Atlantic Senior and multi-sport athlete Nicole Middents signed her letter of intent to participate in the Simpson College track program in the fall of 2024. When looking at colleges to attend, Middents wanted a cordial atmosphere and a comfortable student body population.

Most high school seniors might feel trepidation with moving away from home. But, thanks to the leadership opportunities and close-knit family culture from the Atlantic Track team. Middents feels assured about her decision to leave Atlantic and major in elementary education.

Girl’s Head Track Coach Matt Mullenix noted that he has nothing but confidence in Middents ability to compete and succeed at the collegiate level.

The fall semester for Simpson starts in August.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State women’s basketball head coach Bill Fennelly announced the signing of four transfers to the 2024-25 Cyclones roster Monday afternoon. Lily Hansford (Oregon State), Kenzie Hare (Marquette), Sydney Harris (TCU) and Lilly Taulelei (Massachusetts) will join Iowa State later this summer.

“Roster management is the hardest thing to do in coaching.  We are all forced to focus on next year’s team only,” said Fennelly. “We were very focused on getting people first that fit the Iowa State Way while adding very skilled players with experience and winning mindsets who embraced the Iowa State Way.”

Lily Hansford · 6-2 · G · Green Bay, Wis.

Hansford comes to Ames following two seasons at Oregon State, helping the Beavers to an Elite Eight appearance in 2024, their first since the 2018 season. She played in 34 of Oregon State’s 35 games this season, averaging 5.1 points per game while shooting over 45 percent from 3-point range. She has made 67 career triples while shooting 41.9 percent from deep.

In the Beavers’ deep NCAA Tournament run, Hansford matched her career high with 12 points against top-seeded South Carolina in the Elite Eight, finishing with four 3-pointers, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Fennelly on Hansford: “We love Lily’s ability to play both ends of the floor.  She is another player who comes to Iowa State with a winning mindset.  Lily can impact the game at both ends with her excellent 3-point range and defensive length.”

Hansford scored in double figures seven times throughout the 2023-24 season, also scoring 12 points on perfect shooting (4-4) from beyond the arc against Utah. She finished 17 games shooting .500 or better from 3-point range. Hansford enters 2024-25 with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Kenzie Hare · 5-9 · G · Naperville, Ill.

Hare, a 2024 All-Big East Honorable Mention, joins the Cyclones following two seasons at Marquette. She averaged 14.0 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds while starting 31-of-32 games for the Golden Eagles in 2023-24. Also a sharp shooter, Hare broke Marquette’s program record for 3-pointers made by a sophomore with 91 triples this season. Her total also ranked first in the Big East and 13^th in the nation.

Fennelly on Hare: “Kenzie is a perfect fit for Iowa State.  She is a winner and extremely skilled.  We felt she was one of the best 3-point shooters in the portal. Our fans are going love how she plays the game.”

Hare finished the season with a 3-point percentage of .425 which also led the conference and was 13^th in NCAA DI. She made her 100^th career triple in her 49^th career game. Scoring in double figures 24 times this season, she also registered four 20-point games with a career-high 25 points against Boston College (Nov. 24). Also a high-level distributor, Hare passed out a career-high seven assists in a win over Illinois (Nov. 11).

Hare was a two-time member of the Big East Weekly Honor Roll in 2023-24, a Big East All-Freshman Team selection in 2022-23 and the Big East Freshman of the Week on Jan. 30, 2023. She joins the Cyclones with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Sydney Harris · 6-1 · G/F · Edwardsville, Ill.

Harris joins the Iowa State roster following a season at TCU. She was a standout for Central Michigan as a freshman the season prior, the Mid-American Conference’s (MAC) Freshman of the Year in 2023 and an All-MAC Third Team selection.

Fennelly on Harris: “Sydney fills a need for us at many positions while being an excellent scorer at all levels.  She fits in many ways with our style of play.”

