DES MOINES, IA - Adventureland Park has been named a Top 10 Amusement Park in the United States by American Mensa, the U.S. chapter of Mensa International. The Altoona park was named fourth in the study, topped only by Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.

"We're proud to be recognized among international attractions," says Molly Vincent, spokeswoman for Adventureland Park. "Locals and visitors can experience a nationally-recognized, one-of-a-kind attraction right here in Central Iowa. Adventureland continues to be a favorite hotspot since opening in the early 1970s."

Adventureland Park was in the spotlight in 2011 when named to TripAdvisor's Top 10 Water Parks in America and again in 2012 when included in the Top 15 List of Favorite Midwest Amusement Parks by Midwest Living.

"It's no secret Adventureland is beloved by locals and visitors alike," says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. "We're thrilled to see the park again making headlines, as it's well deserved. We will utilize this new ranking to further market Greater Des Moines to meeting, sports and event planners?as well as leisure travelers?to help bring more visitors into the region."

Adventureland Park includes more than 100 rides, shows and attractions. The amusement park officially opens for the season April 26, with Adventure Bay water park opening May 24, 2014. A new ride, the Storm Chaser, is set to open in June.

For more information on American Mensa's ranking, visit us.mensa.org.

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote Greater Des Moines as a fun, vibrant and affordable destination statewide, nationally and internationally. Our focus increases visitors to our community through meetings, conventions, sports events, leisure travel, and group tours, thereby contributing to the local economy.   

Quad Cities rallies for walk-off win in Game 1, but fails to find clutch hit while dropping 10-inning Game 2

DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 5, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits rallied for a dramatic 2-1, walk-off win in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, but the Kane County Cougars turned aside similar threats in Game 2 for a 5-4, 10-inning triumph that split the twin bill in front of 1,587 at Modern Woodmen Park.

In Game 1, the Cougars (2-1) rode a stellar outing by right-hander Tyler Skulina to within three outs of a win. Skulina gave up two hits and a walk to face two batters over the minimum in six shutout innings. Kane County put Skulina in line for a win by notching a fourth-inning run against River Bandits left-hander Kent Emanuel. Cougars first baseman Jacob Rogers lined a two-out RBI single to left-center field that scored second baseman Daniel Lockhart, who had reached when third baseman Tyler White dropped an infield popup.

With a 1-0 lead, Cougars right-hander Zack Godley (0-1) began the seventh inning. Quad Cities shortstop Jack Mayfield led off with a hit off the top of the left-field wall that placed him at second base after the umpires conferred to overturn an initial home run call. But catcher Ben Carhart allowed a passed ball, and Godley's one-out wild pitch brought in Mayfield for the tie. First baseman Chase McDonald drew a walk and yielded to pinch runner Chan-Jong Moon. Catcher Brian Holberton followed with walk, and right-hander Tyler Bremer came in to throw a wild pitch that moved the runners ahead. White grounded a single past Cougars third baseman David Bote for the game-winner. River Bandits right-hander Jandel Gustave (1-0) pitched three hitless innings to earn the win in Game 1.

In Game 2, Cougars center fielder Jake Hannemann smacked a leadoff home run against right-hander Michael Feliz, who also allowed a leadoff home run in the second inning to Cougars designated hitter Danny Canela. Feliz allowed three hits and two earned runs while walking one and striking out four in a three-inning Midwest League debut.

Quad Cities (1-2) managed only one run in the first five innings against Cougars right-hander Daury Torrez. Center fielder James Ramsay hit a third-inning sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, but the Cougars added right fielder Yasiel's Balaguert's two-run single against left-hander Evan Grills in the fifth for a 4-1 lead.

The River Bandits rallied in the sixth inning against the Cougars bullpen. Left-hander Gerardo Concepcion allowed singles to right fielder Jon Kemmer and third baseman Austin Elkins, and then walked two batters around a run-scoring balk. With a 4-2 lead, right-hander Jose Arias entered a bases-loaded jam and allowed two-run, game-tying single by Mayfield.

