell 91-61 at Iowa Central Saturday, although Stephens scored a season-high 29 points. NIACC is now 8-10 overall heading into a non-conference game Tuesday night at Indianola against the Simpson College junior varsity.

In women’s basketball, NIACC dropped a 51-40 decision to number-one rated Iowa Central Saturday afternoon to fall to 3-10 overall. Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines/East) led the Trojans with 13 points and Sara Cox (Waterloo/West) added eight points. Head coach John Oertel’s team was solid on defense, keeping the Tritons well under their scoring average and forging a 16-all tie at intermission before faltering in the second half. On Wednesday night, NIACC travels to Southeastern Community College for an ICCAC contest.

In track and field, head coach Curtis Vais’ squad will head to the University of Northern Iowa for an indoor meet Saturday in Cedar Falls.

 

Rewind for January 7

The North Iowa Area Community College wrestling team traveled to Kansas last weekend and finished second in the Colby Community College Tournament of Champions on Saturday, trailing only the host school.

Freshman Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) - rated second in the most recent NJCAA rankings at the 149-pound weight class – won his weight class by beating Colby’s T.J. Hepburn 3-2 in the finals. Nationally-rated teammate T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) finished first at 141 pounds with an 8-2 victory over Lyobomir Kumborov of the host school. Meanwhile, Glenn Rhees (Atascadero, CA/HS) was the 174-pound champion at his first meet since being injured nearly two months ago, winning all four of his matches. Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) placed second at 133 pounds for head coach Richard Fergola’s team, which hosts Minnesota West Technical Community College in a 7 p.m. dual meet on Friday. NIACC travels to Pella Saturday for an open meet at Central College.

Both of the NIACC basketball teams played in Mason City last Saturday in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference games against Des Moines Area Community College. The women’s team fell to 3-9 overall, 2-1 in ICCAC play, by losing to DMACC 71-49 despite 17 points and seven blocks by Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS).

In men’s basketball, NIACC got 14 points from Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS) but was edged 69-63 by visiting Des Moines Area Community College Saturday night. Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) and Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins) pitched in with 11 points and Benjamin and Jeff Loats (Belmond/Belmond-Klemme) had a trio of three-point baskets. The contest was a nailbiter, with 17 lead changes in the second half. Both teams play ICCAC contests at Iowa Lakes Community College on Wednesday, with the women competing at 5:30 p.m. and the men playing shortly thereafter.

One other sports program begins its season this weekend as the NIACC track and field team travels to Mankato, MN for its initial indoor meet on Saturday. Among the returning athletes is women’s thrower Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS), who earned All-American honors in two events last winter at indoor nationals.

In football news, Kyle Staudt (Charles City/HS) signed a national letter-of-intent with the University of Northern Iowa after being named first-team All-Region XI this fall. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman was a two-year starter and proved a key cog for NIACC’s nationally-rated offense. Honorable mention All-America quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) also signed with a four-year school during Christmas break, as he’s headed to the University of Sioux Falls (SD), the NAIA runner-up for 2007 and the 2006 NAIA national champion.

 

 

Rewind for December 17

By Craig Pinley

NIACC Sports Information Director

North Iowa Area Community College had its fourth athlete become an All-American this fall as football player Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) earned honorable mention status with the National Junior College Athletic Association. Brown, who was Co-Most Valuable Player on offense in Region XI, threw for 20 touchdowns and ran for six more while producing 2,883 yards in total offense. Brown was at his best in the Midwest Football Conference West playoff game against Iowa Central Community College, tossing for 339 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-47 victory. Brown is the second NIACC quarterback named honorable mention All-American in the past two seasons; Ben Alford was similarly honored in 2006 after being Offensive Player of the Year in Region XI.

Another football player was honored with the opportunity to participate in a prestigious event last weekend, the Triumphant Sport Bowl’s Junior College All-Star game in Mesa, AZ. Sophomore Kyle Staudt (Charles City/HS) was selected for the contest after earning All-Region XI first-team honors this fall. Staudt, an offensive lineman, was a key cog that allowed NIACC to rank among the national leaders in total offense in 2007 and post its second straight 7-4 record.

NIACC’s three primarily winter sports teams finished their pre-Christmas holiday slates last weekend. NIACC’s wrestling team lost a 20-19 dual meet decision at home to Ellsworth Community College on Friday and fell to 2-2 overall. Fourth-ranked NJCAA 157-pounder DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) continued his stellar season, posting his 20^th victory in beating Ryan Bormann by fall in 2:46. Nationally-rated teammates Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS), T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) and Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) also won, though their matches were much more closely-contested.

Hogan moved from 125 to 133 pounds and edged Justin Dixon 3-2. At 141, Moen beat Danny Gray 6-4 with late points in the third period and White and 2007 NJCAA national qualifier Kurt Simon provided NIACC fans with an entertaining match at 149 pounds as White finished with five points in the closing moments to win 15-7. NIACC’s other victory came at 174 pounds at Tyler Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) edged Joe Perry 7-6.

In women’s basketball, NIACC ended its pre-Christmas schedule with a 59-42 home loss to Anoka-Ramsey Community College last Tuesday. Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists for the Trojans, now 3-8 this season. Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) scored eight of her 10 points in the first half as head coach John Oertel’s team took a 28-26 lead. However, a 20-2 second-half run gave Anoka-Ramsey enough momentum to post its second win over NIACC this season.

In men’s basketball, NIACC moved to 8-7 overall by beating Marshalltown Community College 62-50 on Sunday morning at the Impact JUCO Shootout at Drake University. Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) scored a collegiate-high 25 points on 10 of 14 field goal shooting and Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins) pitched in with 19 points as the Trojans got a measure of revenge for a loss to the Tigers eight days earlier in Marshalltown.

NIACC’s athletic department would like to extend special thanks to a handful of individuals for their help in compiling and posting information for Rewind updates and bulletin boards at NIACC athletics offices in 2007. They include administrative assistant Emily Ruehlow, student workers Kara Cobb and Sara Cox and student interns Jarrod Tell and Devin Johnson.

On behalf of NIACC athletics, we would like to wish you a special holiday season and good tidings for 2008.

 

Rewind for December 10

Some accurate long-range shooting has given the North Iowa Area Community College women’s basketball team new life in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference as the Trojans opened ICCAC play with a 67-47 win over visiting Ellsworth Community College last Wednesday and added a 61-42 victory over visiting Southeastern Community College on Saturday night.

Against Ellsworth, head coach John Oertel’s squad made 11 of 26 three-point baskets and Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines/East) scored 10 of her 12 points during a 24-6 spurt in the first half to key the win. Burgess and Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) each tallied 12 points in Saturday’s win as the Trojans made 8 of 20 3-pointers. In the initial eight games of the season, NIACC had made just 27 treys.

Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) gave the Trojans a little of everything in the Southeastern win, scoring nine points, blocking nine shots and adding seven rebounds and four steals. Meanwhile, Burgess, Caiti Findreng (Elkhorn, WI/Waterford Union), Sara Cox (Waterloo/West) and Braun gave NIACC two three-point field goals apiece as the home team led 26-20 at intermission and then went on an 11-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half to put the game away. The Trojans, 3-7 overall, host non-ICCAC opponent Anoka-Ramsey Community College at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

In men’s basketball, NIACC (7-7) lost a non-conference game at Marshalltown Community College 54-38 Saturday after losing an 84-78 overtime decision to conference foe Ellsworth on Wednesday. In the Marshalltown defeat, Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins) scored six points and he had 17 points (all in the second half and overtime) against Ellsworth. Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) led the Trojans with 23 points on Wednesday, continuing his strong play in December. On December 2, in the second game at the Ellsworth Classic, Stephens had scored 24 points and Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) contributed 23 points, six rebounds and five assists in an 82-81 loss to Mid-State Technical College of Wisconsin. On Sunday, NIACC gets another crack at Marshalltown, this time in an 11 a.m. matchup that is part of the JUCO Shootout at Drake University’s Knapp Center in Des Moines.

In wrestling, NIACC (2-1) split a pair of dual meets – the Trojans traveled to Minnesota and beat Rochester Community Technical College 27-18 Wednesday and lost 27-23 at home to Neosho County Community College of Kansas Friday - and finished eighth out of 15 schools at the 35^th annual Dick Walker Wrestling Invitational held at Wartburg College last Saturday. Albert White (Harvey, IL/St. Rita) won both of his dual meet matches and placed second in the 149-pound weight class at Wartburg. T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) and DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) placed third at the invitational at 141 and 157 pounds respectively. Head coach Richard Fergola’s team hosts Ellsworth at 6 p.m. Friday in a dual meet.

 

Rewind for December 3

The best news for NIACC athletics this week was the announcement that Mike Unwin and Simon Cook were named second-team All-American soccer players by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Unwin scored a school-record 27 goals for the Trojans. Cook was among the nation’s leaders in goals against average and posted nine shutouts as NIACC finished third in conference and more than doubled its win total from the previous season with 13 wins under head coach Mike Regan.

In men’s basketball, NIACC defeated North Central Community College of Missouri 77-65 on Friday at the Ellsworth College Classic as Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Tokie Aramona (Kansas City, MO/O’Hara) pitched in with 17 points and Nate Haaland (Osage/HS) added 11 for head coach Bryan Martin’s team, which had their game with Mid-States College of Wisconsin cancelled by inclement weather on Saturday.

The Trojans opened their week by defeating Rochester Community and Technical College 77-60 last Tuesday at home as Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) scored 18 points and Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS) tallied seven of his 15 points during a 15-2 run early in the second half. NIACC trailed 35-31 at halftime, but Smalls and company clamped down defensively, holding the Yellowjackets without a field goal for more than six minutes while pulling in front for good.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, the men’s team opens Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play against Ellsworth. The women’s team will play Ellsworth at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Lady Trojans (1-7) lost 65-43 to Rochester on Tuesday and had their Saturday afternoon game with the Wartburg College junior varsity postponed. Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) scored eight points to lead NIACC in scoring while Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) led all rebounders with 11.

In wrestling, NIACC’s open meet at the University of Northern Iowa on Sunday was cancelled. The Trojans, ranked 12^th in the latest NJCAA polls, will travel to Rochester, MN for a meet at RCTC. At 7 p.m. on Friday, head coach Richard Fergola’s team hosts fourth-rated Neosho County Community College of Kansas. A handful of NIACC wrestlers are ranked in their respective weight classes by NJCAA coaches. DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) is rated fifth at 157 pounds, Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) and Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) are rated sixth at 125 and 149 and Jordan Graham (Mason City/HS) is seventh at 184. Neosho comes to NIACC with five top-eight rated wrestlers.

 

Rewind for November 26

This week’s Rewind begins by highlighting the efforts of NIACC alum Justin Redmond-Trotter (Milwaukee, WI/Marquette), who has starred for Eastern New Mexico University thus far this season. Redmond-Trotter had consecutive 22-point performances in losses to Regis (CO) University and Colorado School of Mines after tallying 25 points in a win over Western New Mexico and he’s averaging 17 points per game for the 2-3 Greyhounds, a NCAA Division II school. Last season, Redmond-Trotter averaged 12 points per contest and earned Lone Star Conference West second-team honors.

An All-Region honoree from last season’s Trojan roster, Max Stambaugh, is averaging nine points per game for Iowa Wesleyan College, now 4-4 overall. Another NIACC alumnus, Milica Kovacevic of Croatia, has averaged 11 points and nearly eight rebounds as her Waldorf College squad has compiled a 6-2 record. Kovacevic scored 17 points in her team’s season-opening win over Doane College (NE) and has grabbed 11 rebounds on three occasions for the Warriors, who are affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Closer to home, the NIACC men’s basketball team began the week with an 87-78 home loss last Tuesday to the junior varsity of William Penn University despite a collegiate-best 23 points from Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins and 14 points from Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central).

On Friday, NIACC’s men and women played in the Moberly Area Community College Classic and the men dropped a 78-59 decision to State Fair Community College as Stephens and Devion May (Detroit, MI/King) scored 12 points each. On Saturday, Stephens and Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) tallied 12 points apiece during an 85-73 loss to the host school. It was the fourth consecutive double figure scoring performance from Stephens and fifth in nine games.

In women’s basketball, NIACC finished the week 0-3 after losing twice at Moberly and once in the Twin Cities. On Tuesday, the Trojans had dropped a 67-32 decision at Anoka-Ramsey Community College as Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS) produced 15 points. On Friday at Moberly, the Trojans lost 68-43 to the host school despite the 11 points by Caiti Findreng (Elkhorn, WI/Waterford Union). On Saturday, NIACC lost 61-32 to State Fair as Britta Milius (Plainfield/Nashua-Plainfield) scored eight points.

On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., head coach John Oertel’s team (now 1-6) faces Rochester Technical Community College in the first game of a women’s-men’s basketball double header. The men’s contest will follow shortly thereafter.

While the basketball teams were in Missouri, the NIACC wrestling program had no competition this week. The Trojans head to the University of Northern Iowa for an open meet on Saturday. After one month, a handful of NIACC wrestlers are ranked in their respective weight classes by NJCAA coaches. DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) is rated fifth at 157 pounds, Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) and Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) are rated sixth at 125 and 149 and Jordan Graham (Mason City/HS) is seventh at 184.

 

Rewind for November 19

Two head coaching changes and a bowl game in football highlighted last week’s activities in the North Iowa Area Community College athletic program.

NIACC athletic director Dan Mason announced that NIACC’s previous softball coach, Mary Jo Vrba, was taking over the head coaching position in volleyball following the resignation of Ted Bieth. Vrba had coached softball four years with the Trojans, compiling a 21-20 mark last spring.

Vrba has had plenty of experience coaching volleyball, having done so at both Loras College and Wartburg College during the past decade. A three-sport athlete at NIACC, Vrba played volleyball for the Trojans under coach Joyce Ruehlow and was part of two national tournament teams (1994 and 1995). She was also an All-Region XI basketball player and an All-America player in softball at NIACC.

With Vrba’s move to volleyball, Tyler Sisco has accepted the head softball coaching position at NIACC. Sisco was an assistant coach the previous two seasons in baseball at NIACC. He had coached high school softball last summer at Sheffield Chapin-Meservey Thornton.

-In football, NIACC ended its 2007 with a 28-21 loss to Joliet Junior College in the feature game of the Graphic Edge Bowl Sunday at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. The Trojans, under head coach Scott Strohmeier, finished 7-4 overall. They were ranked 14^th in the nation before losing to the 11^th-ranked Wolves (10-2).

Sophomore linebacker Luke Dolan (Cedar Rapids/Kennedy) led his team in tackles and was named the game’s Defensive Player of the Year as he intercepted a pass and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. Quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) accounted for 241 yards in offense and threw three touchdowns to finish with 20 for the season.

Trailing 7-0, Brown connected on a 70-yard scoring pass to Jameel Williams (Tampa Bay, FL/Armwood-Sefner) to cut the NIACC deficit to 7-6 with 1:11 left in the half. Early in the fourth period, Dolan forced a fumble on a punt return and Josh Berry (Wellman/Mid-Prairie) recovered on the Joliet 43-yard-line. Moments later, Brown threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) and then Brown converted a two-point run to tie the game at 14-all. Anthony Stewart scored on runs of 2 and 77 yards for Joliet within a span of 1:29 to give the Wolves a 28-14 lead with 4:50 left. Brown and Joe Audlehelm (Van Wert/Central Decatur) hooked up on a 5-yard scoring pass with 3:09 left and the extra-point kick by Ryan McMahon (Des Moines/Dowling Catholic) cut Joliet’s lead to 28-21. However, Joliet got the ball back and ran out the clock to complete the win.

While the football team’s season ended in a loss, other NIACC teams and individuals enjoyed the thrill of victory last week.

-In wrestling, freshman DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) traveled to his hometown and made the most of his trip, winning the 157-pound title in the Amateur Division of the Kaufman-Brand Open wrestling meet Saturday at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Perkins defeated Ross Brunkhardt of the University of Nebraska-Kearney by a 3-2 margin in the finals. He had edged Joe Grygerko of the University of Minnesota (unattached) 7-3 and Iowa Central Community College's Carrington Banks 9-5 to reach the finals. He was 5-0 on the day. Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) was another NIACC competitor that fared well, placing fifth in the 125-pound weight class.

NIACC hosted Ridgewater Community College last Wednesday at NIACC Gymnasium and came away with a 35-15 dual meet victory. Hogan opened the dual with a victory at 125, followed by Nathan Jones (Ankeny/Saydel) at 133, T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) at 141, Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) at 149, Perkins at 157 and Aaron Hancock (Camp Verde, AZ/HS) at 165. Jordan Graham (Mason City/HS) wrestled a weight class higher than usual and earned a victory at 197.