At TCU, Harris appeared in 16 of the Horned Frogs’ final 18 games after being forced to sit out all of nonconference play due to an ankle injury sustained at the end of fall camp. Making the most of her time on the court, Harris averaged 9.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc. She ranked fourth nationally in 3-pointers per 40 minutes (4.4). Harris was one of only three Horned Frogs to score in double figures in five consecutive games alongside All-Big 12 players Madison Conner and Sedona Prince. She knocked down three or more triples in five games this season and scored a season-high 27 points behind 5-of-12 shooting from deep in TCU’s 79-72 road win at Cincinnati (Feb. 17).

As a freshman at Central Michigan, Harris averaged 17.4 points and four rebounds per game. She led CMU and ranked among her conference peers with 505 points. She also ranked fifth in the MAC playing 35.6 minutes per contest. She accounted for five of CMU’s six top individual scoring performances in 2022-23 and scored a career-high 31 points at Northern Illinois (Feb. 25). Harris comes to Ames with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Lilly Taulelei · 6-3 · C/F · Wellington, New Zealand

Taulelei played in 31 games and made 22 starts for UMass this season, averaging 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds as a true post presence. The fifth-leading scorer for UMass, Taulelei finished her freshman season with a .453 field goal percentage, going 91-of-201 from the floor.

Fennelly on Taulelei: “When we first talked to Lilly, we knew she was the perfect fit for our team on and off the court. Lilly will give us depth and experience (playing for New Zealand and in college) in the post which we felt was the last thing we wanted to add to next year’s roster. I know our fans are going to love to get to know her and her family background.”

Prior to UMass, Taulelei was a contracted player with the Tokomanawa Queens in 2022 and made the Wellington U19 Basketball Representative Team. Competing for the New Zealand U14 Basketball Team, she helped the team to a gold medal in Melbourne, Australia. A captain for the U15 team,  New Zealand made the National U15 Championships and Taulelei was selected as the Tournament MVP. She aided the New Zealand U16 team to a fourth-place finish at the Asia Cup Championships in 2021, qualifying for the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, where the team placed 12^th. Taulelei became the first female in New Zealand Basketball history to be selected to the Jr. NBA Global Championship, named the team captain of the Jr. NBA Asia Pacific Team.

The Wellington native was also selected to compete in the Women’s National Basketball League, a professional/amateur competition for elite female basketball players, as the youngest ever to compete at the level. She averaged 20 minutes, 4.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in six contests played. Taulelei will have three seasons of remaining eligibility entering 2024-25.

Iowa offensive tackle Mason Richman likes the progress trhe Hawkeyes made during spring drills installing Tim Lester’s new offense. Lester is getting ready for his first season as offensive coordinator and is trying to fix a unit that has been one of the nation’s worst the past few years.

Richman says while the terminology may be different there are similarities in the way the offense has been taught.

The Hawkeyes open next season on August 31st against Illinois State.

Boys

Waukee 1, Treynor 0

WDM Valley 7, Abraham Lincoln 1

Bishop Heelan Catholic, 10 Ballard 0

Bishop Heelan Catholic, 6 Carroll 1

Girls 

Treynor 1 Van Meter 0 — 2 OT/PKs

Southeast Polk 4, Abraham Lincoln 0

Dowling Catholic 3, Abraham Lincoln 0

Thomas Jefferson 4, Sioux Center 0

LARRY CLARK KUEMPER CATHOLIC INVITATIONAL (@ Carroll)

1.Kuemper Catholic (298)

4. Braxton Vonnahme (74)

5. Carter Putney (76)

7. Kayden Schon (78)

8. Jack Lenz (79)

2.Atlantic (321)

6. Hudson McLaren (78)

15. Sam Brosam (80)

9.Harlan (347)

9. Jonas Reynolds (79)

11. Denison-Schleswig (353) 

13. Easton Emery (80)

Hamburg, (NTS) 

3. Keith Thompson (73)

Darien Porter hopes to help fill the hole left by All-American cornerback T.J. Tampa at Iowa State. The native of Bettendorf began his career as a receiver and was moved to defensive back prior to the 2022 season.

