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ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The first two rounds of the 2021 NCAA Championships are in the books, and David Carr and Gannon Gremmel are into Friday’s quarterfinals. In total, five Cyclones are still battling for the podium in St. Louis with Ian Parker, Sam Colbray and Marcus Coleman along with Carr and Gremmel.
As the team race begins to unfold, the Cyclones find themselves in 19th place after day one with 8.5 team points. The Iowa Hawkeyes lead the field with 33.5 team points.
Next Up
The NCAA Championships resume tomorrow morning with quarterfinal and consolation action. Session III (125-157 quarters and consis) will kick off at 10 a.m., followed by Session IV (165-285 quarters and consis) at 2 p.m. Both of those sessions will be broadcast on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN3.
Day two of the NCAA Championships concludes with the semifinals and blood round at 7 p.m. Session V will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN3.
Iowa State Match-by-Match
125: No. 32 Patrick McCormick (UVA) dec. No. 33 Kysen Terukina, 6-2.
No. 30 Micah Roes (BING) dec. No. 33 Kysen Terukina, 10-4.
133: No. 20 Ryan Sullivan (WVU) dec. No. 13 Zach Redding, 4-3 (TB1).
No. 29 Paul Bianchi (ALR) dec. No. 13 Zach Redding, 9-4.
141: No. 26 Colin Valdiviez (NW) dec. No. 7 Ian Parker, 8-5.
No. 7 Ian Parker dec. No. 23 Saul Ervin (SIUE), 4-2 (SV1).
149: No. 15 Griffin Parriott (PUR) dec. No. 18 Jarrett Degen, 10-7.
No. 31 Corey Crooks (ASU) dec. No. 18 Jarrett Degen, 8-6.
157: No. 3 David Carr maj. dec. No. 30 Markus Hartman (ARMY), 16-2.
No. 3 David Carr maj. dec. No. 14 Will Lewan (MICH), 10-2.
184: No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. No. 29 Sam Colbray, 2-1.
No. 29 Sam Colbray maj. dec. No. 13 Christopher Weiler (WIS), 12-4.
197: No. 12 Lucas Davison (NW) dec. No. 21 Marcus Coleman, 8-3.
No. 21 Marcus Coleman dec. No. 28 Nick Reenan (NC State), 6-1.
285: No. 6 Gannon Gremmel dec. No. 27 Zach Knighton-Ward (HOF), 5-2.
No. 6 Gannon Gremmel dec. No. 11 Zach Elam (MIZ), 3-1.
ST. LOUIS – Eight University of Iowa wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships following second-round wins Thursday night at the Enterprise Center.
The Hawkeyes scored bonus points in 12 of 18 wins, putting together an 18-2 record on the opening day. Iowa recorded six major decisions, five technical falls and one pin. The Hawkeyes’ four top-seeds – Spencer Lee, Jaydin Eierman, Alex Marinelli and Michael Kemerer – outscored their opponents by nearly 100 points, 127-30
“Bonus points are crucial. They’re an indication of your team and philosophy and you can see the communication getting through to our guys,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “Our guys have horsepower and it is starting to come out.”
Iowa scored bonus points in five bouts in Session II and leads the team race with 33.5 points.
Austin DeSanto registered a first-period fall in one minute, 33 seconds, to finish his day with an opening round technical fall and a second round pin at 133.
Lee scored a takedown and pair of four-point tilts on his way to a 15-5 major decision at 125. He outscored his opponents, 32-6, Thursday and has outscored his opponents, 149-19, in 12 career matches at the NCAA Championships.
Marinelli used a six-point move in the first to build an 8-1 lead, added a reversal in the third and more than two minutes of riding time to move on to the quarterfinals with a 13-2 major decision at 165.
Kemerer added a second technical fall victory to his day, terminating his 174-pound bout in 5:06 with a 17-1 lead. Cassioppi closed Thursday’s second session with the Hawkeyes’ 12th bonus-point win, this one an 11-0 major decision at 285. He outscored two opponents Thursday, 20-1.
