Wartburg's Unified Sports Day a Special Tradition

Wartburg held its 20th annual Unified Sports Day on Sunday, March 18 with nearly 125 volunteers and 51 special athletes registered for the day. Wartburg teamed up with Special Olympics Iowa and the Waverly Kiwanis Club again this year to put on another successful event.

The Waverly Kiwanis Club assisted with many aspects of the day including serving the volunteers and athletes lunch. The Wartburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was the campus sponsor for this event as part of the NCAA Division III Special Olympics partnership.

There were 20 stations of activities for the Special Olympic Athletes such as soccer, baseball, basketball, bowling, bocce ball, ladder golf, bag toss, musical chairs, golf, parachute, dodgeball, frisbee, and a craft table where the athletes made picture frames. Each team spent time at every station and the day ended with a big volleyball game and awards ceremony for the athletes. Everyone took a sack lunch to go that was provided by Kiwanis volunteers. 

"I love everything about this day but it was especially fun seeing the laughter and smiles on the athletes faces as they participated in the activities," said SAAC executive team member, Nicole Adair. "Even after rescheduling the event, the day was a huge success and it was great to see the volunteers and athletes come together and interact throughout the day."

"My favorite part of the day was seeing the smiles on the athletes faces and all the Wartburg students interacting with the athletes throughout the day and giving some of their time to volunteer for this event," said women's basketball player Miranda Murphy.

NWU Softball Bowls with Special Olympians

Players and coaches from the Nebraska Wesleyan softball program volunteered with Special Olympics on three different occasions in January and February, and will do so again in April. Bowling at Sun Valley Lanes was the activity January 20 and 21, and basketball was the sport of choice February 17. Special Olympics track and field athletes will come to NWU's Abel Stadium April 23 for another fun- and competition-filled day.

About Division III's connection with Special Olympics
The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) initiated the partnership at the 2011 NCAA Convention and officially launched the partnership on August 1, 2011.  The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a mutual learning experience; provide a platform for recognition of Special Olympics athletes and Division III student-athletes within their communities; and raise awareness of Special Olympics, its programs and services.

Luther Hosts Annual Norse Awards

Submitted by Madilyn Heinke, Luther SAAC:

On Sunday, February 18 the annual Norse Awards took place in Regents Center to celebrate the dedication and success of Luther College Athletics. With over 400 student athletes and coaches in attendance, Kenny and Jane Wheeler (pictured below with Alex Smith, far left, and Jeff Wettach, far right) accepted the first Jeff Wettach Alumni Coach of the Year award. Both coaches are Luther grads who went on to share their life and the head coaching positions for the Track and Cross Country teams at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. The two share their success with over 100 members on their Track & Field team. While the two are not coaching they are spending time with their three daughters.

The Alumni Coach of the Year was named the Jeff Wettach Alumni Coach of the Year Award in honor of Luther’s Track and Field coach, Coach Jeff Wettach. Coach Wettach has shared his talents for over 30 years with Luther College students and athletes. He has coached Track and Field along with Football. Coach has not only touched the lives of many athletes but students as well through his teaching of Adaptive PE. Coach was honored with the award dedication and will forever have a place in Luther College history as a man who has helped to shape the lives of many Luther students.

The night continued with host, Brian Solberg. The 2016-17 teams took a look back on a year of successful Luther sports and shared some laughs along the way. The 2018 Senior class of student coaches, managers, and athletic trainers were recognized for everything they do. Nine Awards were given to athletes and teams for their outstanding accomplishments:

• Record Breaking Performance - Women’s Golf
• Jeff Wettach Coach of the Year - Kenny and Jane Wheeler
• Play of the Year - Ben Keller and Andrew Avram
• Comeback of the Year - Men’s Basketball
• Freshman Male Athlete of the Year - Matthew Staver
• Female Athlete of the Year - Laura Hamilton
• Male Athlete of the Year - Justin Kreiter
• Female Athlete of the Year - Anna Strien
• Team of the Year - Football

Congratulations to all Luther College Athletes and Coaches on a year full of success and wonderful memories. Head wrestling coach Dave Mitchell, pictured below, and the rest of the crowd enjoyed the evening.