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Mitchell County Sports Highlights from 2008
By Warren Haacke, Press-News Reporter
The year 2008 has been a tremendous year for Mitchell County area sports. It has been a year of team and individual championships. Athletes and coaches both received well-deserved honors for their accomplishments. Records were broken and new standards of excellence were set as area athletes went about the business of competing.
Exciting upsets took place and some teams and individuals experienced the "heartbreak " that goes along with competition.
Osage natives were named to Halls of Fame and prestigious coaching positions. Area residents were recognized for their outstanding service to athletics.
The Press-News sports department is going to highlight just a few of the major sports highlights of 2008. In an effort to list the "top 10" highlights for the year, we realize we cannot compile a complete list of accomplishments and recognize everyone's efforts. We want to thank all of the coaches and athletes for their contributions for the year and we know each one is meaningful in their own way.
#1 - Schwab qualifies for 2008 Olympic Games
It was probably a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity for Doug Schwab and his family. The Osage native represented the USA at the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing, China in August.
Fundraisers helped send members of Schwab's family to the wrestling action in Beijing.
Schwab's Bio: Hometown Osage Boy: Born August 3, 1977. Parents are Phil and Susan. Brothers are Mark and Mike, sister is Julie (Schwab) Marley. Married to Allyson, has one son, Hayden.
Schwab is a 1996 Osage graduate and 1996 State Champion at 130 lbs.
Schwab compiled a 110-5 record while at Osage. He was a State Wrestling Runner-up in 1993 and 1995 and also All-State in Baseball.
Schwab enjoys fishing, watching movies and is a Red Sox fan.
"I grew up here, in a wrestling town, and I like it to be known that I'm from Osage."
Beyond Osage: Schwab also has an impressive post high school wrestling resume. He was a three-time All-American at Iowa and captured a NCAA championship in 1999 at 141 lbs. He compiled 130 career wins at Iowa, which ranks 10th best in school history.
2001 Communications graduate from Iowa.
He was an assistant wrestling coach at Virginia Tech for two seasons under current Iowa Coach Tom Brands.
Schwab earned a Bronze medal in the 2007 Pan American games. He won the 2007 U.S, Senior Freestyle title and also finished 5th for the United States at the Wrestling World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan at 66 kilograms.
He is currently an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Iowa. Working on a Master's degree in kinesiology and sports management at the University of Minnesota.
The Olympic Trek: Osage native Doug Schwab emerged as the Senior freestyle champion in a loaded field of competitors in the 66 kg/145.5 lb. weight bracket at the U.S. National Championships held in April in Las Vegas, qualifying him for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
In the championship finals, Schwab took home the title by defeating Bill Zadick of the Gator Wrestling Club.
Schwab gained the Olympic berth to Beijing on Saturday night, June 14 in Las Vegas by winning the 66kg/145.5 lbs. U.S. Olympic trials freestyle wrestling title over Zadick.
"I remember watching the Olympics as a kid, and wondering what it would be like to be a part of it," Schwab said. "It's an exciting opportunity."
Even though Schwab was defeated in his two Olympic matches, the Osage community and the state of Iowa is proud of his efforts.
#2 - Mark Schwab inducted into Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame
Osage native Mark Schwab was one of four inductees into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. Schwab joined Greg Randall, Scott Morningstar and Kevin Evans as part of the 2008 induction class.
Mark Schwab, son of Phil Schwab and Susan Schwab of Osage, is a legend in Iowa high school and college wrestling circles. Schwab, a 1985 Osage graduate, was a four-time State Champion from 1982-1985 while in high school, compiling a 106-1 record. Schwab was also the first wrestler to ever win three Junior National Freestyle titles and he also added a National Greco-Roman crown.
After high school, Schwab joined his older brother Mike at UNI where he compiled a 115-18 record and was an All-American twice. Schwab had to overcome a serious knee injury during his time at UNI.
Schwab won more matches as a true freshman than anyone else in NCAA history when he compiled a 49-9 record and finished 5th at the NCAA Championships.
As a sophomore Schwab redshirted to concentrate on training for the Olympic Games. He captured 3rd place at the World Freestyle Championships in Tiblisi, USSR. He was ranked #1 in the USA at 114.5 pounds and earned a bronze medal at the World Cup competition in Mongolia.
