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Contributors

04 CENTRAL CITYThe youth soccer program responsible for 500 players

06 SUMMERTIMEWe’re ready for softball and baseball. Are you?

20 GO PRODiscover which Iowa college players made it to the NFL

25 ROW IT OUTBoth Iowa and Drake have rowing teams.

26 MINOR LEAGUEThe five Iowa minor Baseball teams open their seasons.

Presidents Note:We would like to remedy a mistake we made in the last issue listing of the Girls Class 3A First Team. Those talented ath-letes are: Danielle Moore (Sr., Davenport Assumption), Paige Greiner (Jr., Williamsburg), KJ Veldman (Sr., Spirit Lake), Alexis Conaway (Jr., MOC-Floyd Valley), Daneshia Snitker (Sr., Waukon), and Allie Sievert (Sr., Estherville-Lincoln Central). The Coach and Player of the year are: Alexis Conaway (Sr., MOC-Floyd Valley) and Mike Sconsa (Cascade (Western Dubuque)). We apologize for any confusion over our misprint and thank you for your continued support.

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4 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

Youth

FROM 50 TO 500

For the past 6 years, Central City Soccer has been creating a summer soccer program for first to eighth graders, and high school players. The league started in the summer of 2005, with around 50 participants at Evelyn Davis Park. This year, they are expecting to have 500 to 600 players signing up. Last year, they had over 400 kids register and actually had to turn people away. This will be the first year that they will expand to Good Park to suit the growing number of athletes. The league has a week long regis-tration period, in which the kids and their parents come to Evelyn Davis Park, sign up, and get sorted into teams based on skill level and age.

This year registration ends on May 25th, with the first games starting June 1st. The league coordinators and coaches try to make teams with equal chances of winning the games. They put players with various skill levels on teams to provide even teams. Each team has the ability to name itself, according to whatever they decide. The first and second graders form an age group, the third and fourth graders, the fifth and sixth graders, the seventh and eighth graders, and lastly, there is a high school age category. Central City Soccer tries to instill confidence and self-esteem in all their participants. “We want to show people that

they are valued and they are cared for. I think that can go along way in building people’s self-esteem and building their confidence about themselves, and helping them to really feel that they are worth some-thing and that they can do some-thing meaningful with their lives,” said Jason Wood, the league director and a current Drake student. The league has a ten-week sea-son, with eight games during the ten weeks. For every age group, there are roughly 8 teams, except high school. The high school teams are a little dif-ferent than the elementary through middle school players; there are only two high school teams, and these are really focused on more intensive skill

training than the younger teams. The two high school teams spend the season scrimmaging each other and increasing their skill level. The coaches are volunteers all from the Des Moines metro. About half are current Drake students, another quarter are current Grand View students and the final quarter are young, usually recent college graduates, Des Moines residents. Central City Soccer is affiliated with Walnut Creek Community Church, but the participants come from all religious backgrounds. All of the coaches have the responsibility of incorporating religious teachings halfway through practice and at halftime during their games.

Central City Soccer continues to grow by leaps and bounds in the DSM Metro

*All photos courtesy of Central City Soccer

SpotlightIn the

Youth

All youth track photos are from the Dallas-Center-Grimes, Urbandale and Johnston 7th and 8th grade girls and boys track meet on the 5th of April. The baseball photos were taken at the USSSA Kick Off Classic on the 6th and 7th of April.

Each month we publish youth action photos from around the state. We would love to get yours! Send us your photos at support@sportsspotlight.com

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6 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

HigH ScHool

Softball Preview: The 2013 Iowa high school softball season will be one of many changes. In Class 5A, Ankeny and Des Moines East have battled for the state titles. Changes have been made at both schools at the head coaching positions but have been filled by very capable coaches that hope to keep up the tradition. The Hawkettes lost both the Sports Spotlight Pitcher and Player of the Year. Individually in Class 5A, returning after being named to the Sports Spotlight All-State 1st Team are, Taylor Berry (Catcher, Muscatine); Olivia Roark (Infielder, Ottumwa); Sammy Garrett (Outfielder, Ottumwa) and Katie Sommer (Utility, Dubuque Senior). Other returners from the All-State 2nd Team include: pitchers Kylie Mickelson (Waukee); A.J. Medinger (Dubuque Senior); Lexy Pederson (Mason City); Lexi Spelhaug (Pleasant Valley); infielders Ashlee Chambers (Ankeny); Kate Crow (Ames); Leti Lerma (Muscatine); out-fielders Lexi Astor (Fort Dodge); Caitlin Bingham (Ankeny); Katie Shoultz (Muscatine) and utility player Callie Feaker (Waukee). Indianola captured the Class 4A crown last season and return a solid nucleus but did lose the Sports Spotlight Player of the Year in Abbie Van Vleet. The Sports Spotlight Pitcher of the Year, Paige Lowery returns for Dallas Center-Grimes who lost in the title game, 1-0. Besides Lowery, a handful of Class 4A 1st team members are back including Makayla Augustine (Cather, Bishop Heelen, Sioux City); Taylor Benshoof (Infielder, Winterset); Maddie Bohr (Infielder, Washington); Macey Wolfe (Outfielder, Dallas Center-Grimes) and Karly Olson (Utility, Winterset). Ballard (Huxley) cannot defend their 2012 state title because they move from 3A to 4A this season but return of Sports Spotlight 1st Team All-Stater, Kenzie Ihle in the circle. Also back after being named to the Class 4A All-State 2nd team are catchers Kaitlin Buchholz (Washington) and Allie Martinez (Lewis Central, Council Bluffs); pitchers Kaitlyn Biere (Webster City); Hannah Cole (West Delaware, Manchester);

Taylor Schaben (Harlan) and Larissa Uhl (Bishop Heelan, Sioux City), infielders McKenzie Ellis (In-dianola); McKenna Heim (North Scott, Eldridge); Annie Stolte (Ballard, Huxley) and Rachel Koch (Denison-Schleswig), outfielders Brianna Chaplin (Indianola) and Rachel Dunlap (Keokuk) and util-ity players Milliah Fligg (Clear Creek-Amana) and Sydney Galligan (Cedar Rapids Xavier). In Class 3A, a new state champion will be crowned and Bondurant-Farrar hopes to return to Fort Dodge behind their 1st Team All-State pitcher, Cailey Schlenker while East Marshall (LeGrand) will count on catcher Katie Roseland for another shot for the state championship ban-ner. Also back after being named to the Sports Spotlight 3A All-State 1st Team are Alex Yacko (Pitcher, West Burlington/Notre Dame); Riley Hale (Infielder, West Burlington/Notre Dame); Emily Kirchner (Infielder, Estherville-Lincoln Central); Mallory McArtor (Infielder, Mid-Prairie, Wellman); Kara Misel (Infielder, Solon); Amanda Busta (Outfielder, Forest City) and Paige Krause (Utility, Spirit Lake). Misel was named the Sports Spotlight 3A Player of the Year last season. The second team was filled with underclass-men that should once again impact their team’s hopes and include catchers Lexi Ackerman (George-Little Rock/Central Lyon) and Cheyenne Wilcke (Odebolt-Arthur/Battle Creek-Ida Grove, pitchers Libby Bemis (Clarke, Osceola), Erin Housch (Monticello), Haley Long (East Marshall, LeGrand) and Olivia Lugar (Mid-Prairie, Well-man). Also back are infielder Bryce Holmgren (Roland-Story), outfielders Courtney Coffin (West Burlington/Notre Dame) and Taylor Nearad (So-lon) and utility player Danielle McIntosh (Clarke, Osceola). Treynor returns after capturing the 2A state title last season. Madison Keysor is back to toe

