October 18, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Coe College freshman Molly Fiala (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) has been selected IIAC women’s tennis Most Valuable Player and Luther College head coach Su Oertel has been selected IIAC women’s tennis Coach of the Year. Both awards were voted by the Conference coaches following the Team Championship.

Fiala won the #1 singles title and teamed with classmate Rachel Lenoch to capture the #1 doubles title at the Conference Individual Tournament leading the Kohawks to a second-place finish at the Individual Tournament and the Team Tournament for its highest finish since joining the IIAC in 1997. She posted a 33-4 overall record, 12-0 in Conference play including a 17-2 singles record (6-0 in IIAC) and a 16-2 doubles record (6-0 in IIAC) with Lenoch. Her four losses came in a dual against #22-ranked Carthage and in the quarterfinals of the ITA Midwest Regional to seeded players from #5-ranked Gustavus Adolphus.

Oertel led Luther to its 23rd IIAC women’s tennis title in the 24 years of the Championship. The 23 titles are the most of any women’s sports program in Conference history and is tied with Wartburg College’s wrestling program for sixth-most Championships overall in IIAC history. This marks the 12th time Oertel has been chosen Coach of the Year, first since 2000. This season, she guided the Norse to a 9-0 dual mark, 4-0 in the IIAC and the top-seed in the Team Tournament after earning 76 points in the Individual Tournament behind six individual Champions.

The Conference previously announced the women’s tennis All-Conference Team in conjunction with the Individual Tournament. The semifinalists in #1, #2 and #3 singles, the finalists in #3, #4, #5 singles and #1 doubles, and the Champions in #2 and #3 doubles are recognized as All-Conference. The complete 2005 IIAC women’s tennis All-Conference Team is here.

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