Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ashton named first team All-American

Jordan Ashton from Kirkwood has been named a first team Division II All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Ashton, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Mount Pleasant, averaged 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Eagles. He finished third in NJCAA Division II in free throw percentage at 88.0 percent and was 16th in the nation with 82 3-pointers.

Ashton helped Kirkwood finish 25-7 and reach the regional finals.

Ashton is the fourth men's basketball player at Kirkwood to be named a first team All-American. He joins Bryce Brunz (2009), Ali Farokmanesh (2008) and current Kirkwood coach Bryan Petersen (2007).

No.11 Eagles split with No.5 DMACC

BOONE - The Kirkwood Eagles outscored DMACC 16-5 Wednesday in a conference softball doubleheader in Boone, but all they got for their efforts was a split.

The fifth-ranked DMACC Bears edged the 11th-ranked Eagles, 3-1, in the first game of their twinbill. Kirkwood rebounded and bashed the Bears in the second game, 15-2, in five innings.

The split left DMACC in first place in the league standings with an 11-1 record. Kirkwood is in second place with a 9-1 mark. The Bears have a 29-6 overall record and the Eagles are 21-7.

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Grimm makes strong bid with Eagles

Kirkwood Coach Todd Rima has looked at seven different outfielders this season, trying to find the right combination of offense, defense and overall talent.

Based on what happened during Tuesday's doubleheader against Marshalltown, freshman Bryce Grimm of Xavier High School could be moving toward the front of the pack.

Grimm played a key role as the Eagles defeated Marshalltown, 16-7, in the second game of their non-conference doubleheader on a gorgeous 70-degree afternoon at the Kirkwood Field.

Kirkwood also won the first game, 10-0, in five innings.

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Martensen named All-American for Kirkwood

Anna Martensen began the season as a substitute for the Kirkwood women's basketball team and she finished the year as an All-American.

Martensen, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Belvidere, Ill., has been named a second team Division II All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Martensen cracked the starting lineup midway through the season when Ariel Sneed, an All-American last year, injured her knee and was sidelined for several weeks. As it turned out, one All-American replaced another All-American in the lineup.

Martensen averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in a balanced attack that saw nobody average in double figures. She started 20 of 37 games and remained in the starting lineup even after Sneed returned to action.

Kirkwood finished with a 31-6 record and placed fifth at the national tournament. The Eagles won the ICCAC regular-season title and captured the Region XI tournament.

South runs away with Spring Eagle Classic

Mount Mercy golfer Jack South turned the Hunters Ridge Golf Course into his personal playpen Monday in the final round of the Spring Eagle Classic.

South, a senior from Birmingham, England, fired a 3-under-par 69 and captured the two-day tournament with a 5-under total of 139. He won the title by seven shots over Josh Bousman of Ashford University.

Mount Mercy golfers dominated the event with four spots in the top-7, but the Mustangs competed as individuals and were not counted in the team standings. Ashford won the title at 606. Mount Mercy would have won the tournament by 13 strokes with a 593.

Carson Whittington of Kirkwood, Jacob Selander of Mount Mercy and Ben Franklin of Mount Mercy tied for fourth place at 7-over 151. Colton Clemmer of Mount Mercy tied for seventh at 152.

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Mustang golfers shine at Eagle Classic

Jack South of Mount Mercy fired a 2-under-par 70 Sunday at Hunters Ridge to grab the first-round lead at the Spring Eagle Classic being hosted by Kirkwood.

The Mustangs dominated the leader board with Colton Clemmer at 74, Jacob Selander at 75 and Ben Franklin at 75.

Drew Slings led Kirkwood with a 5-over 77.

Despite all the low scores, Mount Mercy is not competing for the team championship. Ashford was listed in first place at 316, with Kirkwood a shot behind at 317.

Mount Mercy would hold a commanding 22-stroke lead at 294 if the Mustangs were in contention.

The final round is Monday.

