Luther grabs three IIAC titles

Fall 2009 has proved an exciting time in the world of Norse athletics with three teams finishing at the top of the conference so far. Already Luther’s fall sports teams have posted conference championships in women’s tennis, women’s soccer and men’s cross country, all three teams attributing their success to a strong group effort by each member of their team.

The women’s tennis team was the first to achieve an Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship this fall, finishing with a dual meet record of 14-2. The Norse women defeated Coe College 5-1 (Iowa) in the title match of the Iowa Conference Team Championships held at the University of Iowa Oct. 10.

Head Coach Brian Huinker emphasized his team’s group effort.

“The conference championship match was a total team effort,” Huinker said. “Every one of our girls that played in the meet contributed a point toward the victory.”

One week later, at the League Individual Championships held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, five Norse players received All Conference accolades, including Kelsie Allen (‘10), Alana Humpal (‘11), Fran Fairfield (‘11) and Brynne Zinnecker (‘11) were named All Conference members in singles play. Zinnecker and Allen were named All Conference players in doubles action, along with Fairfield and first-year Katy Lindstrom. Allen was selected as conference MVP, and Coach Huinker received Coach of the Year honors.

Despite a rocky start to the 2009 season, Luther Women’s Soccer regrouped and finished a successful season as Iowa Conference Champions.

“We had a few tough losses in the beginning of the season and then decided to peak at the right time, playing extremely hard in all of our conference games,” Co-captain Anna Grinde (‘11) said.

The team title was secured by an Oct. 31 victory over Coe College.

“Finishing off with a win against Coe at home to win the conference championship was definitely well deserved by all the girls on the team,” Grinde said.

As regular season champions, the Norsewomen began the conference tournament with a first round bye. Luther fell 1-0 to #5 seed Simpson College in the semifinal round Nov. 6, held at Loras College. The lone Simpson goal was the first allowed by Luther’s defense in a month, ending a streak that began with a 0-0 double overtime tie with Loras Oct. 7. The women’s team finished their title season with a total of 10 shutouts.

Oct. 31, the Norse men’s cross country team ran to a fourth consecutive IIAC title at the championship meet hosted by Wartburg College (Iowa). Karl Larson (‘10), Drew Burmahl (‘10), Austin Tegels (‘10), Kyle Buck (‘11), Erik Johnson (‘11), Jordan Lang (‘11), and Shane Steele (‘10) received All Conference honors for their performances. Coach Steve Pasche received his fourth Coach of the Year award.

Team co-captain Burmahl (‘10) had good things to say about the season.

“Being a part of the teams that have brought Luther back to the top of Iowa conference men’s cross country has been a great experience for the senior class,” Burmahl said. “We are all grateful to be able to keep that tradition going and look forward to continued success by the Norse in years to come.”

The future of the Norse cross country program appears promising as Luther also won the JV men’s race with a perfect score of 15. The Norsemen will next compete at the Central Regional Meet held at Grinnell College (Iowa) Saturday, Nov. 14.

With a common spirit of strong teamwork among the Luther College athletic teams, Norse athletics have every reason to expect strong performances for seasons to come.