Seven Tritons Collect Athlete of the Week Honors

Carter Giesen – Iowa Central – Sophomore – Starting Pitcher
No. 8 Iowa Central starting pitcher Carter Giesen wasted no time getting comfortable on the bump. In the Tritons' first game against Allen County, he threw five innings, gave up one hit and struck out 10 batters. Iowa Central easily won 11-3. Last season, Giesen got a lot of experience as a starting pitcher – he tallied 63.1 innings pitched with an 11.65 K/9 and a 1.45 WHIP. Giesen also won nine games last year. Giesen will probably take the mound again in one of the games the Tritons face Lincoln Land, Kaskaskia, South Suburban and Olney Central.

Aleix Sempere – Iowa Central – Sophomore – Forward
No. 11 Iowa Central showed his excellent two-way forward prowess this past week as the Tritons beat a hot Northeast team 92-89 and convincingly beat Southwestern 94-59. Sempere totaled 38 points and 20 rebounds while shooting 75% from the field. Sempere has also averaged a double-double and has now scored double-digit points in four straight games. Against Southwestern, Sempere had 21 points on 76.9% shooting while snagging 10 rebounds. On the season, Sempere is averaging 14.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG and is shooting 62.3% from the field. Sempere and Iowa Central are set up to face No. 13 Kirkwood in a top-15 matchup in what should be an important game for both sides.

Shakani Murray – Iowa Central – Freshman – Guard
Iowa Central guard Shakani Murray excelled in all three facets of the game for the Tritons over the past week, totaling 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists with three steals. Against Northeast, she scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and three assists en route to a 66-48 victory over the Hawks. Murray has really turned it up a notch over the past five games as she's scored double-digit points in those contests – including a career-high 28 against Ellsworth. Murray and Iowa Central will get a big chance for an upset as they take on No. 7 Kirkwood this week. They also finish their week with a matchup against Marshalltown.

Carter Fecher – Iowa Central – Sophomore
At the Kohawk Invite in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Carter Fecher put together a great performance this past week. Placing 13th of 164 bowlers, Fecher had an amazing average of 217.2 pins over five games. Fecher started with a low of 204 in Game 1 before picking it up and hitting a high of 228 in Game 3. Staying above 200 in all five games, Fecher knocked down 1,086 pins and was the highest finisher of any ICCAC athlete. It was a huge week for a leader on the Iowa Central bowling team, which helped the team finish in the top 10.

Taha Ouchene – Iowa Central – Sophomore – 1,000 Meters
Swiping records this past week, Taha Ouchene ran in the 1,000 meters at the Iowa State Classic. Finishing first at the Classic, Ouchene ran a time of 2:21.97 with his closest competition being his own teammate. The run was Ouchene's personal best and set multiple records: Iowa Central school record, NJCAA all-conditions national record and oversized NJCAA national record. Ouchene's time places him first so far this season in the NJCAA.

Haydn Stockdale – Iowa Central – Sophomore – Shot Put, Weight Throw
Haydn Stockdale hit a national qualifying mark in a second event this season at the Iowa State Classic. Competing in the shot put, Stockdale threw 15.86 meters, which was a personal best and hit the NJCAA qualifying mark. Stockdale also threw in his dominant event, the weight throw, where he placed third with a throw of 18.82 meters. His weight throw was the second-best throw in the NJCAA this season, only behind Stockdale himself, who threw 19.27 meters earlier this year.

Hafsa Oukadou – Iowa Central – Freshman – Mile
At the Iowa State Classic, Hafsa Oukadou competed in the mile and finished third, behind two upperclassmen from NCAA Division I schools. Oukadou ran the third-best all-time mark in Iowa Central school history, posting a time of 4:55.30. In the NJCAA this season, her mile time is the fourth-best. The sub-5-minute time was a personal best for Oukadou, as she was the only NJCAA athlete to finish in the top 20 in the mile at the Iowa State Classic.

*Article courtesy of ICCAC.