May 14, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Wartburg College swept the league’s All-Sports Championship Awards, capturing its sixth consecutive Iowa Conference All-Sports Championship Trophy, its 11th straight Elmer Hertel Men’s Sports Championship Trophy, and its fifth Marjorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy in seven years.

The IIAC All-Sports Championship Trophy is determined by each school’s finish in the Giles and Hertel Trophy standings. Schools earn points in the Giles and Hertel Trophy standings based on its finish in each of the Conference’s nine women’s sports and 10 men’s sports, receiving nine points for a first-place finish, eight points for a second-place finish, etc.

Wartburg has captured the Iowa Conference All-Sports Championship Trophy each year since its inception in 2002-03. By finishing first in both the Giles and Hertel Trophy races, Wartburg posted a total of 18 points. Luther finished second in the IIAC All-Sports Championship Trophy standings with 16 points, three points ahead of third-place Coe and five points clear of both Simpson and Central.

Behind four Conference titles (wrestling, indoor track & field, baseball and outdoor track & field) and three second-place finishes (cross country, soccer, and football), Wartburg totaled 64 points. The Knights also finished fourth in golf, sixth in tennis, and seventh in basketball. The institution has now won 14 Elmer Hertel Men’s Sports Championship trophies, one shy of the Conference record of 15 held by Central.

Luther (55.4 points) won three titles (cross country, golf, tennis) on the way to its second-place finish. Coe (53.45) took third behind top-four finishes in seven of 10 sports. 2007 IIAC football champion Central (52.2) was fourth, while 2007 IIAC soccer champion Loras (49.3) was fifth. 2007-08 IIAC basketball champion Buena Vista (35.9) finished seventh.

Wartburg won the Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy for the sixth time since the inception of the award in 1982-83. Behind four Iowa Conference titles (golf, indoor track & field, softball, and outdoor track & field), the Knights totaled 59.5 points. Wartburg also posted second-place finishes in cross country, soccer, and volleyball (tie), took fourth in tennis, and placed seventh in basketball.

Luther (54 points) took second behind top-four finishes in seven of nine sports, including a title in cross country. Simpson (46.9), Coe (44.5), and Central (44.4) finished tightly bunched in third, fourth, and fifth places, each picking up a title in 2007-08. The Storm won the basketball crown, while Coe captured the tennis trophy and Central finished atop the standings in volleyball. 2007 IIAC soccer champion Loras (40.7) was sixth.

Final standings for the IIAC All-Sports, Elmer Hertel Men’s Sports and Marjorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophies can be found here.

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