-In women’s basketball, Lindsey Urbatsch (St. Ansgar/HS) and Caiti Findreng (Elkhorn, WI/Waterford Union) scored 10 points apiece and the Trojans defeated the Grand View College junior varsity 58-51 last Monday at NIACC Gymnasium. Head coach John Oertel’s team, now 1-3, plays a 5 p.m. non-conference game Tuesday against Anoka-Ramsey Community College. NIACC’s women and men will play a tournament at Moberly Area Community College in Missouri on Friday and Saturday.

-In men’s basketball, NIACC split a pair of contests at a tourney at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa last weekend to move to 5-1 on the season. The Trojans host the William Penn University junior varsity at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the NIACC Gymnasium before playing in Missouri over the weekend. On Friday, NIACC lost to nationally-ranked Lincoln College of Illinois 79-71 despite 14 points by Bernell Benjamin (Minneapolis, MN/Hopkins) and 11 points by Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS). On Saturday, head coach Bryan Martin’s team rebounded with a 77-68 win over Malcolm X College of Chicago as Brandon Clark (Atlanta, GA/Platte County) produced 15 points and Tokie Aramona (Kansas City, MO/Bishop O’Hara) had 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. NIACC made 26 of 42 field goals for 62 percent. Aramona’s prep teammate Michael Sanders added 13 points and Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) and Speth had 12 and 10 points respectively to key a balanced scoring effort.

 

Rewind for November 12

Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) placed 35^th overall and earned U.S. Citizen All-America honors as the North Iowa Area Community College men’s cross country team placed 21^st in the National Junior College Athletic Association cross country championships Saturday.

Mayer, a sophomore, ran 8,000 meters in 26 minutes, 7 seconds to finish 17^th among American finishers. Ben Cheruiyot of the host school, Rend Lake College, won the individual title with a 23:28.64. Other top finishers for NIACC included Sean Coleman (Imperial, MO/Seckman), who was 131^st in 28:04; Seth Blanchard (Charlotte/NE Goose Lake), who was 134^th in 28:08; and Sam Meyer (Wykoff, MN/Kingsland), who was 156^th in 28:28. In the team standings, NIACC posted a total of 569 points. Lansing Community College edged Iowa Central Community College 111 to 120 to win the team title.

NIACC’s women didn’t fare as well as a team, placing 28^th, but three Trojans have run well enough this year to post the first, third and fifth best 5,000-meter clockings in school history. On Saturday, Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) – the school record holder – ran a 19:25 for 63^rd overall to break Elly Meyer’s 5K mark. Teammate Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley) finished 78^th individually in 19:40 while Magen Krones (Mason City/Newman Catholic) ran a 21:16 to finish 165^th overall. Ipsen’s time was the third best in school history while Krones’ clocking ranks fifth.

Iowa Central had 111 points for the low team score in the 33-team competition. NIACC, coached by Curtis Vais, had a team total of 674 points. Pasca Cheruiyot of Rend Lake College ran a 16:12.99 for individual honors in the 5,000-meter race.

In other NIACC sports action this weekend:

-In men’s basketball, Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS) scored 19 points and Jeff Loats (Belmond/Belmond-Klemme) contributed 10 points in a balanced scoring attack that enabled the North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team to defeat the Morningside College junior varsity 78-64 Sunday in the finale of the Konigsmark Classic.

Speth was a key player in the late stages after Morningside creeped to within five points, 55-50, with 9:47 left in the contest. He had an inside basket at the 8:09 mark, a pair of foul shots at the 6:21 mark and a three-point play with 3:57 remaining to help the Trojans move to 4-0 on the season and take both games they played at the Konigsmark Classic. Speth also added six rebounds for NIACC, which next plays on Friday against Lincoln (IL) Community College in the first round of the Indian Hills Classic on Friday in Ottumwa.

As a team, NIACC did well at the foul line against Morningside, making 18 of 22 overall and 11 of 12 in the final 6:21. A day earlier, the Trojans beat the University of Sioux Fallx junior varsity 68-46 on the strength of 17 points and nine rebounds by Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley). Leaidng 32-23 at the intermission, NIACC blew the game open midway through the second half by holding USF without a field goal for a span of 5:04 and scoring 15 straight points. Dwayne Mays (Chicago, IL/Thornton) had a pair of field goals during the run, Nate Haaland (Osage/HS) had a three-point basket and Smalls and three others added field goals. From there, head coach Bryan Martin was able to use his bench and 10 players eventually scored for the Trojans, which had edged Riverland Community College last Tuesday 79-73 as Smalls tallied 23 points and Speth scored 20.

-In women’s basketball, NIACC started the season with three losses, two at the Konigsmark Classic last weekend. On Saturday, the Trojans fell 61-49 to Moberly Area Community College (MO) as Tiffany Braun (St. Ansgar/HS) and Britta Milius (Plainfield/Nashua-Plainfield) scored nine points each. On Friday, head coach John Oertel’s team lost 56-47 to Highland Community College (KS) as sophomore Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines/East) scored a collegiate-high 17 points and Braun tallied 12 points. NIACC had lost its opener 66-64 Tuesday at Riverland despite 17 points, 14 rebounds by Madelyn Houser (Gilbert/HS). At 7 p.m. Monday, NIACC hosts the Grand View College junior varsity.

-In football, NIACC’s Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Region XI and seven others were named first-team All-Region after the 15^th-ranked Trojans earned their second straight bowl game berth. Wide receivers Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) and Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield), offensive lineman Kyle Staudt (Charles City/HS), defensive linemen Reggie St. Pierre (Miami, FL/Central) and Michael Daniels (Leesburg, GA/Lee County), kicker Ryan McMahon (Des Moines/Dowling Catholic) and punter Jacob Grobe (Oakland, IA/Riverside) were the other first-teamers. Fourteen others earned honorable mention All-Region honors for head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team, which plays a 3 p.m. contest November 18 against Joliet Junior College in the Graphic Edge Bowl at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.

-In volleyball, freshman middle hitter Sarah Heineman (Garrison/Vinton-Shellsburg) earned second-team All-Region XI after finishing third in hitting percent during conference play. Two others, Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) and Nicki Sandberg (Welcome, MN/Martin County West) earned honorable mention honors. Winn led the conference in hitting percentage and service aces per game; Sandberg led the Trojans in digs. Following the team’s 13-23 season, Ted Bieth announced his resignation after three years as head coach.

-In wrestling, NIACC competed at the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open at Ames last Saturday. The Trojans host Ridgewater Community College on 7 p.m. Wednesday in a dual meet. Glenn Rees (Atascadero, CA/HS) was NIACC's best finisher with a 6th place finish at the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open.

 

Rewind for November 5

A football win in a playoff game, a rousing success for a reinstated wrestling program’s initial meet and a season-opening win in men’s basketball highlighted North Iowa Area Community College athletics during the past week.

The 18^th-rated North Iowa Area Community College football team edged seventh-rated Iowa Central Community College 48-47 last Saturday at the Midwest Football Conference West Division playoffs in Ft. Dodge to earn a berth in the premier game at the Graphic Edge Bowl on November 18 at the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. Quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) threw for a season-high 339 yards and four touchdowns, including a 42-yard screen pass to Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) with 2:22 left. An extra-point kick by Ryan McMahon (Des Moines/Dowling Catholic) provided the Trojans with the winning point.

Iowa Central had a chance to tie the game at 47-all, but chose to try a two-point conversion pass, which failed. With just over a minute left, D.J. Pratt (Bexley, OH/Harmony Prep) intercepted a pass to help seal the victory. Parker caught nine passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) caught a pair of touchdown passes and totaled 133 yards on nine catches. Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) and Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS) combined for 201 rushing yards.

In wrestling, NIACC’s reinstated program hosted its first meet in over three decades with the inaugural Kaye Young Open last Saturday. Head coach Rich Fergola’s team got an individual title from 149-pound freshman Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita), who was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning all four of his bouts.

T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) placed fourth at 141 and collected the first win of the meet (and first for NIACC in 32 years) in his opening match. Cody Hogan (Richmond, MO/HS) at 125, DaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) at 157, Jordan Graham (Mason City/HS) at 184 and Luke Stika (Cresco/Crestwood) at 197 all finished fifth individually. NIACC will travel to Ames for an open meet at Iowa State University on Saturday.

In men’s basketball, NIACC opened the 2007-08 season with a 61-33 home win over the Grand View College junior varsity as Brandon Stephens (Flint, MI/Central) produced a game-high 12 points and 12 rebounds. Brandon Clark (Atlanta, GA/Platte County) scored all 10 of his points in the first half as the Trojans raced to a 35-11 lead. A 23-0 run broke a 2-all tie as Clark scored eight points and Stephens and Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS) had four apiece.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, head coach Bryan Martin’s team will play in Austin, MN at Riverland Community College. The women’s basketball team, coached by John Oertel, will open its season with a 6 p.m. contest that evening at Riverland.

In volleyball, NIACC won its Region XI opener last Tuesday against Ellsworth Community College before ending its season with a defeat against Iowa Lakes Community College on Friday. Head coach Ted Bieth’s team finished 13-23 overall. In Tuesday’s home victory, middle hitter Sarah Heineman (Garrison/Vinton-Shellsburg) posted 15 kills while outside hitter Anita Whitehead (Fairmont, MN/Martin County West) added 11 kills. Heineman and Whitehead had seven kills each in the Iowa Lakes defeat.

In soccer, NIACC freshmen Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS), Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) and Chris Bazen (Farnborough, England/Merristwood) earned first-team All-Region XI honors after the Trojans finished 13-5, its best overall mark in school history. Unwin, a forward had 27 goals to set a NIACC season record. His 63 points were tied for fifth in the NJCAA when his season ended. Cook, a goalkeeper, was among the national leaders with a stellar 0.833 goals against average. Bazen produced three goals and six assists from the midfield.

Second-team All-Region players included Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech) and Lewis Clack (Farnborough, England/Fernhill) while honorable mention was given to Zach Rollins and Craig Halverson, both from Caledonia, MN and Caledonia High School. Meanwhile, NIACC’s Mike Regan was named Coach of the Year for Region XI.

In cross country, head coach Curtis Vais and the men’s and women’s teams head to Ina, IL for the NJCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Rend Lake College. The Trojan men are ranked 20th in the latest polls while the women are 23rd.

 

Rewind for October 29

Soccer head coach Mike Regan was named ICCAC coach of the year for leading NIACC on a record breaking breaking season this past week. Regan, who was in his first season as head coach at NIACC, led NIACC to second place tie in the ICCAC, and broke breaking a variety of school records along the way.

But the men’s soccer season at North Iowa Area Community College came to a close last Tuesday in the first round of the Region XI playoffs as Iowa Central Community College edged the Trojans 3-1.

Isaac Tongo (Omaha, NE/Northwest) opened the scoring for NIACC with his 10^th goal of the season at the 18:00 mark as Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) earned the assist. However, the Tritons evened the score before halftime and tallied two more in the second half to beat NIACC for the first time in three matches this season.

Despite the loss, head coach Mike Regan’s team finished 13-5 overall, more than doubling last season’s win total of six. The Trojans also set school records for goals scored (71), fewest goals allowed (15) and Iowa Community College Athletic Conference victories (11).

Individually, Unwin’s 27 goals set a school record and he was ranked tied for seventh in points nationally with 62 when his season ended. Goalkeeper Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) was also among the leaders in the NJCAA, ranking as high as third nationally before the Region XI playoff loss.

In football, Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) caught a pair of touchdown passes from Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) and Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS) added a pair of scoring runs as North Iowa Area Community College edged North Dakota State College of Science 50-45 last Saturday in Wahpeton, ND.

Theilen grabbed a 16 yard touchdown pass from Brown to put NIACC up 7-6 in the first period. He added a 17 yard TD catch in the second quarter as the Trojans produced 423 yards of offense overall. Brown also hit Jameel Williams (Tampa Bay, FL/Armwood-Sefner) with a 21 yard scoring strike before halftime and he added a 35 yard touchdown run in the second half. Streeter ran 16 times for 80 yards and had touchdown runs in the third and fourth quarters.

Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) led NIACC with 115 yards on 23 carries and his 35 yard run late in the fourth period sealed the victory as the Trojans moved to 6-3, 5-3 in Midwest Football Conference play. Head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team will play in Ft. Dodge at noon Saturday to play Iowa Central Community College (7-1, 6-1) in the MFC West Division playoffs.

In cross country, the NIACC men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished third at the Region XI meet on Sunday as the Trojans prepared for the National Junior College Athletic Association meet at Rend Lake Community College in Ina, IL on November 10.

Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) placed sixth overall on the men’s side, running the 8,000-meter course in 25 minutes, 48.4 seconds. It was the third best clocking in NIACC history and earned the sophomore second-team All-Region honors. David Barmasai of Iowa Western Community College won individual honors with a 24:23.9 clocking, edging Iowa Central Community College’s Steven Dak (24:30.2).

NIACC teammates Juan Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) and Seth Blanchard (Charlotte/NE Goose Lake) placed 13^th and 16^th individually with times of 27:37.8 and 27:56.8 respectively. Sean Coleman (Imperial, MO/Seckman) was 22^nd in 28:18.3 and Sam Meyer (Wykoff, MN/Kingsland) was 25^th in 28:23.3 for head coach Curtis Vais’ team. All four earned honorable mention All-Region honors. Iowa Central won the team title with 22 points, followed by Iowa Western (52) and NIACC (74) as seven squads were represented.

In the women’s race, 5,000 meters in length, Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) placed eighth overall in 20:24.1 to lead all NIACC runners. Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley) was 10^th in 20:37.9. They had the second and third best times ever in NIACC women’s cross country history, said Vais. Lydia Kosgei of Iowa Central won individual honors with a clocking of 18:07.2. NIACC had 50 points as a team to finish behind Iowa Western (43) and Iowa Central (12).

NIACC entered regionals ranked 22^nd in the men’s national ratings and tied for 25^th in the women’s poll.

In volleyball, NIACC lost an ICCAC home match to Marshalltown in three games, then dropped five matches to ICCAC opponents last weekend to end regular-season play 12-22. The Trojans host Ellsworth Community College at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Region XI playoffs.

In winter sports, head coach Bryan Martin’s men’s basketball team will host Grand View College junior varsity at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Trojans’ opener. The women’s team, under head coach John Oertel, will open play on November 6 in Austin, MN, at Riverland Community College. In wrestling, NIACC held its Blue & Gold Grapple last Saturday and head coach Rich Fergola’s team will host the Kaye Young Open on Saturday at the NIACC Gymnasium.

 

Rewind for October 22

Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) set a school record for goals in a season by scoring a pair of goals for the North Iowa Area Community College men’s soccer team last Wednesday in a 4-0 victory over Dakota County Technical College. Unwin’s second goal of the contest – his 24^th – broke the previous mark of 23 goals set by Eric Pozzani last fall.

Isaac Tongo (Omaha, NE/Northwest) opened the scoring in the Dakota County match with a goal at the 8:00 mark. Unwin’s goals came at the 20^th and 47^th minute respectively. Craig Halverson (Caledonia, MN/HS) scored on a header in the 52^nd minute to finish the scoring for the Trojans. Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) had four saves en route to his ninth shutout.

On Saturday, NIACC defeated Ridgewater Community College 5-2 to clinch second place in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. Unwin tallied three goals – giving him 27 overall – and Tongo had the other two for the home team. The Trojans ended regular-season play 13-4, 11-3 in ICCAC action. Head coach Mike Regan’s team plays Ridgewater again in Mason City at 3 p.m. on Tuesday as the Region XI playoffs begin.

-In volleyball, NIACC had an unbeaten week, taking three five-game matches to move to 12-16 on the season. Lindsey Urbatsch (St. Ansgar/HS) and Sarah Heineman (Garrison/Vinton-Shellsburg) had 11 kills each and Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) had 29 set assists and seven service aces to help NIACC edge Ellsworth Community College last Monday in an ICCAC contest in Mason City. Brittany Johnston (Ottumwa/HS) led the Trojans on defense with 20 digs.

On Wednesday, head coach Ted Bieth’s team played in Waverly against the Wartburg College junior varsity and the 19 kills by Anita Whitehead (Welcome, MN/Martin County West) helped the Trojans beat the Knights in five games. Heineman added 18 kills and Winn and Urbatsch produced 13 apiece while Nick Sandberg (Fairmont, MN/Martin County West) totaled 22 digs. On Thursday, NIACC traveled to Decorah for a non-conference match against the Luther College junior varsity, winning again in five games. On Tuesday at 7 p.m., NIACC (11-16) hosts Marshalltown Community College it its final regular-season home match before playing next weekend against a handful of ICCAC squads at a neutral site.

