Alan Baskerville
Staff Reporter

NIACC runner Lee Meyer comes to a revitalized program looking to get on track.

Meyer, from South Winneshiek High School, looks to be a promising athlete that could help the developing Trojan track squad. Coach Curtis Vais said Meyer, from Calmer, Ia., has a lot of promise. "He has developed into a leader on the team," Vais said. "He isn't one of those motivators, but he leads by example."

Meyer sustained an ACL injury in high school, which he says is hard to completely recover from.

However, Meyer said his motivation is to push himself and see how good he can be in college.

"I am surrounded by great athletes that help push me to where I need to be," Meyer said about finding inspiration from his teammates.

That motivation is paying off as Meyer qualified for the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships by placing 23rd in the 600 meter run with a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 12 seconds at the Iowa State Open.

Meyer's teammates also appreciate what he brings to the team.

"Lee is a great kid, a very good athlete who works hard in practice and pushes us to be better," Justin Rustvold, a teammate, said.

To be successful in track, an athlete needs to have a great work ethic and be able to push oneself to the limit.

"Meyer's work ethic is awesome, one of the best I have ever coached," Vais said. "He can be tired, sore or sick and he will always be there and keep pushing himself."

Adapting to college athletics can be one of the hardest things an athlete can do.

"The track is still 400 meters long," Vais said. "But Meyer is stronger now and is ready to take on the challenge. He is like a celebrity when he runs. He has everybody's respect."

Running in track is no easy feat, but one that Meyer feels he is up to. "It takes a lot of work, everyone is a college athlete now," Meyer said.

"The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself to be a better runner," Meyer said. "My goals are to go to nationals and place well."

Jonathon Braden
Assistant Editor / Sports Editor

Fresh off the heels of his first recruiting class, NIACC Head Football Coach Scott Strohmeier also has some other issues to take care off; player dismissals.

"It's unfortunate," Strohmeier said.

Three NIACC football players have been dismissed from the squad following criminal charges in Chickasaw County. Terrance Tate, a former NIACC football player and current NIACC student, was also charged with the group.

Freshmen Antonio Hinton, Michael Liggins and Steve Martin have been dismissed from the team effective immediately, according to Strohmeier. Hinton and Martin, both of Detroit, Mi., have been charged with possession of a controlled substance and interference with official acts. Strohmeier said that Hinton and Martin gave false names to officials.

Liggins and Tate, both of St. Louis, Mo., have also been charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Strohmeier added that a March 2 court date has been issued for the group.

But regardless of the court verdict for the current NIACC football players, Strohmeier said they've been dismissed. "It's the way it is," Strohmeier said. "They had their opportunities."

Strohmeier said that Liggins, a first-team All-Region linebacker, and Hinton were both on scholarships.

"We worked extremely hard to get to this point," Strohmeier said. "Something like this sets us back a little bit."

The NIACC Athletics policy for a guilty plea or verdict on the possession of a controlled substance charge is a two game suspension and counseling for the athlete.

The athlete must also pass a drug test before he or she can participate in practice.

"We're in a situation now where we want to take a stand," Strohmeier said. "I felt this was the best way to move at this time."

Logan Weeks
Staff Reporter

With her great shooting ability, freshman KaeAnna Wood has been a factor in many games this season for the Trojans.

While in a recent shooting slump, Wood said she looks to pull herself out of that slump by simply doing what she has done lately. And that is keep to on shooting, according to Head Coach John Oertel.

"Her shooting is her greatest strength," Oertel said. "When she is open, I expect her to take the shot. She has been in a little bit of a slump, but she will overcome that."

Wood played her prep days for Atlantic High School, which is one reason Oertel and Wood herself, believe she is such a disciplined player.

"I think playing for a good program really helped me become the player I am now," Wood said.

Oertel said her high school program produces good athletes.

"She is a hardworking player and I believe she gets that from her high school playing days," Oertel said. "They (Atlantic) stress teaching a very good work ethic there, and I believe that is where she gets it from."

Shooting three-pointers and free throws seem to be one of Wood's strongest attributes, as she makes the most threes on the team and has the best free throw percentage, at just above 84 percent. Her staggering free throw success ranks her fifth in the conference.

"I would say shooting is probably the thing that I am the best at," Wood said. "That is what I work on the most."

As of right now due to current injuries and shortage of people on the team, Wood has seen some time backing up the point guard position as well as playing her normal spot at shooting guard.

"When Audrey Allen comes back from an injury you will see KaeAnna go back to her normal position, but right now she has had to be versatile," Oertel said.

Having to be versatile is something that Wood will have to adapt to, but she seems up to the challenge.

"I will do what I have to do in order to help out the team," Wood said. "Even if I have to play point guard."

Audrey Allen
Staff Reporter

Not every athlete gets to spend each day on the same field as two Heisman Trophy winners like Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. However, former NIACC football player Jermyah Graves got that opportunity last season when he walked on at the University of Southern California.

