January 17, 2009

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that former Coe College volleyball player Kristy Upah (Toledo, Iowa/South Tama) has been named the Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2007-08 academic year.

"The Iowa Conference is filled with young men and women who excel in athletics, in their school work, and in life. Our 2008 Duane Schroeder Scholar-Athletes — Coe's Kristy Upah and Wartburg's Kyle Duchman — are shining examples,” Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen said. “They rose to earn their school's nomination and then received the well-deserved votes of the Faculty Athletics Representatives on the selection committee. This honor undoubtedly brings Kristy and Kyle great joy. I am grateful to both of them for their contributions and for the chance to show the quality of Iowa Conference student-athletes."

Upah graduated Cum Laude in May 2008 with a 3.83 grade point average with a triple major in writing, physical education, and public relations. She was named to the Dean’s List on four occasions and was voted both the Outstanding First-Year Student (2005) and Junior of the Year (2007) by the Coe College faculty and staff. A four-year varsity starter at setter, Upah was also a three-time Iowa Conference All-Academic Volleyball Team member and a 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team selection. In one season of varsity softball, she was named to the Spring 2006 IIAC All-Academic Team and was an NFCA Scholar All-American. She is currently the Public Relations Coordinator and Assistant Director of Parent Programs as well as a volunteer assistant volleyball coach at Coe.

“Kristy was an excellent student at Coe in every sense of the word,” Coe College Professor of Business Administration and World Affairs Pamela Carstens said. “She set challenges for herself both academically and athletically. She went above and beyond what is typical of most undergraduates, never satisfied to simply take the easy route to success. She was involved in many organizations and often served in leadership positions. She was well-liked by her peers, by faculty, and the administration.”

During her time at Coe, Upah was selected to a trio of honor societies – Alpha Lambda Delta (first-year students), Mortar Board, and STRATA. STRATA is a select Coe women’s honor society meant to celebrate and recognize the female student leaders on campus and allow senior women to support each other through their final year of college. In addition, she was a four-year member of the Coe Chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served two years on Student Senate as Public Relations Committee Chair, was first Director of Public Relations, then Vice-President, for the Student Alumni Association, and was the 2006 Public Relations Chair on the Coe College homecoming committee.

Also a student ambassador, Upah spent three years on the staff of the Cosmos newspaper as a staff writer and copy editor. A four-year member of Coe’s Fitness Organization, she served as president her senior year, directing a campus-wide “New Year, New You” initiative for all faculty and staff. Upah also volunteered in the physical education departments at Grand Wood and Polk Elementary Schools in Cedar Rapids and was part of a 35-member Coe contingent that spent one week in New Orleans assisting in hurricane recovery efforts.

“[Kristy] was always engaged and contributed significantly to classroom discussions. Her writings were clear, concise and thoughtful,” said Coe Assistant Professor of Physical Education Elaine Rydze. “Early in her college career [Kristy] took charge of her academic future by planning out a triple major. She was able to plot out this course of study and complete in four years.”

The owner of every assist record in Coe volleyball history, Upah tallied 4,868 career assists in 482 games, also a school record. A two-time captain, she set the single-season high mark of 1,589 in 2006 and, that year, also set the single-match mark at 79 (Nov. 9 vs. Capital). Upah also owns the school’s 3-game (49 vs. Macalester) and 4-game (62 vs. William Penn) assist records. She received First Team All-Iowa Conference honors as both a junior and senior and was an honorable mention AVCA All-Central Region Team selection in 2006 when she led the Kohawks to their first-ever NCAA Division III Championship appearance. Upah was named MVP of the 2006 IIAC-MIAC Border Battle at Coe and the 2007 University of Dubuque Mississippi River Classic. She was also a member of Coe’s 2006 NCAA Division III Women’s College World Series-qualifying softball team, appearing in 22 games that season.

The Duane Schroeder IIAC Female 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. She 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, former sports information director at Wartburg College. 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 2007-08 Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year were former Wartburg College volleyball and softball player Ashley Rogers (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) and former Luther College swimmer Elissa Schmidt (Claremont, Minn./Owatonna).

Previous recipients of the Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year include Johanna Olson (2000-01, Luther College track and cross country), Brianne Schoonover (2001-02, Wartburg College basketball and track), Jessica Jensen (2002-03, Buena Vista University basketball and track), Raegan (Schultz) Wagner (2003-04, Central College volleyball and track), Amy Ernst (2004-05, Coe College softball), Katie Pederson (2005-06, Central College volleyball and track), and Abby Erion (2006-07, Loras College track & field).

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