BASEBALL
What’s next: The NIACC baseball team plays Iowa Central at 7 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the NJCAA Region XI tournament at Riverfont Stadium in Waterloo.
NIACC (22-29 overall, 10-18 in the ICCAC) is the sixth seed in the double-elimination tournament, which is held at Riverfront Stadium. Iowa Central (36-17, 19-9) enters the tournament as the third seed.
Last time out: NIACC wrapped up its regular season with a split in a four-game series against Ellsworth.
Trojan tidbits: Sophomore Brett Guba is batting .335 with 16 doubles and 21 RBIs … Guba has a career batting average of .348 (94 of 270) … Guba has 25 career doubles, which ranks tied for 10th on the school’s all-time list … Freshman Ryan Moran is hitting .329 with 9 doubles, 5 home runs and a team-best 30 RBIs … Freshman Daniel Bradley is hitting .323 with 13 doubles, 4 home runs and 24 RBIs … Sophomore Nick Veale is 5-4 with a 4.26 earned run average with 59 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Climbing the charts: Veale ranks second on NIACC’s all-time win list with 12 …. He also ranks third in career innings pitched (116 1/3), tied for third in career complete games (5) and fourth in career strikeouts (100) … He ranks third in single-season innings pitched (67 2/3), fourth in single-season complete games (4) and fifth in single-season strikeouts (59).
GOLF
What’s next: NIACC freshman Kaitlin Koob will participate in the NJCAA national women’s tournament May 12-15 at the LPGA International Golf Club Hills Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Also, NIACC sophomore Levi Fink will play in the men’s NJCAA Division II tournament May 20-23 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind.
Last time out: At the NJCAA Region XI women’s tournament at Otter Creek in Ankeny on April 25-26, Koob placed 14th to earn her trip to the national tournament. Koob shot 90-97 – 187.
It’s the eighth straight year under NIACC coach Chris Frenz that at least one women’s golfer has qualified for the national tournament.
Koob’s 90 during the first round of the regional tournament was her career best round as a collegian. Her previous career best was a 93 on April 12 at the AIB Invitational in Panora.
At the NJCAA Region XI men’s meet at Lake Panorama in Panora on May 2-3, Fink placed fourth to qualify for the men’s national tournament with a 76-77 – 153. It’s the second straight year under Frenz that the Trojans have had at least one golfer qualify for the national meet. Last year, Jacob Urdahl and Dalton Olson qualified for nationals.
Fink’s 76 in the first round of the regional tournament was the fifth best individual round at the regional tournament in Frenz’s eight years as golf coach.
TRACK AND FIELD
What’s next: The NIACC men’s and women’s track and field teams return to action Friday at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Eagle Open.
The NIACC teams will also compete a the NJCAA national outdoor track and field meet in Mesa, Ariz., May 15-17.
Last time out: The NIACC women won three events and set two meet records at the NJCAA Region XI meet in Council Bluffs May 2-3 in Council Bluffs. Sharon Taoka won the javelin with a meet-record toss of 41.10 meters and Hannah Palmeter won the 1,500-meter run in a meet-record and school record time of 4 minutes, 43.39 seconds.
Palmeter also set a school record with her second-place finish in the 800 (2:15.44).
In the men’s regional meet, Will Hanson placed second in the javelin (54.83) and was third in the 110 hurdles (14.78). The Trojans also received a second-place finish from Deon Polk in the 100 (10.85) and a third-place finish from Jaime Zarate in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:03.46).
National notes: For the NIACC women, Taoka ranks first among national qualifiers in the javelin with her season-best toss of 41.84 meters … Palmeter ranks second among qualifiers in the 1,500 (4:43.49), seventh in the 10,000 (39:19.24) and 10th in the 800 (2:15.44) … LaBrisha Michael ranks fifth among qualifiers in the shot put (14.38 meters) and Rellie Kaputin ranks sixth among qualifiers in the high jump (1.67 meters) and ninth in the triple jump (11.79 meters) … For the NIACC men, Hanson ranks ninth among national qualifiers in the javelin (57.43 meters) and ninth in the 110 high hurdles (14.34).
Women’s national qualifiers: Shot put – LaBrisha Michael, 14.38 meters. Discus – Michael, 36.79 meters. Javelin – Sharon Toaka, 41.84 meters; Adrine Monagi , 40.11 meters. High jump – Rellie Kaputin, 1.67 meters. Long jump – Kaputin, 5.73 meters. Triple jump – Kaputin, 11.79 meters. Heptathlon – Monagi, 4,011 points. 800 – Hannah Palmeter, 2:15.44. 1,500 – Palmeter, 4:43.49. 5,000 – Palmeter, 18:33.26. 10,000 – Palmeter 39:14.24. 400 hurdles – Jessica Kingston, 1:07.72. 4×800 relay – NIACC, 9:51.10.
Men’s national qualifiers: Javelin – Will Hanson, 57.43 meters. 110 hurdles – Hanson, 14.34. 3,000 steeplechase – Jaime Zarate, 10:03.46. 5,000 – John-Ross Tangi, 15:36.80; Zarate, 15:37.06. 10,000 – Tangi, 33:29.94.
