The city of Fort Dodge, Harlan & Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union, and Iowa Central Community College have worked together to make the arrangement possible, according to Tom Beneke, vice president of enrollment management and student services for Iowa Central.

The 20-plus year partnership benefits all parties, but especially students, he said.

“I just think it’s a great partnership,” Beneke said. “We have worked really well with the girls’ athletic union and it just goes to show you what a great partnership can do for so many people and, most importantly, the kids that are involved.”

Of the 40 teams who made the trip to Fort Dodge, 31 stayed on Iowa Central’s main campus, Beneke reported.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Ally Courtney, at left, along with her teammate Hannah Johnson, look for a snack in the kitchen of the dorm room they're enjoying during their stay at the Iowa High School Girls State Softball Tournament. The pair, from Assumption, play for the Assumption Knights.

While on campus, students can eat, workout and rest.

Jim Kersten, vice president of external relations and government affairs for Iowa Central, said it can also be a recruiting tool for the college.

“We see it as a great service to those teams, allowing them access to our cafeteria and our dorms, but it also gives Iowa Central great exposure to teams throughout the state and we look at it as a way to expand our recruiting opportunities. It’s a win-win for the girls, the teams and the college.”

Kersten said it’s an opportunity for others to learn what Iowa Central has to offer.

“Iowa Central has been named the No. 1 overall athletic community college program and community college program in the country for the past however many years,” Kersten said. “So it really gives our athletic and other competition teams an opportunity to showcase our great success record here, and we like to expose what we can do on the academic side as well.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Vehicles with messages encouraging their players are a common sight on the Iowa Central Community College campus as a number of the teams playing in the Iowa State Highschool Girls Softball Tournament stay in the dorms on campus.

In June, Iowa Central repeated as the Learfield Directors’ Cup winner, becoming the first two-year school in the history of the award to be honored in consecutive athletic seasons.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup honor, also known as the all-sports trophy, is presented to the top athletic department in the country annually for each division of competition — NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and two-year schools. Iowa Central’s division includes programs from three national organizations that represent two-year colleges.

Kersten is also complimentary of Rogers Park.

“We are a unique community college, and our Rogers Sports Complex is one-of-a-kind,” Kersten said. “So we are hopeful this partnership will continue for years to come.”

Ron Ferrill is a visiting coach from Davenport.

He said having his players in one central location is beneficial.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “Our players are together in a group, but it also helps to keep them away from other distractions.”

Ferrill said it’s his second time coaching at state.

Another benefit of staying at Iowa Central is not having to travel much, he said.

“We don’t have to leave the campus other than to play,” he said. “Here we can keep players together as a unit.”

Hannah Johnson, 19, a senior at Davenport Assumption High School, said she enjoys the college atmosphere.

“I like it because we are all leaving for college soon and we are finally getting that dorm-like experience,” Johnson said.

She complimented Iowa Central’s facilities.

“We use the indoor facilities to hit in the cages before games and there’s plenty of open space to throw the ball around,” Johnson said.

The food is also a hit, she said.

“The food is really good,” Johnson said. “We have had breakfast and lunch in there. It was awesome.”

Beneke values having the tournament in Fort Dodge.

“We are going to try really, really hard to continue to accommodate this event because it means so much for not only the community of Fort Dodge, but also for the region,” he said. “And, really, all of the high schools throughout the state of Iowa. This is the place you want to be this time of year.”