November 12, 2003

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Luther College junior forward Katie Pettigrew (Farmington, N.M./Farmington HS) has been named the 2003 IIAC Women’s Soccer Most Valuable Player and Loras College head coach Dan Rothert has been named the 2003 IIAC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.

Pettigrew finished the season with 34 goals and 82 points in 19 games, the second highest single-season total in both categories in Luther history despite missing three games due to injury. Her 1.79 goals per game and 4.32 points per game currently lead all NCAA Division III players. Of her 34 goals, six were game-winners. Pettigrew currently ranks second on Luther’s career scoring list with 98 goals and 238 points. She will enter her senior season needing just four goals and two points to become the school’s all-time leader in both categories.

In Iowa Conference play, Pettigrew scored 11 goals and 28 points, ranking second in the Conference in both categories. A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, Pettigrew tied for second in the Conference with six assists and two game-winning goals in seven matches.

Rothert, in his sixth year as head coach at Loras, is the IIAC Coach of the Year for the third time. He leads the Duhawks into their third straight NCAA Tournament with a 19-1-1 record. After losing the team’s season opener to Illinois Wesleyan, Loras won 19 straight games before tying Luther in the IIAC Tournament Championship match. The Duhawks received the Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with a 6-5 edge in the shootout. Rothert guided Loras to an 8-0-0 record in Iowa Conference play, becoming the first team to finish the regular season unbeaten and untied since Luther posted a 7-0-0 record in 1997. Loras enters the 2003 NCAA Tournament with a 76-46-4 overall record (.619 winning pct.) in Rothert’s six seasons.

The IIAC also announced today the Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team. The 26-member Team includes 13 First Team players and 13 Second Team players. IIAC Champion Loras had a Conference-high six players on the All-Conference Team including three on the First Team. IIAC runner-up Luther had five players on the All-Conference Team including a Conference-high four on the First Team. Simpson had four All-Conference players, Cornell and Wartburg each had three All-Conference players.

The complete 2003 IIAC All-Conference Women’s Soccer Team is here.

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