-Female Finalists-

Karly Cochrane:
School: Mount Vernon High School.
High school highlights: Key member of a talented troop of girls that claimed state championships in volleyball, basketball and track in the 2009-10 school year. Competed in four state track meets, three state volleyball tournaments, two state softball tournaments and one state basketball tournament. A member of 10 state-championship relays in track. The starting shortstop for five years, she earned first-team all-state honors in 2009. Softball team placed fourth in 2010.
Future plans: Will …

Iowa High School Athletic Association Executive Director Rick Wulkow was kind enough to sit down for a short chat during last week’s state baseball tournament in Des Moines.
Wulkow has been with the IHSAA since 1980, including five years as executive director. A Lytton native, Wulkow was recently appointed president-elect of the National Federation of High School Associations.
Here’s the interview with Wulkow in its entirety.
Q: Tell me about the national appointment and how you feel about it?
A: It’s one of those things that you kind of dream …

The deadline for nominations for 2010 Gazette Athletes of the Year is Thursday.
E-mail resumes to jeff.linder@gazcomm.com. Only seniors are eligible. Finalists will be announced Aug. 1; the winners will be announced Aug. 8.
Here’s a list of those nominated so far, plus some that we have added to the list:
MALE
Kyle Thoreson, Alburnett
Joby Frey, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
Max Martino, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Andre Dawson, Cedar Rapids Washington
Ryan Sander, Cedar Rapids Xavier
Justin Hoffman, East Buchanan
John Chelf, Iowa City High
A.J. Derby, Iowa City High
Nick Moore, Iowa City West
Will Roth, Linn-Mar
Dalton Combs, Marion
Tanner …

Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Falls were Mississippi Valley Conference divisional winners for sportsmanship in the winter season of 2009-10.
The award encompasses wrestling and boys’ and girls’ basketball.

Their names are scrolled on concrete beams that extend from the ceiling in the Linn-Mar wrestling room. You see the Magic Man’s weights of his fourc state titles that were spread over 68 pounds, becoming the state’s 16th 4-time state champion. He was teammates with Mighty Mouse, who was a state placewinner the only year they overlapped there. He added three state titles and a Junior Nationals title to his resume.
Jay Borschel (Magic Man) and Matt McDonough (Mighty Mouse) are unquestionably the most accomplished wrestlers in the school’s history, so program …

Three members of the Trojan Wrestling Club earaned All-American honors last weekend at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in Cedar Falls.
Mickey and Paul Pelfrey both placed sixth and Jared Brinkman earned a seventh-place finish. Nine members from the club competed (see the club’s release below).
If you would like to submit your club’s achievements during the spring and summer seasons, email me at kj.pilcher@gazcomm.com.
USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals, Cedar Falls 4/1-4/3
 Five members of the West High Wrestling team and four members of the Trojan Wrestling Club competed at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in …

University of Iowa NCAA champions Jay Borschel and Matt McDonough will be honored in a ceremony Sunday at the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium, starting at 4 p.m.
The pair were teammates for the Lions during the 2004-05 season before reuniting in Iowa City as teammates for the Hawkeyes. Both wrestled for current Linn-Mar coach and former Hawkeye All-American Doug Streicher.
Borschel, a four-time state champion, winning titles at 103, 125, 152 and 171 at Linn-Mar, won the 174-pound NCAA Division I title with a win over Cornell’s Mack Lewnes and capped a …

In a meeting held last night between administrators of both school districts, members of the Independence and West Delaware wrestling communities have agreed to join wrestling programs.
The agreement marks one of the biggest truces between heated rivals since Jenny Hatfield married Ben McCoy.
The new consolidated program will be the only team to compete in Class 4A. The new colors will be Maroon and orange and the team will be called the Hawkstangs.
And as many could suspect: APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jeff Damisch is one accomplished tennis player.
While swinging a racket for Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Damisch has made three state meet appearances and placed in the top eight each time, but has yet to reach his ultimate goal of a state title.
The Cougars’ top returning player begins his final prep season focused on that higher state-meet achievement.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I know I can improve,” Damisch said. “I feel like those mistakes will help me this year, and I should do better.”
He finished sixth and fifth the …

It was a moment Doug Streicher wouldn’t have considered missing.
The Linn-Mar wrestling coach — and former University of Iowa All-American — sat in the crowd as two of his former pupils were on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It was a blast,” Streicher said of watching Matt McDonough, then Jay Borschel win NCAA titles for the Hawkeyes. “It’s pretty remarkable. It was a great weekend.”
McDonough, a red-shirt freshman, won the 125-pound title, ending his first season at 37-1. Borschel capped an undefeated season (37-0) by winning the 174 title.
Streicher attended with Linn-Mar …