IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List, it was announced Monday by the board of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

It is the third preseason Player of the Year preseason nod for Stirtz as he was also named to the NABC Watch List on Friday and the Naismith Trophy Watch List this morning.

The Liberty, Missouri, native has also been named a preseason All-American by CBS Sports (second team), Field of 68 (second team), Jon Rothstein (second team), Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (fourth team) and Jay Bilas (honorable mention).  He is also on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List.

Stirtz, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake.  He was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.

He led the MVC in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86), while ranking second in assists (5.7).  He also led the NCAA in minutes played, averaging 39:22 per game.

Stirtz is one of 50 players nationally named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

The Hawkeyes host Robert Morris on Tuesday in their season opener at 7:30 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN.

Tickets are available at  hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Drake women’s basketball began its 2025-26 slate on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs took on Eastern Illinois in the Panthers’ annual Kids’ Day game with over 2,000 area elementary students in attendance. Drake settled in after a jittery first quarter to eventually roll over EIU, 83-65.

The Panthers won the opening tip thanks to the length of 6-foot, 10-inch center Abbie Boutilier, who had minimal impact the rest of the way. EIU, behind a 5-of-8 start from the field was able to build an early 13-8 lead at the first media timeout. Drake then ripped off a 5-0 run out of the break to take its first lead of the game at 16-15, but the Panthers answered with a spurt of their own to retake control in a back-and-forth first period.

Drake had a chance to jump back in front at the first quarter horn, but a contested Grace Knutson deuce rimmed off. EIU led 20-19 after the first period.

Ava Hawthorne notched the first tally of the second quarter at the free throw line, promptly drawing Drake even on the scoreboard. The Bulldog offense continued to click through much of the second period as Drake eventually built its largest lead of the first half on an Abbie Aalsma 3-pointer, making it 36-30 in favor of the visitors.

Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman maneuvered a little foul toward the end of the second stanza as Hawthorne and starting forward Maggie Taylor were each flagged for two personal fouls.

Drake managed the final stages of the first half well as the Dogs went into the half leading 39-34. Aalsma and Anna Becker were both in double figures at the break with 14 points and 12 points, respectively.

The Bulldog momentum continued into the third quarter as Drake’s defense started to show its teeth. Drake extended its lead into double digits at 47-37 after a Grace Knutson fadeaway through contact and a deep trey from freshman forward Quinn Vice.

Drake’s lead reached 14 points at the end of the third quarter as a Shannon Fornshell triple made it 60-46 in the Bulldogs’ direction.

The Bulldogs continued to roll in the final frame as two more players, Taylor and Knutson got into double digits. Eastern Illinois did its best to fight back, getting the deficit down under 15 points with just over two minutes remaining, but the hill was too steep to climb as Drake stuck to its game down the stretch.

Drake wrapped things up for an 83-65 victory, marking its 11th straight win in season-opening contests . The result also snapped a 7-game winning streak for EIU in their own season-openers with the last Panther debut loss coming to Northern Illinois, then coached by current Drake assistant Lisa Carlsen.

“We just rose to the occasion today,” Pohlman said after the game. “It took us a little bit to get warmed up but I loved what we did in the first quarter…we had to make some adjustments and figure out our advantages. Really proud of our response. Second and third quarters our defense was on point. We gave up a couple offensive rebounds and open threes in the fourth, so need to work on playing with a lead, but really rock-solid effort today.”

Abbie Aalsma and Anna Becker each scored 22 points to lead all players. Grace Knutson added 14 and Maggie Taylor chipped in with 11. Scoring totals for Aalsma, Knutson, and Taylor were all career highs. Becker’s effort marked the first 20-plus scoring outing for a Bulldog since Katie Dinnebier’s rookie season.

Taylor also corralled a career best 16 rebounds as Drake dominated the glass, 50-26. Ava Hawthorne dished out seven assists to lead the Bulldog distributors.

The Bulldogs will be back in action at home for their next matchup. Drake will welcome Creighton to the Knapp Center on Sunday, Nov. 9 for a 4 p.m. tip.

Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum intends to treat Tuesday night’s season opener like just another game. The Hawkeyes host Robert Morris and it will be McCollum’s first game as head coach for the school he grew up cheering for.

Robert Morris has nearly an entire new roster after going 26-9 last season and making it to the NCAA Tournament.

McCollum says it will take some time to develop a rotation.

The Drake women pulled away in the second half to post an 83-65 season opening win at Eastern Illinois Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs limited the Panthers to 39 percent shooting and also won the rebounding battle 50-26.

That’s Drake coach Allison Pohlman. Senior guard Abbie Aalsma and freshman guard Anna Becker both had 22 points as the Bulldogs overcame a slow start.

The 14th ranked Iowa State women used a 19-0 second quarter run to take command in a season opening 85-36 win over St. Thomas in Hilton Coliseum. Audi Crooks led the way with 20 points. Junior forward Addy Brown had 11 points as 12 different Cyclones got into the scoring column.

Brown likes the chemistry that the Cyclones are developing.

UNI football coach Todd Stepsis says his team is making progress, even though it has not shown up in the win column. After a loss at Illinois State, the Panthers take an 0-5 Missouri Valley record into Saturday’s game at home against Murray State.

Stepsis continues to be proud of the effort despite a string of losses.

UNI is 2-7 overall. Murray State is 0-5 in the Valley and 0-9 overall.

The Racers are the first unranked team the Panthers have played in more than a month but Stepsis warns there is not a big drop in the level of talent.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa field hockey junior Dionne van Aalsum has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, the conference office announced Monday.

This marks her seventh career Offensive Player of the Week honor, which gives her the most offensive or defensive weekly awards by a Hawkeye.

Her 11 total weekly honors (seven offensive, four freshman) are the most in Iowa field hockey history and are tied for second-most all-time among Big Ten players with Northwestern’s Bente Baekers. She trails Northwestern’s Chelsea Armstrong (13).

Van Aalsum scored three goals, including the game winner as Iowa defeated Ohio State in double overtime. She leads the nation in goals (26), goals per game (1.63), points (54) and points per game (3.38).

The Castricum, Netherlands, native leads all active Division I players with 63 career goals in 53 games. She is the only player in the top 10 with fewer than 55 games played. She also leads in points per game.

Iowa (12-4) travels to Bloomington, Indiana, to face Indiana on Thursday at 4 p.m. (CT) in the Big Ten Tournament.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – A new in-seat beverage service will be available in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the 2025-26 University of Iowa men’s and women’s basketball seasons, it was announced Monday by the University of Iowa Athletics Department.

The in-seat service will be offered exclusively to fans sitting courtside and in padded seats within the lower bowl of the arena.

Fans throughout the arena will be able to purchase drinks from roaming hawkers, who will serve the general public until all services halt at the beginning of the fourth quarter for women’s games and at the under-12 media timeout for men’s contests.

Fans can also purchase beverages and limited concessions at a walk-up stand at the south end of the playing court.

A QR code will be affixed directly to seats in the lower bowl of the arena where the service is available.

The Iowa women’s team opens its season on Monday, hosting Southern at 6:30 p.m. (CT), while the Hawkeye men will host Robert Morris in its season opener at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time, it was announced Monday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards.

It is the second preseason Player of the Year preseason nod for Stirtz as he was named to the NABC watch list on Friday.

The Liberty, Missouri, native has also been named a preseason All-American by CBS Sports (second team), Field of 68 (second team), Jon Rothstein (second team), Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (fourth team) and Jay Bilas (honorable mention).  He is also on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List.

Stirtz, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake.  He was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.

He led the MVC in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86), while ranking second in assists (5.7).  He also led the NCAA in minutes played, averaging 39:22 per game.

Stirtz is one of 13 players from the Big Ten Conference on the list, along with Oregon’s Nate Bittle, Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, UCLA’s Donovan Dent, Indiana’s Tucker DeVries, Illinois’ Ivisic Tomislav, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli, Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, Purdue’s Braden Smith, Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton.

The Hawkeyes host Robert Morris on Tuesday in their season opener at 7:30 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN.

Tickets are available at  hawkeyesports.com/tickets.