-In football, NIACC fell 7-0 last Saturday to Iowa Central Community College despite holding the 11^th-rated visitors to just 189 total yards and 10 first downs. Jake Peterson scored the lone touchdown of the day with a 3 yard run in the first period for the Tritons. NIACC received 69 yards rushing from quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) and 56 more from running back Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS), but turned the ball over three times to fall to 5-3, 4-3 in the Midwest Football Conference. Iowa Central (7-1, 6-1) clinched the regular season title in the division with the victory, but the 20^th-rated Trojans can assure itself of a playoff game with the Tritons on November 3 by beating North Dakota State College of Science on Saturday in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

The NIACC cross country program had the week off from competition before participating in the Region XI meet on October 28 in Ft. Dodge. Meanwhile, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the reinstated wrestling program have been readying for the regular season, with the wrestlers hosting the Blue & Gold Grapple on Saturday as an inter-squad meet before competing at the inaugural Kaye Young Open on November 3 in the NIACC Gymnasium. The first official basketball game occurs on November 1 at 7 p.m. as the men’s team hosts the junior varsity of Grand View College.

 

Rewind for October 15

Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS) scored three touchdowns and the North Iowa Area Community College defense held College of DuPage to just 223 yards in a 23-6 Midwest Football Conference victory last Saturday in Lombard, IL. NIACC won its third straight contest and is now 5-2, 4-2 in MFC play. The Trojans – 17^th in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association polls - host Iowa Central Community College at 1 p.m. Saturday in Mason City with the winner having the upper hand in the divisional standings.

Head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal by Ryan McMahon (Des Moines/Dowling Catholic) with 9:50 left in the first quarter. The field goal was set up by a 17 yard pass from Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) to Streeter and a 17-yard pass from Brown to Joe Audlehelm (VanWert/Central Decatur).

In the second quarter, Brown passed to Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) for 37 yards and Parker ran for 17 yards to set up a 2 yard Streeter touchdown that put the Trojans up 9-0 at the 13:12 mark. With 7:41 left in the third period, Brown’s 28-yard run was the key play in a seven play drive that ended with Streeter scoring again from 2 yards out. With 14:55 left in the final period Streeter added a 1 yard scoring run to complete a 4:32 drive that took nine plays and went 49 yards. College of DuPage scored its points on Nick Booth’s 15-yard run with 11:16 remaining.

Brown totaled 62 yard rushing on 13 attempts and finished 10 of 19 for 211 yards passing to lead an offense that gained 367 yards on the day. Streeter produced 44 yards rushing on 14 carries. Parker had three catches for 55 yards. Defensively, Michael Daniels (Leesburg, GA/HS) led NIACC with five solo tackles and two assists. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks) and forced a fumble that he recovered. The Trojans also picked off two passes.

In other NIACC athletics events this past week:

Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) had 12 kills and three blocks last Tuesday night to lead a balanced offensive attack as the North Iowa Area Community College volleyball team beat Pillsbury Baptist College 30-18, 30-13, 30-21 in a non-conference match.

Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) was 14 of 15 serving with one ace and added 24 assists and seven digs for the Trojans against Pillsbury. Anita Whitehead (Fairmont, MN/Martin County West) produced 11 kills and five digs to help her team’s defensive effort and Lindsey Urbatsch (St. Ansgar/HS) had nine kills as head coach Ted Bieth’s team dominated play throughout. Nicki Sandberg (Welcome, MN/Martin County West) was 14 for 17 serving with three aces. Brittany Johnston (Ottumwa/HS) was 11 of 12 serving with an ace and had six digs.

NIACC opened strongly in game one as Urbatsch had four kills. Game two was dominated by the Trojans, who took an early 12-2 edge and coasted from there. Heineman led her team with four kills in that game. In game three, Whitehead took control, producing seven kills as the Trojans pulled away after Pillsbury stayed close until the midway point.

On Saturday, Heineman contributed 40 kills in four matches and Whitehead produced 29 kills as the North Iowa Area Community College volleyball team finished 2-2 at the Ellsworth Community College Invitational. Heineman was at her best during a 30-26, 30-19 victory over the host school, tallying 15 kills. NIACC opened the invitational by beating the Mt. Mercy College junior varsity 30-21, 30-21 as Whitehead had seven kills and 11 of 11 serving with three aces. Heineman and Urbatsch added six kills apiece while Winn added 10 assists and six digs.

Coe College’s junior varsity defeated NIACC 30-26, 30-19 before NIACC’s win over Ellsworth. Coe won all four of its matches to win the invitational. In the final match of the day, Rochester Community Technical College defeated NIACC 24-30, 30-24, 15-11. Heineman and Whitehead totaled 13 kills, Urbatsch had 12 kills and Winn added 27 assists.

At 7 p.m. Monday, NIACC (9-16) hosts Ellsworth in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference match played at the NIACC Gymnasium.

-In men’s soccer, NIACC split a pair of Iowa Community College Athletic Conference matches this week, beating Iowa Western Community College 1-0 in Council Bluffs on Wednesday before losing 2-1 at Marshalltown Community College on Saturday that ended a six-match win streak. The Trojans, now 11-4, 9-3 in conference, host Dakota County Community College at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and finish regular season play with a 1 p.m. home match against Ridgewater Community College on Saturday.

In Wednesday’s win, Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) scored the lone goal in the first half and goalkeeper Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) made it stand up for his eighth shutout of the season. On Saturday, Unwin scored his 22^nd goal to give NIACC an early lead, but Marshalltown scored the final two goals as the number four ranked team in the country remained unbeaten for the season.

-In cross country, Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Decatur) continued his strong season Friday by finishing fourth overall at the Dr. Robert Tucker Invitational men's cross country race at Loras College as his North Iowa Area Community College team placed fourth overall.

Mayer ran the 8,000-meter race in 26 minutes, 54 seconds. The men's winner, Eric Osterhaus of Simpson College, was clocked in 25:58. Juan Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) finished 21st in 28:18 for head coach Curtis Vais’ team, which had 93 points. Loras College (39) was the champion overall, beating Monmouth College (57) of Illinois and Simpson (60) for team honors in the six-team meet. NIACC was ranked 20^th in national rankings heading into Friday’s action and Mayer was rated 54^th individually, according to the best times posted by NJCAA runners.

 

Rewind for October 8

Quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) ran for three scores and passed for another to lead the North Iowa Area Community College football team to a 55-24 Midwest Football Conference victory over visiting Harper College Saturday afternoon.

Brown finished 14 for 22 passing and totaled 209 yards through the air to help his team move to 4-2 overall, 3-2 in the MFC. His 16-yard touchdown pass to Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) just 4:38 into the game to help put NIACC up 7-0. The touchdown was set up by a 38-yard screen pass from Brown to Joe Audlehelm (Van Wert/Central Decatur).

Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) scored on a 1-yard plunge to enable NIACC to take a 13-0 lead with 5:02 left in the opening period. Brown passed to Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) for 17 and 18 yards on the drive and Parker added a 20-yard run. Brown’s 20-yard run with 8:40 left in the second quarter put head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team up 20-0 before Harper College’s quarterback Matthew Brant passed 15 yards for a touchdown to Brian Whitehead with 5:43 left before halftime. A Brant to Brian Mitz two-point conversion pass made the score 20-8.

NIACC’s defense put some points on the board just before intermission as Gerard Oxendine (St. Augustine, FL/HS) returned a fumble 30 yards for a score at the 1:21 mark to put the Trojans up 27-8. The fumble was caused by a Jayveri Kelly (West Palm Beach, FL/Forest Hill) hit on Brant while he was attempting to pass. Just minutes into the second half, Luke Dolan (Cedar Rapids/Kennedy) recovered another Harper fumble and Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS) scored his first touchdown – from 15 yards out – to put the home team up 34-8.

The Hawks (3-4, 2-4) narrowed the lead to 34-16 on Seneca Jackson’s 1 yard run and a Brant two-point conversion pass to Whitehead at the 4:27 mark of the third period. Streeter took complete charge of NIACC’s next scoring drive, returning the Harper kickoff 26 yards to his team’s 40-yard-line, then running for six yards on first down before breaking loose for a 54-yard touchdown at the 3:25 mark. Harper scored at the 1:56 mark of the period on Jackson’s second 1-yard scoring run and his two-point conversion run, narrowing NIACC’s lead to 41-24.

After Harper’s final touchdown, NIACC iced the game at the 12:14 mark of the final quarter as the Trojans ran eight straight running plays, the last a 9 yard scoring run by Brown. Brown later added a 2 yard touchdown run as NIACC scored the second most points ever allowed by a Harper College squad in its history. Overall, NIACC ran 55 times for 319 yards, including a game-high 124 yards on 11 carries by Streeter and 57 yards by Lietchi. Parker led his team with 78 yards on five catches and added 51 yards on five rushes. Brant threw for 307 yards and Mitz grabbed 13 passes for 143 yards for Harper, which could manage just 28 yards rushing.

NIACC travels to Lombard, IL, for a 1 p.m. MFC contest Saturday against College of DuPage.

-In soccer, coach Mike Regan’s Trojans continued their strong play in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play, beating host Iowa Central Community College 4-1 last Wednesday and routing host Indian Hills Community College 15-1 on Saturday to move to 10-3 overall, 8-2 in the ICCAC. NIACC has won five straight matches, outscoring opponents 41-3 in that span.

On Wednesday, Isaac Tongo (Omaha, NE/Northwest) opened the scoring late in the first half and Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) scored two second-half goals and Liam Fisher (Camberly, England/Collingwood College) added another in Ft. Dodge.

In the Indian Hills victory, Unwin tallied four goals – he now has 21 overall – and Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech added three more. Chris Bazen (Farnborough, England/Farnborough Tech also produced two goals and added two assists while Fisher had a goal and a pair of assists.

On Tuesday, NIACC travels to Council Bluffs for a 4 p.m. match at Iowa Western Community College. On Saturday, the Trojans play at ICCAC leader Marshalltown Community College.

-In cross country, Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) finished 15^th individually in the men's race and Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) was 20th in the women's competition as North Iowa Community College competed at the Don Huston Invitational at Wartburg College on Saturday.

Mayer ran the 8,000 meter men's race in 28 minutes, 27 seconds to lead the Trojans, who finished seventh out of eight teams with 187 points. Iowa Central Community College's Joshua Sawe was the individual medalist in 26:44 and Iowa Central (23 points) won the team title over Augustana College (58) and the host school (61).

Nehowig ran a 26:15 for 6,000 meters. Steph Wedo (Castalia/Postville) was 55th in 31:14 as the lone NIACC women participants on a hot and humid day. Iowa Central's Lydia Kosgie (24:00) was the individual medalist while Wartburg (24) was the team champion.

Both Mayer and Nehowig, along with Kelly Ipsen, have compiled some of National Junior College Athletic Association's top-rated individual times. NIACC's men are rated 16th in the latest NJCAA poll while the women are 22nd. The Trojans compete Friday at the Dr. Robert Tucker Invitational at Loras College in Dubuque.

-In volleyball, Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) had perhaps her best individual performance of the season in a three-game loss to Iowa Central Community College last Monday, producing 15 kills and three blocks. Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) added 15 setting assists and four kills for the Trojans, who lost at nationally-rated Iowa Lakes Community College on Wednesday. Coach Ted Bieth’s team, now 6-14 overall, plays at Pillsbury Baptist College on Tuesday.

 

Rewind for October 1

A 41-27 upset of 15^th-rated Grand Rapids Community College (MI) last Saturday kept the North Iowa Community College football team in the hunt for a Midwest Football Conference title and raised the Trojans’ overall record to 3-2.

Head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team got off to a 24-0 lead and held on as NIACC evened its MFC record to 2-2. At 1 p.m. Saturday, the Trojans host Harper College in their Homecoming game.

NIACC ran for 227 yards and passed for another 247, getting nine receptions for 99 yards and a score from wide receiver Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside). Parker’s 34-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) enabled the Trojans to get off to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Brown had tossed an 18-yard scoring strike to Joe Audlehelm (Van Wert/Central Decatur) just 2:24 into the contest for NIACC’s initial points. Overall, NIACC had much success against a Grand Rapids defense that had allowed just 242 yards per game entering Saturday’s contest, controlling the ball for a whopping 42 minutes offensively. Meanwhile, Antwan Pratt (Bexley, OH/HS) led NIACC’s defense with five solo tackles and an assist as the Trojans held the host Raiders to minus-5 yards rushing.

After Brown’s passing got NIACC started offensively, a 3-yard touchdown run by Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) helped put the Trojans up by 24 points at the half before Grand Rapids made a late rally. He also had a 4-yard fourth-period scoring run after Brown had scored from a yard out earlier in that quarter. Lietchi had 103 yards on 22 carries to lead his team in rushing while Brown added 53 rushing yards to go with the 247 yards he totaled on 20 of 33 passing.

In soccer, Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) scored a pair of goals and NIACC began the second half of Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play on the right foot, beating Scott Community College 5-0 on Saturday.

The first goal came in the 20^th minute when Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech) found the left corner of the goal off of a pass by Isaac Tongo (Omaha, NE/Northwest). Tongo scored the second goal five minutes later with the assist from Liam Fisher (Camberly, England/Collingwood College), giving the Trojans a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Unwin scored on a penalty kick at the 54-minute mark, giving NIACC the 3-0 lead. Sam Jeffery (Yately, England/Farnborough Tech) scored for NIACC in the 72^nd minute after breaking away from a Scott defender. Unwin added the final goal of the day – his 15^th of the season - by converting a Jeffery pass in the 79^th minute.

NIACC improved their record to 8-3 overall and 6-2 in ICCAC play. The win ties the school record for the most wins in a season set in 2001. NIACC plays a 2 p.m. ICCAC match against Iowa Central in Fort Dodge on Wednesday.

Unwin scored five goals in a 13-0 rout over visiting Indian Hills Community College on Wednesday. Brady Ott (Clear Lake/HS) added two goals while Broadbent had a goal and four assists. Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College had three saves in the shutout.

-In volleyball, the Trojans began the week by losing in three games at Marshalltown Community College last Monday. NIACC also competed last weekend at a tournament at College of DuPage in Illinois, losing twice on Friday in the 16^th annual Chaparral Invite and twice more on Saturday. Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) had 21 kills on the weekend for head coach Ted Bieth’s team, which plays a 7 p.m. ICCAC match against Iowa Central tonight at the NIACC Gymnasium.

-In cross country, both the men and women moved up the rankings in the latest NJCAA polls. The men are tied for 15^th, up three places, and the women are tied for 21^st, up one notch from a week ago. The Trojans, coached by Curtis Vais, compete Saturday at Wartburg College in the Dan Huston Invitational that begins at 10:30 a.m.

 

Rewind for September 24

Despite 188 yards passing and two touchdowns by Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern), the North Iowa Area Community College football team lost to Joliet Junior College 21-14 Saturday at Mohawk Field on the campus of Mason City High School. NIACC is now 2-2 overall, 1-2 in Midwest Football Conference play heading into next Saturday’s noon (CST) contest at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan.

Defensively, NIACC got off to a great start in the first half, thanks to a pair of interceptions by Laquentin Black (Davis, OK/HS). His first pickoff (and return of 17 yards) came minutes into the contest. Brown also started well, tossing scoring passes of 14 and 24 yards to Grant Ita (Burlington/HS) and Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) respectively to give the Trojans a 14-0 lead with 13:36 left in the half. Ita’s first touchdown of the season came with 5:21 left in the first period and the extra-point kick by Ryan McMahon (Des Moines/Dowling Catholic) gave head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team a 7-0 lead. The Trojans had capitalized on a botched punt snap to set up the score. Moments later, NIACC had its best offensive drive of the game, eight plays for 84 yards to take a 14-0 lead.

Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE/Burke) had a run of 21 yards and Brown connected with Brad Theilen four times for 68 yards, the last a 24 yard scoring pass. Theilen had six catches for 121 yards to lead all receivers on Saturday. Lietchi paced NIACC rushers with 40 yards on 11 tries. Black, who had seven solo tackles and three assists to lead all defensive players, got his second interception midway through the second period. The NIACC interior linemen clogged up running lanes as Joliet had just 37 yards rushing and 126 total yards at the intermission.

However, Joliet’s defense played well in the second half and Mitch Watkins (16 of 30 for 204 yards) hit Christian Graham on a 69-yard scoring pass to help Joliet narrow NIACC’s lead to 14-6 with 9:57 left in the third period. Nine minutes later, Watkins connected with A’veon Jones for a 15-yard touchdown and a two-point pass from Watkins to Jeff Gustafson tied the score at 14-all. The fourth quarter included eight Anthony Stewart rushes for 60 yards and Stewart’s 36 yard run with 4:14 left provided the winning points for the Wolves. He totaled 167 yards on 25 attempts.

