House Resolution 17 - Introduced
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 17
BY ISENHART, GRABER, JAMES, BRADLEY, JOHNSON, FISHER,
LUNDGREN, TUREK, and GAINES
1 A Resolution to recognize and congratulate the women’s
2 basketball team of Clarke University in Dubuque for
3 their 2023 National Association of Intercollegiate
4 Athletics championship.
5 WHEREAS, the Clarke University women’s basketball
6 team (the Pride) had a 19-3 conference record and a
7 33-4 overall record, entered the National Association
8 of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament as a
9 number two seed, and hosted first-round games; and
10 WHEREAS, the Pride began the NAIA tournament with
11 the Pride’s first ever win in a quarterfinal match
12 by defeating the number one seed Campbellsville
13 University; and
14 WHEREAS, the Pride continued its winning streak
15 to the championship match at the Tyson Events
16 Center in Sioux City, Iowa, where they paired off
17 against the number one ranked and defending national
18 champions, Thomas More University from Crestview Hills,
19 Kentucky; and
20 WHEREAS, on March 18, 2023, after a hard-fought
21 game, the Pride defeated Thomas More University 63-52
22 for the Pride’s first ever national athletic title; and
23 WHEREAS, the Pride won all six of their tournament
24 games by an average of 11.5 points per game, and won
25 each of their four games played in Sioux City by double
26 digits; and
27 WHEREAS, during the NAIA tournament, Skylar
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1 Culbertson became the program’s all-time leader in
2 total assists, finishing with 492, and Tina Ubl became
3 the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,992 points
4 to finish her college career; and
5 WHEREAS, for her outstanding performance, Tina Ubl
6 was named the NAIA tournament Most Valuable Player; and
7 WHEREAS, Tina Ubl, Nicole McDermott, and Giana
8 Michels were named to the all-tournament teams; and
9 WHEREAS, during their regular season, the Pride had
10 three players, Emma Kelchen, Nicole McDermott, and
11 Giana Michels, reach the 1,000-point club for their
12 careers, becoming the 15th, 16th, and 17th players in
13 program history to do so; and
14 WHEREAS, the Pride led the Heart of America Athletic
15 Conference with seven all-conference selections,
16 including Tina Ubl (1st team), Nicole McDermott (1st
17 team), Skylar Culbertson (2nd team), Emma Kelchen (2nd
18 team), Giana Michels (honorable mention), Taylor Haase
19 (honorable mention), and Mya Merschman (honorable
20 mention); and
21 WHEREAS, for her invaluable guidance and leadership
22 on and off the court, head coach Courtney Boyd was
23 named the NAIA national coach of the year, adding to
24 her career portfolio after having led the Kirkwood
25 Community College Eagles to a National Junior Athletic
26 Association basketball title in 2007; and
27 WHEREAS, Coach Boyd hails from Keokuk, and several
28 Pride players attended high schools across Iowa,
29 including Dubuque, Cascade, Bellevue, Montezuma, and
30 Donnellson, attesting to the quality of Iowa education
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1 and the role of extracurricular activities in the
2 personal formation of Iowa’s youth; NOW THEREFORE,
3 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That
4 the House of Representatives congratulates the Clarke
5 University women’s basketball team, including players,
6 coaches, and support staff on their 2023 NAIA national
7 championship; and
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon adoption of
9 this resolution, the Chief Clerk of the House of
10 Representatives shall transmit copies of this
11 resolution to the Clarke University women’s basketball
12 head coach, Courtney Boyd, athletic director, Curt
13 Long, and the president of Clarke University, Fletcher
14 Lamkin.
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