IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa sophomore tight end T.J. Hockensonhas been named the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. Junior tight end Noah Fant shares first-team All-Big Ten honors as well, as Fant was named to the first unit by league coaches and Hockenson is the first-team selection by conference media. The offensive honorees were determined by a vote of league coaches and media and announced by the Big Ten on Wednesday.

“The tight end position has been a real strength for our team this year,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “To see both T.J. and Noah recognized is a credit to their performances throughout the season.

“Overall, we had a number of players gain well-deserved recognition over the past two days. To have three players named as the best at their position in a strong football conference speaks to their hard work, sacrifice, and determination.”

Hockenson leads the Hawkeyes with 46 receptions for 717 yards. The Chariton, Iowa, native has six touchdown receptions and one rushing touchdown. He is one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award as the top tight end in the nation.

Fant is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, who was a semifinalist for the Mackey Award. He totaled 39 receptions for 519 yards in 2018 while leading the team with seven touchdown receptions.

Fant and Hockenson both have more than 1,000 career receiving yards, with Fant totaling 1,083 yards and Hockenson 1,037. The tandem combined for 90 receptions, 1,107 yards, and 13 touchdowns in 2018. Fant has 19 career touchdown receptions, most by an Iowa tight end and third best all-time among Big Ten tight ends. Hockenson has nine career scoring catches.

In addition to Fant and Hockenson, sophomore wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and four members of the offensive line earned recognition. Smith-Marsette, who was named the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, earned honorable mention recognition from the media for his play at wide receiver to go with first-team honors as a return specialist. Smith-Marsette recorded 19 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns. His 17.5 average per catch ranks first among Iowa’s primary receivers.

Sophomore left tackle Alaric Jackson, a native of Detroit, was named second-team All-Big Ten by coaches and media. Jackson started all 12 games and has started 23 games over the past two seasons. Senior Ross Reynolds, a native of Waukee, Iowa, who started all 12 games at left guard, was named second-team by league coaches and third team by media.

Senior Keegan Render earned third-team honors by media and honorable mention from coaches. Render started all 12 games at center in 2018. He has played in 51 career games and has 32 starts. He has played both guard and center and has seen action in every game over the past four seasons. Render is a native of Indianola, Iowa.

Sophomore Tristan Wirfs earned honorable mention honors from coaches and media. The Mount Vernon, Iowa, native started 11 games at right tackle and has 19 career starts in his two seasons.

2018-All-Big-Ten Honors

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Learfield Sports has suspended Iowa play-by-play broadcaster Gary Dolphin for two games for negative comments directed at Hawkeyes guard Maishe Dailey that inadvertently made it to the air during a commercial break on Tuesday.

Iowa announced on Wednesday that Dolphin, who has broadcast Hawkeyes games for over 20 years, will miss Friday’s game against No. 22 Wisconsin and Monday’s game at No. 9 Michigan State after comments dismissive of Dailey’s play aired during Tuesday’s 69-68 win over Pittsburgh.

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says the suspension is because of those comments “as well as some ongoing tensions that have built up over the past couple of years.” Dolphin apologized for his comments after the win over the Panthers. Dolphin did not swear or use inappropriate language but sounded exasperated as he criticized Dailey for dribbling with his head down into a double team.

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Ciara Duffy made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, Allison Arens added three 3-pointers and 11 points and South Dakota beat No. 23 Iowa State 64-59 on Wednesday night.
The Cyclones rallied from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull within three points with 1:19 remaining, but Madison McKeever’s free throws with 14 seconds left sealed it for South Dakota.
Hannah Sjerven had 10 points and 10 rebounds for South Dakota (6-1), which hosted Iowa State for the first time since 1984.

South Dakota knocked down six 3-pointers in the second quarter, outscoring Iowa State 22-9 for a 35-18 halftime advantage. Madison Wise made three 3-pointers and scored a season-high 19 points for Iowa State (5-1), which entered one of just 37 unbeaten teams in Division I. Bridget Carleton added 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Iowa State returns home to play Arkansas on Sunday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Wise scored 10 straight during ISU’s 15-0 fourth-quarter run.

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Sam Merrill scored 20 points as host Utah State beat Northern Iowa 71-52 on Wednesday night in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. The Aggies (6-1) snapped a two-game losing skid and are now 2-2 in their annual contest.