Graves, who also got to join the team on the sidelines at the national championship game in January, has two years of eligibility left with the USC Trojans.

Graves said that a number of Division I schools recruited Graves before and during his stint as a NIACC Trojan. But, Graves said he turned down those scholarships after finishing his sophomore year at NIACC to pursue his dream of making the elite USC squad.

When Graves arrived in Iowa, he said he knew that if he wanted to go to a big-time school to play football, he needed to focus on his academics.

And while at USC, his work in the classroom has paid off.

According to the USC Web site, Graves was one of seven USC football student-athletes named in December as an SAAS Positive Point Leader for Student-Athlete Academic Services at the university.

The 325 pound, 6' defensive tackle from Canton, Ohio said during his first year at NIACC his team had a lot of success as did he individually.

Graves was an all-conference defensive nose tackle the two years that he was at NIACC.

Getting recruited by big Division I schools was not an issue to Graves. Schools like the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Liberty had interest in him.

But Graves said he did not see the same potential opportunity in these two schools regarding his football future as he did in USC.

Being around famous athletes like Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart makes him feel at home, Graves said.

Graves also said that being on the same football team as the Heisman winners makes him realize how good he is and just how far he has come as an athlete.

"Being around two Heisman winners and being part of the Rose Bowl is something I can tell my wife and kids in the future," Graves said about the pursuit of his dream at the University of Southern California.

Graves said it wasn't hard for him to walk on to the USC football team.

Even though Graves said he only walked on, he is still getting money from the school in the form of financial aid and other scholarships.

Before Graves joined the USC football team, USC made him take some advanced courses at a community college in the Los Angeles area.

Graves said that his grades at NIACC were good enough to get him into USC, but there were other issues with his classes. He said that some of the classes he took at NIACC were not advanced enough.

There have been other adjustments since moving from Iowa to California as well.

Graves said being in Southern California compared to Iowa is a big climate change.

"It's a sunny day in California all the time," Graves said.

Some students usually pick a school that is close enough to home but the Canton, Ohio native said being further away from home doesn't matter to him now because he's a lot more mature.

"Being in Iowa prepared me a lot to be far away from home," Graves said.

Graves added that he still has two years of eligibility left to play football at USC.

He's also hopeful that next season he will receive a lot of playing time.

Graves said he believes that if he works really hard he has a chance to enter the NFL draft after he graduates from USC.

Jonathon Braden
Assistant/Sports Editor

JRBRADEN@NIACC.EDU

In a column, one can do lots of things. That list does not include telling the story of Herb Konigsmark, a NIACC instructor/men's basketball coach for 26 years and a victor of 443 games. So who better to tell his story than his wife of 53 and a half years and the basketball team's former driver/cook/mom, Joyce.

• On Herb's close calls, his heart attack at age 47 and his fainting at a city council meeting, when he was actually dead: "He defied all kinds of odds with his health problems. But he never let it affect his coaching."
  
  
• On Herb Day, Herb's last game that he coached in which Herby Hankies were made: "Every time we made a basket, we'd go wooooo," Joyce said while waving her Herby Hankie.
  
  
• On the stacks of sympathy and thank you notes: "It's been very, very heartwarming to know people cared about him. "
• On Herb's death: "Sometimes, death is okay. We would not wish him back the way he was."
  
  Just a week before his death, Joyce asked Herb a list of questions and she was to read his answers at the NIACC Hall of Fame ceremony as Herb sat and watched. Herb could not speak for very long due to his lung condition. Below are a few of the questions that Joyce asked and Herb's answers.
  
  
• Q: When did you realize you had a talent for the game? A: Never - (I) was lucky.
  
  
• Q: How would you describe the contribution you made and the most important thing you have done? A: Getting them all to graduate.
  
  
• Q: What made you such an outstanding coach? A: Luck Ð related to (the) players.
  
  
• Q: What was the hardest part of being a coach? A: Losing.

During his last seven hours of his life, Herb was moved to Hospice. During that time, Herb was in a coma sleeping. Doctors told Joyce and those with her to keep talking to Herb because the patients there can still hear people. Joyce said that Herb showed emotion just twice during the six hours she was with him.

When Herb's grandson talked about how nice Heaven's golf courses must be, Herb raised his eyebrows when he heard him. The second sign of emotion from Herb came when Joyce spoke about how she was going to be okay and how she could take care of herself. Again, Herb raised his eyebrows. Now, Joyce knows just what Herb's up to, "I think what he's doing is playing golf."

Herb got to see his first biological great grandson before he died, but Joyce's only wish is that he would've made it until March 4, when he will be inducted into the NIACC Hall of Fame. Yet Joyce will gladly represent him. "I'm going to take my Herby Hankie with me," she said. "I gotta do that."