December 14, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that former Luther College wrestler Garrett South (Cumberland, Iowa/C&M) has been named the Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2004-05 academic year.

“Outstanding young people like Garrett South and [IIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year] Amy Ernst are far too often unappreciated and overlooked by the general public. These two individuals epitomize what the Iowa Conference and intercollegiate athletics was intended to represent; athletic achievement, athletic excellence, character development, and a commitment to community service for the unselfish betterment of others,” IIAC Commissioner John Cochrane said. “The willingness and sacrifice necessary to become a First Team All-American and a national champion, while never losing one’s perspective or sense of priority as to what’s really important in life, is something to be trumpeted and held up for all who are concerned with the continuing development and improvement of our society. Amy and Garrett, quite simply, stand as examples for all of us of everything that is good, related to the quest for human achievement.”

South graduated Magna Cum Laude in May 2005 with a 3.714 grade point average as mathematics/statistics and management major earning Dean’s List honors throughout his collegiate career. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. He was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American, a three-time Academic All-Conference performer and a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-America®. South currently works for AmerUS Life Insurance Company in Des Moines, Iowa.

“College instructors frequently are called upon to write letters of recommendations or to provide a reference. Some times this requires creativity, usually it is a pleasant task, and on a very rare occasion it is a privilege. [Providing a recommendation for Garrett] is a privilege,” Luther Assistant Professor of Management Rob K. Larson said. “He was always well prepared, he evidenced strong analytical and critical thinking skills, he has extremely strong oral and written communication skills, and he showed an interest and curiosity that allowed him to see the nuances of discipline beyond the basic academic elements. There are three specific competencies that Garrett demonstrated that can be predicators of success in graduate school. First are his strong organizing and writing skills. Second is his understanding of research principles and the capacity to conduct academic research. And third is Garrett’s desire to succeed and excel.”

South served as Luther’s wrestling representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was a guest clinician for 1st through 8th graders at the Winneshiek Wrestling Club, worked three summers as a wrestling clinician with high school wrestlers and was an active participant in the Adopt-a-Highway initiative.

“On the wrestling mat, Garrett will be known as one of the best wrestlers to ever wear a Luther singlet. His accomplishments are outstanding but what is more impressive are his accomplishments in the classroom,” Luther wrestling coach Dave Mitchell said. “In addition to his three Scholar All-American honors and two CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American® honors, Garrett has earned some of Luther’s top scholarships for students majoring in mathematics. His name is at the top of our list of brightest students in mathematics, and his abilities have been well documented in mathematics and management. Garrett’s career as a Luther College student-athlete is one of the best in school history regardless of sport and, is arguably, one of the best in wrestling history of the NCAA Division III.”

South’s exhibited his athletic prowess from his freshman year when he became the first freshman to be named Outstanding Wrestler of the Iowa Conference Championship after winning the 165-pound title. He graduated with a career record of 128-32, ranking second on the school’s career wins list. He holds the school record for career falls (58), falls as a freshman (16) and falls as a junior (19). During his senior year, South posted a 42-5 record with all five defeats against Division I wrestlers.

The 2005 national champion at 165-pounds, South was a four-time national qualifier, three-time All-American and a three-time Conference Champion. He placed seventh at the prestigious Midlands Invitational in December 2004, something no other Luther wrestler and something very few Division III wrestlers have done at the historic Invitational hosted by Northwestern University. During his career, he was instrumental in the Norse’s unprecedented success as the team set school records for dual wins in a season (18 in 2004), highest finish at the NCAA Championships (3rd in 2004 and 2005) and highest finish at the National Dual Meet Championships (4th in 2005).

The Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Award was first presented in December 2001 for the 2000-01 academic year. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete shall have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given. He must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership.

The Duane Schroeder IIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are named in honor of the late Duane Schroeder, the former Wartburg College sports information director. Schroeder served as Wartburg’s SID for 43 years until his retirement in 2000. Upon his retirement from his sports information duties, he was named SID Emeritus and served as Wartburg’s News Director until 2001. During much of his four decades at Wartburg, Schroeder served as the IIAC’s secretary and treasurer.

Also nominated for the Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year were former Buena Vista University football player and wrestler Michael Irvin, former Central College football player and track and field performer Mark Sanger, former Coe College basketball player Nick Wilkins, former Cornell College football player Mike Griswald, former University of Dubuque track and field performer Basil Steele and former Wartburg College football and tennis player Mark Giesmann.

Previous recipients of the Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year include Tim Vinyard (2000-01, Coe College football and baseball), Dale Biser (2001-02, Cornell College football and track), Jesse Harris (2002-03, Simpson College basketball) and Brent Showalter (2003-04, Wartburg College track).

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