IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is slashing prices on student season football tickets after a disappointing turnout in 2014. The Hawkeyes are offering ticket packages for just $125 – a $50 reduction from last season – for students who renew by May. 15. Incoming freshmen and transfers have until July 31 to purchase discounted season tickets.

Iowa, like many schools around there country, has seen its student attendance numbers drop sharply in recent years. The Hawkeyes drew 10,000 students a game as recently as 2012. But just over 6,000 students purchased season tickets in 2014.

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on All-Pro pass rusher Justin Houston, a person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the Chiefs have not announced the move. It was widely expected given the relatively little progress that Kansas City has made with Houston and his representatives on a long-term deal.

The two sides still have until July 15 to negotiate a contract, and it is not certain whether Houston will immediately sign his tender. As an outside linebacker, the one-year deal would earn him about $13.1 million for the upcoming season.

The Chiefs likely will need to make additional moves soon to free up salary cap space.

Mackenzie Swanson, a senior from Harlan High School, has been named the 2015 recipient of the E. Wayne Cooley Scholarship Award. Mackenzie was selected from 111 applicants from high schools across Iowa. She will be honored at halftime of the Class 2A state championship game Friday, March 6.

The scholarship, in the name of longtime Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Executive Secretary E. Wayne Cooley, is worth $15,000 over four years to assist the recipient as she attends the Iowa college or university of her choice. Mackenzie plans to attend the University of Iowa or Northern Iowa.

Miss Swanson was one of six finalists for the award. Other finalists included: Emily Knuth, Bondurant-Farrar; Meredith Cunningham, Knoxville; Evan Hundley, North Scott; Jaycie Owens, Norwalk and Alexandra Petersen, Ballard. The five runners-up all receive $1,000 scholarships.

Mackenzie is very active at Harlan. She ranks first in her class of 114 with a 4.00 GPA and is president of her senior class. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and is president of the Harlan chapter of Business Professionals of America while staying busy with drama and choir. Off the court, she has spearheaded several cancer fundraisers and volunteers at the Little Cyclones youth basketball and volleyball programs.
Mackenzie has enjoyed success in her athletic endeavors. She was an all-tournament team selection on the Cyclones back-to-back state volleyball teams and is a key reserve on Harlan’s state championship basketball squad.

With Jim Field.

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Treynor coach Gail Hartigan is the latest recipient of the prestigious Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union’s First Lady Award. Gail is just the 11th indiviudal to receive the award, which was first given in 1978. Hartigan will be honored Friday, March 6 at halftime of the Class 2A championship game.
The award is given “to a daughter of Iowa, — recognizing the million girls of the commonwealth who have carried the tradition and training of a sport into varied and important careers — and for singularly illustrious and most memorable accomplishments.”
The former Gail Ahrenholtz was a star multi-sport athlete for Manilla, playing under Hall of Fame Coach Larry Bullock on the 1970 basketball team that finished second in the state. She went on to John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, Nebraska and was a standout basketball player on JFK teams that won two AAU national championships.
Hartigan began an illustrious coaching career in 1975, coaching at Lake City, Woodbine and Treynor. During that time, she amassed over 600 victories, ranking fourth among active coaches and 11th all-time. She guided Treynor to the first-ever Class 1A five-player state championship in 1994 and was named co-State Coach of the Year by the Des Moines Register that year. She has coached the Cardinals to 13 state tournament appearances.
Hartigan also coached the Treynor volleyball team to 12 state tournament appearances in a 15 year span, reaching the state championship match twice and the state semifinals five times while compiling 451 career victories. She continues to coach the Treynor girls track team, finishing as the state runner-up in 1997.
Hartigan has been honored by her peers as a Hall of Fame coach in both basketball and volleyball. She has also been the recipient of the IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction and been named regional and state coach of the year by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association numerous times. She was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 2012 and the B’Nai Brith Hall of Fame in 2007. Gail has been named IGCA Regional Coach of the Year 21 times and was named the organization’s Coach of the Year twice.
Hartigan has served terms on various IGHSAU committees, including a stint on the IGHSAU Board of Directors. She currently is a member of the IGHSAU Basketball and Track & Field Hall of Fame juries. Gail and husband Tom are the parents of two sons: Blair and Kyle and one daughter, Lea.

The Iowa Hawkeyes play their final road game of the regular season tomorrow (Tuesday) night with a visit to Indiana. The Hawkeyes improved to 10-6 in the Big Ten with Saturday’s overtime win at Penn State to clinch their first winning record in league play since 2007. No matter what happens on Tuesday night the Hawks will finish with a winning record on the road in the Big Ten.

(Radio Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Melissa Dixon hit eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points, two other players got close to triple-doubles on Sunday and No. 17 Iowa set a record for home wins with a 92-76 win over Minnesota that also secured No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament for the Hawkeyes. Samantha Logic had 24 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds and Bethany Doolittle had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 9 blocks for the Hawkeyes (23-6, 14-4), who won their 16th home game, finishing unbeaten for the fifth time.

Shae Kelly had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (22-8, 11-7), who are the sixth seed in the tournament. Amanda Zahui B., who had 39 points and a Big Ten record 29 rebounds in a 93-80 win over the Hawkeyes 12 days earlier, had 22 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocks.

Dixon and Logic had 12 points at the half as Iowa took a 42-37 lead. The Hawkeyes hit 7 of 11 3s and 9 of 10 free throws in the second half.

(At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines)

Class 1-A Quarterfinals

10-a.m. Colo-Nesco vs. Newell-Fonda

11:45-a.m Burlington-Notre Dame vs. Central Lyon

1:30-p.m. Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton vs. Bedford (ON KJAN)

3:15-p.m. Fremont-Mills vs. Springville

Class 2-A Quarterfinals

5:00-p.m. Unity Chrisian vs. Cascade

6:45-p.m. IKM-Manning vs. South Central Calhoun

8:30-p.m. North Linn vs. Des Moines Christian

(2-A resumes Tuesday morning at 10-a.m. w/Western Christian taking on IA City Regina)

Class 1-A
South O’Brien, Paullina 54, Ruthven-Ayrshire 42
West Hancock 84, Nashua-Plainfield 73
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 73, West Central 49
Belle Plaine 79, Marquette Catholic 69 (OT)
Danville 78, Sigourney 29
Earlham 73, Grand View Christian School 51
Nodaway Valley 50, Fremont Mills 45
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto 59, Lawton-Bronson 37

Class 2-A
Western Christian 49, Sioux Center 47
Forest City 70, PAC-LM 55
Aplington-Parkersburg 61, New Hampton 59
Western Dubuque 43, Monticello 38
Iowa City Regina 69, West Burlington 38
Pella Christian 48, Des Moines Christian 41
Woodward Academy 46, Panorama 36
Treynor 51, IKM-Manning 48

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Iowa’s Aaron White scored 21 points, including six free throws in overtime, and the Hawkeyes were able to scrape past Penn State 81-77 on Saturday night. Mike Gesell (14), Gabriel Olaseni (12), Josh Oglesby (12) and Jarrod Uthoff (11) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes (19-10, 10-6 Big Ten), who were 25 of 27 from the free-throw line.

D.J. Newbill scored 19 points for Penn State (15-14, 3-13), which has lost 10 Big Ten games by nine points or fewer. Shep Garner added 17 points, Geno Thorpe 14 and Ross Travis 10 for the Nittany Lions.

Iowa won its fourth straight game, is 6-3 in conference road games and 6-2 in February. Penn State has not won since Feb. 7 and finished 1-6 in February games.