When Northern Iowa football coach Todd Stepsis wants to see where he hopes to take the Panther program all he has to do is turn on coverage of the FCS playoffs. Missouri Valley powers North Dakota State, South Dakota State and South Dakota are three of the four teams that will compete in this weekend’s semifinals. Stepsis is trying to rebuild a UNI program that has not made the playoffs since 2021.

Stepsis says if the Panther can be competitive in the Valley they will be competitive nationally.

Wednesday night the Hutchinson (Kansas) Blue Dragons came back from an early 14 point deficit and held on to defeat No. 1 Iowa Western 28-23 to win the 2024 NJCAA National Championship.

Blue Dragon freshman return specialist Kordell Gouldsby was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.  Gouldsby had the biggest play of the game with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Blue Dragons a 28-17 lead.

Iowa Western answered with a touchdown, but the Reivers missed on a two-point try and the Dragons led 28-23.

After the Dragons missed a field goal, the Reivers’ final drive started at its own 15. Iowa Western converted one fourth down on the drive and marched to the Hutchinson 11. On fourth-and-5, Hutchinson dialed up a heavy rush and a desperation pass fell incomplete.

Gouldsby finished the game with 158 total return yards – 90 punt return yards on four returns and 68 kickoff return yards on three returns.

Hutchinson was outgained by Iowa Western 448-305. The Blue Dragons had 191 yard rushing and 114 passing. Iowa Western had 412 passing yards and 36 rushing yards.

Former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers threw for 412 yards on 29 of 51 passing with two touchdowns to lead Iowa Western.

Hutchinson wins its’ second national football title and finishes the season 11-1. Iowa Western finishes the season at 11-2, with both losses coming against the Blue Dragons.  Iowa Western came up just short of becoming the first team to win the NJCAA Division 1 football title three years in a row.

The Riverside Bulldogs boys wrestling team is having a great start to the 2024-25 season. The Bulldogs are unbeaten in duals this year including going 3-0 at the Tri-Center quad on Tuesday. Seniors Taven Moore, AC Roller, Davis Bramman, and Jett Rose all picked up three wins on Tuesday. Head Coach Casey Conover has not only been happy with their results but also their ability to lead this Bulldog team.

The senior leadership has played a big part in what has been a successful start to the season. This is true not just on the mat, but off it as Conover knows that without support it is difficult to succeed in wrestling.

Conover’s biggest message to the team is to live in the here and now.

The Bulldogs will compete in one last tournament before the holiday break on Saturday at Tri-Center. Conover is looking forward to the challenge but also says his team needs to stay determined.

The Regular season tournament at Tri-Center is scheduled to start at 10 am.

The Atlantic Trojans boys wrestling team has kicked off their 2024-25 season with a bang. The Trojans are currently 3-0 in duals including two Hawkeye Ten wins. Last weekend, Atlantic competed in the Council Bluffs Classic, and head coach Tim Duff was very pleased with his team’s performance in this big tournament.

Part of the reason for the great start has been the Trojan’s senior leadership. Aidan Smith and Evan Sorensen are both multi-year letter winners who are having a fantastic start to the season.  Better yet, both bring a determined mindset to the table. In addition to Sorensen and Smith, Cameron McDermott has been leading by example. Duff says his seniors have been and are an integral part of the Trojan’s success.

In addition to his veterans, Duff has also been pleased with his younger athletes. However, Keaton Shroeder has stuck out due to his attitude and competitiveness.

Despite being an individual sport, chemistry is incredibly important to a team’s success and Duff has been proud of the way this group has gelled.

Overall, Duff has been very happy with the Trojans’ start to the season.

Wins and losses aside Duff’s goal is to see his team improve every day and thinks the lesson goes well beyond just wrestling.

The Trojans will host Lewis Central on Thursday before competing in the Roland-Story tournament on Saturday to wrap up the pre-Christmas schedule. Duff is excited for the proposition of another tough Hawkeye Ten matchup.

The start time for the Lewis-Central dual in Atlantic is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

Iowa officials have announced plans to retire the jersey of former women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark, Todd Kimm reports.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Former Drake women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame as the Bulldogs’ 15th all-time inductee.

