Scholarship investment paying off for Mustangs

It's been only two years since Mount Mercy decided to grant athletics scholarships, but the decision has started to pay off on the basketball court.

The Mount Mercy men entered last night's game at Clarke with a 14-3 record that included a 3-1 mark in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. It's the best start in school history.

“We had a Division III (no athletic scholarships) philosophy, which was fine,” Mount Mercy Coach Paul Gavin said. “We had teams that could compete, and we even went to the national tournament in 1996. But in the last eight or 10 years, it's been different. More schools are putting more money and placing more emphasis on their basketball programs.

“So we decided to make that change and it's been a wonderful change.”

Mount Mercy is and has been an NAIA Division II member. Schools in that group are allowed to give the equivalent of six full scholarships, which Gavin said is about $200,000 at Mount Mercy.

“It is helpful and welcome, but you still have to put together a good team,” Gavin said.

The Mustangs host No. 9 William Penn at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Hennessey Recreation Center, where they are 6-0. The Statesmen were 15-3, 5-0 heading into last night's game against St. Ambrose.

“They are one of the top teams in the nation,” Gavin said. “They have more depth, more athletes, they average more than 90 points, and they've played a better schedule. They (have) it all.

“But that's why we play the game. We'll get a chance to see how good we are and, hopefully, we'll get a couple more chances later on if we're going to get where we want to go.”

Kohawks in first

The Coe women were alone in first place in the Iowa Conference heading into last night's home game against Wartburg. Coe junior Kaitlin Breitbach, a former Cedar Rapids Washington prep, leads the Iowa Conference in assists at 4.1 per game. Junior Sarah Anciaux from Iowa City is averaging 11 points per game.

The Kohawks play Saturday at two-time defending champion Simpson in Indianola.

Juco showdowns

The Kirkwood women are ranked No. 3 NJCAA Division II. The Eagles, who hosted DMACC last night, entertain No. 6 Marshalltown at 2 p.m. Saturday in Johnson Hall.

The Kirkwood men played NJCAA Division II top-ranked DMACC last night. The Eagles have another huge test Monday when they host Southeastern, which was 15-2 and ranked No. 12 in the latest NJCAA Division I poll.