Alumni watch: West grad wins league golf title
Davenport West grad Andrew Petersen came from three strokes down to win the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference golf championship Saturday, edging Buenta Vista’s Josh Reed by one shot with a 63-hole score of 266.
It was the second straight IIAC title and third straight all-conference honor for Petersen, a junior, who likely will move on to the NCAA Division III Championships May 13-16 in Braselton, Ga.
“Andy played real well. I’m proud of him,” Central coach Charlie Estabrook said. “He had a couple bad holes but also had some really good holes and battled tough.”
Petersen shot 37-79-75-75 in the event, which was shortened to 63 holes because of rain.
The Norse finished second as a team behind host Luther College.
Andrew Townsend, a sophomore from Pleasant Valley, scored a 273 to tie for 11th, joining Petersen and three other Central golfers placing in the top 15.
MORE ALUMNI NEWS
Baseball
Jason Belk (Davenport North), a senior at Iowa, is 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA in 18 appearances for the Hawkeyes this season. The right-hander, who played at Kirkwood Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College before transferring to Iowa, has recorded 16 strikeouts in 23 innings.
Eric Holmes (Wilton), a freshman at Des Moines Area Community College, is 7-1 with a 1.63 ERA in 512/3 innings in his first season at DMACC. The left-hander has recorded 41 strikeouts for a 39-15 team that won a conference championship.
Softball
Kelly Harris (Pleasant Valley), a senior at Central College, broke the Norse’s career record for total bases with a double in Friday’s IIAC Tournament win over Simpson. Harris also holds school records for runs in a season and career. She is one of four former PV players who helped the Norse to a 24-16 record. Juniors Hannah Weindruch and Alysha Overturf, and sophomore Afton Nelson also were in the starting lineup and ranked among the team’s best hitters.
Ashton Horn (Davenport West) and Sara Blaser (Davenport North) are both regulars at Cornell College. Horn, a sophomore, is the Rams’ No. 1 pitcher and finished this season with an 18-15 record, 2.78 ERA and 123 strikeouts. Blaser, a junior third baseman, was third on the team with a .308 batting average. She had two home runs and 20 RBIs.
Sara Brokaw (Orion), a senior at Augustana, has been named first-team All-CCIW. The second baseman has started all 44 games for the 26-18 Vikings, who open NCAA Tournament play Thursday. She leads the team with a .397 batting average. She has seven home runs, and her 34 RBIs are tops on the roster. For a list of the all-CCIW team, go to Page C4.
Track and field
Sammy Biggs (Morrison), a sophomore at Southern Illinois, has been contributing on several relays for the Salukis this season. At the Drake Relays two weeks ago, Biggs was a member of four relay teams, including the sprint medley team that finished eighth.
Kelsey Bulat (Pleasant Valley), a sophomore at Iowa State, placed 20th in the 1500 meters at the Arkansas Twilight over the weekend. She finished in a time of 4:53.12. She also is a member of the Cyclones’ cross country team.
If you know of a former Q-C area high school athlete who has moved on to the collegiate ranks, contact Eric Page at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.