Porter says Tampa won’t be easy to replace.

Porter says the defense is using a 36-26 loss to Memphis in the Liberty Bowl as motivation.

The Cyclones open next season at home on August 31st against North Dakota

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (20-30, 6-18 Big 12) wrapped up the regular season on Sunday, falling to UCF (30-22, 12-15 Big 12) at the Cyclones Sports Complex by a score of 4-0 on Senior Day.

The Cyclones celebrated nine seniors on the after, with eight of the nine appearing in game. Karlie Charles, Kali Gose, Sophie Maras, Camille Marin, Milaysia Ochoa, Alesia Ranches and Carli Spelhaug all started on senior day while both Abby Gunter and Kelly Treves saw action over the weekend.

Iowa State was held to just two hits on the day, with both coming from the top of the order. Ochoa and Angelina Allen both notched singles while Maras drew a pair of walks and Ashley Minor reached via HBP.

Continuing her solid pitching from Friday, Charles (5-8) got her second start in the circle of the series on Sunday. She was lights out for the first five innings before a pair of big swings from UCF turned the tide of the game. Charles came off the field with one out to go in the seventh to a standing ovation before Lauren Schurman finished the frame.

UCF’s three and four hitters, Shannon Doherty and Sona Halajian, each had a pair of hits on the day. Doherty had a two-run homer in the sixth to break the stalemate. Jada Cody had the other big swing for the Knights, as the third baseman launched a homer for the second straight game in the top of the seventh.

Sarah Willis (9-9) bounced back from her poor Friday outing by tossing a complete game and allowing just the two hits. Willis struck out six Cyclones in the process.

How it Happened

The two teams combined for three hits in the first frame, but things called down after that. Both pitchers, Charles and Willis, really settled in, as the second, third and fourth innings went three up, three down on each side.

The Knights notched their third hit of the game in the fifth but ended up stranding the runner as the game turned to the sixth.

UCF broke the stalemate in the sixth, taking a two-run lead. With a runner on first, Doherty cranked a homer to dead center to give the Knights a lead. UCF plated two more in the seventh via Jada Cody two-run homer to extend its lead, eventually going on to win, 4-0.

On Deck

The Cyclones now turn their attention to the postseason, as the Big 12 Softball Championship begins this week in Oklahoma City. Iowa State will face off with Texas Tech for the first time this season in the opening round of the tournament after the previous series was canceled due to weather. ISU and TTU will meet on Wednesday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be livestreamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Iowa softball team took the series finale against Illinois, 6-5, in eight innings on Sunday afternoon at Eichelberger Field.

Sophomore Jalen Adams got the start for the Hawkeyes today allowing only one hit in two innings of work. Seniors Grace Banes and Brylee Klosterman went a combined 5-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs in the game.

The Illini got on the board first with an RBI single up the middle to score one in the bottom of the third. Iowa got on the board in the fifth as Banes and sophomore Tory Bennett each had RBI doubles to bring in three runs to give the Hawkeyes the lead, 3-1. The Illini quickly took back the lead, 4-3, in the home half of the innings on two RBI doubles of their own to plate three. Illinois tacked on another run in the sixth on a pass ball to extend their lead to two.

Banes started the seventh with a double to the wall and came around to score on an RBI single from Bennett to get the Hawkeyes within one. Freshman Devin Bowman singled to right field and Bennett came home after an Illini error to tie the game at five.

Freshman Andrea Jaskowiak (2-0) worked around a one out single in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. Sophomore Echo Mattiello led off the eighth with Iowa’s fifth double of the game. Illinois had another throwing error on a sacrifice bunt from Skylinn Pogue to allow Mattiello to come around to score to give Iowa the lead, 6-5. Jaskowiak retired the Illini hitters in the final frame to secure the victory for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes finished the game with six runs on 11 hits and one error.