November 1, 2003
(Release courtesy of Matt Turk, SID, Simpson College)

INDIANOLA, IOWA . . . Wartburg won its sixth consecutive Iowa Conference men's cross country championship Saturday afternoon in Indianola. The Knights edged Loras by five points (31-36) to take home the team honors. Loras' Marcus Murphy was named IIAC MVP after becoming the first cross country runner to win four consecutive individual titles. It is the fourth straight year that Murphy has earned MVP honors.

Loras' Gary Wittman and Wartburg's Steve Johnson shared the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year honors. It is sixth straight year that Johnson has earned or been named IIAC Coach of the Year. It is the fifth time since 1991 that Wittman has been named IIAC Coach of the Year.

Luther broke the two-year reign of Wartburg to win the Iowa Conference Women's Conference Championship Saturday afternoon in Indianola. The Norse defeated the Knights by six points (35-41). Wartburg's Missy Butry won the individual title to earn IIAC MVP honors for the second consecutive season. Butry defeated her closest competitor, Luther's Natalie Retrum by over two minutes (2:04).

Luther's Betsey Emerson was selected as the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year. It is the third time in the past five years Emerson has been named IIAC Coach of the Year and it is the fifth time since 1995 that Emerson has earned Coach of the Year honors.

The top-15 runners on both the men's and women's side were named All-Conference runners.

Complete results - Women/Men

-30-