CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that former Coe College wrestler Tyler Burkle (Coggon, Iowa/North-Linn) has been named the Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2009-10 academic year.

 

“Each year, I am overwhelmed by the nominees for the Duane Schroeder IIAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards,” Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen said. “This year was no exception, and the two winners emerged from a very impressive group. Wartburg’s Hannah Baker and Coe’s Tyler Burkle are shining role models from our star-studded Conference. Hannah's excellence on the track; Tyler's grit on the mat; and the pair's exemplary work in the classroom embody what the NCAA Division III experience is supposed to be about. I congratulate both of them, along with all the other young men and women who were nominated by their schools.”

 

Burkle graduated Cum Laude in May 2010 with a 3.90 grade point average as a double major in public relations and business administration with a minor in writing. Burkle was also a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII selection and a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American®, garnering Second Team honors in 2008 and First Team honors in 2010. In addition, he was a three-time Iowa Conference All-Academic Team honoree and a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American. Burkle was also named to the Coe College Dean’s List six times. He is an assistant wrestling coach at Coe and is pursuing graduate work at the University of Iowa.

 

“Tyler was known throughout the campus as being an incredibly hard worker with extremely laudable study habits,” said Coe College Associate Professor of Business Administration Dr. David T. Hayes. “On more than one occasion I passed Tyler walking back into the academic buildings for study sessions as I was heading home at the end of the day. Other wrestlers frequently commented to me how serious Tyler was about his academics. Importantly, his example of a solid work ethic prompted other teammates to increase their commitments to studying. As a result, the team has enjoyed great success in terms of academic performance. In fact, due in no small part to Tyler’s good work both on and off the mat, for three straight years Coe has finished with the highest combined overall national championship placing and academic standing in wrestling.”

 

“Tyler went out of his way to challenge himself academically at Coe and to take advantage of opportunities to learn outside of the classroom,” added Coe College Professor of Business Administration and World Affairs Dr. Pamela Carstens, one of Coe’s two IIAC faculty athletics representatives. “These experiences strengthened Tyler’s decision-making and interpersonal skills and helped him in making decisions about his future. Never satisfied to simply take the easy route to success, he went above and beyond what is typical of most undergraduates. Tyler is an excellent example of what we would like to see in all of our student-athletes in the Iowa Conference.”

 

A four-year captain on the Kohawks’ wrestling team, Burkle also served as a mentor for several of the squad’s underclassmen and as a volunteer tutor for several courses. Off campus, he was an active member and volunteer at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Walker, Iowa, and as a volunteer for the North-Linn youth wrestling program, Rock In Prevention, and Character Counts. Rock In Prevention is a youth program that uses music to promote a drug-free lifestyle, while Character Counts travels to elementary schools to teach the importance of being a helpful and respectful individual.

 

“Tyler’s most important contributions were of the intangible kind,” said Coe College Head Wrestling Coach John Oostendorp. “He served as captain of our program and I can honestly say turned in one of the best leadership jobs in 2009-10 that has ever been done here at Coe. With a mix of first year and senior squad members, Tyler worked to lead them to a second-place finish in the IIAC Championship and a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Championship, while securing the conference championship and All-American honors at 184 pounds (moving up two weight classes). Our success here depends greatly on physical conditioning, work ethic, and due diligence in repetitive drills. This is not pleasant work, but under Tyler’s guidance the young players were able to emulate his example and develop as wrestlers and people.”

 

Oostendorp added, “Tyler Burkle has moved on […] but leaves behind his own legacy. His wrestling accomplishments may be surpassed, but his examples of leadership, sportsmanship, work ethic and preparation can only be equaled, never topped.”

 

Burkle earned All-America honors in each of his final three seasons, capturing the 2008 NCAA Division III title at 165 pounds – the first by a Kohawk wrestler – and posting a pair of third-place finishes (165 pounds in 2009, 184 pounds in 2010) while leading the Kohawks to three consecutive fourth-place NCAA finishes. He also captured a pair of Iowa Conference titles – at 165 pounds in 2008 and 184 pounds in 2010 – while leading Coe to a pair of school-best runner-up team finishes at the conference meet. Burkle finished his career with a 125-18 record, the fourth-highest win total in program history. His single-season victory totals of 37 in 2009-10 and 36 in 2007-08 rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in Kohawk history. He owns the Coe career record for major decisions with 27 and the single-season record for technical falls with 10 in 2009-10, while also ranking second in career technical falls with 18 and 12th in falls with 23.

 

In addition to his exploits on the mat, Burkle was named the 2008 recipient of the Barron Bremner Outstanding Student Athlete Award reflecting outstanding achievement in athletics by a Coe student-athlete within the philosophy of NCAA Division III.I

 

The Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Award was first presented in December 2001 for the 2000-01 academic year. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete shall have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given. He must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership.

 

The Duane Schroeder IIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are named in honor of the late Duane Schroeder, the former Wartburg College sports information director. Schroeder served as Wartburg’s SID for 43 years until his retirement in 2000. Upon his retirement from his sports information duties, he was named SID Emeritus and served as Wartburg’s News Director until 2001. During much of his four decades at Wartburg, Schroeder served as the IIAC’s secretary and treasurer.

 

Also nominated for the 2009-10 Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year were former Central College football player Zach Van Arkel (Malcom, Iowa/Grinnell), Loras College soccer player Nate Minkel (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown), and former Wartburg College soccer player Geoff Miller (St. Louis, Mo./University).

 

Previous recipients of the Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year include Tim Vinyard (2000-01, Coe College football and baseball), Dale Biser (2001-02, Cornell College football and track), Jesse Harris (2002-03, Simpson College basketball), Brent Showalter (2003-04, Wartburg College track), Garrett South (2004-05, Luther College wrestling), Adam Duerfeldt (2005-06, Central College baseball), Adam Bohach (2006-07, Luther College cross country and track & field), Kyle Duchman (2007-08, Wartburg College football), and Alec Bonander (2008-09, Luther College wrestling).