the rubber once again after being named 1st Team All-State by the Sports Spotlight. Kelsey Lough (Jesup) was named the Sports Spotlight Pitcher of the Year and is also back and would like nothing more than a shot to play in Fort Dodge in her final season. Other 1st team all-state members return-ing are Cheyanne Boland (Catcher, North Union); Breanna Fortune (Pitcher, Wayne, Corydon); Colette Haag (Infielder, North Union); Anna Str-ien (Infielder, Columbus Catholic, Waterloo) and Allie Ingalls (Utility, North Union). Returning players named to the all-state 2nd team are catcher Shannon Laing (West Branch), pitchers Paige Compton (Durant) and Nicolette Simpson (BCLUW, Conrad), infielders Morgan Rose (AGWSR, Ackley) and Regan Wolverton (North Fayette, West Union) and outfielder Ana Angel (Van Meter); Bailie Schipper (Aplington-Parkersburg and utility player Kate Killinger (Treynor). In Class 1A, Martensdale-St. Marys edged Earl-ham for the title but both lost outstanding senior leadership so to repeat will be a big feat. Brittney Roby (Twin Cedars, Bussey) is back after being name Sports Spotlight Co-Player of the Year. Also back after being named to the all-state 1st team are Abbey Murphy (Infielder, Earlham); Ali Givens (Utility, Lisbon) and Karli Welter (Utility, Don Bosco, Gilbertville). Also back after being listed on the all-state 2nd team include catcher, Emily Rittmer (Preston); pitchers, Dana Hedlund (Akron-Westfield); Kate Patton (Murray); Rachel Smith (Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton) and Kimberly Wedeking (Clarksville). In the field the all-state returners are infielders, Madelyn Flemr (Lone Tree) and Kylah Schumacher (Martensdale-St. Marys) and outfielders, Emma Ferin (Martensdale-St. Marys); Morgan Frost (Don Bosco, Gilbertville) and utility players Ranee Maneman (Newell-Fonda) and Madison Rasmusson (Lynnville-Sully). Iowa high schools have been blessed with some of the best coaches in the country and it all begins with Larry Niemeyer who is the only coach with over 2,000 victories in his coaching career and is now at the helm of Waterloo West. Frank Huston of Ottumwa is second on the all-time list and is approaching 1,700 career wins. Active coaches with over 1,000 career wins are Dennis Johnson (North Scott, Eldridge), Steve Schlafke (Dallas Center-Grimes), Steve Saladino (Davenport West) and Rick Dillinger (North Polk).

Baseball Preview: As we get set for another Iowa high school baseball season we remember the 2012 state champions, which were Ankeny in Class 4A, Dallas Center-Grimes in Class 3A, Beckman (Dy-ersville) in Class 2A and Martensdale-St. Marys in Class 1A. For Martensdale-St. Marys it was their third consecutive title and in the process they set a state record for consecutive victories at 88 which are also second nationally. The Blue Devils will try

BREAK OUT THE BATSGet ready for high school softball and baseball seasons

Olivia Roark returns as an infielder for Ottumwa.

Brittney Roby gets ready for another season with Twin Cedars (Bussey).

photo courtesy of Kenn Krpan with Kennspiracy

7Volume 1 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com

HigH ScHool HigH ScHool

to make it four straight but will have a new coach at the helm. Gene Schultz (Kee, Lansing), is the Iowa high school all-time leader in coaching victories and his first win this season will hit a new milestone as it will be his 1,700th career win. Dennis Olejniczak (Decorah) is listed second on the all-time list and is just six wins away from reaching 1,300 in his career. Individually, there are many outstanding athletes returning after being named to the Sports Spotlightall-state teams last season. In Class 4A, Joel Lanning (catcher), Nick Belzer (pitcher) and Matt Johnson(utility) are all back for defending state champion Ankeny as a member of the all-state 1 st team. Alsoback from the Sports Spotlight all-state 1st team are Colby Carmichael (pitcher, Des Moines East), ReidBonner (infielder, Iowa City West) and Josh Crosby (utility, Iowa City West). Belzer was named the Class 4A Sports Spotlight Pitcher of the Year after recording a 10-0 record with a 1.24 ERA. In 68 innings of work, Belzer sat down 93 batters on strikes. Class 5A second team all-state returners include pitchers Derek Berkamper (Muscatine), Brock Neuhaus (Pleasant Valley) and Tyler Vaughn (Fort Dodge) along with outfielder Tanner Hinkle (West Des Moines Valley). Dom Thompson-Williams was named the Sports Spotlight Class 4A Player of the year and returns forSioux City East in the outfield. Thompson-Williams batted .544 last season with 86 hits, 25 doubles, 30RBI, stole 42 bases and scored 64 runs. He led 4A in hits, runs scored, stolen bases and doubles. In Class 3A, the retuning Sports Spotlight 1st team returners are Jake Thurman (catcher, Central Clinton, DeWitt), Eli Dunne (pitcher, Grinnell), Jonny Freese (pitcher, Benton Community, Van Horne), Alec Forbes (infielder, Glenwood) and Mitch Moser (infielder, Benton Community, Van Horne). Members back named to the second team include catcher Tyler Cropley (Bishop Heelan, Sioux City);pitchers Cody Reimer (Western Dubuque, Epworth) and Tyler Stolen (Bishop Heelan, Sioux City);infielders Kolby Greenslade (Norwalk), Aaron Krier (Storm Lake), Robert Lyons (Denison-Schleswig and Austin Peterson (Chariton); outfielders Dalton Dall (Solon) and Luke Johnson (Charles City) and utility players Paul Brown (Spirit Lake) and Josey Jewell (Decorah). In Class 2A, Jacob Hadaway of North Polk is back

after being named the Sports Spotlight Class 2A Pitcher of the Year. Hadaway was 10-1 last season with 4 saves and a stellar 0.29 ERA. Hadaway posted 124 strikeouts in 73 innings. Also returning from the Sports Spotlight all-state 1st team are Chris Halbur (pitcher, Kuemper Catho-lic, Carroll) and Tommy Setterdahl (infielder, St. Edmond, Fort Dodge). Back after being named to the all- state second team are pitcher Cole Crawford (Wilton); infielders David Flattery (St. Edmond, Fort Dodge) and Justin Shaffer (Durant); outfielder Reed Smith (North Polk) and utility players Sawyer Doocy (North Union) and Cody Good (Ogden). In Class 1A, Otis Roby is back after an impressive freshman season with Twin Cedars (Bussey) and named the Sports Spotlight Class 1A Pitcher of the Year. Roby was 11-2 with a 1.40 ERA in 70 innings of work, striking out 96 while holding opponents to a .174 batting average. Also back after being named to the Sports Spotlight all-state 1st team are Jake Lewis (catcher, St., Albert, Council Bluffs); Austin Lefler (pitcher, Lawton-Bronson) and Brandon Brittain (infielder, Van Meter). Second team members back in Class 1A include pitcher Colton Bormann (Preston), Trent Roose (North Mahaska, New Sharon) and Jonathon Van Beek (West Lyon, Inwood); infielders Kolton Rose (Alburnett) and Tyler Swenson (Montezuma); out-fielders Carter Horton (Southeast Warren, Liberty Center) and Tanner Utesch (Marcus-Meriden-Cleg-horn) and utility players Colton Janssen (Starmont, Arlington) and Jake Chevalier (Van Meter). Last season Martensdale-St. Marys scored 474 runs which left that team 5 th best in state history. Bishop Heelan (Sioux City) had 490 hits on the season, placing them 4th on the all-time single season list. Benton (Van Horne) pounded out 121 doubles, placing them third all-time while B-G-M (Brooklyn) are now find themselves on top of the stolen bases stolen by a team in a single season list with 332 last year. Ankeny set a new school record with their 43 vic-to ries which places them tied for 11 th best in state baseball history. Davis County (Bloomfield) posted 22 shutouts last season, tying them with Kee(Lansing) 1992 team at the top of the all-time list. The Mustangs are also now 2 nd best all-time withstrikeouts by a pitching staff in a season with 474.

photo courtesy of Kenn Krpan with Kennspiracy

Jacob Hadaway gets ready for another season with North Polk

Otis Roby (Sports Spotlight Pitcher of the Year for 2012) is back in action for Twin Cedars (Bussey).