In cross country, head coach Curtis Vais’ team competed Friday in Davenport at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational meet, with the men finishing 16^th of 32 teams and the women placing 20^th of 26 squads.  The men’s team was second among community college teams after learning they had been ranked 18^th in the most recent National Junior College Athletic Association poll.

Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) finished 24th individually of 409 runners at Credit Island Park. He ran the 8,000-meter course in 26 minutes, 47 seconds. The individual champion, Iowa Central Community College's Joshua Sawe, was clocked in 25:08. NIACC had a team total of 439 points as host Augustana College (43) won the men's team title for the fifth straight year. Juan Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) ran a 28:14 to finish second for NIACC and 84th overall.

In the women's competition, NIACC had a team total of 599 points as the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (70 points) was the team champ. Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley) finished 64th individually for the Trojans, running 6,000 meters in 24:39, fourth best in NIACC history. Her clocking was the second fastest in NIACC’s history. Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) was 98th in 25:13 as 309 runners competed overall. Jessica Lamp of UW-Parkside ran a 21:50 for individual honors. NIACC’s women were rated 22^nd in this week’s cross country poll. The Trojans compete next at Wartburg College on October 6.

In soccer, freshman goalkeeper Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) was named ICCAC Athlete of the Week for his efforts in shutout wins over Iowa Central and Ridgewater. He has three shutouts in conference play as the Trojans have gone 4-2 in ICCAC action, 6-3 overall. Cook played well last Wednesday in a 2-0 loss to nationally-rated Marshalltown Community College, producing six saves in a game where NIACC was shorthanded by two players for nearly 45 minutes.

On Saturday in Northfield, MN, head coach Mike Regan's squad won a 4-0 match against the junior varsity of St. Olaf College. Liam Fisher(Camberly,England/Collingwood College), Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech), Sam Jeffery (Yately, England/Farnborough Tech) and Zach Rollins (Caledonia, MN/HS) all scored once. At 2 p.m. Tuesday, NIACC plays host to Indian Hills Community College in ICCAC action. It hosts Scott Community College at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 

In volleyball, NIACC dropped an ICCAC match to fifth-rated Iowa Lakes Community College (30-22, 30-20, and 30-12) on Monday and defeated non-conference opponent Pillsbury Baptist College (30-19, 30-27, 30-14) in the NIACC Gymnasium on Tuesday. Lindsey Urbatsch (St. Ansgar/HS) and Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) were the co-leaders in kills for NIACC with four apiece against Iowa Lakes and Urbatsch and Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) totaled 10 kills each in the Pillsbury victory. Head coach Ted Bieth's team is 6-7 overall as it heads into tonight's ICCAC match at Marshalltown.

In men's basketball, head coach Bryan Martin announced that longtime Osage High School boys basketball coach Mark Mohl will assist his program this winter. Mohl, who also coaches baseball at Osage High, was head coach for eight years and assisted a state championship team before leaving that position after last season. One of his previous players at Osage High, Nate Haaland, will play at NIACC this season. 

Finally, USA Wrestling Magazine recently documented the top non-Division I recruiting classes for 2007-08 and NIACC’s program was given top honors. Head coach Richard Fergola’s team has 19 Iowa wrestlers on the roster. Included in the class is four-time Illinois titlist Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) and three-time Nebraska state champion DeVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/Westside). NIACC opens its first season in more than three decades on November 3 with the inaugural Kaye Young/NIACC Open meet.

 

 

Rewind for September 18

The North Iowa Community College men’s soccer team produced its highest scoring output of the fall last Saturday, beating Ridgewater Community College 9-0 in Willmar, MN. Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) scored four goals and dished out two assists as the Trojans won their fourth straight contest. Head coach Mike Regan’s team is now 4-1 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play, heading into a 4 p.m. home contest Wednesday against nationally-rated Marshalltown Community College.

NIACC opened up a 4-0 halftime lead and Unwin (a team-high eight goals) and company kept on the attack in raising its overall record to 5-2. Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech) pitched in with a pair of goals and an assist and Ben Newell (Mason City/HS), Isaac Tongo (Omaha, NE/Northwest) and Andy Lloyd (Clear Lake/HS) also scored. Liam Fischer (Camberly, England/Collingwood College) added two assists and goalkeeper Simon Cook (Hampshire, England/Alton College) earned his second shutout of the week and fourth of the season.

On Wednesday in Minnesota, NIACC edged Dakota Tech College 2-0 as Sam Jeffery (Yately, England/Farnborough Tech) scored a first-half goal and Broadbent added a second-half goal on an assist by Unwin. Cook produced six saves in the victory.

In football action, Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) caught four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown and added 209 kickoff and punt return yards, but NIACC was beaten 27-17 by host Rock Valley College in a Midwest Football Conference game.

After totaling more than 500 yards of offense in each of its first two football games, the Trojans were limited to just 267 against Rock Valley and fell to 2-1 overall, 1-1 in MFC play. Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS) paced NIACC with 103 yards on 15 carries, but the Trojans lost four fumbles, two inside the opponents’ five yard-line.

Trailing by 10 points early, Parker’s 55-yard touchdown reception of a pass by Brown at the 12:06 mark of the second period narrowed NIACC’s deficit to 13-10, but the Golden Eagles took a 20-10 lead into halftime on an Al Adams 13-yard touchdown scamper with 2:02 remaining before intermission.

After Adams’ scoring run, Parker nearly put NIACC back on the board by racing 59 yards with the ensuing kickoff. But with 26 seconds left in the half, Ryan Rodriguez forced Brown to fumble at the Rock Valley goal line and the Golden Eagles recovered to keep their lead intact.

Parker added a 69-yard punt return early in the third period and had a 42-yard pass reception in the fourth quarter, but NIACC couldn’t take advantage of either one of the big plays, missing a field goal and fumbling deep in Rock Valley territory. Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern) scored NIACC’s final touchdown on a 1-yard run late in the third period to narrow Rock Valley’s lead to 20-17 before Adams’ 20-yard scoring run gave the Golden Eagles their final points.

NIACC returns home on Saturday, hosting Joliet Junior College in a 1 p.m. MFC contest at Mohawk Field on the campus of Mason City High School.

In volleyball, head coach Ted Bieth’s Trojans fell to 5-6 overall after losing in five games to the visiting Wartburg College junior varsity. Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) produced a team-high 18 kills and fellow freshman Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) had 11 service aces to go with 27 setting assists as NIACC totaled 18 aces in all. Brittany Johnston (Ottumwa/HS) had two aces and led the Trojans with 14 digs defensively.

Last Wednesday, NIACC received 15 kills from Heineman and four service aces apiece from Winn and sophomore Amy Schilling (New Hampton/HS) to beat Ellsworth Community College in three games. The win avenged a defeat to the Panthers in the finals of the Anoka-Ramsey Tourney on September 8 and evened NIACC’s record in ICCAC play to 1-1. The Trojans play a 7 p.m. ICCAC match tonight at home against Iowa Lakes Community College. NIACC plays at the same time on Tuesday, this time hosting Pillsbury College in a non-conference match.

In cross country, head coach Curtis Vais’ team had the week off. NIACC next competes at 5 p.m. Friday in Davenport at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational meet, which is hosted by Augustana College.

 

Rewind for September 11

A pair of cross country team titles last Saturday were among the highlights of a successful week of North Iowa Community College athletics, as the men’s soccer team won its two games this week and the football team won its conference opener decisively on Saturday as well.

At Sugar Grove, IL, Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) won the individual competition and the NIACC women's cross country team took team honors at the Waubonsee Community College Chief Invitational.

Nehowig ran the 3.0-mile course in 19 minutes, 26 seconds to beat teammate Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley), who ran her race inn a time of 20:24. Kristen Axtell (Letts/Louisa-Muscatine) was 17th in 23:22, Steph Wedo (Castalia/Postville) was 19th in 23:57 and Magen Krones (Mason City/Newman Catholic was 20th in 23:59. Head coach Curtis Vais' squad finished with 59 team points, edging Lincoln Community College (69) and the host team (79) in the eight-team competition.

In the men's race, NIACC's Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) had a big day as well, running 5.06 miles in 27:42 for medalist honors to lead the Trojans to the team championship. The team totaled a low score of 60 points, with Lincoln (67) and Joliet Junior College (86) finished third in the 10-team men’s event. Juan Rodriguez of Bogota, Colombia, was ninth overall in 29:34 while Seth Blanchard (Charlotte/NE Goose Lake) was 15^th in 30:06, Sean Coleman (Imperial, MO/Seckman) was 17^th in 30:13 and Sam Meyer (Wykoff, MN/Kingsland) was 18th in 30:25 to round out the NIACC placers. NIACC's sixth and seventh runners, Quentin Adair (Ames/Gilbert) and Kevin Coy (Knoxville/HS), didn't figure in the team scoring, they finished 22nd and 24^th individually with times of 30:38 and 30:51 respectively. NIACC next competes on September 21 in Davenport at a meet hosted by Augustana College.

In a Midwest Football Conference game played at Mason City High, sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern HS) threw for 334 yards and one touchdown and Travis Lietchi (Omaha, NE, Burke HS) rushed for 107 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns as NIACC defeated Ellsworth Community College 45-15 to move to 2-0 overall.

Brown completed 15 of 24 passes overall, including a 26 yard TD pass to Brad Theilen (Nashua, IA/Nashua-Plainfield HS) late in the second quarter. NIACC opened the scoring on a 23 yard touchdown run by freshman running back Kevis Streeter (St. Augustine, FL/HS). Streeter rushed for 55 yards on nine carries and added a 57 yard pass reception in the fourth period. Later in the initial period, Lietchi scored on a 26 yard run to put NIACC up 14-0. After Ellsworth (1-1) tied the game with a pair of touchdowns, Brown delivered his touchdown strike to Theilen to put the home team up 21-14 at halftime.

In the second half, NIACC’s defense helped out as John Ricke (Garner, IA/Garner-Hayfield) recovered a fumble after a muffed punt return by Ellsworth’s Branden Robinson at his own 11-yard line. Two plays later Lietchi rushed for his second TD, this one from four yards out, and the extra point from Ryan McMahon (Des Moines, Dowling Catholic) made the score 28-14 in NIACC’s favor at the 11:46 mark of the third quarter. McMahon kicked a 43-yard field goal with 10:09 left in the game, Lietchi scored on a 5 yard run with 4:09 left, and D.J. Pratt (Bexley, OH/Harmony Prep) returned a blocked punt by Jameel Williams (Tampa, FL/Armwood-Sefner) six yards for the game’s final touchdown with 2:22 remaining.

Overall, NIACC totaled 533 yards of offense. Theilen had four catches for 103 yards while Marquese Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) caught eight balls for 131 yards and added 83 yards on three kickoff returns and a punt return for nine yards. Ellsworth totaled over 400 yards of offense, but NIACC’s defense got a strong performance from Gerard Oxendine (St. Augustine, FL/HS) as he had 11 solo tackles and an assist, and Reggie Saint-Pierre (Miami, FL/Central) added seven solos and two assists and Antwan Pratt (Bexley, OH/HS) had six solos and a pair of assists. Besides Ricke, Laquentin Black (Davis, OK/HS), StarMeek Jones (Paterson, NJ/HS) and Brady Randall (Vinton, IA/Washington) had takeaways.

On Saturday, head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team travels to Rockford, IL to play a 1 p.m. (CST) Midwest Football Conference game against Rock Valley Community College.

At Pella, the NIACC men’s soccer team moved to 3-2 overall by beating the Central College junior varsity 5-1 on Saturday as Mike Unwin (Yately, England/HS) scored three second-half goals and Sam Jeffrey (Yately, England/Farnborough Tech) and Chris Bazen (Farnborough, England/Merristwood) added tallies to blow open a scoreless tie after 45 minutes. Head coach Mike Regan’s team had emerged victorious last Wednesday in a 1-0 home Iowa Community College Athletic Conference decision over Iowa Central Community College as Sam Broadbent (Fleet, England/Farnborough Tech) scored in the 85^th minute on an assist from Craig Halverson (Caledonia, MN/HS). NIACC travels to Minnesota to play ICCAC opponent Dakota County Technical College at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The women’s volleyball team also had a successful Saturday, finishing second at the Anoka-Ramsey Tournament near the Twin Cities to move to 4-5 overall. Sophomores Katie Bormann (Fredricksburg/Sumner-Fredricksburg) and Anita Whitehead (Fairmont, MN/Martin County West) were the top hitters for the Trojans with 30 and 24 kills respectively as NIACC defeated junior varsity teams from Bethel College and St. Thomas University of Minnesota and edged Rainy River Community College in a three-game match before losing to Ellsworth in the tourney finals. Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg) added 20 kills for the day for head coach Ted Bieth’s team. Three days earlier, Heineman paced NIACC with six kills as her team lost a closely-contested three-game match at ICCAC foe Iowa Central Community College three days earlier. At 7 p.m. Wednesday in Iowa Falls, the Trojans get a rematch with Ellsworth, this time in ICCAC play.

 

Rewind for September 4

The North Iowa Area Community College football team opened the 2007 season with a resounding 54-14 victory against the William Penn University junior varsity. Head coach Scott Strohmeier’s team benefited from the three scoring passes of sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, CT/Eastern), with wide receiver Brad Theilen (Nashua/Nashua-Plainfield) catching two touchdown throws. Fellow wide receiver Marques Parker (Omaha, NE/Westside) also made his presence felt with a punt return for a touchdown. The Trojans open Midwest Football Conference play at 1 p.m. Saturday with a home contest against Ellsworth Community College.

The soccer team had dropped a 2-0 home Iowa Community College Athletic Conference decision to Iowa Western Community College on Tuesday. England native Simon Cook had nine saves in the defeat. He added five saves for head coach Mike Regan’s team in a 1-0 loss to the Grinnell College junior varsity on Friday. NIACC hosts ICCAC foe Iowa Central Community College at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

The NIACC men’s cross country team finished second overall at the Mt. Mercy College Mustang Gallop Saturday in Cedar Rapids as Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) placed second individually with a 5-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 2 seconds at Jones Park. Colombian student Juan Rodriguez was ninth in 17:33, Sam Meyer (Wykoff, MN/Kingsland) was 10^th in 17:38 and Sean Coleman (Imperial, MO/Seckman) was 12^th in 17:44 for the Trojans, who totaled 47 team points to finish second to Coe College (35).

In the women’s race, NIACC placed fifth with 104 points as Kacy Nehowig (Paynesville, MN/HS) ran four kilometers in 16:12 for fourth individually. Kelly Ipsen (Homestead/Iowa Valley) was seventh in 16:34, Steph Wedo (Castalia/Postville) was 30^th in 18:22 and Mason City/Newman Catholic alum Magen Krones (18:25) was 32^nd for head coach Curtis Vais’ team. Cornell College was the team champion with 32 points. NIACC will run in the Waubonsee Community College Chiefs Invitational Saturday in Sugar Grove, IL, with races beginning at 10 a.m.

In volleyball, NIACC finished 1-3 at the season-opening NIACC Invitational Saturday, beating Clinton Community College 31-29, 23-30, 16-14 in its initial match behind seven kills from Sarah Heineman (Vinton/Vinton-Shellsburg). Heineman added 11 kills in a 30-23, 30-20 loss to the Loras University junior varsity (the eventual tourney champion) and she had nine kills in a three-game loss to Madison Area Technical College (WI). The Trojans ended their day with a three-game defeat to Northland Community College of Minnesota as Lindsay Urbatsch (Grafton/St. Ansgar) had seven kills. Setter Kallie Winn (Twentynine Palms, CA/HS) also had a productive day with two service aces in the Clinton win, 25 set assists and six service aces in the MATC loss and 18 assists, three kills in the Northland defeat.  Head coach Ted Bieth’s team opens ICCAC play with a 7 p.m. match at Iowa Central on Wednesday.

 

Rewind for August 27

Two North Iowa Area Community College women’s basketball players were honored for their scholastic prowess as the National Junior College Athletic Association named Kaeanna Wood (Atlantic/HS) and Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) to its Academic All-America team.

Wood was named to the Distinguished Academic All-America squad after posting a 3.92 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Those named Distinguished All-America needed to earn at least a 3.8 GPA during their two years in community college. Stiles, a second-team All-Region XI selection last winter for head coach John Oertel’s team, posted a 3.61 GPA. All Academic All-America performers had at least a 3.6 GPA.

