2007 Year in Review

The North Iowa Area Community College has continued to build on a solid foundation in its overall athletics program and a 5.3 million dollar construction project is already underway to further accentuate that effort.

An August groundbreaking began the work, which is being coordinated through Mason City-based Henkel Construction. Work is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2008. The new athletic and recreation center will include a new practice gymnasium, upgraded weight room facilities, a running track, new locker rooms and a wrestling room, among other things.

Here are some highlights from each of NIACC’s teams during 2007:

-In baseball, pitcher/infielder Tom Heithoff earned third-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors after being named Region XI Player of the Year among Division II schools. He was third nationally in runs batted in with 67 and tied for fifth in homers with 12. Head coach Todd Rima’s team compiled a 33-20 record last spring and was among the national leaders in batting average.

-In softball, NIACC finished 21-20 overall as head coach Mary Jo Vrba’s squad posted the program’s first winning season since 2002. Brittney Balduf and Stephanie Haacke earned second-team All-Region XI and Kimberly Fleming earned plaudits as the school’s top female student-athlete.

-In track and field, Ronnisha Hall earned All-American honors in two events at the NJCAA women’s indoor track and field nationals in March, placing third in the weight throw and fourth in the shot put. Jimmy Lanik was an individual qualifier in the 1,000-meter race and a distance relay team also competed in the men’s nationals. She also qualified for the outdoor nationals in May, along with Donny Severs, Lucas Nelson and Spenser Rahm.

-In golf, the men’s golf team placed fourth of seven teams at the Region XI meet as Andrew Cullen finished 12^th individually, narrowly missing a berth at the NJCAA national golf tourney. Head coach Chris Frenz’ women’s team had three players qualify for nationals, Whitney Weber, Kayli Jones and Brittany Lockwood after strong play in regionals. Weber and Jones finished 73^rd and 86^th respectively at the National Junior College Athletic Association meet.

-In men’s basketball, head coach Bryan Martin’s team finished 23-9 in 2007, producing the most wins since NIACC’s national title-winning team in 1995 and placing third in conference action. Yusuf Vinson earned first-team All-Region XI honors and moved into the school’s career top-10 lists in scoring and rebounding. Meanwhile, De’Lain Riley had 119 steals, the second-highest single season total in NIACC history and fourth best ever in the conference.

-In women’s basketball, KaeAnn Wood and Jordan Stiles earned NJCAA Academic All-American honors for their work in the classroom and Stiles earned All-Region honors for her play on the court for the second straight season.

-In wrestling, NIACC’s reinstated program began its first season in 32 years, boasting a freshman class that includes a handful of state champion high school competitors. Head coach Richard Fergola’s team honored NIACC’s 1973 NJCAA title-winning team in the spring and then held the inaugural Kaye Young Open on November 3 to honor the previous coach of a nationally-known program from 1967-76. Freshman Albert White won the 149-pound weight class title at the event.

-In football, NIACC finished 7-4 for the second consecutive year and head coach Scott Strohmeier’s Trojans defeated Iowa Central Community College 48-47 in the Midwest Football Conference West playoff to earn a bid into the featured game of the Graphic Edge Bowl on November 18. Quarterback Lorenzo Brown was given honorable mention All-American honors and was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Region XI. Seven other Trojans earned first-team All-Region status. Brown finished among the nation’s leaders in passing yards and total offense while wide receiver ranked among the nation’s best in receptions per game. As a team, NIACC was among the top 10 in total offense among NJCAA teams.

-In cross country, Dan Mayer earned U.S. Citizen All-American honors by finished 35^th individually at the NJCAA cross country championships in INA, IL on November 10. Head coach Curtis Vais’ program won both the men’s and women’s team titles at the Waubonsee Community College Chiefs Invitational and the men and women finished third in the Region XI meet. The men were 21^st as a team at nationals while the women placed 28^th.

-In volleyball, Sarah Heineman was named second-team All-Region and Kallie Winn and Nicki Sandberg earned honorable mention status for the Trojans, with Winn leading the conference in hitting percentage and service aces per game and Heineman ranking third in hitting percentage.

-In soccer, a school record win total (13) and a third-place finish during conference play helped earn NIACC’s Mike Regan Coach of the Year honors in Region XI. The first-year head coach was blessed with a strong English contingent, including first-team All-Region performers Mike Unwin, Simon Cook and Chris Bazen. Unwin set a school record with 27 goals (tied for third in the NJCAA) and his 63 points were tied for sixth in the country. Cook allowed just 15 goals and his 0.833 goals against average was among the best in the NJCAA. Unwin and Cook were named second team All-Americans.

NIACC has 14 teams competing in 10 different sports at the school. Approximately 300 student-athletes participate in intercollegiate athletics in an overall student population of over 3,000. For more about the new athletics and recreation building project and the happenings of NIACC’s athletic teams, contact athletic director Dan Mason by phone at 641-422-4281 or email him at masondan@niacc.edu. The school’s website is www.niacc.edu/athletics.