SpotlightIn the

High School

Each month we publish high school action photos from around the state. We would love to get yours! Send us your photos at support@sportsspotlight.com

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Blaire Thomas throws the shot at the Dickinson Relays at the UNI Dome

A Spartan runner powers on at the Dickinson Relays (above)Michael Whitehead long jumps for LeMars

Gehlen (below)

West Sioux players, Chandler Bultman, Alex Montes, Jonathon Duenas and Anto-nio Topete, defend against a kick

Jared Gross on the links for MMC

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A high jumper clears the bar at the Dome (below)

Two athletes pump each other up at the Dickinson Relays in the UNI Dome

Carolyn Ahlers with a backhand for LeMars Community

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Linn-Mar leads this pack at the Dickinson relays (above)

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Maddie Rouw, the 2012 State Champion, high jumps at the Dickinson Relays for Waukee

Spotlight

10 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

www.agentkeithh.com

HigH ScHool

WHO’S KEEPING TRACK?Boys Track: The Iowa high school boy’s track and field season looks to be balanced when it comes to the team races and at the mid-point of the season, many of the athletes have not even come close to finding their grove with the inconsistent weather. In Class 4A, the one team that at least has caught my eye is Linn-Mar (Marion) led by Josh Evans in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs, posting top times in the state so far. The Lions also showed their muscle in the relay at Drake by capturing the sprint medley and 4x200 titles. Jason Thomas (Dowling Catholic) will make the Maroons a factor as well as he will be one of the favorites in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Individually, some of the top performers to keep an eye on are Ronald Nash (Sioux City East) in the

100 and 200; Jon Rus (North Scott, Eldridge) in the 110 meter hurdles and Jack Bergstrom (Johnston) in the 400 meter hurdles; Dequayvious Martin (Waterloo West) in the 100 and long jump and Shaquille Wells (Urbandale) in the shot put. The Class 3A team battle should be highly contested with Bishop Heelan (Sioux City) maybe getting the slight edge based on their relays teams that’s have posted top-five times and with Zach Skibinski in the 100 and Alec DeVries in the 800, 1600 and 3200 gaining valuable points. Darrian Sanders (Keokuk) is somebody to watch as he should fare very well in the 100 and 200 as well as the long jump. Other individuals in Class 3A to monitor include Chandler Austin (Boone) in the 1600 and 3200; Raheem Black (Fort Madison) in the 400 and 400

hurdles; Jared Ganschow (Clear Creek-Amana) in the 400 and 800 and Payton Busch (Centerville) in the 400 and 800. In Class 2A, Odebolt-Arthur/ Bat-tle Creek-Ida Grove and Monticello are compelling because of their relay teams. Monticello will also gain valuable points in the field events with Devonte Merrill and Isaac Holtz in the discus and Cody Jamison in the high jump. Individually in 3A, some of those that should factor at state are Trever Ryen (Odebolt-Arthur/Bat-tle Creek-Ida Grove) in the 100 and 200; Connor Hainer (Colfax-Mingo) in the 100, 200, 400 and long jump; JJ Frawley (Monticello) in the 800, 1600 and 3200; Michael Melchert (Monticello) in the 1600 and 3200 and Robbie Peters (Mount Vernon) in the discus and shot put. In Class 1A, Manson-NW Web-ster and Earlham are deep with their relay teams leading the way. Brody

Eischeid is one of the favorites in the 400 for the Cougars while Zach Rice has eyes on the 110 hurdles for the Cardinals. Josh Markert adds depth for Manson-NW Webster in the field events in both the high jump and long jump. Other top performers in Class 1A that should factor at the state meet include Logan McKenna (Belmond-Klemme) in the 100 and 200; Trent Verwers (Martensdale-St. Marys) in the 800; Isaac Montes (AGWSR, Ackley) in the 1600 and 3200; Austin Springsteen (Lisbon) in the 1600 and 3200; Jake Hullett (Springville) in the discus and shot put and Zach Samson (Collins-Maxwell-Baxter) in the discus and shot put. Just a few of the many that will be vying for an opportunity to run, throw or jump for a state title. Keep up with the best in each of the classes and in all of the events at www.sportsspotlight.com all season long.

We are. Get all your updated information about boys and girls high school track.

Runners from Washington and Glennwood go head to head at the Drake Relays.

Cameron Pugh long jumps at the Drake Relays for Davenport Central.

11Volume 1 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com

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HigH ScHool

Girls Track: The 2013 Iowa high school state track and field season has had its tough early season battles with the weather but after the completion of the Drake Relays, it once again proved that we will be witness to some outstanding performances once the best in the state compete at the state co-ed meet in May. Des Moines Roosevelt girls put their stamp on how good they are going to be as they are no doubt in my mind the team to beat in the Class 4A field. Agnes Sayeh was named the 2013 Drake Relays Iowa High School Girls Outstanding Athlete and is a huge part of their success. Sayeh has posted the fastest time in the 100 and part of the out-standing Roughriders relay teams. Jalynn Roberts-Lewis is the leader in the long jump and Alexa Hunt has the best throw in the shot put to add the teams balance in the field events. Waukee will be a threat with Erin Bramble in the discus and Maddie Rouw in the high jump competing in the field events while Rouw will also be a factor in the hurdles. The Warriors are also the team to beat in the shuttle hurdle relays. Others in the Class 4A field to watch individually are Jessica Camp-bell (Dowling Catholic) in the 100 and 200; Alisha Jones (Davenport North) in the 200 and 400; Lydia Saggau (West Des Moines Valley) in the 800 ; 1500 and Stephanie Jenks

(Linn-Mar, Marion) in the 1500 and 3000 and Mary Young (Urbandale) in the 100 hurdles and Sarah Plock (Iowa City high) in the 400 hurdles to name a few. Davenport Assumption has a ton of the pieces back from last season championship tram and will be the team to beat in Class 3A. The Lady Knights are strong in the relay events with top times posted this season in the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 and right there in the 4x200 while Mad-die Irmen will be one of the favorites in the 200. Individually in Class 3A, look for Sydney Howard (Fairfield) in the 100 and 200; Alexis Conaway (MOC-Floyd Valley) in the 400 and high jump; Anna Holdiman (Waverly-Shell Rock) in the 800, 1500 and 3000; Leslie Taylor (Mount Pleasant) in the 100 hurdles and long jump and Kara Misel (Solon) in the shot put and discus. In Class 2A, Cascade will score in the relay events which will make them a contender while Western Christian (Hull) will count on strong performances from Brooke Wolter-storff in the 100 and 200 meter runs. Jasmine Staebler (Clayton Ridge, Guttenberg) is versatile with her strengths coming in the long jump and 800 meter run. Des Moines Christian looks to have good depth and could be another to watch in the team race led by their 1600 medley relay team and Linnea Stephens in the 1500 and 3000.

Some of the others to watch in Class 2A are Kate Birchmeier (Davis County, Bloomfield) in the discus and shot put; Abbey Meyer (Cas-cade) in the long jump and 200 and Kylie Kelchen (Cascade) in the 1500 and 3000. Griswold should be the team to beat in Class 1A with Rebekah Topham, who has had to battle a bit this season including at the Drake Relays with a virus. A healthy Topham will make it difficult for anybody to beat them as she will be a favorite in the 800, 1500, 3000 and 400 hurdles. Naomi Dalton (Madrid) looks to score in the shot put and discus as

she has posted the best throws this season in 1A. North Linn (Troy Mills) will also be strong in the title chase with strong relays teams, leading the class in the 4x100 shuttle hurdles, 4x400 and 4x800 led by Nicole Miller. A few others to watch in Class 1A based on their mid-season perform-ances are Kate Patton (Murray) in the 100 and 200; Emily Toennies (Belle Plaine) in the 200 and 400 and Leah Seivert (Sibley-Ocheyedan) in the 1500 and 3000. Look for updated stat leaders in Iowa high school track and field on our website at www.sportspotlight.com.

Leslie Harder high jumps at the Drake Relays for CR Prairie. Cassie Hoyme shot puts for Decorah at the Drake Relays.

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of t

he

Anna’S Q & AQ: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY? AND WHY?A: My favorite sport is cross country. I love the differing terrain, courses and the adverse conditions that are present in cross country. I like using the hills and natural terrain to my benefit, opposed to running around a track for lots of laps.Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS MEMORY?A: My favorite memory was running for Team USA this year in Scotland. It was such an incredible experience to be able to represent something far greater then myself, my school, or even my state. I was able to get that taste of success, which has “fueled the fire” to fulfill my Olympic dream.Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY FUN PRE-GAME “RITUALS” THAT PREPARE YOU FOR AN EVENT?A: I like to have peanut butter pancakes on race day morning or a waffle. I pray, and I visualize the race set out before me.Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? AND WHY?A: My favorite subject is psychology by far. I love learning about the way people behave and interact. I enjoy learning about all the different theories and reasons people act the way that they do. I also am fascinated with abnormal psychology. I plan on studying psychology at Iowa State next fall.Q: WHO INSPIRES YOU? Why?A: I have two people that inspire me the most in my life. My first motivator is Jesus Christ. I find peace in knowing that my identity does not lie in my running, but in my relationship with Christ. I often use scripture and Chris-tian music to get through hard training. My second motivator is Tim Ward. He is a 7 year-old with special needs, who I mentor. His courage, spunk, and the obstacles he has to overcome, makes him the most inspirational person in my life. He has inspired me to pursue my education to become an Occupational Therapist, and specialize in working with pediatrics with special needs.Q: WHAT WAS THE BEST MOVIE YOU SAW IN THE LAST YEAR?A: I really enjoyed the comedy “Bridesmaids,” and the movie “Pitch Perfect.” Both are so good, I can’t choose between the two of them.Q: COLLEGE OR POST-HIGH SCHOOL PLANS:A: Pursue a career in Occupational Therapy, working with special needs youth. Majoring in Biology & Psychology at Iowa State while running Cross Country and Track.Q: WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB?A: My dream job would be to become a professional runner, and work towards fulfilling my Olympic dream. Eventually I would have to retire from the sport, and then I would like to work with special needs youth as an Occupational Therapist. I also would love to set up a after school sports program for students with special needs, to try different sports, and adapt each sport so all children with different levels of abilities could participate.

