Nine ultimate frisbee teams from seven colleges and universities around the Midwest came to Luther College to compete Oct. 24-25. As the college hosted its first Luther Ultimate Invitational Tournament, the team of LUFDA alums ultimately emerged victorious.

Mark Franzen, now entering his fourth year as head men’s basketball coach, believes his team has enough depth and size to make a run at the IIAC Championship this year.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams at Luther College have found their way to fight back against cancer: the fourth annual Ted Mullin “Leave it in the Pool” Hour of Power Relay for Pediatric Sarcoma Research, sponsored by the Carleton College (Minn.) swimming and diving teams, set for Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The Luther College women’s soccer team ran its string of consecutive wins to five, after posting a 2-0 victory over nationally ranked #13 Wartburg College Oct. 24 in Waverly, Iowa.

The Iowa Conference championships wrapped up Oct. 2-3 here at Oneota Golf and Country Club. The final 36 holes of the 72-hole tournament were played in cold, wet conditions on the par 72, 5,800 yard trek.

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced that Luther’s Kelsie Allen (‘10) was selected as the IIAC Women’s Most Valuable Player for the 2009 season, while Luther head coach Brian Huinker has been selected as the 2009 Iowa Conference Women’s Coach of the Year. Both awards were voted on by the conference coaches following the Conference Championship.

Allen led the Norse to a league-record 24th Iowa Conference title. Also, the 2006 champion at No. 3 doubles with Amy Christenson (‘07), she captured the Flight A singles title at the Iowa Conference Women’s Tennis Individual Championships, needing third-set tiebreakers to win her quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches.

Allen is the first Luther player since Maria Miller in 1999 to win the Conference’s top singles title or be named the Iowa Conference MVP. Allen and partner Brynne Zinnecker (‘11) also finished third in Flight A doubles at the 2009 Championships. Allen is the ninth Luther student-athlete to be named Iowa Conference MVP in women’s tennis, representing a total of 16 honors.

Thanks to a sweep in doubles play, #2 seed Luther College defeated #1 seed Coe College 5-1 Sat. Oct. 10 in the championship match of the Iowa Conference Team Championships. Played at the University of Iowa Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center, the title was Luther’s first since 2005 and was also a conference record, 24th in school history.

The Luther College football team posted its second win in a row Sat. Oct. 10 in Mount Vernon, defeating Cornell College (Minn.) before the Homecoming crowd with a score of 19-10.

Luther women’s volleyball went undefeated at the UC-Santa Cruz tournament, posting wins over Santa Cruz and Occidental College (Calif.) Sept. 26 and against La Sierra University and West Coast Baptist College (Calif.) Sept. 25. They now stand with a 13-5 record after these four straight victories.

“Be proud, be loud, be positive.” The slogan for the Student-Athlete Advisory committee (SAAC) sums up its dedication to making stronger ties between the Norse athletes and the community through outreach and community centered activities.

Luther’s Carlson Stadium, home of Norse football and the Track and Field teams, is described in USA Weekend magazine as one of the four prettiest places in the United States to watch a football game. Whether it’s in the stands or from the Union, Luther offers a majestic view of the playing fi eld and the valley beyond, which makes Luther’s venue a prime place to watch a meet or game.

How do you cope with the loss of four three-year starters? If you’re the Luther College Women’s Golf Team, the answer is, pretty easily.

Coe jump-started Luther with a 16-0 halftime lead en route to a 19-6 defeat over Luther Sept. 19 in Cedar Rapids. This game was the conference opener for both teams.