IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team will enter the Big Ten tournament this weekend after having not wrestled since Feb. 7. The defending conference champion Hawkeyes had to pause team activities for 10 days because of positive COVID-19 tests. During that time all the Hawkeyes could do was run outdoors to maintain their conditioning. The pause coincided with the record cold spell in the Midwest.

FILE – Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, left, wrestles Ohio State’s Ethan Smith at 165 pounds during a NCAA Big Ten Conference wrestling dual in Iowa City, Iowa, in this Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, file photo. The interruption to the season led to the cancellations of two duals, meaning the top-ranked Hawkeyes will go into the Big Ten championships having not competed since Feb. 7. The meet is Saturday and Sunday in State College, Pennsylvania. The Hawks won last year’s conference title and Marinelli, 125-pounder Spencer Lee and 149-pounder Pat Lugo took individual championships.(Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP, File)

Alex Marinelli says he couldn’t imagine athletes in other sports going out for runs when the temperature was 15 degrees below zero. The Hawkeyes shared the Big Ten regular-season title with Penn State.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An attorney for the family of a 5-year-old girl critically injured in a crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid says the girl suffered a devastating brain injury that has left her unable to speak or walk. Attorney Tom Porto said Tuesday in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the family of 5-year-old Ariel Young wants to see “the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt could ever receive.”

The girl has been hospitalized since the Feb. 4 crash in which Reid’s truck slammed into two cars on the side of the road. Police have said Reid told investigators he had “two or three drinks” along with prescribed Adderall before the crash. No charges have been filed.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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(Radio Iowa) – While some Iowans avoid winter weather at all costs, many others enjoy the outdoors at this time of year through paddling, which can provide exercise, solitude and a chance to see the amazing beauty of nature. While there will be plenty of melting with this week’s above-normal temperatures, many of the state’s lakes, rivers and streams are still iced over, but Susan Stocker at the Iowa D-N-R says kayakers are discovering plenty of open water. “There actually is and on portions of the Des Moines River, there is open water and even on the sloughs of the Mississippi, just not far from the channel,” Stocker says. “Yeah, avid paddlers are finding open water.”

Forecasters are calling for highs in the 40s for the rest of the week across northern Iowa, with 50s in central and southern Iowa. Even when air temperatures are above average, the water is still dangerously cold, so she says paddlers should dress for the water temperature, not the air — and expect to go into the water. The piece of outerwear known as a “float coat” may be a good option, she says, as it’s essentially a life jacket that looks like a typical winter coat. Stocker says, “Though float coats may not be the perfect gear for them, make sure that they have a life jacket and/or a dry suit which can serve as flotation.”

Spring won’t arrive until March 20th, and while you may spot a few canoes during the Iowa winter, Stocker says they’re more of a rarity now. “It’s kayakers this time of year, single or double kayaks, and then they add skirts to keep the water out and keep them a little drier,” Stocker says. “It’s a few more pieces of equipment to adapt to the cooler temperatures.”

Especially during the winter, don’t paddle alone, she says, use the buddy system. Also, bring a change of clothes in a dry bag, a first aid kit and a protected cell phone, and Stocker adds, let a friend or loved one know where you are going and when you are expected to return. Find the DNR’s interactive paddling map at: www.iowadnr.gov/Things-to-Do/Canoeing-Kayaking/Where-to-Paddle

Class 4A boys schools will try to earn trips to State on Tuesday night in Substate Finals. All games are set for 7:00 p.m. starts.

Substate 1 @ CB Thomas Jefferson: CB Abraham Lincoln (18-4) vs. Southeast Polk (12-7)
Substate 2 @ East High: Ankeny Centennial (14-4) vs. Ames (16-3)
Substate 3 @ Marshalltown: Johnston (9-4) vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (15-7)
Substate 4 @ Waterloo East: Cedar Falls (18-0) vs. Cedar Rapids Washington (14-7)
Substate 5 @ Clinton: Dubuque Senior (11-8) vs. North Scott (12-7)
Substate 6 @ Bettendorf: Pleasant Valley (18-3) vs. Iowa City Liberty (7-5)
Substate 7 @ Dallas Center-Grimes: Valley (16-4) vs. Dowling Catholic (11-8)

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs expect Patrick Mahomes to be ready for offseason workouts following surgery on his toe, and they are optimistic that offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz could be available for the start of training camp. Mahomes had surgery on Feb. 10, shortly after the Chiefs were walloped by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, to repair a turf toe injury that had hobbled him throughout the playoffs. Fisher had surgery for the Achilles tendon he tore in the AFC title game while Schwartz recently had back surgery.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals made official their $25 million, four-year contract with third baseman Hunter Dozier on Monday, ensuring that another member of their young foundation is under club control for the foreseeable future. He had a breakout season in 2019, when he hit 26 homers and led the American League with 10 triples while driving in 84 runs. And while his numbers regressed slightly last season, when he missed the start with COVID-19 and wound up hitting just .228 with six homers in 44 games, the Royals believe his best seasons are still to come.

