Storm Top 10 Countdown: No. 10

The 2011-12 season brought us many great moments. From thrilling overtime wins, to conference championships, to milestone achievements, this past year was a true testament to the success experienced by student-athletes at Simpson.

Your votes for the top moments of the 2011-12 season have been tallied. Now, we will reveal the results as we re-live our favorite moments of the past year.

Now, let's begin couting down the #StormTop10.

No. 10: Dorff ties career strikeout record/Edwardson qualifies for nationals

The countdown begins with a tie at the No. 10 spot between senior cross country athlete Ryan Edwardson’s journey to nationals and senior baseball pitcher Chris Dorff tying the school’s career strikeout record. Each received 4.2 percent of the total votes.

Dorff ties strikeout record
A fixture in Simpson’s rotation for four years, Chris Dorff closed the book on a successful career by tying Simpson’s career strikeout record, a mark which stood untouched for 20 years.

Known for his durability and overpowering fastball, the Urbandale, Iowa native recorded his record-tying 196th strikeout in his final trip to the mound for the Storm. He tied Barry Steim, who pitched for the Storm from 1988-92 and was a member of the Simpson team which went to the College World Series in 1991.

Aside from his strikeouts, Dorff also sits atop Simpson’s career record book in saves (8), appearances (68) and innings pitched (231).

Dorff went 17-20 during his time, compiling a 4.95 ERA. He had a career-high 67 strikeouts in 2012 and earned first team all-conference honors after going 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA as a sophomore in 2010.

Learn more about Dorff’s career here.

Edwardson to Nationals
For the second season in a row, Ryan Edwardson qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Finishing 205th of 279 competitors, Edwardson became Simpson’s first, two-time national qualifier since Dave Halferty went in 1987 and 89.

The trip to Oshkosh, Wis. capped off a successful career for the Spencer, Iowa native, who earned all-region and all-conference honors twice. He was named to the USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Cross Country team in 2011 and was a two-time conference champion in the outdoor 10,000 meters.

Edwardson’s personal achievements were a key part of the resurgence shown by the men’s cross country team under first year head coach, Heath Moenck. After a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Iowa Conference Championships, the Storm went on to take 11th at the Central Region Championships, the program’s best finish since 1995.

Click here to learn more about Edwardson’s career.