The score remained 4-4 thanks to Arias and right-hander Justin Amlung (1-0) wiggling out of bases-loaded jams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. The River Bandits left 15 runners on base in Game 2, and they left the winning run in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth. But the Cougars broke through when a 10th-inning error on first baseman Conrad Gregor allowed Hannemann to reach after a strikeout and later score on first baseman Jacob Rogers' two-out RBI single off left-hander Chris Cotton (0-1).

Four players have multi-hit games for Quad Cities, but Kane County spoils home opener, 8-4

DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 3, 2014) - After scoring twice in the top of the first inning, the Kane County Cougars never lost the lead, as their pitchers combined to shut out the Quad Cities River Bandits over the last six innings in an 8-4 final in front of 1,821 at Modern Woodmen Park Thursday night.

Cougars center fielder Jake Hannemann lined the first pitch of the season from right-hander Andrew Thurman (0-1) back to the mound, and it deflected off Thurman for a leadoff infield single. After a one-out walk by designated hitter Ben Carhart, Cougars right fielder Yasiel Balaguert began his four-hit Midwest League debut with an RBI double to right field. An infield groundout by first baseman Jacob Rogers brought home Carhart for a 2-0 lead.

Quad Cities (0-1) started quickly in the bottom of the first against right-hander Paul Blackburn. Center fielder James Ramsay and right fielder Brett Phillips had back-to-back singles, but only Ramsay scored in an inning stifled by three groundouts.

With a 2-1 lead, Kane County (1-0) rallied again in the second inning against Thurman. Left fielder Trey Martin drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and advanced to third on the first of three throwing errors by River Bandits catcher Jobduan Morales. Cougars shortstop Carlos Penalver knocked in Martin with a single and Hannemann followed with another single. Second baseman Daniel Lockhart's sacrifice fly and Carhart's single brought home two runs for a 5-1 lead.

On a night when the River Bandits left a runner on base in every inning - and one in scoring position each of the first eight - their best rally came in the bottom of the third inning. Phillips hit a leadoff single and stole second base. With two outs, designated hitter Chase McDonald drove an RBI double to the right-center field gap. After left fielder Jon Kemmer singled, Austin "Catfish" Elkins laced a sharp ground ball down the first-base line to score McDonald and Kemmer to cut the lead to 5-4.

After Elkins' triple however, the Cougars pitching staff evaded trouble the rest of the night. Blackburn lasted four innings, allowing nine hits and four earned runs. Left-hander Nathan Dorris (1-0) and right-hander James Pugliese each tossed two scoreless innings, and right-hander Jose Arias worked around a walk in the ninth inning to finish the Cougars' second Opening Day win the last three seasons at Modern Woodmen Park. The road team has won the two teams' Opening Day meetings three straight years.

The Cougars gained breathing room with single runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings against the River Bandits. Thurman allowed six runs - five earned - on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in a four-inning start. Right-hander Zach Morton worked a scoreless fifth inning, before left-hander Chris Lee and right-hander Tyler Brunnemann each had two-inning, one-run appearances.

Each team had 11 hits Thursday, but Quad Cities went 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Twenty-eight student-athletes and a cheerleader at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville were recognized at the athletic department's 17th annual National Student-Athlete Day luncheon. The Pioneers with the top grade-point averages from the fall semester invited a faculty member or staff member whom they hold in highest regard as being a positive influence on their time at UW-Platteville. 

Baseball: Zach Demmon 
Men's Basketball (3): Peyton River, Wes Nemitz and Chas Cross 
Women's Basketball: Stacy Clark 
Cheerleading: Kimberly Hatfield 
Men's Cross Country: Cole Shurbert-Hetzel 
Women's Cross Country: Danielle Kunkel 
Football (2): Jake Zilbar and Connor Skoumal 
Women's Golf: Taylor Egnarski 
Men's Soccer (5): Caleb Sedlacek, Jonathan Stopple, Mitchell Zank, Cameron Weess and Keith Baerwald 
Women's Soccer (2): Maddie Hughes and Lindsey Harms 
Softball (2): Jess Butzen and Rachael Strong 
Men's Track & Field (3): Greg Stribling, TJ Valley and Brent Schmidt 
Women's Track & Field (3): Lynea Axelson, Kaliann Bauer and Chelsea Delzer 
Volleyball (2): Stephanie Kirchner and Allee Yundt 
Wrestling: Robert Kerr