Merrill, a junior guard who led all scorers with 50 points in two games during the MGM Main Event in Las Vegas, made 7 of 14 field goals and all four of his free-throw attempts. Luke McDonnell scored 14 points to lead Northern Iowa (3-4).

Utah State built a 31-23 halftime lead. The Panthers stayed within double digits until a 5-0 spurt made it 48-35 with nine minutes left and they didn’t get closer. Diogo Brito’s two free throws stretched the Aggies’ lead to 60-42 with 5:22 remaining.

It was the first meeting between the schools.

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Learfield Sports has suspended Iowa play-by-play broadcaster Gary Dolphin for two games for negative comments directed at Hawkeyes guard Maishe Dailey that inadvertently made it to the air during a commercial break. Iowa says that Dolphin, who has broadcast Hawkeyes games for over 20 years, will miss upcoming games against No. 22 Wisconsin and at No. 9 Michigan State after comments dismissive of Dailey’s play aired during a 69-68 win over Pittsburgh.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Eric Berry was back on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice field for the first time since early in training camp, though it remains unclear when the star safety will be ready for games. Berry tore his Achilles’ tendon in last season’s opener but was back on the practice field over the summer. He began training camp but then was sidelined by a troublesome heel problem.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Zylan Cheatham finished an assist short of the second triple-double in school history and Arizona State rolled to an 89-71 victory over Nebraska-Omaha. Arizona State beat No. 15 Mississippi State and Utah State last week to win the MGM Main Event in Las Vegas. The Sun Devils were short-handed against Omaha and started slow before using a big run to turn the game into a rout.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Damien Jefferson scored 18 points, Martin Krampelj added 17 and Creighton shot 60 percent in beating Montana 98-72. Creighton was 32 of 53 from the field, including 13 of 25 from distance, and made 21 of 30 free throws.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Becca Hittner scored 15 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 24 Drake pull away for an 85-69 victory over Creighton. Hittner matched her season high and went over 1,000 points in her career. Sara Rhine added 17 points and Sammie Bachrodt had nine rebounds for the Bulldogs. Drake shot a season-best 13 of 28 on 3-pointers. Creighton’s Temi Carda scored 18 of her career-high 20 points in the second half.

A Sheriff’s deputy from Greene County was cited Nov. 12th following an investigation, for unlawful possession of Whitetail deer antlers. Officials with the Iowa DNR said Wednesday, that on November 3rd, 2018, a DNR Conservation Officer received a call from a man who came upon a scene of a woman who had hit a deer on N Ave. between 185^th and 190^th streets in Greene County. The man waited for a sheriff’s deputy to arrive. Once the deputy arrived, the man asked the deputy about a salvage tag. Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Hammer declined to issue him salvage tag.

According to state code, a salvage tag should be first issued to the individuals involved in the accident, and if not interested, then to any bystanders at the scene. A salvage tag was not issued. Later in the day, the same man drove past the scene and observed Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Hammer in uniform near the deer cutting the antlers off of the deer with a saw.

When DNR Conservation Officer Nathan Haupert questioned Deputy Hammer, Deputy Hammer admitted to taking the antlers. Officer Haupert met Deputy Hammer at his home and seized the antlers. Officer Haupert explained to Deputy Hammer that it is unlawful to keep the antlers without a deer tag or salvage permit and with a salvage permit the whole deer would need to be removed from the ditch, not just the antlers.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Becca Hittner scored 15 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 24 Drake pull away for an 85-69 victory over Creighton on Wednesday.

Hittner matched her season high and surpassed 1,000 points in her career for the Bulldogs (7-1). She was 3 for 3 on 3-pointers and made 10 of 12 free throws to lead Drake’s 18-for-21 shooting at the line.

Drake outscored the Bluejays 13-3 to start the fourth quarter to stretch its lead to 75-62. Creighton (1-4) got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Sara Rhine added 17 points and 13 rebounds and Sammie Bachrodt had nine rebounds for the Bulldogs. Drake shot a season-best 13 of 28 on 3-pointers.

Creighton’s Temi Carda scored 18 of her career-high 20 points in the second half, and Audrey Faber and Payton Brotzki had 11 points apiece.

IRVING, Texas- For the second year in a row, Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell was honored for his coaching efforts by earning 2018 Big 12 Conference Co-Coach of the Year accolades, selected by the league’s coaches and announced today by the conference office.

Campbell, who shared the award with Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, was the 2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year. He’s won or shared the conference coach of the year award in three of his last four seasons (Campbell was the 2015 MAC Coach of the Year at Toledo).

Picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, Campbell and his Cyclones proved that last season wasn’t a fluke, compiling a 7-4 overall record and tying for third in the Big 12 at 6-3, the best conference finish in 40 years.

ISU’s six conference victories is the most in a season by a Cyclone team in school history.

Iowa State, bowl eligible for the second-straight season, appeared in all five College Football Playoff rankings. The Cyclones are currently No. 23 in the CFP and No. 24 in the Associated Press poll, the latest the Cyclones have been ranked in a season since 1976.

A season where the Cyclones had their season-opener cancelled, lost their starting quarterback in the first game and opened the year at 1-3, Campbell rallied his team to wins in six of their last seven contests.

Campbell notched two victories over ranked opponents (Oklahoma State, West Virginia) to improve his two-year record against rated foes to 5-3. West Virginia was ranked No. 6 nationally at the time, giving Campbell three victories over top-six opponents in the last two seasons.

Iowa State also rattled off five-straight league victories in a season for the first time in school history and is currently 5-1 in games played in Jack Trice Stadium, tying for the second-most season wins since the stadium was built in 1975.

Campbell has a 53-33 record in seven seasons as a head coach.

The Cyclones will play host to Drake on Saturday and will find out their bowl destination on Sunday.

IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 football coaches selected their All-Big 12 teams this afternoon, and 17 Cyclones were awarded postseason honors for their exploits on the gridiron in 2018.

Sophomore Greg Eisworth (S) was named First-Team All-Big 12, while junior David Montgomery (RB), junior Hakeem Butler (WR), freshman Charlie Kolar (TE), sophomore Kene Nwangwu (KR), junior JaQuan Bailey (DE), junior Ray Lima (DT) and senior Brian Peavy (CB) were named to the second team.

Senior Spencer Benton (DE), senior Willie Harvey (LB), junior Josh Knipfel (OL), junior Julian Good-Jones (OL), junior Bryce Meeker (OL), freshman Brock Purdy (QB), freshman Mike Rose (LB), senior Sam Seonbuchner (FB) and junior Marcel Spears (LB) were honorable mention selections.

A native of Grand Prairie, Texas, Eisworth was also named the Big 12’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year, leading the Cyclones and ranking seventh in the league in tackles at 7.6. He also has 4.0 TFL, one interception, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles, tying for the team lead. Eisworth has led the team in tackles in five of 11 games this season, including a career-high 14 vs. Oklahoma.

Montgomery, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who earned first-team accolades in 2017, is having another banner year for the Cyclones, ranking fourth in the league and 30^th nationally in rushing at 94.7 yards per game. Montgomery, who also leads the team in touchdowns with 10, is just 53 yards shy of becoming only the eighth player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. He’s posted five 100-yard rushing games this year, including a career-high 189 vs. West Virginia.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Butler is recording the finest season by a Cyclone receiver in school history, leading the team in receiving yards (1,059), receptions (47) and touchdown catches (9). He needs 15 receiving yards to become ISU’s single-season leader and one touchdown catch to tie the school mark. Butler ranks second nationally in yards per reception (22.5) and is third nationally in receptions of 40 yards or longer (10).

Kolar, who hails from Norman, Okla., gave the Cyclones a threat at tight end in 2018, tallying 10 catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns, tying for third on ISU’s rookie record book.

Nwangwu, a native of Frisco, Texas, is one of the best kickoff returners in the nation, leading the Big 12 and ranking eighth nationally in KR return average at 27.4. His career 26.7 average is the best in school history.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Bailey led the Cyclones and ranked in the top-10 in the Big 12 in both sacks (6.0) and TFL (11.5). He also has recorded 34 tackles to lead all down linemen. Bailey’s 16.5 career sacks at Iowa State ties for third in school history.

Lima, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., is one of the top run-stoppers in the Big 12, helping the Cyclones lead the league in scoring defense (22.4) and rushing defense (128.1). Lima has 32 tackles and 3.5 TFL on the season.

A native of Houston, Texas, Peavy is finishing his stellar Cyclone career by earning some sort off All-Big 12 recognition in all four seasons (2015, HM; 2016, HM; 2017, 2^nd; 2018, 2^nd). Peavy graded out as one of the top cornerbacks nationally in 2018, registering 46 tackles, eight pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He is ISU’s active career leader in starts (45), interceptions (5), forced fumbles (5) and passes defended (43), a total which ranks second among active NCAA FBS players.