(Hawkeyesports.com) The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Nebraska, 83-68, on Sunday afternoon inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Hawkeyes improve to 16-15 on the season and 7-13 in Big Ten conference play. Iowa clinched a spot in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament with the victory.

The Hawkeyes weathered an early Nebraska run, falling down 9-2 in the opening minutes of the game. After trailing by eight, the Hawkeyes behind a pair of three pointers from graduate Drew Thelwell and sophomore Pryce Sandfort went on a 11-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 21-18, at the midway point of the first half.

Iowa would lose the lead briefly, before Pryce Sandfort would respond with another three pointers to take the lead back with just over six minutes to play in the half. The Sandfort brothers scored the final 12 points of the half as senior Payton Sandfortconverted on a layup at the buzzer to give the Hawkeyes a 40-35 advantage heading into the break. Iowa led for just under nine minutes of play in the first 20 minutes.

After starting the half 5-of-16 from the field, Iowa would shoot 12-of-21 the from the rest of the half. Pryce Sandfort came off the bench to lead the way with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Pryce Sandfortgrabbed six rebounds and knocked down a trio of three pointers in the first 20 minutes. Payton Sandfort added 10 points while also pulling in six rebounds. The Cornhuskers missed their final 10 three-point attempts of the half.

The Hawkeyes expanded their lead to 45-38 two minutes into the second half. Nebraska would respond to cut the lead down to two before Iowa would go on a 13-2 spurt, pushing their lead to double digits. Iowa would make 8-of-10 field goals and a pair of Payton Sandfort three pointers gave Iowa a 67-54 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Iowa would protect their lead for the rest of the game, never allowing the Cornhuskers to come within seven points the rest of the way out. The Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run to lead Nebraska, 80-66, with under a minute remaining.  The Hawkeyes defense forced Nebraska to miss six consecutive shots including just one of their last 10 field goal attempts. The Cornhuskers were held scoreless for over four minutes.

Payton Sandfort led offensively with 22 points and eight rebounds. Pryce Sandfort poured in 16 points along with four three-pointers. Pryce Sandfortgrabbed a career high 11 rebounds to secure the first double-double of his career. Junior Josh Dixadded 15 points on 7-of-15 from the field. Dix grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists, and played a team high 36 minutes. Sophomore Brock Harding rounded out the Hawkeyes in double digits with 12 points. Harding shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, matching Dix with four assists.

Iowa shot 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) from the field in the second 20 minutes, knocking down 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from deep. The Hawkeyes shot 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) from the charity stripe in the final half.

Avah Underwood and her Council Bluffs St. Albert teammates had to go the extra mile to give the school its first state championship in girls basketball.

St. Albert and Newell-Fonda took their Class 1A title game into a second overtime before the Saintes emerged with a 61-58 victory to close out the 2024-25 high school season.

Molly Wise hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to put St. Albert (25-1) ahead to stay with 1:03 left, but it was Underwood who kept the Saintes in it to that point.

The 6-foot junior, voted captain of the all-tournament team, scored 20 points and set three rebounding records and tied another. Her 24 rebounds were the most in a 1A tournament game and matched the overall tournament record. She totaled 55 rebounds for the tournament, both a class and overall record.

Wise finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers, while Eleanor Coughlin added seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal for the Saintes, whose best finish at state previously was as the Class 2A runner-up in 2000.

Newell-Fonda (22-5) fell short on chances to win it at the end of regulation and in the final seconds of the first overtime and settled its third-straight second-place finish and ninth overall. The Mustangs have won four titles and their 13 championship game appearances are a state record.

Kinzee Hinders led Newell-Fonda with 22 points and nine rebounds. Jocee Walsh added nine points and nine rebounds and Anna Mercer pulled down eight rebounds to go with four points. Freshman Ellie Sievers had eight points, three assists and two steals for the Mustangs.

The two teams exchanged the lead seven times in the second half before Coughlin drove for a basket, the ball circling the rim twice before dropping through and tying the game at 51 with 9 seconds left.

After a timeout, Hinders took the ball the way to the basket but had it knocked away at the buzzer. The Mustangs came from five points down in the first overtime to tie it at 56 and Mareni Barbec had an open shot from the left corner but left it just short.

