Nielsen named IIAC Athlete of the Week for third time
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Kate Nielsen continued her dominance of the Iowa Conference weekly accolades when she took home Athlete of the Week and Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors for the period from Dec. 28-Jan. 6.
A senior forward from Urbandale, Iowa, Nielsen won the award for the third time in seven tries this season after averaging 21 points and 16.7 rebounds in three games dating back to Dec. 28, the league office announced Monday.
She scored 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting with 15 rebounds in a 62-60 loss to Amherst (then-No. 7 WBCA, No. 9 D3hoops.com) at the Land of Magic Classic on Dec. 28. She responded with a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double as the Storm held off Kenyon, 60-58, on Dec. 29. Nielsen opened conference play with an 11-point, 19-board double-double in a 62-50 win at Buena Vista on Jan. 5.
The 35 points against Amherst are the fifth-most in school history and the most since 1996 while her 19 rebounds against BV were one shy of the school record. Nielsen now has five double-doubles this season and 11 for her career.
Nielsen and the 16th-ranked Storm (11-1, 1-0 Iowa Conference) travel to Luther on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