Anna HoldimanWaverly-Shell Rock - Class of 2013 / GPA 3.65

SPORTS:Track and Cross countryACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS/HONORS:National Honor Society Member & 4 time Aca-demic Honor StudentATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS/HONORS:Member of Team USA for BUPA XC Run in Scotland of 2013, Footlocker All-American 7th place (High-est finish of an Iowan at Footlocker of all time), 6th place finish at the Footlocker Regional, 5 time indi-vidual State Champion in Cross Country and Track, Runner-up in the 800 in 2012 at State, 3rd Place in the 3000 at the 2012 Drake Relays, Runner-up in 1500 at the 2012 Drake Relays, 3A State XC Meet record holder.

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100% IOWA CHAMPIONS

Errthum is among the leaders

in Class 2A soccer in both goals

scored and assists this season.

His 13 goals and 11 assists

left him as the overall scoring

leader in the state near the end

of April.

School: Mid-Prairie (Wellman)Class: 1A Patton is a multi-sport standout

and that includes track where

she has posted the top times in

Class 1A in the 100 (12.55) and

the 200 (26.11) meter dash and

qualified for the Drake Relays

in the 100. Patton is also listed

with a top-ten time in the 400

meter dash.

School: Murray Class: 1A

Sunvold is a big part of the

Southeast Polk success on the

soccer field. Kayla is among

the leaders in Class 3A in goals

scored this season to go along

with 5 assists.

School: Southeast PolkClass: 3A

Nash has posted some of the

top times in the 100 (10.84) and

200 (22.24) meter dash in the

state this year and a big part of

the Black Raiders 4x100 and

4x200 relays teams. Nash has

also proved his ability in the

long jump. Nash qualified for

the Drake Relays in the 100.

School: Sioux City EastClass: 4A

THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

ErrthumAustin PattonKate NashRonald

S o c c e r T r a c k & F i e l d S o c c e r

Get your breakfast of

Champions at your local

SundvoldKayla

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DRAKE RELAYS

18 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

HigH ScHool

HIGH SCHOOLERS SHINE ON THE BLUE OVAL

Thursday, April 25 Thomas Pollard (Gilbert) won the Iowa high school boys Drake Relays 3200 meter run title, outlast-ing Linn-Mar’s Josh Evans. The two traded leads with Pollard leading the early part of the race and Evans grabbing the lead early in the final 400 but Pollard had something left in the tank and used that energy to go past Evans in the final turn for the title. The Iowa high school girls 3000 meter run title was captured by Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar, Marion), edging fellow freshman McKenzie Yanek (Pleasant Valley). The early part of the race lead was maintianed by Jenks but Yanke would be the pacesetter for most of the race with Anna Holidman (Waverly-Shell Rock) and Karissa Schweizer (Dowl-ing Catholic) staying close. Yanek and Jenks would separate themselves as they went past the midway mark of the race. It was Jenks that would have the bigger kick in the final lap and earn the opportunity to carry the Drake Relays flag for a victory lap. In the girls field events, Kiana Phelps (Kinglsey-Pierson/Woodbury Central) broke the Drake Relays record in the Discus with a throw of 153-04.00. Phelps is just a freshman. In the long jump it was Jalynn Rob-erts-Lewis (Des Moines Roosevelt) who once again took the victory lap with a jump of 18-10.25. McKennan

Cronbaugh (Iowa City West) was second with a jump of 18-07.25. In the boys field events, Jeff Giannettino (West Burlington/Notre Dame) cleared 6-08.00 to claim the high jump title. Jared Seay (John-ston) finished second with a jump of 6-07.00. Josey Jewell (Decorah) was two inches better than Keegan Render (Indianola) in grabbing the shot put championship with a throw of 51-05.00.

Friday, April 26 Agnes Sayeh anchored the Des Moines Roosevelt girls 800 sprint medley team to a Drake Relays title to open things up in high school final events. Sayeh closed quickly on the backside of the final leg to finish with a time of 1:47.98 and ahead of second place finisher Urbandale. Joining Sayeh on the winning team were Tyanna Whitaker, Briyanna Carter and Teanna Lewis. The Roughriders girls would later claim the 4x200 relay title on the anchor kick by Roberts-Lewis. Also on the team were Sayeh, Lewis and Jaeyln Johnson. In the boys 1600 sprint medley relay it was Josh Evans who closed strong to lead Linn-Mar (Marion) to a relays title. Making up the Lions team along with Evans was Perrion Scott, Tim Wolfe and Chase Grabau. Linn-Mar finished in 3:31.31, ahead of Iowa City West at 3:31.70.The Lions would also win the 4x200 relay title as Scott would anchor the

winning effort. Austin Flieder, Tris-tan Freese and Wolfe would make the championship quartet. In the 100 meter hurdles, Mary Young (Urbandale) made the vic-tory lap around the blue oval with her winning time of 14.96 ahead of Spencer’s Ali Meitser while Jon Rus (North Scott, Eldridge) claimed the 110 meter hurdles title, overcoming a bit of a slow start before edging Connor Ham (Solon). In the sprints, Agnes Sayeh can say she is the fastest in the state as she claimed the 100 meter dash in 12.56 ahead of Roughrider teammate Jalynn Roberts-Lewis. The boy’s 100 meter dash turned into a battle of Sioux City as Zach Skibinski (Bishop Heelan, Sioux City) edged Anthony Dreezen (Sioux City East) and Ronald Nash (Sioux City East) for the title. Lydia Saggau (West Des Moines Valley) won her second consecutive Drake Relays 800 meter run title with a thrilling race to the finish line with Jasmine Staebler (Clayton, Ridge, Guttenberg). Saggau won by just .01 seconds in a winning time of 2:11.20. Jason Thomas (Dowling Catholic) was the favorite and did not disappoint as he claimed the 800 meter run title and in the process wet a new Drake Relay record in a time of 1:55.18. In the field events on Friday it was Dasiana Larson (Garner-Hayfield/Ventura) edged Alexa Hunt (Des Moines Roosevelt) for the title with her winning throw of 42-00.50. Alexis Conaway (MOC-Floyd Val-ley) won the girls high jump title with a leap of 5-08.00. Josh Markert (Manson-NW Web-ster) won a tough long jump title on criteria as Clear Lakes Chandler Diercks and Markert landed jumps of 22-08.25 with the wind out of the southwest affecting the jump-ers. Robbie Peters (Mount Vernon) won the discus title with a throw of 174-00.00

Saturday, April 27 West Des Moines Valley girls opened up the Saturday finals events in high school with a 4x800 relay victory with Emily Seibel, Melissa Shepherd, Torey Brown and Lydia Saggau making up the title team.

