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

UNDATED (AP) — Big 12 schools still got a strong payout from the conference during the pandemic. The revenue distribution to the league’s 10 schools for the 2019-20 school year averages $37.7 million each. That figure announced at the end of the league’s virtual spring meetings was down only about $1.1 million a school from last year. That ends a 13-year streak of increasing revenues. The decrease came after the cancellation of the basketball tournaments, and then spring sports. There is still plenty of uncertainty moving forward as campuses get ready to welcome athletes back for voluntary workouts.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has added Troy to its non-conference football schedule in four years. The athletic department announced the Hawkeyes will host the Trojans Sept. 14, 2024, at Kinnick Stadium. It will be the teams’ first meeting. Iowa also announced a change to the 2023 schedule. Home dates with Western Michigan and Utah State have been exchanged from previous contracted dates. Utah State will visit Iowa City on Sept. 2, 2023, with Western Michigan playing at Iowa on Sept. 16.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska golfers or those with ties to the state can try to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship in July. The 36-hole qualifier will be played at ArborLinks in Nebraska City on July 2. Professional and amateur golfers with Nebraska ties and a handicap index of 4.0 or less can vie for an exemption into the July 27-Aug. 2 tournament at The Club at Indian Creek in Omaha. Entry deadline is June 23. Details are available on t he tournament website, the pinnaclebankchampionship.com.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa men’s basketball forward Patrick McCaffery’s hardship waiver petition has been approved by the Big Ten Conference. He has four years of eligibility remaining.

McCaffery saw limited action in the first two games of his true freshman campaign before missing the remainder of the 2019-20 season due to residual health and wellness issues related to his thyroid.

McCaffery joined the Hawkeyes after finishing his prep career at Iowa City West High School as its all-time leading scorer. He won a combined 86 games with the Trojans, including the 2017 4A State Championship, and runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2018. McCaffery was a three-time all-state honoree.

Iowa senior Jordan Bohannon and sophomore Jack Nunge had their hardship waiver petition’s approved earlier this month.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa, pending approval by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, will break ground in late fall on a $4 million state-of-the-art soccer operations facility on the west side of the Iowa Soccer Complex. This new space will open in time for the 2021 fall season — the 25th year of Iowa women’s soccer.

The proposed facility, funded entirely by private support, will include:

A spacious locker room and lounge/team room that will dramatically improve Iowa soccer student-athletes efficiency and experience while creating a “one-stop home” for Iowa women’s soccer.
A multi-purpose room, overlooking one of the best soccer fields in the Big Ten Conference, that creates a space for student-athletes to enjoy pregame and postgame meals, watch film, study, and socialize, as well as to host donors and other events before and after matches.
An athletic training room, allowing student-athletes to receive treatments from sports medicine staff after a practice or game — without having to travel to another campus location.
Additional amenities including; coaches’ offices, visiting team and officials’ locker rooms, press box, and storage.

“We truly appreciate the support from our soccer alumni and friends. These are challenging times, but the passion of these loyal individuals has pushed this facility forward and are making it a reality,” said Gary Barta, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair. “We are coming off a historic soccer season and have significant momentum around the program. With permission to proceed from the Board of Regents, we look forward to beginning construction this fall.”

Dave DiIanni is entering his seventh season as the program’s head coach.  During the 2019 season, DiIanni led the Hawkeyes to one of their best seasons in program history, tying a school record with 15 victories en route to the the second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

The Hawkeyes won seven Big Ten games — tied for the most all-time — and achieved their highest ranking — No. 19 — in program history during the regular season.  DiIanni has won 61 games during his Iowa tenure.

Iowa has also excelled academically under DiIanni’s watch with two players garnering four Academic All-America honors. The program has earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award each season and Iowa had a school record 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections in 2019.

“One of the most important things that we have done over the past six years is build a winning culture — doing your best on and off the field,” said DiIanni. “Building an operations facility at the Iowa Soccer Complex is a game-changer for our program.

“This facility will significantly enhance our student-athlete experience. It has been a long-time vision for the program and we look forward, with support of others, to completing this campaign successfully and putting the ball in the back of the net.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa has added Troy University to its 2024 football schedule. The announcement was made Friday by the Iowa Athletics Department.

The addition of Troy visiting Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 14, 2024, completes Iowa’s 2024 schedule and marks the first football game between the two programs. Additional nonconference games include Iowa hosting Illinois State to open the season Aug. 31, and Iowa State visiting Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 7 for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series contest. The date of the Iowa State game had not previously been announced. Iowa visits Iowa State on Sept. 6, 2025.