When Schwab returned to UNI, he was ranked #1 at 114.5 pounds and was 17-1-1 when he suffered a serious knee injury. Later he was diagnosed with a serious staph infection that required an additional nine knee operations.
Schwab missed about 1 1/2 years of competition before he could again wrestle.
After he returned to competition at UNI, he earned All-American honors again in his senior year.
Schwab earned a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice at UNI, graduating in 1990. He coached at UNI for one year before moving on to Purdue University where he was an assistant coach from 1991-1993.
He then joined the Minnesota staff under Jay Robinson where he spent nine seasons as an assistant coach. During his time with the Gophers, the team captured seven NCAA trophies, two NCAA Championships and four Big Ten titles.
Schwab also earned his Masters in Education degree in 2003 from Minnesota.
During his time at Minnesota Schwab also coached in the freestyle and Olympic circles. He was co-head coach with Joe Russell and the duo guided the Minnesota Storm to three Espoir National Championships in 1996, 1997 and 1999.
He also served as the head coach of the United States Junior World Freestyle team in 2001 and also coached a 20-and-under team in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Schwab accepted the job as head wrestling coach at Buena Vista University in 2004. In his time there Schwab coached one individual conference champion and five All-Americans. He also had two wrestlers earn Scholar All-American honors.
Schwab was named the 2007 Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. His teams at Buena Vista showed great improvement each year within conference and national standings.
Schwab announced last spring that he was resigning from his head coaching duties at Buena Vista after May 31, 2008.
#3 - Mark Schwab named wrestling coach at NIACC
Osage native and former state high school champion wrestler Mark Schwab was named head wrestling coach at NIACC. "I look at this as an overall good opportunity, not just a wrestling opportunity, but an opportunity to teach and to further my formal education as well,'' Schwab said. "NIACC brings three important things together in my life. Wrestling has been my whole life. The classroom, which I resisted at first, I've found that enjoy because coaching and teaching are the same idea in different arenas.
"I also plan to work on another MA in sports psychology through UNI. I bring a lot of experience at different levels of the sport. I've been blessed to be around a lot of good people. Now, I get to share my experiences with the athletes and students at NIACC."
During the 2007-08 season, three NIACC wrestlers won national titles individually and the Trojans finished fourth as a team.
"Coach Schwab's addition to the NIACC wrestling program signifies the rich athletic tradition to NIACC and the region,'' Dr. Debra Derr, NIACC president, said. "We are exceptionally pleased to have attracted Coach Schwab with his standing and reputation in wrestling as well as his strong North Iowa ties and his commitment to athletic and academic excellence,"
"The selection of Mark Schwab as the head wrestling coach is the culmination of great work by our search committee and administration," Dan Mason, NIACC athletic director said.
#4 - Mohl named men's basketball coach at NIACC
NIACC announced that Mark Mohl, former head coach at Osage High School, would become the head men's basketball coach at the school. Mohl was an assistant to head coach Bryan Martin for the 2007-08 season. Mohl resigned as head basketball coach after the 2006-07 season after nearly ten years as head coach at Osage. He was also an assistant coach on Osage's championship team.
"I'm excited to be hired as the next NIACC head basketball coach. NIACC maintains great academic and athletic standards. Coach Bryan Martin really helped me become familiar with the college level of the sport over the past year. Martin resigned recently to take an assistant coaching position at the University of North Dakota.
"He served as a great role model for me and I appreciate all the opportunities that he's given me. Coach Martin had done a great job with recruiting for the upcoming year and I hope that we can build on what he's accomplished over the past three years," Mohl said. "I'd like to thank Dan Mason and NIACC for giving me the opportunity to serve as the next head coach."
Mohl, an Osage resident, previously served as head coach for the Osage High School boys basketball team, compiling a 109-70 mark in eight seasons and earning District Coach of the Year honors in 2005-06.
"This is an exciting day for NIACC Athletics. In his new role as our men's basketball head coach, Coach Mohl will bring a high level of energy and excitement to the program and build upon the strong foundation that currently exists," Dr. Debra Derr, NIACC president, said.
During his playing days, Mohl starred for Lost Nation High School, averaging 32.8 points per game one season to lead the state of Iowa in scoring. He eventually tallied 1,815 points at the school during his high school career, 59th among the career points leaders in Iowa boys basketball. In college, Mohl played at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, earning All-Region honors before transferring to Morningside College in Sioux City. There, he scored 1,244 points to rank 10th among career scorers at the school.
