Meester named All-American
Mount Vernon senior Chloe Meester was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) first team All-American.
Meester, the Player of the Year in Iowa, had 575 kills and hit at a .461 efficiency as a senior while leading the Mustangs to a Class 3A state title. She will play next fall for Louisville.
Meester was the only first-team pick from Iowa. Reagan Hanfelt of Ankeny was a third-team pick. Brooke Larsen, Council Bluffs Lewis Central; Delaney Miller, Ankeny Centennial; and Jaeden Pratt, Ankney Centennial, earned honorable mention.
Swart honored twice by IATC
Mount Vernon-Lisbon cross country coach Kory Swart was honored by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches (IATC) as a Class 3A At-Large Coach of the Year for both boys and girls.
The IATC awards a State Coach of the Year in each class, and each gender, then five At-Large Coaches of the Year.
The Coach of the Year for 3A girls was Douglas Cutler of Pella and 3A boys was Aaron Thomas of Gilbert. Both won state titles.
Lisbon’s Ries earns ‘You Can’ Award
Lisbon senior Kayla Ries was nominated for the E. Wayne Cooley “You Can” Award by her coach Lance Kamaus.
Kamaus wrote: “Despite limited playing time, Kayla is one of the unquestioned leaders of our team. She is a respected voice among her peers and practices what she preaches.”
3 Lions named academic all-state
Three Lisbon volleyball players — Kolsie Bixler, Madison Flockhart and Kaitlynn Hasselbusch — were honored as academic all-state recently by the IGCA.
In previous years, players needed a minimum score of 27 on the ACT and a 3.75 GPA to qualify.
Meester, Eagles play at nationals
The Kirkwood Eagles wrapped up their season this past week, going 2-2 at the NJCAA Division II Championships at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids.
Sophomore Emma Meester, a Mount Vernon grad, played in 43 of the 44 matches this season for Kirkwood (36-8). Playing at outside hitter, she averaged 2.22 kills per set and attacked at a .231 efficiency.
Clark, Rhomberg honored by A-R-C
Former Lisbon standout Cole Clark was a second-team American Rivers Conference pick at linebacker.
Clark, a junior at Central College, finished second on the team with 81 total tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss. He also had 2.5 sacks, one interception and one quarterback hurry.
Former Mount Vernon star Joey Rhomberg was an A-R-C honorable mention pick at quarterback. Rhomberg, a freshman, was 158 for 239 passing for 1,650 yards with 22 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for the University of Dubuque. He also ran for 38 yards and punted twice.
Mustang girls play in exhibition
No. 2 Mount Vernon (3A) played a girls’ basketball exhibition game against No. 8 (4A) Cedar Rapids Xavier on Saturday.
The Saints won, 61-52.
With volleyball winning a state championship, most of the group only had a few practices under their belt before taking the court.
Freshman Savanna Wright led the team with 18 points. Senior Sydney Huber had 12 points.
Up next is one that counts, a Rivalry Saturday game against No. 1 Estherville-Lincoln Central at 12:20 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Kirkwood.