[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 29, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1876-S1877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY AND DRAKE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL TEAMS

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I wanted to take a moment to 
express my congratulations to and praise for the outstanding 
performance of both the men's and women's basketball teams at Iowa 
State University and the women's basketball team at Drake University 
this year. Drake concluded its season with a 23-7 record, while winning 
its fourth Missouri Valley Conference championship in the last six 
years and another automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Carla Bennet 
was named to the MVC All-Tournament team along with junior guard 
Kristin Santa. This year was Drake's seventh appearance in the 
tournament. The Bulldogs have advanced to the tournament four

[[Page S1877]]

times in the last six years, with appearances in 1986, 1984, and 1982 
as well so they continue a long, proud tradition.
  Both Iowa State teams finished as regular season champions of the Big 
XII conference, then followed up that feat with convincing wins at the 
conference championship tournament, entitling each team to an automatic 
bid in the 2000 NCAA basketball tournaments. The men's championship was 
the university's first since 1945, when the conference was still the 
Big 6, while it was the first women's conference title since varsity 
women's basketball started at Iowa State in 1973. So these are great 
accomplishments.
  Their achievements are exemplified by the selections of Marcus Fizer 
as a first-team All-American from the men's program and Stacy Frese as 
a second-team All-American from the women's program, but each team is 
much more than just its stars. Both All-Americans are complemented by 
strong position players throughout their respective teams, and neither 
team would have reached this pinnacle without the enthusiastic support 
of Iowa State's fans. On the weekend of the Big XII championships, held 
in Kansas City, a substantial portion of the city of Ames migrated 
south for that event, filling the arenas with loyal wearers of cardinal 
and gold, the team colors.
  As an Iowa State graduate myself, I want to salute their 
accomplishments, including their fine performances in the NCAA 
tournaments. Both teams were active in the tournament through last 
weekend, the men losing in the regional finals and the women in the 
regional semifinals. We have a long, proud tradition of excellent 
basketball teams in the state of Iowa at the high school and college 
level, and Iowa State's 1999-2000 men's and women's basketball teams 
and the Drake women's team have shown themselves worthy of joining that 
pantheon. They're both great teams, and they did Iowa proud.

                          ____________________