Underwood’s block led to Wise’s go-ahead 3 and Maura Ryan followed with two free throws to stretch St. Albert’s lead to 61-56. Jocee Walsh’s putback cut the lead to three and the Mustangs got it back on a turnover. But Ellie Monahan blocked Sievers’ hurried 3-point shot, time ran out and the Saintes began their celebration.

Ryan, Hinders and Sievers joined Underwood on the all-tournament team, along with Molly Boge of North Linn and Graclyn Eastman of Bishop Garrigan.

1A Championship 

#1 St. Albert – 61 vs #3 Newell-Fonda – 58 (2OT)

2A Championship

Class 2A: #3 Hinton – 48 vs #5 Central Lyon – 46

4A Championship

#8 Cedar Rapids Xavier – 66 vs #2 North Polk 47

TULSA, Okla. – With a 17-point lead over the rest of the field, Oklahoma State finished the opening day of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship in first place with a score of 137.5 points. The Cowboys had wrestlers advance to Sunday night’s championship session in six different weight classes, including the 184, 197 and 295-pound divisions.

Northern Iowa will enter Sunday’s action in second place with 120.5 points after having four athletes qualify for championship matches. Missouri, Northern Colorado and West Virginia were the other programs with multiple wrestlers who punched their tickets to the championship session on Sunday.

Saturday’s action also saw seven Big 12 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championship in Philadelphia later this month.

The second day of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship will begin at 12 p.m. CT with the consolation bracket finals as well as third, fifth and seventh-place matches on ESPN+. The final session will begin at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU as a champion will be crowned in all 10 weight classes as well as the overall team title.

Team Standings After First Two Sessions
1^st Oklahoma State – 137.5 points
2^nd Northern Iowa – 120.5 points
3^rd South Dakota State – 87.5 points
4^th Iowa State – 84 points
T-5^th Northern Colorado – 63 points
T-5^th West Virginia – 63 points
7^th Oklahoma – 60.5 points
8^th Missouri – 55 points
9^th North Dakota State – 52 points
10^th Arizona State – 46 points
11^th Wyoming – 36.5 points
12^th Utah Valley – 17 points
13^th Cal Baptist – 15 points
14^th Air Force – 11.5 points

EVANSTON, Illinois – The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team advanced three wrestlers to the finals on Saturday night in Session II at the 2025 Big Ten Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hawkeyes sit in third place after day one.

The Hawkeyes will be represented in the 133-, 165- and 197-pound finals tomorrow night in Session IV.

“We are going to day two of the qualifier, said Tom Brands. “We have to be at our best on day two.”

At 133, top-seeded Drake Ayala won a decision over No. 5 seed Dylan Shawver of Rutgers, 8-2.

No. 2 seed Michael Caliendo put on a takedown clinic in his 165-pound semifinal match as he won a technical fall over sixth-seed Illinois’ Braeden Scoles, 22-7.

Top-ranked and No. 1 seed Stephen Buchanan II defeated Illinois’ Zac Braunagel the fifth seed, 4-0. Buchanan has yet to allow a point in the tournament.

The Hawkeyes dropped semifinal bouts at 149 and 174.

On the backside of the bracket Gabe Arnold, Ben Kueter and Jacori Teemer are still alive. Joey Cruz is still alive in the ninth-place bracket at 125 pounds.

Team Scores
1. Penn State    145.0
2. Nebraska    118.5
3. Iowa        98.0
4. Minnesota    88.5
5. Illinois    81.5
6. Ohio State    76.0
7. Michigan    56.0
8. Maryland    47.5
9. Rutgers    46.0
10. Purdue    33.5
11. Indiana    27.0
12. Northwestern    18.5
13. Wisconsin    13.5
14. Michigan State    11.5

Final Matchups
133 – #1 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
165 – #2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State)
197 – #1 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) vs. #3 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan)

Seventh Place Matches
157 – #4 Jacori Teemer (Iowa) vs. #9 Chase Saldate (Michigan)

Consolation Semifinals
149 – #2 Kyle Parco (Iowa) vs. #4 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State)
174 – #4 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. #2 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)
184 – #4 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) vs. #6 Edmond Ruth (Illinois)
285 – #7 Ben Kueter (Iowa) vs. #4 Nick Feldman (Ohio State)

Extra Matches
125 9th SF – #5 Joey Cruz (Iowa) vs. #13 Caelan Riley (Illinois)

