Entering the final round with a one-stroke lead, the Norse secured their first Iowa Conference title since 2000 in the IIAC Tournament, winning by four strokes over Central College.

Four Luther players earned all-conference honors for only the second time in school history by finishing in the top 10. The first was in 1997 and that same year Luther claimed the league title.

Ross Jacobucci (‘10), Tom Lantzy (‘09), Chase Forkenbrock (‘10) and Paul Soener (‘09) finished in the top 10, with Jacobucci and Lantzy tied for fourth.

Coach of the Year honors were presented to Norse Head Coach Scott Fjelstul. Fjelstul led the Norse to three top-three finishes in five tournaments this spring, including the conference title. It is the seventh time since 1992 and first since 2006 that he has been so honored.

With its ninth Iowa Conference men’s golf title, Luther has earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf National Championship in Braselton, Ga. The 72-hole tournament will be held May 13-16 on the Woodland and Chateau courses. It will be the fifth NCAA appearance for the Norse, first since 1997.

Baseball takes two of three from Cornell, secures playoff spot

Luther secured a slot in the six-team Iowa Conference baseball tournament after taking the final regular season series from Cornell College. The Norse posted victories of 2-1 and 5-3 before falling 9-7 in the final game.

In game one, Jake Waddle (‘09) scored on a wild pitch in the third, and Alex Thomas (‘09) drove in a run in the fourth. Jeff Hiatt (‘08) tallied two of Luther’s six hits, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Adam Kohls (‘09) increased his record to 5-1 with a complete game effort, striking out 10 of the 24 batters he faced and allowing just three runs.

In the nightcap, the Norse jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three innings. Hiatt, who had his second consecutive multiple hit game, drove in a run in the first with a double to right field. Alex Ross (‘08) scored two more with a two-run triple. Ben Schott (‘10) and Steve Beckman (‘11) each drove in a run in the third.

Joe Nelson (‘08) went the distance on the mound, allowing three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out nine.

The two wins increased Luther’s Iowa Conference record to 11-10 and pushed its overall record above .500 for the first time since April 1, to 17-16.

The wins also secured a spot in the Iowa Conference Tournament, where Luther will be the four-seed. The Norse will play five-seed Loras College May 8 at 1 p.m.

Men’s tennis falls in second round of Nationals

Top seed of the regional and nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) ended Luther’s season in the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Gusties defeated the Norse 5-1.

Luther picked up its lone point at No. 1 doubles where Max Busch (‘10) and Jono Martin (‘08) posted a hard fought 9-8 (10-8) victory over the nationally ranked tandem from Gustavus.

The loss comes at the heels of a 5-1 first-round victory over Carthage College (Wis.).

The Norse jumped out to a 2-1 advantage in the match, thanks to victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Harry Whiteley (‘11) and Tim Eisele (‘08) won at 8-5, while Utsab Rijal (‘10) and Brad Nelson (‘08) posted an 8-2 victory.

The Norse wrapped up the match with straight set victories by Rijal, Eisele and Thomas Orser (‘09).

Luther completes the year with an overall record of 30-10, the most wins in school history, improving on a 29-7 performance last year. It also marks the fourth time during the seven years Head Coach Brian Huinker has been at the helm that the Norse have tallied 20-plus victories in a single season. Huinker was named IIAC Coach of the Year after the regular season.

Softball ousted at IIAC Tournament

The Norse saw an eventful tournament come to an end in the double elimination Iowa Conference Tournament. The Norse posted a victory over Central College before falling to nationally ranked Wartburg College 5-0 in the following game. The Norse then secured back-to-back victories over Cornell College and Central before losing for a second time to Coe College 1-0.

In the opening game, the Norse scored six runs on four hits and took the lead for good, thanks to two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ashley Hoffman (‘09) gave the Norse a 2-1 lead in the first after belting a two-run home run to center field.

Kim Lambert (‘10) picked up the win in relief. Lambert pitched the final 2 2/3 innings and struck out six of the nine batters she faced.

In the second game, Wartburg pitcher Angela Hartwig threw a four-hit shutout, as the No. 6 ranked Knights defeated the Norse 5-0.

Luther scored two runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Cornell College in game five of the tournament.

Trailing 2-1 entering the sixth, back-to-back doubles by Tiffany Kruse (‘10) and Jackie Miller (‘09) drove in the go-ahead runs.

Lambert picked up her 11th win of the season in relief. Lambert threw the final five innings, did not allow a hit, and struck out six of the 16 batters she faced.

Luther’s bid to have another crack at top-seed Wartburg came to an end when Coe defeated the Norse 1-0 in game nine of the tournament.

The Kohawks scored their lone run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly after a leadoff triple. The Norse offense was only able to manage two hits in the contest.

The loss eliminated Luther from the Iowa Conference Tournament with an overall record of 30-12. Luther’s 30 wins marks the first time in school history that the softball team has posted back-to-back 30-win seasons.

Women’s golf finishes third in IIAC Tournament

Luther posted its highest finish at the Iowa Conference championships since 1998, finishing third after 72 holes of play.

The Norse entered the final weekend in fourth place behind Simpson College and shot rounds of 342 and 362 en route to a four-round total of 1381. Simpson finished two strokes behind the Norse at 1383. Wartburg College won the team title, carding a 1327, while Loras College was a solid second at 1339.

Emily Looft (‘10) and Lindsay Thies (‘09) earned all-conference honors by finishing in the top 10 individually. A scorecard tiebreaker gave Looft fifth place, while Thies was one stroke back and finished alone in seventh place. Looft’s all-conference honor was the first of her career, while Thies also earned this award in 2005.

-Information compiled, in part, from Luther College Sports Info.