A former student-athlete at the University of Northern Iowa, Lisa Bluder served as Drake women’s basketball head coach from 1990-2000. She began her coaching career at St. Ambrose, where she compiled a 169-36 mark in six seasons, leading St. Ambrose to the NAIA Fab Four in 1989 and 1990. While at Drake, she earned four MVC tourney titles (1995, 1997, 1998, 2000), three MVC regular-season crowns (1997, 1998, 2000) and won 20+ games five of her last six seasons on the Drake bench. A three-time MVC Coach of the Year, Bluder led her teams to a Top-4 finish in the league standings eight of her 10 seasons in the Conference.

With a cumulative record of 188-105 (.642), she owns the second-most wins in Drake school history. After her successful run at Drake, Bluder became the all-time winningest coach at the University of Iowa, with a record of 528-254. Her 528 wins are the most in Iowa history, surpassing Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer.

As head coach of the Hawkeyes, she led her teams to 22 postseason appearances (18 NCAA and four WNIT). Bluder was a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2001, 2008 2010), and she was the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year four times (2001, 2008, 2018, 2019). Under Bluder, Iowa was Big Ten Tournament champion five times (2001, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) and was twice Big Ten regular-season champion (2008, 2022). The Hawkeyes made back-to-back NCAA Final Four appearances in 2023 and 2024 as Iowa was national runner-up in each of those seasons. The 2019 Naismith College Coach of the Year, Bluder retired from Iowa following the 2023-24 season with the 10th most wins in NCAA history, with an overall record of 884-396.

Bluder also served as head coach of the U.S.A. women’s basketball team at the 2015 Pan American Games, earning a silver medal in the event. Bluder is a member of the Des Moines Register Hall of Fame, the Quad City Times Hall of Fame, Linn Mar Athletic Hall of Fame, and the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame.

The 28th MVC Hall of Fame class features other legends Bob Warn of Indiana State and Bruce Weber of Southern Illinois, track & field All-American Tyler Mulder of UNI, student, coach, professor, administrator, mentor, and trusted advisor Betty Wiseman of Belmont, and men’s basketball star Marcellus Sommerville of Bradley. Including this year’s six inductees, the MVC Hall of Fame consists of 157 former student-athletes, administrators, coaches, and contributors.

The league will conduct its annual Hall of Fame ceremony as part the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship in St. Louis, Mo., on March 6-9, 2025. The Friday, March 7, festivities begin with an 8:00 a.m. breakfast, followed by the induction ceremony at 8:30 a.m.

Tickets to the 2025 Hall of Fame event, which will be held at Stifel Theatre — adjacent to Enterprise Center – can be obtained by contacting the league office. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2025 State Farm MVC Tournament marks the 35th-straight year the event has been staged in St. Louis. With 35-consecutive years at the same neutral site, Arch Madness is the second-longest neutral site tenured collegiate tourney in the nation (following only the Big East in New York City). It marks the 31st anniversary for the tournament at Enterprise Center.

“One of the great rewards that comes with representing a Conference with the tremendous history of the Missouri Valley is the opportunity to engage with some of the finest practitioners and best leaders in our industry,” said Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “This class represents the reach of The Valley in and away from the athletic arena. We are all truly inspired by their achievements and touched by their grace.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa track and field received Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors, the conference announced on Wednesday. Pauline Bikembo, Sean Smith and Daniela Wamokpego each earned their respective awards following their performance at the Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational.
Smith, a junior from Webster, New York, won the men’s field athlete of the week honor by setting a new school record in the weight throw. He finished with a 22.49-meter throw, which ranks third nationally.

Wamokpego, a sophomore from Meaux, France, was named co-field athlete of the week after crushing Iowa’s program record in the triple jump with a 13.32-meter mark. Her finish tied the national lead and was a personal record.

Bikembo, a freshman from Saint Lue La Foret, France, won freshman athlete of the week honors after her first place finish in the pentathlon, with a total of 4,229 points. Her finish ranks second all-time at Iowa and in Division 1.