"The selection of Mark Mohl as the head men's basketball coach illustrates the strong talent pool that exists in North Iowa. We're happy to have someone of Coach Mohl's caliber leading our program into the future," Dan Mason, NIACC athletic director, said.
Mohl and wife, Shelly, have been longtime residents of Osage. They have two children. An elementary school teacher, Mohl has also coached baseball at Osage, winning his 300th game on May 31.
#5 - Thorson captures national discus championship
College Freshman Marin Thorson of St. Ansgar High School became North Iowa Area Community College's first-ever individual national champion in track and field, winning the women's discus event at the NJCAA Outdoor Nationals at South Plains College.
Thorson, a three-time state champion while in high school, had her best toss of the year, 157 feet, 4 inches and needed every bit of it, edging the 157-3 toss by Kelsey Poljansek of Cowley County Community College. Thorson had been seeded behind Poljansek in the national rankings before the competition.
#6 - Goodale named head wrestling coach at Limestone
According to information provided by Limestone College Director of Athletics Mike Cerino, Osage native and assistant coach Trent Goodale will assume head coaching duties in wrestling this fall.
Present head wrestling Coach Ben Stehura will be leaving Limestone College and accepting the head coaching position at NCAA Division I Cleveland State University in Ohio.
Limestone College is located in South Carolina and is a NCAA Division II school.
Goodale has been an assistant coach for the Saints since 2006. The Osage native attended the University of Iowa where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies.
Goodale was a four-year letter-winner for the Hawkeyes and was a 2004 NCAA Division I national qualifier. He was also a two-time Fila Junior All-American in freestyle.
Goodale's prior coaching experience included volunteering as an assistant coach during college with the Iowa City West High School and working at several University of Iowa athletic camps.
While at Osage, the 2001 graduate and son of Ron and Deb Goodale, earned three state championships and was in the state finals four times. He was also a four-time NIC conference champion.
His overall record at Osage was 158-6,including a consecutive winning streak of 107 matches in a row.
Goodale will have the opportunity to coach his brother Theran who will be attending the school in the fall.
#7 - Dosser elected to Iowa Girls Coaches Assoc. Hall of Fame
Former Osage coach Jody Dosser was inducted into the Iowa Girls' Coaches Association Volleyball Hall of Fame for 2008. The ceremony took place on November 22 in Carroll, Iowa. The Hall of Fame ceremony was part of the Senior All-Star Weekend.
Jody Dosser coached at Osage High School from 1973-2000 and compiled a 697-249-48 record.
She was named one of the all-time winning high school coaches for the State of Iowa, by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. She led Osage to 10 state tournaments. She reached the semi-final three times, 1980, 1991, and 1993.
Her teams won 17 conference championships. Jody was named Senior All Star Coach in 1992, and 1996. She served on the IGHSAU Advisory Board Committee.
Dosser served on the Junior Olympic (JO) Volleyball committee during the 1970s and AAU Chairperson during the 1990s. She organized JO and AAU clubs and tournaments during her high school career.
After high school, Jody coached at Waldorf College from 2001-2007. Waldorf captured the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament title in 2007 and posted a record of 19-9. Under her reign, Waldorf earned runner-up honors at the 2005 Conference Tournament, reached the semi-finals in 2006, and advanced to two Region VII Tournaments. Jody's overall match record at Waldorf was 137-135. She has a combined coaching record of 834-384-48
Jody and husband Rick retired from teaching and coaching in 2008.
#8 - Jensen awarded IHSAA Volunteer Award
Steve Jensen of Osage was presented the Iowa High School Athletic Association Volunteer Award by Osage High School at the halftime of the Osage-Garner basketball game on Thursday, January 31. Athletic Director Jay Marley presented Jensen with the award.
Jensen has been a long -time volunteer for Osage High and the community. He has been the scorekeeper for girls and boys basketball for the past 14 years. He has also been the basketball announcer during this period. He has helped build two portable batting cages for softball and baseball, an indoor pitching mound softball dugout covers and was instrumental in helping replace baseball lighting.
Jensen has also been active as an umpire for Kiwanis softball and baseball tournaments and has served as a referee for Booster Club and Catholic School basketball tournaments.
He has participated as an amateur player, coach, manager and fundraiser for local amateur baseball teams for many years.