Iowa City West won the boys 4x800 relay with Bailey Wetherell, Cole Hatzky, Daniel Gardarsson and Kaleb Greiner the winning combina-tion. The Waukee shuttle hurdle relay team set a new Drake Relays record with their winning time of 1:02.84 with Emma Drees, Emily Kamm, Mallory Smith and Maddie Rouw the record setting teammates. The Waukee boys did not set a new record but they also captured the shuttle hurdle relay title in 57.35 with Noah Larrison, Josh Brdicko, Riley Gray and Jared Brdicko. Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar, Mar-ion) added her second Drake Relays title as a freshman when she won the 1500 meter run title. Jenks won the 3000 meter run title on Friday. Josh Evans (Linn-Mar, Marion) may have finished second in the 3200 meter run but he had plenty left in the tank as he set a new Drake relays record in the 1600 meter run in 4:10.86, beating pre-race favorite Jason Tho-mas of Dowling Catholic. In the 400 meter hurdles it was a couple of sophomores that would prevail, Sarah Plock (Iowa City High) and Jack Bergstrom (John-ston). Des Moines Lincoln and Linn-Mar (Marion) had one the the most exciting finishes of the relays as the Railsplitters would nip the Lions by .003-seconds to claim the 4x100 title. Vybert Greene, Mason Downing, Jordan Bryson and Jordan Cheatem made up the championship team. In the high school girls 4x100 it was many of the same names you have heard throughout the last two Drake Relays as Des Moines Roosevelt once again placed their stamp on yet another title with Te-anna Lewis, Briyana Carterm Jalynn Roberts-Lewis and Agnes Sayeh leading the way. The Pleasant Valley girls won the 4x400 relay title to éclose out the gilrs high school events at the Drake Relays. Kaley Culiffo, Carly Donahue, Kathryn Leidahl and Claire Schwarz ran the event in 3:52.97. Cedar Rapids Prairie would out-finish Glenwood and Cedar Falls to gain the 4x400 boys title. Tristan Beyer, Lucas Howes, Jarred Edmonds and Demetrius Harper made up the winning team.

The American Classic showcased some great young athletes this year

Competitors bring their A-Game to the Drake Relays.

Unmatched performance and

dependability:

Thomas has positioned himself as a strong contender for state titles in the 800 and 1600 meter run in Class 4A this season. Thomas has the top time in the 800 (1:55.18) he posted while setting a new Drake Relays record and the second best in the 1600 (4:12.69). Thomas finished 5th at state in the 1600 last season and has knocked off 10-seconds from that time a season ago this season.

Each month, Sports Spotlight recognizes a Kinetico Pure Performance High School Athlete of the

Month from a list based on their performances.

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20 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

College

IOWA PLAYERS MAKE GOOD IN THE NFL The NFL Draft has once again concluded, and this year, three Iowa college play-ers have been signed by pro teams, and three other Iowa players have signed with teams as free agents. Iowa State had two players drafted into the NFL and two more signed as free agents. The Uni-versity of Iowa had its 52nd player under Coach Ferentz drafted. And the Dolphins picked up a free agent from UNI. The Carolina Panthers drafted A.J. Klein, a linebacker from Iowa State, in the fifth round. He was a top defensive player for the Cyclones and finished his college career with 361 tackles and 20 tack-les for loss. He was the 148th pick overall. Offensive lineman Carter Bykowski was the second

Iowa Stater selected in the seventh round. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49er’s, as the 246th pick overall. Bykowski played in 45 games as a Cyclone. Two Iowa State Cyclones haven’t been drafted together since 2008, when Alvin Bo-wen and Ahtyba Rubin were drafted. Jake Knott signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. A native from Waukee, Iowa, he had 347 tackles and eight interceptions through-out his career as a linebacker for State. Josh Lenz has signed a free agent contract with the Chi-cago Bears. As a wide receiver for the Cyclones, he had 104 receptions for 1,325 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lenz is also a native of Iowa, from Dubuque. University of Iowa player

Micah Hyde was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round. He will be joining two former Hawkeye players, Bryan Bulaga and Mike Dan-iels, at Lambeau Field. Hyde was the 159th pick overall. He is the sixth consecutive defen-sive back to be drafted from Iowa. Hyde finished his Iowa career with 38 games under his belt and 240 total tackles. Since 2003, the University of Iowa has the second most players drafted into the NFL out of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has the most with 59 and Iowa has 45. UNI wide receiver Terrell Sinkfield signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dol-phins. Sinkfield was a three-year starter for the Univer-sity of Northern Iowa. In 39 games, he gained 1,097 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.

Six Iowa college football players are signed by NFL teams

A.J. Klein was drafted by the Carolina Panthers

photo credits- myriad pro regular (5pt)

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Friday, augusT 9 Happy Together Tour 2013starring The TurTles FeaTuring Flo & eddie, gary puCkeTT & The union gap, ChuCk negron Formerly oF Three dog nighT, mark lindsay Former lead singer oF paul revere & The raiders and gary lewis & The playboys,8 p.m., $25

saTurday, augusT 10 Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller and Kevin Nealon From SNL8 p.m., $38

sunday, augusT 11 Dierks Bentleywith special guest JusTin moore,8 p.m., $39

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Tuesday, augusT 13 Victoria Justicewith special guest penTaTonix, 8 p.m., $29

wednesday, augusT 14 Grand Outlaw National Tractor and Truck Pull sponsored by iowa Farmer Today,2 p.m., $20 adulTs,$10 Children ages 6-11free for ages 5 and under

Thursday, augusT 15Toby Keith Hammer Down Tour presenTed by Ford F-series with special guest kip moore, 8 p.m., $49

Friday, augusT 16Trainwith special guest maTT naThanson,8 p.m., $39

saTurday, augusT 17 Demolition Derby and Figure Eight11:30 a.m., $15 adulTs, $5 Children ages 6-11free for ages 5 and under

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22 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

College

Grand View With a 7-4 record staring back at them and a daunting conference waiting, the Grand View Viking women’s basketball team was work-ing to battle back from a trying early season schedule. In his 13th year at the helm, head coach Garey Smith has experienced the highs and lows of an arduous season. Coming off of his second Midwest Collegiate Conference title in his tenure, Smith was determined to add a third. “My philosophy is to look at the kids we have and see what we can do; we try to temper our play into their strengths. We always have high expectations and it’s a credit to our kids that they do what they Smith’s philosophy has proven suc-cessful during his run in the MCC. The current MCC was formed in 1988, with Grand View’s four confer-ence titles trailing only Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose. These traditional powerhouse rivals were among the early challenges in the conference gauntlet. “I think things really started to change after Christmas when we

played in Indianapolis. We came back and started taking care of busi-ness,” Smith said. “After those games we came together and did what we needed to win.” As the season progressed, Smith saw the shooting presence slightly decline and the coaching staff ad-justed the game plan to highlight the defensive strong suit of the squad.Grand View collected wins over AIB, Clarke University and Ashford Uni-versity before the much anticipated matchup with then-No. 19 Saint Ambrose. The Queen Bees began the game on fire, jumping out to a 10-point halftime lead. The Viking women rallied after the break to tie the score at 60, guided by 13 second half points from Shelbie Beatty. In the overtime period, both defenses stiffened up and late free throws by Amy Vos and Morgan Hammer were enough to seal the deal for the Vikings. The very next contest for the women was a home duel against perennial power Mount Mercy. An-other close game gave way to a 66-61 Grand View win and preserved the unblemished conference record. Two

stumbling blocks during a five-game road trip mitigated the team’s moti-vation, but the team persevered and closed out the regular season a 19-6 record overall, 10-2 in the MCC. In the MCC conference tourna-ment, it was again wins over Mount Mercy in the semifinals and Saint Ambrose in the championship game that gave Grand View its second consecutive MCC tournament title. As the team pushed forward into the national tournament, depth proved to be a key to success. Among those players coming off the bench was 3-point sharpshooter Chelsie Krull. According to Krull, the team mentality and playing the diverse early season schedule paid dividends late. “What made us successful is we meshed very well and played well together no who was in,” Krull said. “Also, having such a hard schedule and playing new teams made us who we were at the end.” With the conference title in hand, the women earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II national tournament in Sioux City. In the first round of the 32-team tournament, Grand View breezed past Purdue University- Calumet, 58-44. Ham-mer asserted her role as the usual suspect filling the stat sheet with a 25 point, 18 rebound performance; Amy Vos added 13 points. “They had such good athletes and they play at a faster pace. But we always knew that if our defense was working, the offense would follow. We had to control the tempo and make them play our game,” said junior Haleigh Biancalana. In the round of 16 the Viking women ran into the behemoth that was Indiana Wesleyan. Despite limit-ing the Wildcats to only 49 points, the Vikings were unable to capitalize on the offensive end. Hammer tallied another double-double, but the team only managed 27 points against the eventual champions. “Our players bought into playing our style and tough defense, and that helped them win the conference, MCC tournament and compete in the national tournament,” Smith said. The season may behind them, but the Grand View women are still compiling accolades for their efforts.