In addition to the contract completing the 2024 schedule, Iowa also announced a change to the 2023 schedule. Home dates with Western Michigan and Utah State have been exchanged from previous contracted dates. Utah State will visit Iowa City Sept. 2, 2023, with Western Michigan playing at Iowa on Sept. 16.

Iowa’s Big Ten Conference schedule in 2024 includes home dates with Northwestern, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, while the Hawkeyes travel to Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota.

Following are Iowa’s complete schedules for 2023 and 2024.

2023 Schedule

Sept. 2                 Utah State
Sept. 9                 at Iowa State (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)
Sept. 16               Western Michigan
Sept. 23               Purdue (FW)
Sept. 30               at Wisconsin
Oct. 7                   Rutgers (HC)
Oct. 14                 at Northwestern
Oct. 21                 Michigan State
Oct. 28                 at Penn State
Nov. 4                  Minnesota
Nov. 11                Open
Nov. 18                Illinois
Nov. 24                at Nebraska 

2024 Schedule

Aug. 31                Illinois State
Sept. 7                 Iowa State (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)
Sept. 14               Troy
Sept. 28               at Purdue
Oct. 5                   Northwestern (HC)
Oct. 12                 at Rutgers
Oct. 19                 at Illinois
Oct. 26                 Maryland (FW)
Nov. 2                  at Indiana
Nov. 9                  Open
Nov. 16                at Minnesota
Nov. 23                Wisconsin
Nov. 29                Nebraska

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy expects the Cyclone program to make more progress. Purdy is getting ready for his junior season as the Cyclones will be in search of a fourth straight winning season and bowl trip.

Players have been away from campus since March and are preparing for a return in June.

New Griswold head boys basketball coach Jake Speer is eager to be given the opportunity to coach early in his career. Speer was not looking to coach at the high school level right away coming out of college, but the opportunity to become an assistant early was too big to pass up. Speer said his confidence built as he got more years of experience.

In game coaching at the junior varsity level has really benefited Speer early in his career. Speer praised his old high school basketball coach, Darrell Burmeister, on how he coached in the past and wants to implement some of his philosophies in the future

Speer envisions some long term goals are to have all coaches throughout each level in the school district on the same page, while trying to maintain a good number of kids out for basketball. Getting more kids out for basketball and playing all year around is a good start said Speer.

Coach Speer will be coming into the head job looking to rejuvenate the program. The last two seasons the Tigers have a combined seven wins and the last time they had a winning season was back in 2014. The full length interview with Coach Speer will be available on this story later today.

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New CAM head football coach Barry Bower is very excited to take over the program that he played for as a youngster. Bower played under the very influential Dean Downer, just as the transition merger was made to become the CAM School District. Bower said it means a lot to him to get this opportunity at a place he loves.

Bower spent four seasons as head coach of the Red Oak football team, and he said once he had that experience he has always had a bit of an itch to get back into it at some point.

Bower had high praise for Coach Downer who he played under and Coach Wollum who he worked with the past few seasons. He said he wants to live up to the standards they have set and brig a passionate attitude to the team.

Coach Bower said he will bring his wrinkles into the program but ultimately he wants the kids to be proud of the effort they put in and build strong relationships that will carry on past the football field.

Coach Bower has strong footing to enter in on with the team coming off an 8-3 season a year ago and an appearance in the Quarterfinals of the 8-Man playoffs. The full length interview with Coach Bower will be available on this story later today.

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(Iowa City, AP) – Iowa athletic director Gary Barta is not ruling out having a full stadium for home football games. Barta told reporters the school is planning for several different scenarios, and one of them is opening 69,250-seat Kinnick Stadium to “as many fans as want to join us.”

Barta said the number of fans allowed into the stadium will be determined by directives of state and local health officials. On Tuesday, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard wrote in a letter to fans that he anticipated Jack Trice Stadium would host games at 50% capacity, or about 30,000 fans.

Even if there are no attendance limits at Iowa, Barta said there could be modifications, such as limiting the number of stadium entrances and open concession stands.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have moved — not actually, but legally. The Royals changed their legal home from Missouri to Delaware last fall during the process of the team’s sale from David Glass to a group headed by John Sherman. The switch was mentioned in court papers in a suit by minor leaguers against Major League Baseball.

Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp., a Missouri corporation, became Kansas City Royals Baseball Club Inc., a Delaware corporation, on Nov 19. That corporation became Kansas City Royals Baseball Club LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.