Following winter break, the Hawkeyes return to action Jan. 17-18 as they host the Hawkeye Invitational.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht says the Cyclones have a lot to play for as they practice for the Pop Tarts Bowl. The 18th ranked Cyclones are 10-3 after falling to Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship game and will play 13th ranked Miami in the December 28th game in Orlando.

Becht says a victory would provide the program momentum heading into the off-season.

Cyclone safety Beau Freyler says the Cyclones are excited to have this opportunity.

Both teams just missed a spot in the college football playoffs. Miami is 10-2.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious George Munger Award, which recognizes the College Football Coach of the Year.

Campbell has led Iowa State to its first 10-win season in the program’s 133-year history, finishing the regular season 10-2 overall and 7-2 in conference play while earning a berth in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game.

The Cyclones matched the best start in school history, opening the season 7-0 and climbing to as high as No. 9 in The Associated Press Top-25 poll.

Campbell, who recently agreed to a contract extension through the 2032 season, became Iowa State’s winningest coach earlier this season when he surpassed Dan McCarney’s previous mark. In his ninth season leading the program, Campbell owns a 63-51 record at the school, including 62-43 since starting 1-8 in his initial campaign.

He’s also 45-36 in conference play, which is 18 more league victories than any other coach in the school’s history. Campbell owns 45 of ISU’s 89 all-time wins against Big 12 teams.

Campbell and the No. 18 Cyclones return to action Dec. 28 at the Pop-Tarts Bowl against No. 15 Miami.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa football players — senior linebacker Jay Higgins, junior running back Kaleb Johnson and senior punt returner Kaden Wetjen — were recognized on Wednesday as first-team All-Americans by Sporting News.

As a result, Higgins is a unanimous consensus All-American, while Johnson is a consensus All-American. Johnson was a first team All-America honoree by Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Sporting News, and second team by the Associated Press (AP) and American Football Coaches Association of America (AFCA).

Iowa now has 33 consensus All-Americans in program history, including 18 in the Kirk Ferentz era. The Hawkeyes have had multiple consensus All-Americans seven times in program history (1981, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2017, 2023 and 2024).

Higgins (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) was also honored as the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten. He is the only player in the nation with 100+ tackles and four interceptions. His four picks are tied for the most amongst linebackers from a Power 4 conference. Higgins, who was a semifinalist for the Lombardi, Lott IMPACT and Butkus awards, has racked up 118 tackles — second most in the Big Ten, 13th-most nationally. The Indianapolis native has been a leader on an Iowa defense that is ninth nationally, allowing 17.1 points per game.

Johnson was also voted Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten and finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He posted school single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing scores (21). Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) rushed for 1,537 yards in 12 games, sixth-most in the country and third-most in program history. The native of Hamilton, Ohio, scored at least one touchdown in all 12 regular season games — the longest stretch in school history. Johnson had seven games in 2024 with two or more rushing touchdowns, believed to be the most in a single season in program history. He declared for the NFL Draft earlier this month.

Wetjen was also tabbed a first-team All-American punt returner by FWAA yesterday, and was previously awarded the 2024 Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten and is a finalist for the Jet Award. He leads the nation with 888 combined kick return yards (next most is 674 yards). Wetjen (5-foot-10, 196 pounds) is second in the FBS in punt return yards (312) and sixth in kickoff return yards (576). The native of Williamsburg, Iowa, native had an 85-yard punt return for a score against Northwestern, the seventh-longest in school history.

The Hawkeyes will play No. 19 Missouri on Dec. 30, 2024, in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville. The game will start at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN.

2024 IOWA POSTSEASON ALL-AMERICA NATIONAL HONORS
LUKE ELKIN: AFCA (first team)
JAY HIGGINS (Consensus): Walter Camp, AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News, CBS, The Athletic (first team)
KALEB JOHNSON (Consensus): FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp (first team); AFCA, AP, CBS, The Athletic (second team), Pro Football Focus
KADEN WETJEN: FWAA, Sporting News (first team)