Morgan Hammer was named MCC Conference Player of the Year and was selected to the All-American second team. Hammer averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks for the season; the award marks the third consecutive season a Viking has won the honor, with Jennifer Jorgensen taking home the prize the previous two years. “It’s a credit to Morgan; she made a commitment. She got into better shape, got in the weight room and worked on her skills,” Smith said. Twenty total players were selected for the All-Conference squads, with Amy Vos, Abby Mendlik and Shelbie Beatty each recognized on the hon-orable mention team. Beatty was the team leader in 3-point shooting and second in overall points, Vos trailed only Hammer in rebounding and blocks, and Mendlik led the team in assists. As a team, the Viking women led the MCC in scoring defense, defensive rebounding and blocked shots. Additionally, Smith won MCC Coach of the Year Honors. “We made a statement with back to back conference titles. I think get-ting as far as we did in the national tournament earned us more respect and the experience will pay off in the future,” Krull said.

Northwestern For the Red Raiders of Northwest-ern, scheduling a trip to the National Tournament is nearly inevitable. As the three time defending champions, the Red Raider women entered the season pursuing their eighth con-secutive trip to the tournament and the opportunity to win an unprec-edented fourth straight national title.A ferocious regular season schedule put the Red Raiders in an unfamiliar position—as the underdog. They were unable to overcome rivals Con-cordia and regular season champion and tournament Morningside. “It’s a process and we had the goal that we were going to keep getting better each day. We were not afraid to play a tough schedule and it pre-pared us,” said Northwestern head coach Chris Yaw. “It’s approaching the season as a long journey, not a race to get somewhere. We felt fresh mentally and physically; we were

IOWAN WOMEN REPRESENT IN THE NAIAGrand View and Northwestern finish their seasons strongDarrin Cline | Contributor

phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Gra

nd V

iew

Ath

letic

s

Morgan Hamner for Grand View, takes up a shot.

23Volume 1 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com

excited to be there at the end and excited to be playing together.” With an at-large bid to the national tournament and a 26-8 record, Northwestern was flying under the radar in the chase for the championships. In the opening round game, the Red Raiders blasted Mayville State University, 92-66. “Defensively we made things difficult in the areas they were most comfortable. In the game against Mayville, I thought we made things difficult in the post. They also have the ability to get hot from the 3-point line and we challenged the things they wanted to do,” Yaw said. The women then cruised through their second round contest, 92-60 over Concordia (Mich.).The bracket was down to eight teams and next on the docket for the red-hot Northwestern squad was top-seeded St. Francis (Ind.) Again the dynamic offense powered Northwester over the 31-3 Lady Cougars, 87-77. Northwestern was creeping closer to familiar territory. With momentum building and a 90 point-per-game average, the Red Raiders were geared for a matchup with Davenport College. The Panthers travelled a similar path, overwhelming opponents in the first two rounds and upsetting the top-seeded team in their quadrant, Eastern Oregon. When both teams took to the court in the national semifinals, it was Davenport’s defense that limited the potency of the Red Raiders. Northwestern fell to Davenport, 74-68. GPAC rival Morningside also fell to eventual champion Indiana Wesleyan in the semifinals, marking the first time since 2007 that a GPAC squad was not in the national championship game. Indiana Wesleyan topped Davenport, 61-43 in the championship game and claiming their first title since the aforementioned 2007 season. Conference and national awards befell a number of Northwestern women. Kendra De Jong, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Red Raiders was selected as the NAIA National Player of the Year. De Jong aver-aged over 17 points and 10 rebounds per game, while also tallying 17 doubles-doubles; she powered the team in the national tournament with a double-double in every game. De Jong was also the GPAC Player of the Year and an All-Tournament team member; in 2012 she earned first team All-American honors as well. Junior Samantha Kleinsasser has also been nominated for the Emil S. Liston award. Each NAIA conference is able to nominate one junior man and one junior woman that have shown ability both athletically and scholastically. Kleinsasser was a second team All-GPAC performer this season and is pursuing a degree is nursing. “I could go up and down the line and talk for a long time about what each team member did for us. Alli Dunkelberger made leaps and bounds in her confidence and desire to be a threat… Paige O’Neal is a young point guard on our team that gave us an attack-ers mentality, Mallory Cunard did a lot for us behind the scenes and Kleinsasser did a great job defensively, especially in the Mayville game.” For Yaw, these great individuals came together and formed a superior unit. “The thing that stands out most to me is it’s a group of young women that continued to make one another most important, and continued to strive for whatever their best is going to be as a group… It’s a group that continued to go to work every day together.”

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24 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

25Volume 1 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com

College

There isn’t much publicity sur-rounding Rowing in the Midwest. It is traditionally seen as more of a coastal sport. This is unfortunate for those who are a part of Midwest Col-lege rowing teams. The University of Iowa and Drake University both have Women’s Rowing programs and are the only two in Iowa with Divi-son I NCAA rowing programs. Iowa State does have a club rowing team, but it is not a Division I sport at ISU. Iowa is a part of the Big Ten Confer-ence and Drake is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, of which they are an affiliate because the Missouri Valley Conferences does not sponsor rowing. Drake just recently joined the MAAC in 2010 and has expereicned some recent success. “We won the conference champi-onship by one inch [last year], which is almost a dead heat,” said Drake Headcoach DiSilvestro. “The video tape happened to show our bow ball was that much ahead of Marist.” The Iowa Rowing team is a part of the Big Ten Conference. Coach Steve Pritzker was recently hired as the new head coach and looks to increase Iowa’s success. The Iowa program is in it’s 19th year. “It’s a sport that historically has been based on the coasts, the West Coast and East Coast. So, when Title

IX came about in the 70s, schools eventurally decided to counterbal-ance football, and that’s what rowing really became. A lot of people, who maybe don’t know anything about rowing may not understand that we also offer women a lot of resources that we’re very fortunate to have. At the DI level, the option for women to possibly succeed athletically in a sport they’ve never done.” said Coach Pritzker. “Half the Olympic 8, that won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, actually learned how to row in college. It’s one of the few sports where you can start late and actually do really well at it.” Rowing is currently making the shift to an “automatic qualifier” sport. Up to this point, those who went to the NCAA Championship were simply the Top 18 teams. There are 84 different rowing programs in the country. This means that if the Drake team has a repeat champion-ship, they could compete for the NCAA Championship and race the best boats in the country. Here’s the top ten things you should know about rowing:

1. A rowing event is called a “regatta,” not an “event” or a “meet.” And rowing is one of the only sports in which the participants go through the finish line backwards.

2. The standard in rowing is a 2,000-meter race, no matter how many people are in the boat.

3. There are four sizes of boats and they are named by number of rowers. There are singles, doubles, fours and eights. The fours and eights actually have five and nine, respectively. These larger boats have “coxswains” who don’t count toward the total.

4. “The coxswain’s job is to be an as-sistant coach.” Said Coach DiSilves-tro. These members of the teams act as coaches while on the boat. After the coaches shove the boats into the water, they can have no further con-tact with the team. The coxswains act as the coach and run the race according to the race- plan.

5. Weight matters and this comes into play especially when consider-ing the coxswain. Because they are not rowing, it is important to take their weight into account.

6. The coxswains sit in different spots depending on boat size. In the eights, the coxswain is in the back of the boat. In the fours, the coxswain can either be in the front or the back of the boat.

7. The smaller the boats get, the more likely they are to tip over, but tipping is unlikely. “If we have one single a year tip, then that’s kind of a lot,” said Drake Coach DiSilvestro.

8. There are two different kinds of rowing: sweep rowing and sculling. Sweep rowing is when each rower has a single oar. Sculling is when each rower has two oars (there are no sculling events in college rowing).

9. Single and double-rowing are not spring sports. NCAA teams have 23 members on them. That’s a first and second varsity eight and one varsityfour. This does not include the “nov-ice” boats, which are for beginngers.

10. It’s a mental and physical sport. The rowers are racing themselves as much as each other. “In the boat, you have to be internally able to say: ‘I’m at the wall, if I ease up, it won’t hurt, but my team will lose.’ And that’s what is the most difficult thing for an athlete in our sport to get through is that wall of pain, and it’s all mental.” Said Coach DiSilvestro. Iowa Coach Steve Pritzker, concluded, saying: “We’re always looking for good athletes.”

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ROWINGThe University of Iowa and Drake University are the only 2 rowing programs in Iowa

*Both photos are courtesy of Mallory Bonstrom, a member of the Drake Rowing team and are from a regatta in Omaha, Neb on April 7, 2013.