NIACC’s first official result in a fall sport was a good one, a 1-0 victory posted by the Trojans soccer team at Scott Community College last Saturday afternoon. Freshman Mike Unwin, who played his prep soccer in England, tallied the lone goal in the contest, scoring in the 75^th minute. Another newcomer from England, Simon Cook, had three saves in goal. Coach Mike Regan’s squad opens its home slate at 4 p.m. Tuesday against Iowa Western Community College in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference contest.

In football, the Trojans scrimmaged last Friday against Dubuque University as they readied for their opener. Coach Scott Strohmeier’s team will play Thursday at 7 p.m. in Oskaloosa against the William Penn University junior varsity. NIACC was among a half dozen Midwest Football Conference teams receiving mention in the preseason NJCAA Top 25 football poll. Pearl River Community College in Mississippi is ranked first while Snow College in Utah is second and defending national champ Blinn College in Texas is third.

NIACC’s cross country teams will travel to Cedar Rapids Saturday for the Mt. Mercy Mustang Invitational as the Trojans look to win their third straight title in that meet. While the men’s team has a few returnees to their top seven, only Anna Schumacher (Grandview/Lousia-Muscatine) is back for head coach Curtis Vais on the women’s side. Both teams will rely on a strong group of freshmen to help them as they try to earn a berth in the national meet. Meanwhile, head coach Ted Bieth’s volleyball team readies for the NIACC Invitational on Saturday as five squads participate in a round-robin event.

In men’s basketball, head coach Bryan Martin announced the signing of the eighth player for this year’s recruiting class, guard Daniel Green of Simeon High School in Chicago. The others are Joe Speth (Bettendorf/HS); Cody Hanson of nearby Northwood-Kensett High School, local product Nate Haaland of Osage High; D.J. Green of Des Moines’ Roosevelt High; Michael Sanders and Tokie Aramona of O’Hara High in Kansas City, MO; and DeAnthony Taylor of Washburn High in Minneapolis.

Finally, NIACC’s 2007 All-America baseball player Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Evansville University, a Division I school in Indiana. Heithoff is one of more than a half dozen Trojans from coach Todd Rima’s team that will be continuing their careers with four-year schools.

 

Summer Update for August 20

The fall sports season is underway at North Iowa Area Community College and four sports programs are busily preparing for the 2007 season as classes begin on campus.

The men’s and women’s cross country team, under head coach Curtis Vais, begins action with the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Time Trial at 11 a.m. on Friday. Last fall, the men’s team finished 12^th among National Junior College Athletic Association teams in its division as returnee Dan Mayer (Redfield/West Central Valley) placed 59^th individually.

A new head coach, Mike Regan, will direct the men’s soccer program at NIACC this season. Regan assisted previous head coach Colin Murphy as the Trojans finished 6-11-1 in 2006. This season, Murphy will assist Regan, as will Alexsandar Bogdanovic. This year’s team includes a bevy of newcomers from England to go along with a strong group of returning players, including All-Region XI pick Andy Scott. The Trojans begin play on Saturday with a 2 p.m. ICCAC game at Scott Community College.

The Trojans football program under head coach Scott Strohmeier will need to replace a pair of players that earned All-America recognition from last year’s 7-4 squad. Standout defensive back Anton Cullom (first-team NJCAA) and two-year starting quarterback Ben Alford (honorable mention) were the conference’s Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year and must be replaced. However, Strohmeier expects a strong quarterback to emerge from a handful of candidates and the Trojans had a strong recruiting class as they hope to continue building from last year’s strong performance. Defensive lineman Reggie St. Pierre (Miami, FL/Central) returns after earning honorable mention All-Region XI honors and honorable mention All-Region XI pick Kyle Staudt (Charles City/HS) is a key returnee in the offensive line. NIACC also added a new defensive coordinator, Mike Blackbourn, from South Dakota State University. The Trojans open their season with a 7 p.m. non-conference away contest against the William Penn University junior varsity on August 30.

In volleyball, third-year coach Ted Bieth returns four players (including three starters) from a team that finished 15-21 in 2006. Two returnees, Katie Bormann (Fredricksburg/Sumner-Fredricksburg) and Anita Whitehead (Fairmont, MN/Martin County West), were among the team leaders in kills and blocks last fall. Freshman Sarah Heineman (Garrison/Vinton-Shellsburg) comes to NIACC after earning All-State mention as a prep and should help immediately. Another freshman, Kallie Winn of Twentynine Palms, CA, was an All-Section pick in high school and is among three newcomers that will play multiple sports at NIACC. On September 1, the Trojans open their season by hosting the NIACC Invitational in Mason City.

Among other sports, NIACC’s baseball program had a couple of opportunities to celebrate this summer as one player earned All-America honors and another signed a national letter-of-intent. The All-America honoree was first baseman/pitcher Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic), who earned third-team recognition for Division II schools from the NJCAA after being named the Region XI Player of the Year. He placed third nationally with 67 runs batted in and hit .406 and was 6-1 on the mound. Head coach Todd Rima’s program welcomes a 17-member recruiting class for the 2007-08 season after finishing 33-20 last spring.

In wrestling, NIACC’s re-instituted program under head coach Richard Fergola has 34 on its roster, including three recruits – Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita), T.J. Moen (Des Moines/Saydel) and DeVaughn Perkins (Omaha, NE/North) that earned All-America honors from ASICS. White, a four-time Illinois state champ, was a first-team pick.

Another piece of positive news for NIACC athletics occurred earlier in August as a local contractor, Henkel Construction, won the bid on a $5.3 million dollar project that will bring NIACC a new indoor athletics/recreation facility. Among the amenities for the facility are new locker rooms, a new set of basketball courts, wrestling room, an upgraded weight room and office space.

For more on NIACC athletics, check the school’s website at www.niacc.edu/athletics or contact athletic director Dan Mason by phone at 641-422-4281 or email him at masondan@niacc.edu.

 

Rewind for May 21

A new head coach, a regional Player of the Year and participants in national competitions highlighted the North Iowa Area Community College athletic program’s events last week.  

The new head coach – in men’s soccer – is a familiar face. Mike Regan, the assistant coach the past two seasons, will take over the Trojans’ program. Regan, who is from England, has been overseeing NIACC men’s soccer activities since the departure of previous head coach Colin Murphy. He has already made an impact on the recruiting trail, bringing two players from England this past semester after having recruited a pair of NIACC players from last fall’s roster.  

The Player of the Year – in Region XI Division II baseball – is Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic), who was honored with first-team status as both a pitcher and infielder. He was among the top 10 statistically in nearly every category among Iowa Community College Athletic Conference players, leading the ICCAC in triples and runs batted in. He also posted six wins as a pitcher and was second in strikeouts for the Trojans, who finished 33-20 overall.  

Among national statistical leaders, Heithoff ranks third with 67 RBI and tied for fifth in homers with 12. Five other players earned second-team honors, including Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central), Casey Johnson (Brooklyn, WI/Oregon), Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS), Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young America, MN/Central) and Jason Hunt (Olathe, KS/Olathe South). Rehnstrom’s .412 batting average ranks 43^rd nationally and Welter is among the nation’s leaders in saves with eight.   

Two NIACC women’s golfers were challenged by the renowned LPGA International Golf Course in Daytona Beach, FL, last week as Whitney Weber (Clear Lake/HS) and Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) tied for 73^rd and 86^th respectively at the National Junior College Athletic Association meet. Brittany Lockwood (Mason City/HS) had also qualified for nationals, but was unable to compete due to an illness. 

Last weekend, NIACC track and field coach Curtis Vais brought a handful of competitors to Coffeyville, KS, at the outdoor nationals. On Friday, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed ninth in the women’s hammer throw and competed in the shot put. Meanwhile, Lucas Nelson (St. Ansgar/HS) placed 15^th in the men’s hammer throw on Friday and placed 14^th in the javelin on Saturday.  Spencer Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) also had a top-15 finish Saturday, placing 13^th in the discus.

 

Rewind for May 14

The North Iowa Area Community College men’s golf team placed fourth of seven teams at the Region XI meet in Burlington. The top finisher for coach Chris Frenz’ team was Andrew Cullen (Clear Lake/HS), who finished in a tie for 12^th individually and narrowly missed a berth at the NJCAA nationals.

 Two other NIACC teams still have student athletes participating in national events this week. In women’s golf, Whitney Weber (Clear Lake/HS), Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) and Brittany Lockwood (Mason City/HS) are beginning play today at the NJCAA women’s golf tourney in Daytona Beach, FL.

 Later this week (May 17-19), track and field coach Curtis Vais has a handful of competitors in Coffeyville, KS, at the outdoor nationals, including indoor women’s track and field All-American Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) and men’s team competitors Donny Severs (Burlington/HS), Lucas Nelson (St. Ansgar/HS) and Spencer Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan).

 Severs set a region record by tossing the shot put 35.56 meters at the Loras Open last month and is currently ranked eighth in that event heading into nationals. Hall is ranked sixth in the shot put; she’ll also throw the hammer at nationals. Nelson will compete in the hammer and javelin. Rahm will compete in the discus competition.

 The NIACC baseball team competed at the Region XI playoffs this past weekend in Waterloo. Coach Todd Rima’s team lost 7-1 to Kirkwood Community College on Friday in opening round despite two hits by shortstop Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison). Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young America, MN/Central) hit a homer as NIACC lost 9-7 in Saturday’s second round. The Trojans finished 33-21 for the season.

 In softball, NIACC ended its season on Tuesday in Ft. Dodge, beating Ellsworth Community College 9-1 before dropping a 17-7 extra-inning decision to Kirkwood Community College at the Region XI tournament.

 The Trojans, coached by Mary Jo Vrba, finished 20-19 overall. They had two players earn second team All-Region XI honors, sophomore shortstop Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) and sophomore outfielder Stephanie Haacke (Kensett/North Central). Balduf finished the regular season with a .403 batting average, 10^th in the conference, tied for fourth with 19 stolen bases, was fifth in homers with nine and seventh in runs batted in with 44. Haacke led the conference in walks with 32 and was second in steals with 31.

 Five other players earned honorable mention All-Region XI status: Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal), Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic), Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS), Leah Mork (DeWitt/Central) and Brittney Zamora (Las Cruces, NM/HS). Among conference leaders, Fleming was tied for seventh in the conference with six homers and Fjelstad tied for fourth in walks with 22.

 

Rewind for May 7

Graduation day was last Friday, but most spring sports teams were still in the most important part of their seasons last weekend.  The North Iowa Area Community College softball team began Region XI playoff action last Saturday and the Trojans got off to a good start with a 6-5 first-round victory over Muscatine Community College, thanks to a pair of homers and three RBI from Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal).

 In game two on Saturday, NIACC lost a 6-3 decision to Iowa Central Community College despite three hits apiece from Riesenberg and Stephanie Haacke (Kensett/North Central). On Tuesday, coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team – now 19-18 this spring - is scheduled to play Ellsworth Community College in a Tuesday elimination game in Ft. Dodge.

 Shortstop Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) was honored as a Division II Athlete of the Week in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. NIACC baseball player Tom Heithoff was also an Athlete of the Week. Balduf ranked among the top 10 in the conference in five offensive categories after producing three hits and a pair of RBI in her team’s final conference game, a 7-1 win over Ellsworth last Monday. The Trojans had lost 4-2 in game one of the double header to end their conference slate with a 7-13 mark. 

The 10^th-rated baseball team benefited greatly from Heithoff’s long ball power last Tuesday as he hit homers in consecutive innings and drove in five runs during his team’s 17-9 win over Iowa Lakes Community College to sweep a double header. Heithoff is among the national leaders in homers, runs batted in and batting average. He’s also 6-1 as a pitcher and has fanned 58 in 45 2/3 innings, seventh in strikeouts per inning nationally.

 Heithoff had one other honor bestowed upon him recently as he was named Male Outstanding Athlete/Scholar at NIACC. Softball player Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) was Female Outstanding Athlete/Scholar.

 On Saturday, the baseball team lost 4-3 and 5-2 to visiting Kirkwood Community College in a double header. Clay Bourgeois (Barataria, LA/Fisher) was a bright spot offensively, getting a pair of hits in each contest. Before rain wiped out Sunday’s double header, three teams were tied at the top of the ICCAC with 14-8 records. The Trojans, now 33-16 overall, were scheduled to host Kirkwood in a double header Monday, weather permitting. Coach Todd Rima’s team will play in Waterloo at the seven-team Region XI Division II playoffs this weekend. 

In men’s golf, NIACC was in the midst of the Region XI tournament in Burlington when rain postponed play. It is hoped that the 36-hole event can be completed on Monday.

 

 

Rewind for April 30

The North Iowa Area Community College wrestling program celebrated a bright moment in its history as seven competitors from the Trojans’ 1973 national championship team and former coach Kaye Young watched their national championship banner hoisted to the NIACC gymnasium rafters during a ceremony on Sunday afternoon.  

Approximately 200 were on hand to see the banner raised as former U.S. Olympic wrestling champion Dan Gable gave the keynote address at the “Back to the Future” event. NIACC’s wrestling program had previously run from 1967 to 1976 under Young and was reinstated last fall. New head coach Richard Fergola was hired this winter and a full schedule of meets is set for the 2007-08 season, said athletic director Dan Mason.

 In women’s golf, Whitney Weber (Clear Lake/HS), Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) and Brittany Lockwood (Mason City/HS) helped NIACC finish fourth as a team at the Region XI meet in Council Bluffs. Weber carded an 84 for 18 holes, Jones had an 85 and Lockwood shot a 90. The trio earned a trip to the NJCAA nationals in Daytona Beach, FL, May 14-17 by virtue of finishing among the top 10 individually of those not of the winning team, Iowa Central Community College. Weber had readied for regionals on Friday by winning individual honors at the Iowa Lakes Community College Invitational in Okoboji Friday, shooting an 83 for 18 holes.  

In men’s golf last Friday, NIACC placed fourth at the Iowa Lakes Invitational as Greg Engels (Rockford/Rockford Rudd-Marble Rock) and Elliott Sheriff (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) had identical 18-hole scores of 77 to lead the Trojans. NIACC’s score of 307 strokes was 13 behind Iowa Western Community College’s 294. The host school’s Ross Froehlich shot a 69 for medalist honors.

 In baseball, NIACC traveled to Ft. Dodge to face Iowa Central Community College in a battle for the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference lead last weekend. Thanks to a double header sweep on Sunday, the Trojans (31-14, 12-6) remained in first place. Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) continued to shine on the mound, tossing a one-hitter in a 2-0 game one victory. Heithoff, now 6-1 this season, fanned nine Tritons. In game two, Heithoff drove in two runs and Casey Johnson (Brooklyn, WI/Oregon) had three hits as NIACC used a four-run first inning to seal a 5-3 victory.

 On Saturday, the Trojans lost 10-6 and 7-2. Josh Swenson (Burnsville, MN/Apple Valley) had a pair of hits in each game while Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central) produced three hits in game two. Last Thursday, Rehnstrom was named ICCAC Division II Athlete of the Week for his work in games against Southeastern Community College and Indian Hills Community College.

 On Friday, NIACC split a double header against non-conference visitor Marshalltown Community College, winning game two 12-2 after losing the opener 9-3. Shayden Bertagnolli (Roy, UT/Hs) had a three-run triple and a two-run homer to pace the Trojans in the nightcap as Brian Prusinski (Muskego, WI/HS) and four relievers combined on a three-hitter. 

NIACC hosts Iowa Lakes Tuesday in a 2 p.m. double header at Roosevelt Field.  

In softball, NIACC (17-16, 6-12 in conference) split a double header at Ellsworth Community College, losing the opener 6-3 and winning the second contest 7-3. In game one, Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) had three hits, including a solo homer in the first inning, while Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) had a solo homer in the fifth frame.  

Balduf was the star in game two, collecting four hits, including a run scoring single in the first inning and a two-run triple in the third. Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal) and Traci Lerch (DeWitt/Central) added RBI hits in the fifth inning as Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda) picked up the win on the mound. Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team will host Ellsworth in a 3:30 p.m. double header today to close out ICCAC play and will play the Luther College junior varsity on Tuesday before participating in the upcoming Region XI playoffs.

 In track and field, NIACC Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) won the women’s shot put with a toss of 13.65 meters (44-9 ½ feet) for the top individual finish of the North Iowa Community College track and field team at Saturday’s Loras Open. Another highlight for the women’s team was the performance of sprinter Tamira O’Neal (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville), who ran the 100 meter dash in 13.67 seconds to place fourth and added an eighth place finish in the 200 (27.46).  

