| November 19, 2003
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that
Simpson College senior quarterback/punter Mike Donnenwerth
(Sheffield, Iowa/SCMT HS) has been named the 2003 IIAC Football
Most Valuable Player and Simpson head coach Jay Niemann
has been named the 2003 IIAC Football Coach of the Year.
Donnenwerth enters the NCAA Playoffs with 3,189
passing yards and 30 touchdowns on 219-of-361 passing in 10 games.
This season he has set four Simpson season records including passing
yardage, touchdown passes, total offense (3,211 yards) and punting
average (42.7 yards/punt). Nationally, he ranks second in punting
average, sixth in total offense and 15th in pass efficiency (155.6).
In eight Iowa Conference games, Donnenwerth threw
for a Conference-best 2,449 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also led
the IIAC with 2,481 yards of total offense and a 41.6 yard per punt
average. His 154.9 pass efficiency rating ranked second in the Conference,
as he completed 173-of-284 passes and threw just nine interceptions.
In addition to his MVP honors, Donnenwerth was named First Team
All-Conference quarterback and punter for the second consecutive
season.
Niemann, in his second season with the Storm, led
the team to its first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1997. Simpson
enters this weekend’s first round game at St. Norbert with a 9-1
overall record, its best regular season record since going unbeaten
in 1997 (10-0). It finished second in the Iowa Conference with an
8-1 record, suffering its only defeat of the season to Conference
Champion Wartburg.
Through the regular season, Niemann has Simpson
ranked in the top-30 of five categories nationally. The Storm are
ranked fifth in passing offense (326.8 yards/game), 11th in turnover
margin (+1.7 turnovers/game), tied for 27th in total offense (434.1
yards/game), and 29th in scoring offense (36.2 points/game) and
scoring defense (15.3 points/game).
The IIAC also announced today the Football All-Conference
Team. The 54-member Team includes 27 First Team players (12 offensive,
12 defensive and 3 specialists) and 27 Second Team Players. Conference
runner-up Simpson had a 13 players earn All-Conference honors including
six First Team members. Conference Champion Wartburg had 12 All-Conference
players, including 10 on the First Team.
The complete 2003 IIAC All-Conference Football
Team is here.
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