26 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

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Pros

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAMEIowa Cubs: Ryan Sweeney might have caught up on some sleep due to the winter-like weather in the Iowa Cubs’ first homestand, but it’s one that is trying to get him back to the big leagues where he played last year. Sweeney, the Cedar Rapids native, is starting out the season with Iowa and doing well vying for a spot to play at Wrigley Field. Sweeney goes into April 19 with a .382 aver-age with eight RBIs and a team-best three homer-uns. As an aside, Algona native Brad Nelson also has eight RBIs, but is hit-ting .196. Sweeney is excited to have landed back in his home state, but he doesn’t hope to be a resident for the entire summer. “I’m just trying to have good at-bats here and do what I need to do to get back to the big leagues,” Sweeney said. “Even though it’s frustrating when you have games that you don’t win here, you’re trying to do what you can to help the team win.Ultimately, everybody is trying to get to Chicago.” Meanwhile, everybody playing for the I-Cubs are trying to get more wins. They sit at 4-9 going into the April 19 game against Nashville. “We’re getting beat up,” said Marty Pevey, manager of the I-Cubs.

“We’re just not driving the ball as well as we’d like to. We’re not scoring very many runs, and we haven’t been swinging well with men in scoring position. Our guys are playing hardthough, and I thought they did tonight.” The Cubs’ cold start is ironic due to the weather they’re playing in. In their April 12 home opener, it started to snow in the ninth inning while temperatures stayed in the 30’s with wind chills making the air even more

brisk. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in it this cold before, especially with the snow coming the last couple innings,” said Sweeney. “That was definitely a first for me.” Even back in his high school days with Cedar Rapids Xavier, Sweeney could not think of a proper way to thaw out of the brisk April air. “It was freezing out there. I don’t think anything can get you ready to play in 20-or 30-degree weather.” Another player making a trip to Des Moines after making an MLB stint last season was Darwin Barney, who won a Gold Glove last season. Barney hit .500 with a double in his three-game rehab stint.

Burlington Bees: The Bees announced the Opening Day roster for the 2013 campaign on May 1st. The Bees will begin their first season as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Two first-round picks highlight this year’s group, including 2010 1st-round pick, Cam Bedrosian, and 2010 first-round selection, Chevy Clarke. Bedrosian missed the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery, but came back to start 21 games in 2012. This year’s squad also features two 2012 Pioneer League all-stars. Wade Hinkle and Wendell Soto both received recognition for their solid performances in Orem, Utah. Hinkle mashed his way through the Pioneer League, belting 15 home runs and driving in 57 runs in 72 games. The former Kansas State Wildcat finished second in the league with a .338 batting average and also was the

runner-up in home runs, slugging percentage, total bases, extra-base hits and on-base percentage. Soto was selected in the third round in 2010 out of Sarasota, Florida. He put together his best season in the minor leagues in Orem in 2012, hitting .329 and scoring 45 runs. The team opens the season in Burlington at Community Field on Thursday, April 4, 2013 against the Clinton Lumberkings. The follow-ing roster has been assigned to the Bees by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Cedar Rapids Kernels: Kernels post strong start to the season. The Cedar Rapids Kernels have posted a strong start to the 2013 Midwest League Season, finishingthe month of April with an 18-5 record. Several players are among the league leaders in offensive anddefensive categories and have two players (Dalton Hicks and Adam Brett Walker) earning MidwestLeague Player of the Week honors. Twins top prospect Byron Buxton leads the MWL in batting average, slugging percentage and runs scoredwhile teammate Adam Brett Walker is tied for the league lead in home runs and leads the league in RBI.The Kernels have hit 22 home runs in the month of April to lead the league and finished the month thirdin the league with a .278 team bat-ting average. Travis Harrison leads the team with nine doubles in themonth of April, followed closely by Dalton Hicks with eight doubles. Jorge Polanco has also had a goodmonth, batting .341 with six doubles,

Iowa Minor League Baseball teams get ready for the upcoming season

Brad Nelson from Algona plays for the Iowa Cubs

two triples, a home run and 19 RBI in 22 games. The Kernel pitching staff has been impressive in April as well. On April 7, three pitchers (Tyler Duffey,Josue Montanez and Tim Atherton) combined to no-hit the Beloit Snap-pers. In four starts Duffey hasposted a 3-1 record and 2.60 ERA, allowing eight runs and 18 hits over 27.2 IP while striking out 21 andissuing only three walks. Jose Berrios joined the Kernels in mid-April and the 32 nd overall pick in the2012 First Year Player Draft has gone 2-0 in his two starts with a 2.31 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.2 IP.The bullpen has been a perfect 9 for 9 in save opportunities with Tyler Jones notching four saves in the young season.

Clinton LumberKings: Seven unanswered runs from Dayton turned the tables in the series opener at Ashford University Field. Clinton surrendered a season-high eleven runs in the opening game 11-7 defeat to the Dragons. The LumberKings led early with three runs in the third inning. It marked the seventh straight game in which Clinton scored first. However,

the lead did not last long for the LumberKings. The Dragons scored three runs in the fourth to tie the game. Clinton starter Tyler Pike left the game early after a hitting Brent Peterson with a pitch. David Holman relieved Pike, but he faced some of the same tough luck as the LumberKings’ starter. Holman surrendered four runs in the fifth, all of which were unearned. The defensive miscues in the field helped the Dragons turn a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead. Clinton lost a golden opportunity to cut into the Dayton lead with a double play to end the sixth inning. The LumberKings only managed to plate a single run in the inning despite having the bases loaded with no outs. The LumberKings and Dragons traded punches in the seventh and eighth innings. Junior Arias homer-ed for the Dragons, while Guillermo Pimentel countered with a solo blast for Clinton. The LumberKings never closed the gap to fewer than three runs, and Dayton finished off the 11-7 victory. Jabari Henry had another solid offensive night, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a pair of walks. Patrick Kivlehan extended his hitting

streak to seven games with a three-hit game with two runs scored. The two teams continue their three-game series on Thursday evening. Game two is scheduled for a 6:30 PM CT start time at Ashford University Field.

Quad City River Bandits: The Quad Cities River Bandits entered the bottom of the fifth in-ning Wednesday night with a 3-0 lead on the road over the South Bend Silver Hawks, but the home team rallied for four runs on five hits in the next three innings to win their sixth straight game, 4-3, at Coveleski Stadium. Quad Cities (15-9) built a lead with single runs in the first, second and fourth innings against Silver Hawks left-hander Daniel Watts (4-0). Shortstop Joe Sclafani singled as the second batter of the game, advanced to third base on a double by second baseman Austin Elkins, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jesse Wierzbicki. River Bandits catcher Roberto Peña led off the second inning with a double to left-center field and scored on right fielder Terrell Joyce’s double to right-center. Two innings later, Peña and Joyce helped extend the lead, as they each singled to put runners at first and second bases. Left fielder Jordan Scott then singled to left field, but when Peña was held at third base, Joyce was tagged out between second and third, while Scott went to second base. With two outs, center fielder Teoscar Hernan-dez grounded a ball deep in the hole at shortstop, and shortstop Pedro Ruiz dove to slow the hit in shallow left field before picking up the ball to throw out Scott at the plate to end the inning. After that, Quad Cities had two singles in the fifth inning against Watts, who set down the next eight batters to end his outing with seven

innings pitched, 10 hits, three earned runs, no walks and four strikeouts for the Silver Hawks (17-6). Meanwhile, River Bandits right-hander Daniel Minor took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning after allowing only three hits through the first four. Center fielder Breland Almadova started the Silver Hawks’ rallyw tih a single to right field, and with two outs, Minor hit Ruiz with a pitch before second baseman Kevin Medrano drove a ball to left-center field that went off the glove of Hernandez and allowed two runs to score. Minor retired the next batter to finish five innings with five hits, two runs, no walks and two strikeouts. With a 3-2 lead, right-hander Lance McCullers (0-3) started the sixth inning by allowing singles to third baseman Brandon Drury and first baseman Ryan Court. Con-secutive groundouts by right fielder Socrates Brito and catcher Roidany Aguila advanced each runner two bases to tie the game, 3-3. In the seventh inning, Ruiz reached on a leadoff bunt single to the third-base side of the pitcher’s mound. He ad-vanced to second base on McCullers’ wild pickoff throw to first base and went to third base on Medrano’s a groundout. Designated hitter Fidel Peña then chopped a ball on the artificial turf that second baseman Brian Blasik leaped to grab before throwing to first base for the second out – which was enough to bring in Ruiz for the Silver Hawks’ first lead. South Bend right-hander Chris Capper pitched the eighth inning and allowed a one-out single by designated Miles Hamblin but got Roberto Peña to line out to Drury at third base for a double play. In the ninth inning, Blasik hit a leadoff single against right-hander R.J. Hively, who induced a ground ball double play from Joyce and a bunt groundout by Jordan Scott for his league-high seventh save.