The men’s team received a strong performance from sprinter Paul Darby (Austin, TX/Reagan), who ran a 49.50 to place second in the 400, ahead of teammate Ramelle Naysm (St. Louis, MO/McCluer), who was fourth in 51.13. In the shot put, NJCAA national qualifier Donny Severs (Burlington/HS) tossed the shot put 15.55 meters (51 feet) for third place and Logan Weeks (Des Moines/Lincoln) placed fourth in the 5,000 with a 16:59.70 clocking. NIACC’s 4 x 100 relay also placed third in 44.27. 

 Finally, former NIACC alum Marshall Yanda was drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens, the 86^th pick overall in the National Football League draft in New York. Yanda was an offensive lineman for the University of Iowa.

 

 

Rewind for April 23

The North Iowa Area Community College softball team’s recent upsurge highlights this week’s athletics news as the Trojans beat Marshalltown Community College and Southwestern Community College in double home double headers Saturday and Sunday. Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team plays a home double header against Ellsworth Community College at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and the two teams play again Thursday in Iowa Falls. 

On Sunday, NIACC beat Southwestern 3-2 and 8-0, getting a one-hit, five-inning shutout from Brittney Zamora (Las Cruces, NM/HS) in game two. Zamora and Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) had two hits for the Trojans, who scored twice in the second inning and four in the third. The game one winning pitcher was Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda), with Balduf contributing two hits and Stephanie Haacke (Kensett/North Central) driving in a run in the first inning and scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the fifth. 

Against Marshalltown, Reis picked up the 8-3 game one victory as Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal) had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) also had two hits in the opener and then added three more in game two, a 3-1 win. She also drove in two runs as Zamora tossed a five-hitter over seven innings while fanning five. On Wednesday, NIACC had split a double header with Iowa Lakes Community College, winning the opener 8-3 before being edged 10-6 in game two. Riesenberg was 3-for-3 in game one and drove in two runs with a single during NIACC’s four-run first inning. 

In track and field, NIACC competed in the Dick Young Track and Field Classic at Grinnell College last Saturday and Donny Severs (Burlington/HS) led the Trojans by placing second in the men’s shot put with a toss of 15.37 meters, just behind the 15.42-meter throw by Iowa State’s Zac Brouillette. The top women’s finish was by Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS), who placed sixth in the shot put. Coach Curtis Vais’ team competes Saturday at the Loras Open in Dubuque.   

In baseball action, NIACC’s sixth-rated Division II NJCAA team won two of three games last weekend in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference action, beating Southeastern Community College 2-1 on Sunday before rain postponed game two. The two teams play a 2 p.m. contest today at Roosevelt Field in Mason City as NIACC tries to improve on its 28-10 overall record, 10-3 in ICCAC play.

 Sunday’s victory was keyed by the hitting of Casey Johnson (Brooklyn, WI/Oregon) and Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central) and the pitching of Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic). Johnson’s fielder’s choice grounder broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning and Heithoff made the lead stand up, tossing a four-hitter with nine strikeouts to move to 5-1 on the season. Johnson and Rehnstrom both had two hits overall.

 On Saturday, NIACC beat Southeastern 11-8 in game one and lost 9-1 in the nightcap. Rehnstrom produced three hits and Johnson and Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young American, MN/Central) had a pair of runs batted in to support the pitching of Jared Koch (Cherokee/Washington), who is now 5-1 overall. Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) picked up his seventh save. On Thursday, NIACC split a double header with Indian Hills Community College, the eighth-rated team in NJCAA Division I baseball, beating the Falcons 5-3 in game two after dropping a 4-0 decision in the opener. Again, Rehnstrom was a key to victory, contributing three hits in game two, while Ische’s two-run single broke a 3-3 tie. 

In women’s golf, NIACC placed fourth at the Iowa Central Invitational last Monday as Brittany Lockwood (Mason City/HS) shot a 92 for 18 holes. The Trojans, who had a team score of 394 strokes, also received a 94 from Whitney Weber (Clear Lake/HS). Both the women and men’s teams will play at NIACC’s own invitational on Tuesday at Highland Country Club in Mason City. The men had played last weekend in Ottumwa at an invitational hosted by Indian Hills, placing eighth of 10 teams in the two-day event. Elliott Sheriff (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) produced a 36-hole score of 163 to lead coach Chris Frenz’ team.

 

 

Rewind for April 16

The weather finally broke and clear days marked last weekend, but the forecast has been sunny for the North Iowa Area Community College baseball team all spring. On Sunday, the ninth-rated Trojans continued their strong season as they defeated Ellsworth Community College 20-3 and 9-8 in Iowa Falls. The team is now 24-7 overall, 7-1 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play heading into today’s 2:30 p.m. double header at Ellsworth. Jared Koch (Cherokee/Washington) moved to 4-1 on the season by tossing five innings of four-hit ball in the opener and striking out six.  

Offensively, Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) and Jason Hunt (Olathe, KS/Olathe South) each hit a homer and drove in five runs as NIACC produced six runs in both the second and third innings. In game two, Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young America, MN/Central) had a homer and four runs batted in and the Trojans scored the winning run in the top of the eighth inning to make a winner of reliever Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS).  

Last Monday, the Trojans upended Iowa Lakes Community College 10-0 and 12-5 last Monday in Mason City as Koch and Tom Heithoff pitched five innings apiece for victories. Koch moved to 3-1 overall by tossing five-hit ball and throwing just 57 pitches. Meanwhile, Clay Bourgeois (Barataria, La/Fisher) hit a three-run homer and Hunt added a two-run homer to give Koch all the support he needed in game one. 

In game two, coach Todd Rima’s team banged out 14 hits, scoring four runs in the first inning to give Heithoff an early cushion. Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central) had three hits and five runs batted in to lead NIACC in the nightcap. Bourgeois, Rehnstrom and Josh Swenson (Burnsville, MN/Apple Valley) had four hits apiece in the double header. The Trojans continue to remain near the top of Division II offensive statistical rankings, as their .382 batting average was second nationally before banging out 29 hits in two games on Sunday.  

In softball, NIACC coach Mary Jo Vrba announced that shortstop Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Northern Iowa next year. She showed why she’s a Division I-caliber in a pair of double header losses last weekend. On Saturday at Muscatine Community College, Balduf hit a homer in each game as the Trojans lost 7-3 and 10-2. On Sunday, Vrba’s team lost 11-7 and 9-6 at Kirkwood Community College, but Balduf’s two homers and three RBI in game two kept her team close until the home team scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

 In men’s golf action last Monday in Burlington, NIACC finished sixth at the 10-team Southeastern Community College Invitational as Andrew Cullen (Clear Lake/HS) shot an 80 for 18 holes to finish in a tie for fifth individually. Matt Mostrom (Ventura/HS) shot an 88 as coach Chris Frenz’ team had a team total of 349 strokes. Iowa Wesleyan (320) took team honors. 

In track and field, NIACC’s throwers had the best results as the Trojans participated in the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake University Saturday. After learning that the Loras Invitational had been cancelled, coach Curtis Vais made arrangements for his team to head south and Lucas Nelson (St. Ansgar/HS) made a strong showing, finishing fifth in the hammer throw with a toss of 41.41 meters. Teammate Spencer Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan) was sixth in the hammer with a toss of 40.92 meters and placed ninth in the discus (Nelson was 14^th). In the shot put, Joe McCall (Council Bluffs/Lincoln) was eighth overall with a toss of 12.85 meters. 

Men’s basketball coach Bryan Martin announced that Ryan Sones (Laurens/Laurens-Marathon) signed a national letter-of-intent with Upper Iowa University in Fayette and Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS) signed with Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant. Stambaugh earned second-team All-Region XI honors this season while Sones was a  key reserve on the Trojans’ 21-11 squad.

 

 

NIACC Athletes Honored

MASON CITY (April 13, 2007) – More than a dozen student-athletes were among those honored during the North Iowa Area Community College Alumni Association’s annual Pathways to Success Luncheon on Monday.

Athletes honored included:
Baseball: Jay East (Garner/Garner-Hayfield), Dan Mousel (Sioux City/Bishop Heelan Catholic), Brandon Westphal (Sumner/Sumner-Fredericksburg), Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central), Jared Koch (Cherokee/HS) and Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic).
Football: Wesley Brommel (Norwalk/HS)
Men’s golf: Andrew Cullen (Clear Lake/HS).
Men’s basketball: Ryan Sones (Laurens/Laurens-Marathon).
Softball: Stephanie Haacke (Kensett/North Central) and Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic).
Women’s basketball: *Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal), Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) and Kaeanna Wood (Messena/Atlantic). Riesenberg also plays softball.

Each April, top NIACC students are recognized for their scholarship, leadership and character during the luncheon, which is sponsored by local businesses and organizations. Students must have a 3.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale to be eligible.

Rewind for April 9

Although the chilly temperatures and windy conditions cancelled many North Iowa Area Community College sporting events last week, the women’s and men’s golf teams managed to compete well in their opening tournaments.

The women’s team edged Ellsworth Community College for first place at the Ellsworth Invitational last Thursday as Kayli Jones (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) shot a 45 for nine holes for team honors. Whitney Weber (Clear Lake/HS) added a 46 for coach Chris Frenz’ team as their team score of 191 edged the host school by one stroke at the Highland Golf Course. They play on Wednesday, traveling to Forest City to face Waldorf College at Bear Creek Country Club.

In men’s golf action last Monday, NIACC finished sixth as a team at the William Penn Invite as Andrew Cullen (Clear Lake/HS) shot an 8-over-par 78 to finish in a tie for 14th individually. Greg Engels (Rockford/Rockford Rudd-Marble Rock) tied for 20th with a 79 for the Trojans, who compete at the Southeastern Community College Invite today.

In baseball, NIACC dropped a pair of non-conference games at nationally-rated Indian Hills Community College last Tuesday, losing 11-7 and 7-3 to fall to 20-7 overall.

Despite the losses to the Division I school, coach Todd Rima’s team was still ranked 10th in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll and team is hitting .379, second nationally. The Trojans play an ICCAC double header today at 2 p.m. against Iowa Lakes Community College. The two teams will play at the same time on Tuesday as well.

NIACC continues to receive honors for individual accomplishments as Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young America, MN/Central) was named ICCAC Division II Athlete of the Week for his efforts from March 29-April 4. Ische sports a .467 batting average, good for 20th in the country. Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) has a .500 batting average, which puts him fifth individually while his 43 runs batted in is the most among Division II players. He’s also fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (27 in 18 2/3 innings) as a pitcher.

In softball, NIACC dropped its opening conference games last Wednesday at Iowa Lakes Community College by scores of 13-8 and 8-7. Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) hit two-run homers in each game as the Trojans fell to 11-6 overall.

Whitney Bauer (DeWitt/Central) hit a solo homer to give NIACC an early lead in game one and she and Leah Mork (DeWitt/Central) had three hits apiece for the Trojans. In game two, Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) had a two-run homer and Fleming tied the game 7-7 with her second homer of the day before Iowa Lakes scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win game two.

Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team will travel to Iowa Falls Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. ICCAC double header at Ellsworth.

Rewind for April 2

The North Iowa Area Community College softball team picked up an individual honor and a non-conference victory last week as sophomore Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) was honored by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference as the Division II Scholar Athlete of the Week.  

Fleming, who had a 3.92 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, was hitting .444 before Thursday’s non-conference game against the Wartburg College junior varsity. She had one of her team’s 11 hits as the Trojans beat the Knights 9-8 on Thursday and raised their record to 11-4. Traci Lerch (DeWitt/Central) hit a solo homer and Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) had three hits, including two RBI doubles, while pitcher Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda) recorded her sixth victory in eight decisions. 

Trailing 2-1, Balduf’s first RBI double occurred during a four-run third inning. Laura Fjelstad (Lake Mills/HS) singled in Balduf, Leah Mork (DeWitt/Central) ripped a triple to bring home pinch-runner Nicole Sternat (Fredericksburg/Sumner-Fredericksburg) and Holly Schmidt (Readlyn/Wapsie Valley) doubled to score Mork to put NIACC up 5-2.

 Up 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Lerch led off for NIACC by driving a Robin Petersen pitch over the left field fence. Balduf drove in another run with her second double and scored on a Fjelstad single. Balduf scored her team’s final run in the sixth inning and the Trojans needed it as Wartburg scored four runs in the seventh before falling short. 

Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team opens Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play with a 3:30 p.m. Tuesday home double header against Iowa Lakes Community College.

 In baseball, NIACC ended a busy week by splitting a double header Sunday at Muscatine Community College, dropping game one 7-3 and winning game two 4-2 to move to 20-5 overall. Jake Lambert (Kettle River, MN/Barnum) moved to 4-0 and Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) picked up his fifth save in the nightcap as the Trojans scored three times in the top of the sixth inning.  NIACC had won 8-6 on Saturday as Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young America, MN/Central) hit a pair of three-run homers. Ische had homered in game two of a non-conference double header Wednesday at Marshalltown Community College. Coach Todd Rima’s team lost game one 6-3 and were edged in the finale 2-1. 

The Trojans had taken two non-conference games from Rochester Community and Technical College of Minnesota at the Metrodome Tuesday, winning 10-2 and 13-3. In the opener, Josh Swenson (Burnsville, MN/Apple Valley) and Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) produced two hits each as Brian Prusinski (Muskego, WI/HS) picked up his third win. Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) had three hits in game two and Swenson and Ische added two apiece as Russ Jiskra (Hudson, WI/HS) earned the victory. 

Five players were listed in some National Junior College Athletic Association Division II statistical categories before last weekend’s games. Heithoff was third in runs batted in with 40, seventh in homers (six). He was also eighth in batting average (.526) while Ische was 19^th in that category (.485). The Trojans as a team were hitting .401, second in the NJCAA. In pitching, Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) was among the saves leaders, Prusinski had not allowed an earned run in 13 innings - one of 25 pitchers with an ERA of 0.00 – and Brandon Pitz (Decorah/HS) was among the leaders in strikeouts per inning.  

 

Rewind for March 26

The North Iowa Area Community College men’s and women’s outdoor track and field season began Saturday at the Wartburg Open and Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed third in the women’s shot put and fifth in the discus to lead Trojans competitors.  

Hall threw the discus 35.29 meters and her 12.12-meter throw in the shot put was just behind the 12.45-meter toss by Wartburg’s Jessica Best, the winner of the event. Among the men’s competitors, Spencer Rahm (Wesley/Bishop Garrigan), Lucas Nelson (St. Ansgar/HS) and Joe McCall (Council Bluffs/Lincoln) finished fourth, fifth and seventh in the discus and Jimmy Lanik and Logan Weeks placed eighth and ninth in the 1,500-meter race, according to meet results posted on the Internet. 

The softball team continued their winning ways, beating Ellsworth Community College 5-3 and Rochester Community Technical College of Minnesota 10-7 on Friday to raise their overall record to 10-2. The win over Ellsworth was the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

 Sophomore Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) had a pair of runs batted in against Ellsworth. Pitcher Brittney Zamora (Las Cruces, NM/HS) scattered 10 hits for her fifth win in six decisions as NIACC broke open a 2-2 game with three runs in the top of the sixth inning.

 Fleming and Leah Mork (DeWitt/Central) had two hits apiece in the Rochester win, Mork driving in three runs to help Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda) move to 5-1 on the mound this season. Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s team overcame a 7-3 deficit by scoring seven runs in the top of the sixth inning of game two.  NIACC travels to Decorah to play Luther College’s junior varsity in non-conference play today.  

In baseball, NIACC won three of four contests over the weekend as the Trojans opened ICCAC play Saturday against Des Moines Area Community College. NIACC beat the Bears 6-4 and 12-8 on Saturday as coach Todd Rima’s team hit six homers on the day, including two by Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic).  

Jared Koch (Cherokee/HS) picked up the victory in the first game and Zack Welter (Cedar Falls/HS) earned his fourth save as Heithoff, Jason Hunt (Olathe, KS/Olathe South), Clay Bourgeois (Barataria, LA/Fisher) and Jeremy Ische (Young Norwood America, MN/Central) hit homers. In game two, Jake Lambert (Kettle River, MN/Barnum) moved to 3-0 on the season as Heithoff and Erik Smith (Pisgah/West Harrison) smacked round-trippers and the Trojans produced 16 hits.

 On Sunday, NIACC won its opener against DMACC 20-15 in eight innings before losing the nightcap 13-3. The defeat ended a 15-game win streak. Smith had six hits while Heithoff had five in the initial game and each hit a homer and drove in four runs. The Trojans produced 26 hits as Josh Swenson (Burnsville, MN/Apple Valley), Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central) and Hunt had three apiece. Rehnstrom added two hits in the second game to lead NIACC hitters.    

