With over 10 years of play, MCRF Facilities Manager, Chad Rietveld, and crew is dedicating time this summer to replacing sections of sod at the 5-plex baseball/softball fields location at the Lacey Recreation Complex. William Penn University generously donated the sod and Musco supplied extra hands to help with the tedious process of laying the new grass. MCRF is grateful to have community partners donate time and materials to maintain the top level status of the facility. To allow for the sod to take root and have successful growth, the 5-plex facility will be closed to the public until late August.

Photo Provided By Kandis Klyn

Two members of Statesmen Nation will be up for national consideration this fall after earning nominations from the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Junior men’s basketball player Jesse Utt received the HAAC’s honor for the male Emil Liston Award, while women’s golf coach Nik Rule was named the league’s recipient of the Coach of Character Award.  The awards are part of the NAIA’s yearly recognition; the national winners will be announced in September.

Utt played in 17 games as a sophomore, scoring 45 points with 36 rebounds (shot 51.6{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} from the field).  He is already a two-time academic all-conference selection.

The Liston Award is named in honor of the NAIA’s first executive secretary and has been presented annually since 1950 to one junior men’s and women’s basketball player who has shown high athletic and scholastic achievement.

Rule has paced the Statesmen linksters to two consecutive conference crowns and two berths to the NAIA National Championships (placed 15th and 12th).  The two-time league Coach of the Year has guided his group to great success off the course as well as WPU has claimed two Buffalo Funds Champions of Character Awards.

The Coach of Character Award is given to a head coach of an NAIA institution who has been outstanding in embracing the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative, using methods of teaching character through sport, and in community leadership through volunteering or service.

It is the fourth time a member of William Penn’s staff has earned the conference or regional Coach of Character Award.  Rule also received the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award as a player back in 2008.

The high school softball season ended last weekend with five state champions after a very chaotic, but exciting postseason. With that, the final item of business for the season was to name the all-state teams, which were released today by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

In Class 1A, Lynnville-Sully’s Madison Rasmussen and Kasiah Ehresman were name to the first team along with Sigourney’s Jordan Carter. On the third team, Lynnville-Sully’s Lysandra James and Moravia’s Autumn McDanel were honored. The lengthy honorable mention list included Emma Deucore, Carly Ehret, and Hayley Pinkerton of North Mahaska, Bailey Dunkin and Elizabeth Rowley of Twin Cedars, Emma McDanel of Moravia, Megan Roush of Melcher-Dallas, Autumn Barthelman of Sigourney, Megan Baker of Montezuma, and Jessie McElderry, Lindsey Davis, Lexi Fullenkamp, and Alexis Adam of Cardinal.

In Class 2A, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Sadie Baugher was named to the first team. Pella Christian’s Emma Schnell was a part of the second team. EBF’s Paige Shafer was the lone third teamer from the area.

In Class 3A, Mid-Prairie was well represented with juniors Alex Rath and Amber Kral both named to the first team. Mid-Prairie’s Lexi Duwa was a member of the second team. She’s joined by PCM’s Molly Vignovich. PCM and Mid-Prairie also had third teamers. The Mustangs had Racheal Freland honored, while the Golden Hawks’ Emma Troyer was on the team. Centerville’s Lexi Riggall was also named.

In Class 4A, Oskaloosa’s Alexis Groet was again named to the first team after an outstanding sophomore season. Pella’s Sara Tallman was named on the first team, along with Fairfield’s Mackenzie McClure. On the second team, Oskaloosa’s Aubrey Miller and Kylee Silliman were honored. They are joined by Knoxville’s Taylor Carter, Newton’s Sydney Jenkins, and Fairfield’s Brynna Bowman. The third team has Pella’s Elyse Sadler and Fairfield’s Ashtyn Drish.

Finally, the Class 5A first team didn’t have any area honorees, but Ottumwa’s Kassidi Henderson was named to the second team.

You can view the full lists here: http://ighsau.org/2015/07/30/2015-igca-all-state-softball-teams/