MASON CITY – The NIACC Athletic Department provided the following update on its teams preparing for competition at this time:
VOLLEYBALL
What’s next: The NIACC volleyball team opens its regular season Friday and Saturday at the Waubonsee CC Invitational in Sugar Grove, Ill. The Lady Trojans face Macomb CC and Owens CC on Friday and play Glen Oaks CC and No. 12 (NJCAA Division II) McHenry County College on Saturday.
Leading the way: NIACC returns five sophomores from last year’s team that was 8-23 overall and 1-7 in the ICCAC. Returning for the Lady Trojans are Shelby Heston, Hannah Wagner, Sydney Roush, Connor Gauch and Jordana Foote.
Home opener: The Lady Trojans open their home season Wednesday, Aug. 29 against Southwestern in an ICCAC match, which starts at 7 p.m. in the NIACC gym. Southwestern has won two straight matches in the series against NIACC. The last NIACC win in the series came in the 2015 season with the Lady Trojans winning 3-1.
Trojan tidbits: Wagner was a second-team all-NJCAA Region XI selection as a freshman … Wagner recorded 278 kills in 2017 … Heston was a second-team all-NJCAA Region XI-A selection as a freshman … Heston recorded 223 kills as a freshman … Roush recorded 799 assists as a freshman, which ranked sixth in the ICCAC … Chris Brandt begins her ninth season as coach of the Lady Trojans … Brandt is 0-1 all-time vs. Owens CC and Glen Oaks CC … This will be Brandt’s first meetings against Macomb CC and McHenry County College.
CROSS COUNTRY
What’s next: The NIACC men’s and women’s cross country teams open their seasons on Saturday at the NJCAA Region XI time trial at Crow Creek Park in Davenport. The women’s 5-kilometer race starts at 11 a.m. with the men’s 5K race starting at 11:45 a.m.
Leading the way: The NIACC women’s team returns two sophomores (Julia Dunlavey and Ally Trager) from last year’s team that placed fourth at the NJCAA Region XI meet and 29th at the NJCAA Division I national meet. Dunlavey was 14th at the regional meet earning honorable mention all-region honors and placed 123rd at the national meet.
The NIACC men return five sophomores from last year’s team that was second at the regional meet and 18th at the national meet. Leading the list of returnees is Daniel Hennigar, who was 30th at the regional meet and 162nd at the national meet.
Trojan tidbits: The NIACC women placed fourth at the regional time trial last season in Council Bluffs with 91 points … The NIACC men were second at last year’s regional time trial with 51 points.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
What’s next: The NIACC women’s soccer team opens its regular season Saturday at Southeastern CC in a non-conference match. The season-opener is slated to start at 2 p.m. in Burlington.
Second season: The NIACC women’s team, under the direction of head coach Leo Driscoll, begins its second season as a program after not fielding a squad since the 2004 season. The Lady Trojans were 4-9 a year ago in their return to the game of soccer.
The Lady Trojans have a roster of 10 sophomores and nine freshmen, including honorable mention all-region performers from a year ago Emma Eden (defender) and Kirrilly Hughes (midfielder).
New kids on the block: This will the first season that Southeastern CC has fielded a women’s and men’s soccer program. Zachary Newton will coach both the men’s and women’s teams at Southeastern.
Lady Trojan tidbits: Eden had three goals and two assists last season … Hughes scored two goals during her freshman season.
MEN’S SOCCER
What’s next: The NIACC men’s soccer team opens its regular season Saturday at Southeastern CC in a non-conference match. The season-opener is slated to start at 4 p.m. in Burlington.
Double duty: Leo Driscoll will be the head coach of both the NIACC men’s and women’s soccer teams this fall. Driscoll was an assistant coach for the NIACC men’s team last season. Driscoll takes over the men’s program from Jonathan Platt, who was the Trojans’ head coach from 2012-17 and accumulated a record of 38-62-4. Driscoll is also in his second season as the head coach of the NIACC women’s program.
Wealth of experience: The Trojans return 12 sophomore from last year’s team that was 8-8 overall and 5-4 in the ICCAC. Defender Harry Holland returns after earning honorable mention all-region honors as a freshman.
New kids on the block: This will the first season that Southeastern CC has fielded a women’s and men’s soccer program. Zachary Newton will coach both the men’s and women’s teams at Southeastern.
Home opener: The NIACC men’s soccer team kicks off its home season at 2 p.m. Tuesday against Lake Superior College. NIACC nipped Lake Superior College 3-2 last season.
Trojan tidbits: Holland scored three goals with two assists in his freshman season … Sophomore forward Kalle Kantelinen scored five goals with two assists last season.
– Information compiled by NIACC sports information director Kirk Hardcastle