SPRING EAGLE CLASSIC
At Hunters Ridge
Par 72

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Ashford 316, 2. Kirkwood 317, 3. Ashford 'B' 320, 4. Viterbo 325, 5. St. Ambrose 330, 6. Illinois Central 332, 7. NIACC 336, 8. Grinnell 339.

TOP 7 INDIVIDUALS

1. Jack South, Mount Mercy       70
2. Josh Bousman, Ashford         73
3. Colton Clemmer, Mount Mercy   74
4. Spencer Jones, St. Ambrose    75
Jacob Selander, Mount Mercy   75
Ben Franklin, Mount Mercy     75

KIRKWOOD: 7. Drew Slings 77, 9. Carson Whittington 78, 9. Ben Jones 78, 14. Alex Garcia 79, 18. Eddie Doyle 80, 20. Dylan Daxon 81, 25. Mitch Williams 82, 34. Drew Digman 84, 42. Dan Cuttcomp 86.

MOUNT MERCY: 1. Jack South 70, 3. Colton Clemmer 74, 4. Jacob Selander 75, 4. Ben Franklin 75, 14. Warren Bynoe 79, 14. Jamie Booth 79, 18. Matt Schlueter 80.

KCC softball splits with Indian Hills

The Kirkwood softball team traded one-run victories with Indian Hills Sunday in a non-conference doubleheader at the Kirkwood field.

Indian Hills won the first game, 6-5, snapping Kirkwood's 15-game winning streak. The Eagles took the nightcap, 12-11.

The split left the 11th-ranked Eagles with a 20-6 record. Indian Hills left town with a 13-8 mark.

Kirkwood hit four home runs in the doubleheader, giving the Eagles 57 homers in 26 games.

Brooke Prior went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the second game for Kirkwood. She is hitting .444 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs. Lexie Biehl went 3-for-5 with a home run in the second game. She is hitting .529 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs.

Chasney Jenkins went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in the victory. Mallory Neubauer was 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Nicky Simpson (7-3) was the winning pitcher.

Tara Walls was 3-for-3 with two RBIs for the Eagles in the opener. Jasmine Ragusi belted a home run and drove in three runs. Prior was 3-for-4. Allie Mengler (8-3) was charged with the loss.

KCC baseball swept by Iowa Central

FORT DODGE - The Kirkwood baseball team was swept by Iowa Central, 5-4 and 3-1, in an ICCAC doubleheader in Fort Dodge Saturday.

The losses dropped Kirkwood to 13-10 overall and 3-3 in the league. Iowa Central raised its records to 14-8 and 5-1.

Sulliam Rios Reyes, Ozzie Adams, Brandon Brittain and Kolton Smith had two hits for Kirkwood in the first game. Rios Reyes hit a home run and Adams had two triples.

Kirkwood led 4-3 after five innings, but Iowa Central scored twice in the bottom of the sixth against Kirkwood relief pitcher Hayden Sloane for the tight victory.

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Kirkwood softball enjoys 15-game streak

The Kirkwood Community College softball team is riding a 15-game winning streak after sweeping a conference doubleheader from NIACC Saturday.

The 11th-ranked Eagles won the first game, 10-5, and captured the nightcap 9-0.

Jasmine Ragusi went 6-for-7 in the twinbill with a home run and six RBIs, raising her batting average to .483. Chasney Jenkins was 6-for-8 in the doubleheader, raising her batting average to .576.

Ragusi and Jenkins were both 3-for-4 in the first game. Alicia Crivaro, Brooke Prior and Lexie Biehl had two hits. Mallory Neubauer collected two RBIs. Allie Mengler (8-2) was the winning pitcher.

Ragusi was 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs in the second game. Jenkins went 3-for-4 again with two doubles. Prior had two RBIs and was the winning pitcher, making her record 3-0.

Kirkwood raised its records to 19-5 overall and 8-0 in the ICCAC conference. NIACC fell to 7-20 overall and 0-8 in the league.