27Volume 1 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com

Pros

photo courtesy of Dennis H

ubbard and Sports N M

ore Photography

Jose Berrios for the Kernels

*All information provided by each team, expect the Iowa Cubs article, which was written by Zach James.

Press Pass

28 Volume 1 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com

USA OUTDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS Expect the action to be fast and furious for the premier sum-mer sporting event in the Mid-west when the top track and field meet in the United States returns to historic Drake Stadium June 19-23 for the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The star-studded lineup features 14 athletes who captured gold medals from the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Twenty American record holders, headed by world record holder Ashton Eaton in the decathlon, will converge on the famous blue oval track with the top three finishers representing Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 10-18. Tickets are available at any of the 12 Dahl’s Food Stores in the greater Des Moines area. Fans can also order tickets onlineat catch-desmoines.com. “You can’t believe how excited we are to host this big event,” said Mark

Kostek, sports event manager for Des Moines Area Sports Commis-sion who will also serve as competi-tion manager for the meet. “It’s easily safe to say that this best talent of top track and field athletes from the United States ever assembled for a track meet in the Midwest. “You have Olympic medalists, defending World Champions and

numerous NCAA champions competing on the same stage all with the same goal of represent-ing Team USA at the World Championships. Eight athletes will return to take the first step in defending their 2011 World Championship titles headed by Iowan Jenny Simpson in the women’s 1,500. Team USA dominating track and field at the 2012 Olympics with 29 medals (9 gold, 13 silver, 7 bronze). Fans will get to see many of those heroes from the London Games led by sprinter Allyson

Felix who became the first woman since 1988 to win three gold med-als (200, 4x100, 4x400) at a single Olympics; as well as Sanya Richards-Ross, gold medalist in women’s 400 who also anchored the 4x400 relay to gold. Other London gold medalists expected to compete are Jenn Suhr, women’s pole vault; Brittney Reese,

women’s long jump; Aries Merritt, men’s 110 hurdles; and Christian Taylor, men’s triple jump. Rising distance stars like Galen Rupp and Leon Manzono who won 2012 Olympic silver medals in the 10,000 and 1,500, also will be on hand, while four-time Olympian Bernard Lagat will close out a brilliant career in which he has won two Olympic medals and 10 world championship medals in the middle distance. Three-time Olympian Chaunte Lowe (women’s high jump) and Kara Patterson (women’s javelin) return to the scene where they set U.S. records at the 2010 USA Cham-pionships at Drake. In addition, several of the top high school performers in the coun-try will compete with some of the up and coming collegians in the U.S. Junior Championships starting June 18 with the top place winners having an opportunity to make the U.S. Pan American Team.

Drake Stadium gets ready for its next big track and field eventMike Mahon | Contributor

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Lindsey “Snot Face” Brent has no problem paying to play the sport she loves. Iowa alternative sports leagues such as roller derby and rugby are gaining popularity among adults who love the game but don’t play professionally. The leagues operate much like unions or clubs, where members pay club dues to finance the team and build membership. Evangelism is an important component within lesser-known sports clubs, where budgets are tight and members are responsible for providing everything from uniforms to food and drink for post-game get-togethers. Brent, who jokingly refers to her self by her roller derby name, “Snot Face,” is a hairstylist by day. “I cut hair, dye hair and make people look fabulous. And I try to talk all my clients into buying roller derby tickets—or joining the team. I’m always trying to recruit skaters,” she says. Brent plays in the new women’s roller derby league, Team United, which is comprised of just two teams: Brent’s team, the All Stars, and their only opponents, the Blue Ribbon Bullies. The teams square off twice a month during the regular season (March—August) at Skate West in Des Moines. Since it’s a relatively new league, Brent is looking for new recruits to flesh out the league. “To join the team you just have to speak with our coach, bring your own gear to a practice session and just start practicing with the team. You just have to pay monthly club dues. It’s that easy,” she says. Brent joined the team much the same way other members get recruited. She heard of the league via word-of-mouth and was recruited by the team’s graphic designer, who happened to be a client at Brent’s beauty parlor. “He told me all about it, and I just showed up to practice with borrowed skates and instantly decided I loved it. I’m in my fourth season now,” she says.

Press Pass

ALTERNATIVE SPORTS: IOWANS GET ACTIVECasey Morgan | Contributor

You don’t have to be 6 foot and muscular to qualify for a state athletic competition; you don’t even have to be fast. As it turns out, Iowa sent rock climbers to national and even world events last year to com-pete against students with the Rockies and Alps as a training backdrop. Climb Iowa in Grimes, just outside of Des Moines, is the largest rock climbing facility in the state, with over 10,000 square feet of climbing and 200 routes and problems of varying difficulty. They are known for sculpting the best of Iowa’s student climbers, and hold classes for kids and adults of all ages and body types, encouraging them to utilize their minds along with their strength. Calla Whipp, marketing director, assistant manager, and climbing instruc-tor at Climb Iowa believes that “climbing is a lifelong sport,” she said. “It’s low impact, good for your whole body, and keeps you mentally en-gaged.” The gym offers a wide variety of classes and events for climbers of all experience and ages. Classes are designed for both children and adults in an array of areas including movement, belay, yoga, falling, lead, and instructor certification. In addition to their classes, Climb Iowa has climbing teams for children ranging from age 7 to 19, and have different levels contingent on ability. Whipp thinks that climbing offers a unique opportunity for non-tradition-al athletes to thrive in a competitive environment, where they are able to hone individual potential while still being part of a team. “Your first climbing experience can build confidence more than anything. At first the walls may seem intimidating, but once you start working you gain so much self confidence as well as an awareness of what you can and can not do,” Whipp said. “Climbing is both a team as well as an individual sport where it’s possible to build on your skills and technique while still working alongside others.” Climb Iowa allows for climbers of all levels to come together in one place to work on developing their strength, climbing ability, and overall physical well-being. Whether you’re looking for a lifelong sport that will continue to challenge you for years, or just a fun afternoon, rock climbing is the ideal sport for athletes of all physical stature, ability, and ages to come together and stay fit.

Brendan McConville is former vice president of the University of North-ern Iowa Men’s Rugby Club and notes that in his league, the Iowa Rugby Union, there’s a strong sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship. “You want to be there; that’s the nature of club sports. You pay to play the game you love and you’re a part of a team that works together. At the end of the day, you’re all friends,” he says. Club members approach the game with a do-it-yourself attitude. With tight budgets and much to be done, members shoulder numerous responsi-bilities to sustain the clubs and keep the teams afloat. McConville notes, “It takes a lot to get a club going, a lot of dedication. It makes you want to help out as much as you can.” Team members wash their own jerseys, paint the lines on their own fields, maintain their own clubhouses and raise their own funds. “We always had to set up our own fields—we couldn’t afford to pay anyone to do that stuff,” McConville says.After the match the two opposing teams come together over barbeque and beer and enjoy each other’s company. There’s no bad blood, McConville says, and they leave it all on the field. At the annual All Iowa Rugby Tournament held in Iowa Falls, club teams camp out for two-and-a-half days and play match after match. At the end of each day, the teams grill out and have bon-fires. “It’s a really friendly, social atmosphere,” McConville says. Despite the financial constraints on lesser-known club sports, Iowa hosts numerous alterna-tive sports leagues. There are countless adult bowling leagues, fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball leagues, basketball leagues, golf leagues, disc golf leagues, and flag football leagues, just to name a few.

For a full list of Iowa adult sports leagues visit the Iowa Parks and Recreation website at www.dmgov.org/Departments/Parks/Pages/AdultYouthRecreation.aspx.

Rugby

Roller Derby

Rock Climbing Casey Morgan | ContributorKelsey Johnson | Contributor

Lindsey Brent skates for the All Stars

Climb Iowa in Grimes

Brendan McConville in his UNI rugby-playing days.

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