On Thursday, the Trojans swept the Upper Iowa University junior varsity in a non-conference double header by scores of 6-5 and 6-1. In the opener, Brandon Pitz (Decorah/HS) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief work while four NIACC players had a pair of hits. In the finale, Brian Prusinski (Muskego, WI/HS) moved to 2-0 with two innings of pitching while Alex Lagadin (Thunder Bay, ON/Hammarskjold) fanned six in four innings for his first save. Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) had a pair of runs batted in during game two and had four hits on the day.

 

Rewind for March 19

A new hire, a spring trip full of promise for two spring sports teams and some deserved recognition were all part of North Iowa Area Community College athletics during the past week.

During a press conference last Tuesday, NIACC athletic director Dan Mason announced that Richard Fergola would be the head coach of the reinstated wrestling program at the school. Fergola was previously the head coach of Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, where his Vikings finished fourth at the recent National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships in Sioux City.

Fergola earned Coach of the Year honors in the Great Plains Athletic Conference after his team won all five conference matches and produced a 12-2 dual meet record. His team also finished first at regionals. The past two years, Fergola had served as Dana’s assistant head coach as the Vikings won the 2006 NAIA wrestling title after placing fifth in 2005.

While temperatures hovered near freezing last week in Mason City, NIACC baseball and softball teams were in Cocoa, FL, and Myrtle Beach, SC, respectively and both teams enjoyed both the warmer climate and some hot bats in highly successful spring trips.

Sophomore Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) helped the Trojans finish the baseball trip 11-1 by winning two games on the mound and driving in 26 runs with his bat. Heithoff opened the trip with five hits and six runs batted in during the opening two games on February 10 and never stopped hitting, hitting a grand slam in one contest, belting a two-run homer in another and making an impact daily. He also earned victories in games against Miami (OH) Hamilton and the Blue Jays of Ontario, Canada, giving up one run in nine innings overall while striking out 13.

But Heithoff wasn’t the only Trojans player to hit well on the trip for coach Todd Rima’s team. Josh Swenson (Burnsville, MN/Apple Valley) hit a homer and drove in six runs as NIACC won two games on Thursday, then doubled, tripled and homered in the Ontario game on Saturday. Jason Hunt (Olathe, KS/Olathe South) hit a grand slam in one contest and had six hits in Saturday’s double header.

Dean Molitor (Carroll/Kuemper Catholic) had two hits apiece in the last five games of the trip. And returning starting infielders Alex Rehnstrom (Sioux Rapids/Sioux Central) and Casey Johnson (Brooklyn, WI/Oregon) and freshman catcher Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young American, MN/Central) provided plenty of sparks offensively as well. Rima’s team plays the Upper Iowa junior varsity on Thursday in Fayette and opens conference play on Saturday with a double header in Boone against Des Moines Area Community College.

The softball fortunes were almost as good, with coach Mary Jo Vrba’s squad finishing their trip with eight wins in 10 games. Pitchers Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda) and Brittney Zamora (Las Cruces, NM/Panhandle State) each posted 4-1 records for the Trojans. Zamora got her team off to a good start offensively as she had three hits and five runs batted in during an 11-3 season-opening victory over Penn St.-Altoona on February 11. Zamora then picked up the victory as NIACC beat Gettysburg (PA) 8-2 later that day.

On Monday, Vrba’s team won two more games, thanks to the five runs batted in by Steph Haacke (Kensett/North Central). She later helped her team earn its final win of the trip, a 10-2 triumph over Massasoit Community College (MA), by hitting a homer. In that victory, NIACC also received three hits by Nicole Sternat (Fredericksburg/Sumner-Fredericksburg).

Three other returning players also had bright moments offensively. Kimberly Fleming (Mason City/Newman Catholic) hit a homer in a homer in a 15-0 win over Alfred State on Tuesday and classmate Brittney Balduf (Mason City/HS) added four RBI in that contest. In a pair of wins Wednesday, Holly Schmidt (Readlyn/Wapsie Valley) combined for five runs batted in.

The softball team plays the Luther College junior varsity next Monday in Decorah and hosts Iowa Central Community College in its conference opener March 28 beginning the double header at 3 p.m.

In men’s basketball, forward Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) and guard Master Irvin (Waterloo/East) earned first-team Division II All-Region XI honors while center Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS) was a second-team pick and guard De’Lain Riley (Waterloo/East) earned honorable mention. All are sophomores.

Vinson was second in the Iowa Community Conference Athletic Conference in total points, averaging 16 points per contest. He was also second in rebounds, grabbing nine boards per game, and shot 79.6 percent from the foul line, also second. Vinson finished with 992 career points – 10th on NIACC’s career scoring list. He also placed seventh in career rebounds with 525.

Irvin’s 134 assists was second among Division II players in the ICCAC and he was third in steals (69) and fourth in free throw percentage (.789) while averaging 11 points per game. He finished fourth on the career list at NIACC with 270 assists. Stambaugh scored 10 points per game and led his team in blocked shots while finishing fifth in field goal percentage (.552) during the regular season. Riley led the conference in steals with 119, the fourth best season total in ICCAC history, while averaging nine points.

 

Rewind for March 12

After improving its win total by six games from the season before, the North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team ended its 2006-07 campaign with a 74-65 loss Sunday afternoon to Des Moines Area Community College in the Region XI Division II semifinals in Iowa Falls.

Coach Bryan Martin’s team finished 21-11 overall after placing third in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. On Sunday, sophomore forward Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) led the Trojans with 19 points and finished his NIACC career with 992 points, good for 10th on the school’s career scoring list. He also finished seventh on the career rebounding list and his 198 free throws made for his career placed him fifth in that category.

De’Lain Riley (Waterloo/East) and Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) had 12 points to support Vinson’s offense and Smalls’ 3-point basket cut the DMACC lead to 69-64 with 45 seconds left. However, after DMACC missed two foul shots on its next possession, the Trojans missed a 3-point attempt and the victorious Bears (29-3) made 5 of 6 foul shots in the closing seconds to advance to the Region XI finals Tuesday night against top-seeded Kirkwood Community College.

Vinson, Riley, Master Irvin (Waterloo/East), Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS), Ryan Sones (Laurens/Laurens-Marathon) and Bud Kennedy (Horn Lake, MS/HS) all finished their basketball careers at NIACC on Sunday. Irvin finished fourth on the career assist category, Riley was first in the conference in steals and Stambaugh led his team in blocked shots. Sones was second on the Trojans in blocked shots and Kennedy provided Martin with quality minutes defensively off the bench during the season, which produced the most victories since the 1986-87 campaign.

The baseball team opened its 2007 season in Cocoa, FL, last weekend and won two of its first three games, the latest a 13-1 win over Miami-Hamilton of Ohio. Tom Heithoff (Carroll/Kuemper) tossed a four-hitter in the five-inning game and Casey Johnson (Brooklyn, WI/Oregon) and Jeremy Ische (Norwood Young American, MN/Central drove in three runs apiece.

On Saturday, the Trojans split a double header as coach Todd Rima’s team upended Massasoit Community College (MA) 14-4 and lost 9-4 to Alfred State College of New York. Jake Lambert recorded the win in game one and Heithoff helped Lambert’s cause with a homer and four runs batted in. Heithoff also contributed three hits, including a pair of doubles, in the Alfred State contest.

NIACC will play Hagerstown Community College of Maryland today and will play two games on Tuesday. The trip concludes Saturday.

Coach Mary Jo Vrba’s softball team began its season Sunday in Myrtle Beach, SC, beating Penn State University of Altoona 11-3 and Gettysburg (PA) 8-2. Freshman transfer Brittney Zamora (Las Cruces, NM/Panhandle State-OK) had three hits to pace a 16-hit attack in game one as freshman Hanna Reis (Newell/Newell-Fonda) picked up the victory. In game two, Zamora tossed a complete-game two-hitter and added two hits as the Trojans scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning for all of the runs they needed.

NIACC’s softball team continues play in the Snowball Softball Tourney this week. The Trojans, who return six starters from last year’s 22-23 team, will begin conference play on March 28 against Iowa Central Community College.

Three NIACC women’s basketball players, Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale), Saira Morgan (Anamosa/HS) and Katie Bormann (Fredericksburg/Sumner-Fredericksburg) were among those named to the All-Region XI team this week in a vote by coaches.

Stiles averaged 7.6 points per game and led her team in assists and steals. She also finished the season with five double digit scoring efforts. Morgan averaged a team-best nine points per contest and finished her career with shooting .543 from the field over two years, putting her among the all-time bests at the school. Both Stiles and Morgan were third-team All-Region picks last season.

Bormann, a freshman, averaged 7.3 rebounds per game to finish fifth in the conference in that category. She was fourth in offensive rebounding and averaged seven points per game as the Trojans finished 11-19 overall.
 

Rewind for March 5

Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) earned All-America honors in two events as five competitors from the North Iowa Area Community College track and field team competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association indoor track and field nationals last Friday and Saturday in Lubbock, Texas.  

Hall finished third in the women’s weight throw event Saturday with a toss of 15.36 meters, just behind the 15.45-meter toss by Tamara McMillan of Cowley County Community College in Kansas. On Friday, Hall had placed fourth overall in the shot put with a toss of 12.83 meters. Hall had been seeded fifth in both events entering this weekend’s events, which were held at Texas Tech University.

 Head coach Curtis Vais’ team also sent one individual in the men’s meet, Jimmy Lanik (Cottage Grove, MN/Park), and a distance relay team consisting of Lanik, Ramelle Naysm (St. Louis, MO/McCluer), Dan Mayer (Redfield/W. Central Valley) and Logan Weeks (Des Moines/Lincoln). Lanik competed in his second indoor nationals meet, racing in the men’s 1,000-meter race, and placing 23^rd overall with a clocking of 2 minutes, 44.80 seconds. The distance relay team placed 15^th in 12:01.78.

 In men’s basketball, NIACC traveled to Ft. Dodge Saturday and lost its Iowa Community College Athletic Conference regular-season finale at Iowa Central Community College by a 79-78 margin in overtime. The Trojans finished the regular season 20-10, 8-6 in conference play as they rallied from a 58-37 deficit behind the 24 points from Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) and the 15 points of Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley). 

On Wednesday, Vinson was named one of three ICCAC Athletes of the Week for his performance at Clinton Community College and Ellsworth Community College. He had 18 points in an 83-74 win over Clinton on February 24 and 23 points in a 69-49 win over Ellsworth on February 21. It was Vinson’s second Athlete of the Week honor this season.  

This weekend, coach Bryan Martin’s team plays in the Region XI playoffs and the Trojans are the third seed of eight teams. However, regular season play hasn’t finished for the ICCAC and a first-round opponent hasn’t been determined yet. 

In women’s basketball, coach John Oertel’s Trojans ended the 2006-07 season with a 68-60 loss at Iowa Lakes Community College in the Region XI quarterfinals in Estherville. Sophomores Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale and Gina Howard (Merrillville, IN/HS) had 11 and 10 points respectively for the Trojans, who finished 11-19 overall.   

Trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, NIACC held Iowa Lakes without a field goal for over five minutes to make things interesting. Freshman forward Katie Bormann (Fredericksburg/Sumner-Fredericksburg) made a 3-point field goal with 47 seconds left to cut the Lakers lead to 62-56 and NIACC held Iowa Lakes without a point on its next possession. However, the Trojans turned the ball over on their next trip down and Allie Renberg’s rebound basket and four Lakes foul shots iced the game for Iowa Lakes.

 Bormann had nine points and Saira Morgan (Anamosa/HS) added seven points for NIACC, which forced 16 turnovers. Other sophomores finishing their NIACC basketball careers included Kaeanna Wood (Atlantic/HS), Kara Cobb (Calumet City, IL/Bishop Noll), and Amber Riesenberg (Lake City/Southern Cal). 

 Earlier last week, two NIACC alums received All-Conference honors for their basketball feats at various four-year institutions. Waldorf College senior Katie Meyer, who played women’s basketball for the Trojans two years ago, was named a second team All-Midwest Classic Conference performer. Former NIACC men’s basketball player Justin Redmond-Trotter, a junior at Eastern New Mexico University, earned second team honors in his division of the Lone Star Conference.

 

Rewind for February 26

 

The North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team recorded their first 20-win season since 1993-94 by virtue of an 83-74 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference victory over Clinton Community College on Saturday.  

The Trojans scored 22 of the game’s final 25 points to overcome a 71-63 deficit with under six minutes remaining. NIACC made 10 3-point baskets to help the comeback, including four second-half three-pointers by Master Irvin (Waterloo/East). Irvin finished with 16 points and Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) led the Trojans with 18 points. 

Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS) scored 10 of his 14 points to put NIACC up 40-35 at halftime. Reserve James Wiggins (Des Moines/Hoover) gave the Trojans some offensive fire off the bench, making three 3-point field goals for nine points. NIACC helped overcome the 21 points of Clinton’s Nick Thompson with 14 of 15 free throw shooting, most of them coming in the final minutes. 

Three days earlier, Vinson scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half to ensure NIACC’s 69-49 victory against visiting Ellsworth Community College. Stambaugh added 13 points and Irvin contributed 10 points and seven assists for Martin’s squad, which took a 29-17 halftime lead and never let the visitors get within double digits thereafter. 

At 4 p.m. Saturday, NIACC will finish its ICCAC season with an away game against Iowa Central Community College. The Trojans, who will finish third in the conference, then play in the Region XI playoffs the following week. Their opponent hasn’t been determined yet. 

In women’s basketball, Kaeanna Wood (Atlantic/HS) scored 13 points, including three field goals from 3-point range, as coach John Oertel’s team won a 51-46 decision over Ellsworth on Wednesday. On Saturday, NIACC’s home game versus Iowa Western was canceled due to poor weather.  

Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) added 11 points for the Trojans, which moved to 11-18 overall, 5-11 in conference. NIACC is scheduled to play at Iowa Lakes Community College on Tuesday, but cancellations in other ICCAC games may move the first-round games of the Region XI back until later in the week.  

In indoor track and field, coach Curtis Vais will send two individuals and one relay team to the National Junior College Athletic Association national meet March 2-3 in Lubbock, Texas. In the women’s competition, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) has qualified for both the shot put and weight throw and was seeded fifth in each event before last weekend’s track and field meets.  

Jimmy Lanik (Cottage Grove, MN/Park) will compete in the men’s 1,000-meter race and will combine with 400-meter runner Ramelle Naysm (St. Louis, MO/McCluer), 1,200-meter runner Dan Mayer (Redfield/W. Central Valley) and 1,600-meter runner Logan Weeks (Des Moines/Lincoln) in the distance relay.

 

Rewind for February 19

Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) and Katie Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) tallied 12 points apiece but it wasn’t enough to prevent North Iowa Area Community College’s women’s basketball team from losing 63-61 to visiting Southwestern Community College Saturday afternoon. 

The defeat dropped the Trojans to 10-17 overall, 4-11 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play. On Wednesday at 6 p.m., the women’s basketball team will host Ellsworth Community College in its final ICCAC contest of the season. On Saturday, the Trojans will play Iowa Western Community College at 4 p.m. in a non-conference game at NIACC gymnasium. 

Trailing 63-58, NIACC cut the lead to two points on a 3-point basket by freshman Tiffany Burgess (Des Moines/East) with 39 seconds remaining. NIACC had a pair of chances to tie the game but Katie Bormann (Fredericksburg/Sumner-Fredericksburg) and Stiles missed shots and Southwestern broke up a last-second shot attempt in the final seconds. 

Saturday’s loss spoiled perhaps the best all-around game of the season by Stiles, who had seven assists, six rebounds and five of NIACC’s 11 steals. She had led or co-led NIACC in scoring the past three games. 

Stiles helped coach John Oertel’s team take an early 10-8 edge with a basket, two steals and a pair of assists. The Trojans took their final lead of the game – 26-25- on a field goal by Monson with 3:29 left in the half. But the Spartans outscored NIACC 10-2 to lead 35-28 at intermission and while the Trojans were within one points on four occasions in the second half they never could regain control. 

In men’s basketball, the fortunes weren’t any better. De’Lain Riley (Waterloo/East) scored 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 70-61 loss to Southwestern Saturday night. Riley was the lone shooting standout for coach Bryan Martin’s team, making 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range.  Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln,NE/HS) added 13 points and Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) had 12 points for the Trojans, which had lost at Iowa Lakes 62-42 three days earlier. 

NIACC will host Ellsworth’s men’s team at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Trojans, now 18-9, 6-5, will play at ICCAC foe Clinton Community College at 3 p.m. Saturday. 

