Complete List of Past Duane Schroeder IIAC Scholar Athletes of the Year
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that former Wartburg College track & field athlete Hannah Baker (Richland, Iowa/Keota) has been named the Duane Schroeder IIAC Female 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.”
A 2010 NCAA Postgraduate Scholar, Baker graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2010 after posting a 3.98 grade point average while majoring in biology and minoring in psychology. She was named to the Dean’s List on four occasions, earned the Wartburg College Dean’s Honor Cord upon graduation for having one of the top 40 cumulative GPAs in the Class of 2010, and was named the 2010 Outstanding Senior in biology. Baker was a three-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American®, being named to the second team in 2008 and the first team in both 2009 and 2010. She was also a three-time pick for both the Iowa Conference and United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. In addition, Baker was selected as the Iowa Conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, advancing to the Top 9 phase as one of the final three nominees representing Division III. She is currently attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in genetic counseling.
“During the time I have known Hannah she has struck me as being a very conscientious and hardworking student. [She] was quite often looked upon as a leader in her project work groups and served quite well in that role,” Wartburg College Professor of Biology David McCullough said. “As engaged in academics as Hannah is, it is important to note that she excels beyond the classroom. She volunteered with several organizations, was active in several campus groups and committees and was a premier track and field athlete. Time management is one of her fortes. All of these opportunities have allowed Hannah to develop the experience, thought processes, and skills necessary to understand and engage not only in the rigorous environment of graduate school but in the challenging world of post-baccalaureate life as well.”
During her time at Wartburg, Baker was selected to a number of honor societies – Beta Beta Beta (biology), Psi Chi (psychology), Alpha Chi (academic excellence/exemplary character), and Phi Eta Sigma (first-year). She was also selected by Wartburg President Darrel Colson to be the senior speaker at the college’s 2010 Commencement ceremony. A team captain during her final three seasons as a member of the Knights’ track & field team, Baker was also a member of the Wartburg College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) – where she served as President as a senior – as well as a three-year representative to the Iowa Conference SAAC. She was a driving force behind the Fall 2009 Kids Day N’ Knights Multi-Sport Clinic that was highlighted by the NCAA governance staff when awarding the Wartburg athletic department an NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Leadership Conference Recognition Award. In addition, Baker served as a peer helper at the Pathways Center (2008-09) and as a volunteer (2008) and part-time staff member (2008-09) at a domestic violence shelter. She also volunteered for the Special Olympics (2009), Habitat for Humanity (2007), and Wartburg’s Holiday Shoppe (2008).
“Hannah, as a student, student-athlete and individual, has truly displayed herself as a strong student leader,” added Wartburg Head Track and Field Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Marcus Newsom. “[She] has been very assertive and determined to achieve her academic, athletic, and personal development goals. It was clearly visible in everything that she did. Her actions were positive, powerful, and impactful all four years. Her goals for herself or group never sacrifice her level of integrity. She is a student that valued leading by example, both in and out of the classroom. She is a great example and role model for all students, not just student athletes. Her level of dedication to academics and athletics is exemplary of the type of student athlete whom we [in] the IIAC are very proud of.”
Baker was a standout sprinter on the Wartburg track and field team, claiming membership on the Knights’ 2009 outdoor and 2009 and 2010 indoor NCAA Division III Championship teams and a total of eight Iowa Conference championship teams (4 indoor, 4 outdoor). She also earned All-America honors in the 400-meter dash six times, placing as high as second twice (2008 indoors, 2009 outdoors), and ran on eight All-America relays, including five national champion 4x400-meter relays (2007-08-09-10 outdoor, 2009 indoor). At the conference level, Baker was a 12-time Iowa Conference champion, winning the 400 six times (indoor and outdoor, 2007-08-09). She was named the Most Valuable Performer at the 2008 IIAC indoor meet after winning the 200- and 400-meter dashes and the long jump. She graduated as the Iowa Conference record holder in the indoor 400-meter dash (56.63 seconds), outdoor 400-meter dash (54.56), and as a member of the indoor 4x200-meter relay (1:41.54). She also holds Wartburg school records in the indoor 400 and outdoor 400 and as a member of five school-record relays.
In addition to these accomplishments, she was awarded the 2010 Chellevold Award as Wartburg’s Outstanding Seinor Female Student-Athlete and was the Wartburg track and field squad’s newcomer of the year in 2007.
The Duane Schroeder IIAC Female 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. She 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, former sports information director at Wartburg College. 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 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were former Buena Vista University basketball player Margo Muhlbauer (Manilla, Iowa/IKM), Central College track & field and cross country athlete Rachelle Tipton (Newton, Iowa/Newton), former University of Dubuque basketball player Jennifer Nichols (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock), former Loras College track & field and cross country athlete Mary Bridget Corken (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert), and former Luther College softball player Kim Lambert (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline).
Previous recipients of the Duane Schroeder IIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year include Johanna Olson (2000-01, Luther College track and cross country), Brianne Schoonover (2001-02, Wartburg College basketball and track), Jessica Jensen (2002-03, Buena Vista University basketball and track), Raegan (Schultz) Wagner (2003-04, Central College volleyball and track), Amy Ernst (2004-05, Coe College softball), Katie Pederson (2005-06, Central College volleyball and track), Abby Erion (2006-07, Loras College track & field), Kristy Upah (2007-08, Coe College volleyball), and Kelsey Steffens (2008-09, Wartburg College volleyball and track & field).
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