ATKINSON, Neb. (AP) — The father of the young cancer patient who captured the hearts of college football fans when he ran for a touchdown in Nebraska’s spring game eight years ago has died after a seven-month battle with brain cancer. The Team Jack Foundation announced Andy Hoffman died Monday. He was 42. His son Jack was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011. Wearing a miniature Cornhuskers uniform, Jack took a handoff and ran 69 yards into the end zone, with players mobbing him and lifting him on their shoulders. Andy was diagnosed with cancer last summer.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lat Mayen scored 25 points with five 3-pointers and Nebraska cruised past Rutgers 72-51, hours after announcing its leading scorer Teddy Allen had left the program. Mayen capped a 7-0 run to give Nebraska a 23-11 lead and the Cornhuskers led by at least eight points the rest of the way. Derrick Walker had 14 points and six rebounds for Nebraska. Jacob Young led Rutgers with 12 points. Ron Harper Jr. added 10 and Geo Baker, the conference player of the week, was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting. The Scarlet Knights were 3 of 23 from distance.

UNDATED (AP) — Michigan finally broke the stranglehold of Gonzaga and Baylor atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, taking advantage of the Bears’ loss at Kansas to leap into the No. 2 spot behind the Bulldogs. Illinois climbed one spot to fourth and Iowa gave the Big Ten three teams in the top five. West Virginia continued its steady climb, up four spots to No. 6 after its third straight win. Ohio State fell three spots to seventh after losing to the Hawkeyes. Alabama, Houston and Villanova rounded out the top 10. Oklahoma State, Purdue and Colorado joined the poll while Southern California, Tennessee and Missouri dropped out.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska basketball team’s leading scorer has left the team. Teddy Allen and coach Fred Hoiberg released a joint statement announcing the departure. Hoiberg mentioned last week Allen had been bothered by a wrist issue. The Cornhuskers have three regular-season games left. Allen said he’s decided to focus on getting fully healthy for the next step in his basketball journey. He plans to stay at Nebraska the rest of the semester. Nebraska was Allen’s third Division I program.

Substate 1 @ Denison: Sergeant Bluff-Luton 36, Carroll 29
Substate 2 @ Algona: Clear Lake (21-2) vs. Humboldt (15-7)- Moved to Tuesday
Substate 3 @ Waverly-Shell Rock: Western Dubuque 58, Decorah 42
Substate 4 @ Maquoketa: Monticello 45, Solon 39
Substate 5 @ Davenport North: Assumption (17-6) vs. Mount Vernon (17-5)- Moved to Tuesday
Substate 6 @ Oskaloosa: Pella 63, Grinnell 52
Substate 7 @ Indianola: Ballard 66, Bondurant-Farrar 57
Substate 8 @ Indianola: Dallas Center-Grimes 60, Atlantic 39– ON KJAN

The Dallas Center-Grimes Mustangs poured in 8 first half threes and pulled away from Atlantic for a 60-39 win in the Boys Class 3A Substate 8 Final on Monday night.

The Mustangs dropped in 6 threes in the opening quarter alone, 4 from junior Bo Huston, to grab a 24-15 lead after one. The Mustangs got one from downtown from Jackson Jones on the final play of the first half and led 43-27 at the break.

Dallas Center-Grimes then began to grind out possessions in the second half, milking down the clock and keeping the ball away from the Trojans. It was 48-37 by the end of the third and the Mustangs hit most of their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Huston connected on a total of 6 three pointers in the game and led the Mustangs with 26 points. Cole Glasgow added 14 points for DC-G as they improved to 20-3 on the season. The Mustangs will head back to the State Tournament for the first time since 2017.

Atlantic was led by 10 points each from Grant Sturm, Skyler Handlos, and Ethan Williams. The Trojans finish a great season with a 14-7 record. Atlantic will say goodbye to an outstanding senior class of 6: Grant Sturm, Skyler Handlos, Keaton Juhl, Craig Alan Becker, Ethan Williams, and Garrett Reynolds.

Listen to the full postgame interview with Head Coach Jeff Ebling below.

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Class 5A Quarterfinals
#1 Waukee 60, #8 Dowling Catholic  37
#5 Ankeny Centennial 47, #4 Southeast Polk 45 (Centennial makes buzzer-beating layup to advance)
#2 Johnston 71, #7 Cedar Falls 64
#6 Iowa City West 65, #3 Waterloo West 63

Class 3A Quarterfinals
#1 Cherokee, Washington 63, #8 Assumption 43
#4 West Lyon 52, #5 West Burlington 30
#2 Clear Lake (22-2) vs. #7 Waukon (19-4) 9:00 p.m.

IRVING, Texas – Iowa State women’s basketball guard Lexi Donarski picked up her fifth Freshman of the Week award, the league announced Monday. Today’s honor marks the third-straight week Donarski has claimed the award

Donarski had another big outing as she helped the Cyclones to their second ranked win of the season with an 85-68 win over then No. 18 West Virginia. Donarski netted 18 points and added three rebounds and two dimes as the Cyclones toppled WVU. She added four triples, shooting 4-of-8 from long range in the win.

Donarski is averaging 13.2 points on the season, which is the most of any freshman in the Big 12, while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from long range.

The honor was the eighth Freshman of the Week award for the Cyclones this season, as fellow freshmen Emily Ryan (2) and Kylie Feuerbach (1) have also claimed honors for the Cyclones.

Iowa State returns to the court on Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. to take on Kansas at home on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.