Fifteen Iowa State student-athletes were able to put smiles on the faces of nearly 2,000 Iowa second and third-graders on Monday as part of National Read Across America Day.

The student-athletes participated in the program using the Iowa Communication Network (ICN), which is a statewide fiberoptic network providing full motion, two-way video, data and voice services throughout the state.

Participants included football players Bill Marsau, Andy Moser, Preston Rhamy and Todd Bandhauer, basketball players Stevie Johnson and Janel Grimm, track stars Jason Woods and Erin Bresnan, volleyball players Kelly Cizek and Lindsay Robinson, golfer Cathy Matthews, soccer player Krissy Van Doorn, gymnast Martha Strain, tennis player Mollie Racette and baseball player Sam Blahnik.

The 15 readers chose children’s books to read and split up into groups and broadcast from five different ICN sites, allowing 49 schools in all corners of Iowa to receive the athletes’ messages.

Thad Dohrn, of ISU’s media relations department, coordinated the activity and found willing student-athletes to participate.

Bresnan said the opportunity was a positive one.

“It was a good way to influence them and get them involved in reading,” she said

“It was a lot of fun. The kids were really cute,” she said.

After the athletes finished their stories, the children were allowed to ask questions to their idols.

Dohrn said it was interesting to see how eager the students were to get to talk to the role models.

Cizek, a freshman, said the opportunity to help children was what encouraged her to be involved with the program.

“I was excited about it,” she said. “I’ve just decided it’s very important to be involved with young children.”

Cizek said that since high school she has enjoyed taking time out to help the community and would love to do more with the program in the future.

“It was very rewarding,” she said. “I would be honored to do it again.”