In indoor track and field, Donny Severs (Burlington/HS) was the top NIACC finisher, throwing the shot put 14.89 meters for fifth overall at Friday’s UNI Dome Open in Cedar Falls. Jimmy Lanik (Cottage Grove, MN/Park) finished sixth in the men’s 1,000-meter race in 2 minutes, 39.28 seconds and also combined with Ramelle Naysm (St. Louis, MO/McCluer), Dan Mayer (Redfield/W. Central Valley) and Logan Weeks (Des Moines/Lincoln) to finish fifth in the distance relay. The quartet’s time of 10:48.09 was just over the 10:46.66 qualifying standard for the NJCAA nationals in Lubbock, TX from March 2-3. 

In women’s competition, Ronnisha Hall (Pahokee, FL/HS) placed seventh in the shot put with a throw of 12.12 meters. Hall was also 10^th in the weight throw (13.49 meters).

 

Rewind for February 12

The North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team made big strides this week, culminating a three-game winning streak with a 66-63 overtime home victory over Des Moines Area Community College on Saturday. The victory raised the Trojans’ overall record to 18-7 and avenged a 59-point loss in January. 

Yusuf Vinson scored 14 of his team-high 15 points in the second half and overtime as coach Bryan Martin’s team overcame a 12-point deficit and raised their Iowa Community College Athletic Conference record to 6-3. Classmate Max Stambaugh made all six of his field goal tries and had 14 points overall while adding six rebounds and four blocked shots. The Mason City High product had six of his team’s points in overtime after Vinson’s foul shots sent the game into an extra session at 54-all. 

Master Irvin also contributed 14 points for NIACC while De’Lain Riley had 10. Sophomore reserve Ryan Sones had five points, but his three blocked shots in a span of 23 seconds may have been the most spectacular effort of the evening. Tonight at 7 p.m., NIACC hosts the junior varsity team of Simpson College. The Trojans had beaten JV teams from Grand View (71-66) and Wartburg earlier last week. Irvin led the Trojans with 15 points in last Monday’s Grand View contest while Irvin and James Wiggins had 18 points apiece in last Wednesday’s 78-54 win against Wartburg. 

On Wednesday, NIACC’s basketball teams travel to Estherville to play at Iowa Lakes Community College. The women’s team will play at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s game to follow. 

Although the women’s squad dropped a 61-51 decision to DMACC Saturday, the Trojans acquitted themselves well, battling to a 32-24 halftime edge and keeping in the contest to the final moments behind the 13 points and six rebounds of Jordan Stiles.  

Katie Bormann added 10 points and seven rebounds for coach John Oertel’s team, which is now 10-16, 4-9. NIACC produced 17 steals, five by Saira Morgan, and forced 25 DMACC turnovers. Only the 20 points by Bears guard Alisa Brinkman kept the Trojans from a conference upset.   

Last Wednesday, Morgan scored 19 points and Bormann added 12 in a 60-53 loss at Iowa Central Community College. NIACC led 40-30 at halftime, but struggled in the second half while Dani Huss’ 18 points helped key the home team’s comeback. 

In indoor track and field competition Saturday at the St. Cloud State University Husky Open, Jimmy Lanik became the third NIACC performer to qualify for nationals, placing second in the 1,000-meter race with a time of 2 minutes, 38.05 seconds. Also, Ramelle Naysm set a school record in the 500 with a 1:08.12 clocking. In the throwing events, Donny Severs threw the shot put 14.69 meters for fifth place in his event.  

In the women’s events, Ronnisha Hall was the top NIACC finisher, throwing the shot put 13.68 meters to place sixth overall.

 

 

Rewind for February 5

The North Iowa Area Community College men’s basketball team gave ninth-rated host Kirkwood Community College all it could handle Saturday before falling 84-75 in overtime as Greg Smalls and Yusuf Vinson scored 16 points each. NIACC is now 14-7, 5-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference.

Master Irvin added 13 points and Max Stambaugh had 10 points to lead a balanced scoring attack on Saturday. On Wednesday, the Trojans had dropped a non-conference 85-59 decision to visiting Marshalltown Community College despite 19 points and four steals by Vinson.

Coach Bryan Martin’s team has non-conference games against the junior varsity teams of Grand View (today) and Wartburg College, the latter contest occurring at 7 p.m. Wednesday in NIACC’s gymnasium. On Saturday, the Trojans host Des Moines Area Community College in ICCAC action, with the women playing at 4 p.m. and the men’s contest starting at approximately 6 p.m.

In women’s basketball, NIACC beat the William Penn junior varsity team 76-51. The Trojans are now (10-14) overall heading into Wednesday’s 6 p.m. ICCAC matchup at Iowa Central Community College.

Katie Bormann provided the individual highlight last week for Coach John Oertel’s team, scoring 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a 66-62 home loss to Marshalltown last Wednesday. On Saturday, the Trojans lost 90-34 at Kirkwood to fall to 4-7 in ICCAC play.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Mt. Vernon on Saturday to compete in the Cornell College Hilltop Invitational and three more NJCAA indoor national qualifying marks were reached by NIACC competitors.

Freshman Ronnisha Hall placed second in the women’s weight throw competition with a toss of 14.21 meters and qualified for nationals in that event. She also bettered the NJCAA qualifying mark she set a week earlier by hoisting the shot put 12.49 meters, winning that event Saturday. In the men’s shot put, freshman Donny Severs had a toss of 14.98 meters to earn a trip to the NJCAA indoor track and field nationals in Lubbock, Texas. He placed second in his event.

Freshman Tamira O’Neal ran the women’s 55-meter dash in 7.83 seconds, eighth overall. She also placed sixth in the 200 with a clocking of 27.91. Meanwhile, in other men’s events, Jimmy Lanik was fourth in the mile run and Lucas Nelson was fifth in the men’s weight throw with a toss of 14.48, not far from the national qualifying standard for the NJCAA.

 

Rewind for January 29

 

Ronnisha Hall won the women’s shot put at the Buena Vista Open indoor track and field meet last Saturday and her toss of 12.43 meters made the qualifying standard for the NJCAA women's national meet March 2-3 at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Based on last year's qualifying throws, Hall's shot put toss would've put her sixth among last year's aggregate. While Hall's performance was the lone winning effort for NIACC, coach Curtis Vais saw his team achieve much success on Saturday, although no team scores were kept.

Ramelle Naysm placed second in the men's 400 meter dash with a clocking of 52.04 seconds, just behind Josh Jackson (51.71) of Martin Luther College. Naysm also finished 11th in the 55-meter dash. In the men's shot put, NIACC's Donny Severs placed second with a toss of 14.23 meters.

 

In men’s basketball Sunday, Master Irvin (Waterloo/East) scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and made 8 of 12 field goal tries overall to help NIACC upend visiting Clinton Community College 69-61. The Trojans had three other players in double figures as they overcame a 33-27 halftime deficit. Coach Bryan Martin’s team is now 14-5, 5-2 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play.

Irvin had another strong performance Wednesday in a 71-63 home loss to Kirkwood Community College, tallying 15 points while dishing off six assists and producing five steals. Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) led the Trojans with 17 points while sophomore De’Lain Riley (Waterloo/East) had five steals and scored 10 straight points for his team during a 22-8 rally that helped nearly erase a 20-point Kirkwood lead. 

 

NIACC’s women’s basketball team was edged 58-57 by the Simpson College junior varsity team on Sunday to fall to 9-12 overall. Gina Howard (Merrillville, IN/HS) scored 15 points to lead all scorers, but her lay-up attempt rimmed in and out as time expired. Caiti Findreng (Elkhorn, WI/Waterford Union) added 11 points as the other NIACC player in double figures.

 The Trojans dropped an 89-40 decision Wednesday to Kirkwood, the nation’s top-ranked Division II entry, as Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) scored nine points. Coach John Oertel’s team received some good news earlier that day as sophomore Kaeanna Wood (Atlantic/HS) was named conference Athlete of the Week for her performance the previous week in two NIACC victories. Wood’s best effort was a 15-point performance in an overtime win at Southeastern Community College January 17.

 On Wednesday, NIACC’s women will host Marshalltown in an ICCAC contest that begins at 6 p.m. The men’s teams from both schools will play at 8 p.m.

 

 

 

Rewind for January 22, 2007

 

Kara Cobb (Calumet City, IL/Bishop Noll) scored 10 points, including six straight in a 1:07 span late in the second half as the North Iowa Area Community College women’s basketball team upended host Southwestern Community College 51-47 Saturday afternoon for their third consecutive win.

The victory lifted coach John Oertel’s team to 9-10 overall, 4-4 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play. The Trojans host Kirkwood Community College at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the men’s game to follow.

Trailing 52-42, NIACC went on a 10-1 run with Cobb scoring seven of her team’s points. Her field goal with two minutes remaining gave the Trojans their first lead of the game. A steal and lay-up by Saira Morgan (Anamosa/HS) in the final seconds sealed the victory. Morgan and Gina Howard (Merrillville, IN/HS) added nine points and Katie Bormann contributed seven points in a balanced scoring effort.

On Wednesday in Keokuk, Bormann, Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) and Kaeanna Wood (Atlantic/HS) scored 15 points apiece as NIACC edged Southeastern Community College 77-65 in overtime. The Trojans trailed most of the game but made 20 of 29 foul shots – including 11 of 13 by Stiles – to help their cause.

In men’s basketball, NIACC received 27 points from Master Irvin (Waterloo/East) and held off Southwestern 83-80 to move to 13-4 overall, 4-1 in ICCAC play. The game was close throughout as the Trojans trailed 42-41 at intermission. Once the Trojans got the lead they never led by more than seen points in the second half.

Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS) added 17 points, including two technical foul shots and a 3-point basket to put his team ahead 64-58 with 10:04 left in the contest. Southwestern closed to within two points twice but Irvin answered with a jump shot and his fifth 3-point basket to keep coach Bryan Martin’s team ahead to stay. Greg Smalls (Charleston, SC/West Ashley) scored 13 points and Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS) contributed 10 as four Trojans scored in double digits.

In men’s and women’s indoor track and field, NIACC traveled to the Iowa State University Open on Friday and Saturday and faced some of the top four-year and community college teams in the nation. Lucas Nelson had the highest finish for coach Curtis Vais’ team, finishing 14^th of 40 competitors in the weight throw with a school-record toss of 13.98 meters. Logan Weeks was 21^st of 44 runners in the 5,000 meter race with a time of 16 minutes, 5.10 seconds, also setting a school record. Meanwhile, Ramelle Nasym was 36^th of 77 runners in the 400 with a 52.41 clocking.

 

 

Rewind for January 16, 2007

It was a good week for North Iowa Area Community College athletics as the men's basketball team won three times, the women’s team split a pair of games and the men’s and women’s track and field team performed well in its first indoor meet.

In men’s basketball, coach Bryan Martin’s team routed the Buena Vista University junior varsity team 77-48 on Monday behind 27 points and 10 rebounds by sophomore forward Yusuf Vinson (Lincoln, NE/HS). Freshman guard James Wiggins (Des Moines/Hoover) added 12 points as the Trojans raised their overall record to 12-4.

Sophomore guard Master Irvin (Waterloo/East) had a solid all-around game with 10 points, seven assists and four steals as the home team outscored Buena Vista 42-19 in the second half.

On Saturday night, NIACC overcame a six-point deficit in the final 3 minutes, 41 seconds of regulation play and edged visiting Iowa Central Community College 80-79 in overtime. The Trojans are now 3-1 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play. NIACC's next ICCAC contest occurs at 4 p.m. Saturday when the Trojans travel to Creston to play Southwestern Community College.  NIACC trailed by as many as seven points in the second half but the Trojans forced seven turnovers in the final 2:53 of regulation and Greg Smalls Charleston, SC/West Ashley) scored on a lay-up and a jump shot in the final 1:22 to tie the game 70-all and send the game to an extra session.

In overtime, NIACC went on a 10-1 run to take a 80-73 edge and held off a late comeback by the visitors for the ICCAC victory. During that rally, the Trojans received two baskets by Vinson, field goals by Ryan Sones (Laurens/Laurens-Marathon) and Max Stambaugh (Mason City/HS) and a pair of foul shots by Irvin.  Vinson led both teams with 25 points, making 10 of 16 field goals. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Irvin added 13 points, Smalls had 12 points and Sones eight for the Trojans while De'Lain Riley (Waterloo/East) led his team with five assists while scoring five points. Brian Niesen led the visitors (5-12, 0-2) with 15 points.

On Wednesday, Vinson scored nine points in a row to put his team ahead late in the game during a 86-78 home win over Iowa Lakes Community College. Vinson finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, Sones scored a collegiate-high 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and three other Trojans scored in double digits.

In women’s basketball, freshman Kate Monson (Garner/Garner-Hayfield) made all five field goal attempts for 10 points as NIACC held on for a 54-52 ICCAC win over Iowa Central. Coach John Oertel’s team led 33-18 at half, but trailed 51-49 before a late rally helped the Trojans move to 7-10, 2-4.

Jordan Stiles (Rockwell/Rockwell-Swaledale) made a pair of foul shots with 1:12 left that provided the winning points on Saturday. Danni Huss led Iowa Central (8-8, 1-3) with 19 points.

On Wednesday, Stiles made 6 of 9 field goals en route to a game-high 17 points as NIACC lost 61-51 to Iowa Lakes. NIACC’s women play Southwestern at 2 p.m. Saturday, preceding the men’s contest.

In track and field, NIACC traveled to the Minnesota State University Alumni Open in Mankato Saturday and three Trojans set school records. Derrick Howard set a school record in the 60-meter hurdles by running his preliminary race in 8.83 seconds. He finished seventh in the finals with a 8.88 clocking.  Lucas Nelson’s school record came in the weight throw, where he finished fifth with a toss of 13.23 meters.

In another throwing event, the shot put, Joe McCall’s toss of 12.70 meters set a school mark and helped him place eighth overall. The best performance in women’s action came from Anna Schumacher, who finished ninth in the 1,000-meter race.

Coach Curtis Vais’ track and field squad will travel to Ames Friday and Saturday for the Iowa State Open.

 

 January 8, 2007

The North Iowa Community College women's and men's basketball teams began the 2007 portion of their schedules with Iowa Community College Athletic

Conference losses Saturday night at Des Moines AreaCommunity College.

In the women's contest, the Trojans dropped a 68-52 decision to the home team despite 11 points from Caiti Findreng and nine points from KaeAnna Wood. Katie Bormann added eight points and Maddie Biggs scored seven points in one of her best offensive efforts for coach John Oertel's squad.

The men's team faced the number two rated Division II team in the nation and DMACC was every bit as good as its ranking, beating the Trojans 108-49. Coach Bryan Martin's team received 18 points from sophomore guard De'Lain Riley and 10 points from freshman Greg Smalls, but got little offensive production elsewhere.

Sophomore forward Yusuf Vinson, the team's top scorer at 16 points per game, was held to just nine points and NIACC couldn't overcome a strong start by DMACC, which was led by Jesse Blackwell's 22 points.

NIACC's women (6-9, 1-3) will host ICCAC opponent Iowa Lakes at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The men (9-4, 1-1)will play Iowa Lakes at approximately 8 p.m.

In other news, two players from NIACC's 7-4 divisional title-winning football team have given oral commitments to Division I-AA programs in recent weeks, according to head football coach Scott Strohmeier.

Quarterback Ben Alford, who is from Dade City, FL, verbally committed to the University of Northern Iowain Cedar Falls after earning honorable mentionrecognition by the NJCAA and J.C. Grid-Wire. Alford, a sophomore, was named as the MFC West’s Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 52 percent of his passes last fall for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 749 yards in his second year as NIACC’s starting quarterback.

Against Ellsworth Community College, Alford completed 17 of 21 passes for 184 yards in a 42-16 victory. A week earlier, he had passed for 217 yards and ran for 124 more in a 35-33 loss to Harper Community College. "Ben improved so much from year 1 to year 2," said Strohmeier about Alford. "We weren’t sure whether we would play him at quarterback but we knew we’d play him somewhere. As a coach, you want someone at quarterback who wants the ball in their hands. He was so much more confident this year and he competes hard and is a tough kid. I don’t know if I’ll ever find a tougher quarterback."

Nick Daly, a 6-foot-4-inch, 310-pound offensive lineman from Burlington/HS, has signed a letter-of-intent with Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN, said coach Scott Strohmeier. Daly, a sophomore, was a first-team All-Region XI pick and was co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Midwest Football Conference West division. A year earlier, he was an honorable mention pick in the MFC West. "Nick made big strides from year 1 to year 2," said Strohmeier of Daly. "He stayed in Mason City all summer long, taking classes and working out in order to put himself in this position. He’s an extremely hard working player and a big, physical kid.

Back to the top