CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that former Wartburg College volleyball and track & field athlete Kelsey Steffens (DeWitt, Iowa/Central Clinton) has been named the Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2008-09 academic year.

"The two Duane Schroeder Scholar-Athletes for 2009 – Wartburg's Kelsey Steffens and Luther's Alec Bonander – made an impact on their campuses, in our Conference, and on the national scene," Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen said. "The personal statements that accompanied their nominations cement the virtues of the Iowa Conference experience. Exhilarating. Sound mind and body. Challenging. Strive for excellence. These were among the words of a young woman and man who rose to the top for their school's nomination and, then, for the votes of the IIAC Faculty Athletic Representatives. I take great pride in all of our fine young people in the Iowa Conference, and today I am honored to recognize two of the very finest."

Steffens graduated Magna Cum Laude in May 2009 with a 3.84 grade point average with a major in elementary education with mathematics and middle school endorsements. She was named to the Dean's List on six occasions and earned the Wartburg College Dean's Honor Cord upon graduation for having one of the top 40 cumulative GPAs in the Class of 2009. Four times she was named CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII, twice each in volleyball and track & field. Both track & field honors were First Team honors (2008, 2009) while the volleyball honors were a Second Team selection (2008) and a Third Team pick (2007). In addition, Steffens was selected as the Iowa Conference's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, advancing to the Top 30 phase as one of the final 10 nominees representing Division III. She is currently a fourth grade teacher in the Garner-Hayfield Community School District in Garner, Iowa.

"In her tenure as a student and an athlete at Wartburg College, Kelsey has demonstrated over and over again her work ethic both in the classroom and in the sports in which she chose to participate," Wartburg College Associate Professor of Education Kathleen Book said. "Her quiet determination served her well as a mentor and role model to her peers. Kelsey was dedicated in her quest for excellence. Her organizational skills and understanding of responsibilities in her academic, athletic, and personal life have been handled with a maturity and balance that have resulted in success in all areas."

During her time at Wartburg, Steffens was selected to a number of honor societies – Kappa Delta Pi (education), Alpha Chi (academic excellence/exemplary character), Phi Eta Sigma (first-year), and Kappa Mu Epsilon (mathematics). A team captain during her senior year in both volleyball and track, she was also a member of the Wartburg College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) – where she served as President as a senior – as well as a Wartburg representative to the Iowa Conference SAAC during her senior year. She was also a member of the Wartburg Association of Student Educators, a volunteer at the Wartburg Holiday Shoppe — a joint venture with the Bremer County Department of Human Services, which provides the names of potential recipients, and the Wartburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Steffens also worked with Habitat for Humanity as part of Wartburg's Project KICK.

"Kelsey has demonstrated maturity, responsibility, and dedication in the challenging settings of a college classroom and intercollegiate athletics," said Wartburg Head Volleyball Coach Jennifer Walker. "Throughout her four years at Wartburg, Kelsey was able to balance both the academic and athletic demands placed on her and excelled in both areas despite the challenges of completing a major in elementary education and competing in two intercollegiate sports. Her biggest challenge in this balancing act came her senior year when she was student teaching at the same time she was competing in volleyball. She spent extra time in the gym almost every day to make up the time she missed from team practice because of her student teaching hours."

"Kelsey is a young woman with very high morals, values, and character," added Wartburg Head Track and Field Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Marcus Newsom. "Her goals for herself or group never sacrifice her level of integrity. Her contribution to the Wartburg Track and Field program has been so much more than what she has done as a runner; it has been the type of person that she is that has made such an impact. She is also a student leader that is very responsible and of terrific character. She is a great example and role model for all students, not just student-athletes."

Steffens was a standout sprinter and hurdler on the Wartburg track and field team, claiming membership on Wartburg’s 2009 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor National Championship teams and a total of eight Iowa Conference championship teams (4 indoor, 4 outdoor). She also ran on seven All-America relays, including national champion 4x400-meter relays in 2008 (outdoor) and 2009 (indoor) and a national champion outdoor 4x100-meter relay in 2009. She graduated with her name in the Wartburg record book in six places – owning the school’s indoor 55-meter hurdle record and a share of records in the outdoor 4x100, indoor and outdoor 4x200, indoor 4x400, and outdoor shuttle hurdle relays.

Also a four-year letterwinner as an outside hitter for the Wartburg volleyball squad, Steffens earned Second Team All-Iowa Conference honors in 2008 after being named honorable mention in 2007. The team's Most Valuable Offensive Player during her senior season, she finished her career in Wartburg's top 10 in both season and career kills. Steffens twice registered seasons that ranked in the top 10 in attack attempts and graduated in third place on the Wartburg career attacks list.

In addition to these accomplishments, she was awarded the 2009 Hertel Award as Wartburg's top female two-sport athlete, and Golden Knight awards in 2006 as the Female Freshman Athlete of the Year and in 2007 as the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. Steffens was also named Wartburg's Most Inspirational Teammate in 2008.

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 2008-09 Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were former Central College track & field athlete Rachel Boeke (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson), former Cornell College track & field and cross country athlete Rachelle Hawkins (Boise, Idaho/Bishop Kelly), and former Luther College track & field and cross country athlete Janet Dobyns (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City).