Jensen has also volunteered assistance to the local FFA in preparation for contests and donates seed and scholarships to the local chapter.
#9 - Osage denied admission to Corn Bowl Conference
Osage officials had their opportunity to "plead their case" before Corn Bowl Conference superintendents on Wednesday, March 12 regarding Osage's application for admission to the conference.
" I was very grateful that we had a chance to talk to the Corn Bowl superintendents and officials," said Osage Athletic Director Jay Marley. "It gave us a chance to present our side of the story."
Another school, Ventura, was also at the meeting seeking possible admission to the Corn Bowl Conference.
Osage Superintendent Steve Williams received a fax later that Wednesday that read:
Dear Mr. Williams, "Thank you for taking the time to attend our conference meeting to explain your school's request to join the Corn Bowl Conference.
"After discussion, it was moved to maintain the Conference as an eight-team conference. Due to the successful passage of this motion, specifically addressing the entry of another school into the Conference became moot. This vote does not reflect upon your proposal or suitability for admission, but rather emphasizes the desire to remain an eight-team conference." Respectfully, Steve B. Ward, Czar, Corn Bowl Conference.
Marley commented that things could change in the next several years and the opportunity to talk with the Corn Bowl Conference might present itself again in the future.
#10 - Area high school 2008 sports highlights, from Mitchell County:
Osage - Trevor Bartusek breaks the single season home run record, Carrie Rawn and Aarika Chambers named to All State softball teams, Jake Hemann named All State in football, Hemann set 3 new Osage season passing records, Marquis Shaw sets 4 new Osage receiving records, football team qualifies for playoffs.
Osage boys cross country team captures District title, finishes 10th in 2A at State - Brett Castek takes home District cross country championship and 2nd place individual honors at State, Osage girls capture 2nd straight NIC basketball title and have 32-game winning streak in NIC play, Theran Goodale, Nolan Hammel and Trevor Olsen advance to State Wrestling Tournament, Goodale took home a 2nd place finish and Hammel a 3rd place finish, Max Dunlay picked up his 100th career wrestling win for the Green Devils, Dunlay, a senior, finished his career at Osage with a 101-41 record, Megan Kittleson breaks school shot put and discus records, Osage boys take district track title, send 11 events to state meet - Osage State Qualifiers: Alex Hartogh , Colin Fox, Marquis Shaw, John Medlin, Jordan Crosser, David Wherry, Simon Campbell, Tyler Thome, Jon Lutz, Adam Angell, Seth Wagner, Tanner Lewis, Trevor Hintz, Tim Biederman and Ben Klapperich, Coach Mark Mohl wins 300th game as baseball coach, the Osage trap team had a squad that was accorded 3rd place All State recognition - the team consisted of Caleb Clark, Matt Haganman, Samantha Herman, Josh Huebsch and Matt Moon, Samantha Herman and Matt Haganman also received awards for 3rd and 4th place All State individual honors respectively, the Osage volleyball ends Lake Mills 62 game NIC streak - are NIC Tournament champs, Jenny Bellairs named to All State volleyball team, Andie Olson named NIC Coach of the Year.
St. Ansgar - Dallas Hendrikson named All State in football, also advances to State in wrestling and in track, Hendrikson captures 100th career win in wrestling, Garrett Ehlke also qualifies for State in track, Saint girls finish 42nd at State Track Meet - State Qualifiers - Taylor Rustad, Kristen Morrow, Lauren Schaefer, Nicole Weis, Talia Woods, Kara Jo Sponheim, Brooke Mayer, Kristy Heimer, Steph Kittleson, Natalie Braun, Morgan Wilde, Gayle Nelson and
Nicole Schotanus, Saints baseball team qualifies for State, loses in semifinals, Kyle Moses and Dallas Hendrikson named All State in baseball, Kelsey Kittleson named to All State team in softball, St. Ansgar football team qualifies for playoffs, Coach Drew Clevenger selected to coach in Iowa Shrine Football Game.
Riceville - Nate Klobassa and Chaz Krueger named All State in football, Riceville girls track team finishes in 15th place at State track meet - state qualifiers - Maria Green, Roxanne Baethke, Cambria Berentsen, Kayla Wolthoff, Riceville football team qualifies for playoffs.
Story created Dec 30, 2008 - 10:58:54 CST.
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