The 2001-02 year marked the presentation of the inaugural Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Scholar Athletes of the Year. One male student-athlete and one female student-athlete are chosen each fall for the previous academic year. The inaugural award announced in November 2001 was presented for the 2000-01 academic year.

To be eligible for nomination for the IIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, a student-athlete must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership.

Each Iowa Conference institution can nominate one male and one female student-athlete. From the nominees submitted by the institutions, the Scholar-Athlete Recommendation Committee comprised of three Faculty Representatives and three Sports Information Directors, select a maximum of three male and three female finalists. The Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year are selected from among the finalists by a vote of the IIAC Faculty Representatives.

At the Conference’s annual spring meeting in May 2002, Commissioner John T. Cochrane announced the IIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award would be renamed the Duane Schroeder Scholar Athlete of the Year in honor of the long serving Wartburg College sports information director. During much of his four decades at Wartburg, Schroeder served as the IIAC’s secretary and treasurer.

Duane Schroeder Scholar Athletes of the Year