Semifinals
133 – #1 Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec. #5 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), 8-2
149 – #3 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) major dec. #2 Kyle Parco (Iowa), 14-2
165 – #2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) tech. fall #6 Braeden Scoles (Illinois), 22-7
174 – #1 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. #4 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 10-3
197 – #1 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) dec. #5 Zac Braunagel (Illinois), 4-0

Consolations
125 – #11 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State) dec. #5 Joey Cruz (Iowa), 10-5
141 – #5 Sergio Lemley (Michigan) dec. #11 Cullan Schriever (Iowa), 8-3
157 – #4 Jacori Teemer (Iowa) major dec. #11 Jason Kraisser (Illinois), 20-9
184 – #4 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) major dec. #11 Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern), 10-1
285 – #7 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #8 Jacob Bullock (Indiana), 5-1

157 – #1 Ethen Miller (Maryland) dec. #4 Jacori Teemer (Iowa) , 2-1 SV1
184 – #4 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) inj. def #9 Donnell Washington (Indiana), 0:02
285 – #7 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #12 Max Vanadia (Michigan State) 8-2

The University of Iowa baseball team trounced Rutgers, 16-0, in seven innings to even the series at Bainton Field on Saturday afternoon.

Iowa had an electric performance at the plate, hitting six home runs in the win, the most since 2018 against Missouri when the Hawkeyes hit seven.

“It was a fun day for the offense,” said head coach Rick Heller. “Our guys bounced back with great effort after a tough loss yesterday.”

Redshirt junior Jackson Beaman got the home run party started with a solo shot in the fourth inning before hitting a three-run bomb in the fifth. Junior Miles Risley and redshirt sophomore Ben Swails then hit back-to-back homers in the sixth. Senior Ben Wilmes followed with a two-run shot to left field to put the Hawkeyes ahead, 15-0. Junior Blake Guerin hit his third home run in the last four games with a dinger to left center in the seventh.

Freshman Jaixen Frost, redshirt sophomore Reese Moore, redshirt junior Caleb Wulf, senior Mitch Wood, Beaman and Gable Mitchell each recorded multi-hit games and scored at least one run. The Hawkeyes batted .472 with 17 total hits and recorded eight RBIs with two outs. That marks the highest team batting average and hit total in a game for the Hawkeyes this season.

“Our guys came out ready to play today,” said Heller. “It was a great team effort with 10 different Hawkeyes getting hits.”

Junior Aaron Savary got the start and the win on the mound for Iowa to improve to 3-0 this season. He gave up zero runs on just three hits and struck out six Scarlet Knights through five innings of work.

“Aaron Savary gave us the start we needed on the mound,” Heller said. “He worked out of some traffic early and really settled in.”

Senior Sam Hart and junior Justin Hackett came out of the bullpen and pitched one inning each. They each struck out two batters, helping Iowa secure its third shutout this season.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s wrestling team finished the 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Tournament with three champions and 15 All-Americans. The Hawkeyes brought home their second straight team title with 201.5 total points.

First-ranked Macey Kilty defeated North Central’s and third-ranked Bella Mir, 7-2, to claim the 145-pound crown. Kilty concluded her 2025 season undefeated going 28-0.

At 160, top-ranked Kennedy Blades added to her lengthy resume, beating second-ranked Kaylynn Albrecht of McKendree in the title match by first period tech. fall, 10-0. Blades finished her first collegiate season with a perfect 25-0 record.

First-ranked Kylie Welker made quick work of second-ranked Sabrina Nauss from Grand Valley State in the 180-pound finals, winning by tech. fall, 10-0, in 58 seconds. Welker became the program’s first back-to-back national champion. The redshirt sophomore finished the season going 27-0.

Top-ranked Jaycee Foeller was the last Hawkeye to wrestle for a title. She fell to second-ranked Tristan Kelly of McKendree, 6-0, to finish runner-up at 207 pounds.

Other Hawkeyes who placed and earned All-American status include Rianne Murphy (103, 3rd), Sterling Dias (103, 4th), Ava Bayless (110, 4th), Emilie Gonzalez (110, 5th), Brianna Gonzalez (117, 5th), Cali Leng (124, 7th), Emmily Patneaud (131, 6th), Nanea Estrella (138, 3rd), Reese Larramendy (145, 3rd), Naomi Simon (180, 3rd) and Alivia White (207, 4th).