Iowa also got second-round decisions from Jaydin Eierman, Max Murin and Jacob Warner. Eierman advanced to the quarters with 5-3 decision at 141. He scored a takedown in the first and added a pair of escapes and 2:11 of riding time. Murin advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in as many NCAA tournament appearances, avenging a Big Ten tournament loss to Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett with a 5-3 decision. He scored the decisive takedown with 24 seconds left in the third period. Warner advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win at 197.
Kaleb Young and Nelson Brands dropped decisions at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively. Both wrestlers return to the mat Friday morning in the wrestlebacks.
“We have to get ready for Day 2,” said Tom Brands. “We have eight on the front and two on the backside and we have to be ready to go. There is a lot of wrestling left. Let’s score points early and often.”
The NCAA Championships resume Thursday with quarterfinal and consolation rounds. Session 3 begins at 10 a.m. (CT) with weight classes 125-157. Session 4 begins at 2 p.m. with weight classes 165-285. ESPNU and ESPN3 are providing television and online coverage of Sessions 3 and 4.
IOWA’S SECOND ROUND NCAA RESULTS
IOWA’S QUARTERFINAL NCAA MATCHUPS
IOWA’S CONSOLATION MATCHUPS
TEAM STANDINGS
(Radio Iowa) Fifty years later Drake is moving on in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs roared back from a 12 point deficit to edge Wichita State 53-52. It happened on the 50th anniversary of Drake’s last NCAA Tournament win in 1971.
That’s Drake coach Darian DeVries. The Bulldogs overcame horrendous starts to both halves and won despite shooting under 38 percent for the game.
DeVries says the Bulldogs stayed in the game with solid defense.
Sophomore guard Joe Yesufu ignited the comeback by scoring 21 points.
Yesufu says everyone played a role in the win.
The Bulldogs improve to 26-4 and advance to play sixth seeded USC on Saturday at 3:30, Iowa time.
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Joseph Yesufu scored 21 points and Drake beat Wichita State 53-52 in the First Four. It was Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament win in a half-century. Drake’s last tournament victory had been 50 years ago to the day —- March 18, 1971, against Notre Dame. The Bulldogs came in with 25 wins, second most in the tournament. Their tense matchup with a longtime Missouri Valley Conference rival brought some early drama to the pandemic-affected tourney. Wichita State had a chance to win at the buzzer but Alterique Gilbert settled for a long 3-pointer that hit the front rim.
UNDATED (AP) — Kyle Long was just as certain that he wanted to return to the NFL after a year in retirement as the three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman was that he wanted to protect Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Joe Thuney also wanted to block for him. Now, just one full day into free agency, the Chiefs have locked up both veterans as they attempt to rebuild an offensive line that was decimated by injuries and opt-outs last season.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa is well positioned to end a 10-year team championship drought at the NCAA wrestling championships. The Hawks had eight of their 10 wrestlers reach the quarterfinals Friday and lead the team race with 33.5 points. Penn State is going for its fifth straight title and ninth in 10 years and was second with 28 points and seven quarterfinalists. Spencer Lee is the Iowa 125-pounder bidding for a third straight national title. He needed only 93 seconds to end his opening match against Virginia’s Patrick McCormick and he won by major decision over West Virginia’s Killian Cardinale.
UNDATED (AP) — T.J. Otzelberger is returning to Iowa State as head coach after two years at UNLV. Athletic director Jamie Pollard announced the hire. This will be the 43-year-old Otzelberger’s third stint in Ames and his first as head coach. He previously was an assistant under Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm. Prohm was fired Tuesday after a 2-22 season in which the Cyclones went winless in the Big 12. Otzelberger left Iowa State 2016 to become head coach at South Dakota State and has been at UNLV the past two seasons.
ST. LOUIS, Mo., March 18, 2021–The St. Louis Cardinals today announced a season-long campaign to honor radio broadcaster Mike Shannon throughout his 50th and final season in the broadcast booth. Shannon, who joined the team’s radio broadcast in 1972 after nine seasons playing for the Cardinals and serving one year in the organization’s front office, previously announced his retirement after the 2021 season. Mike is scheduled to call approximately 50 Cardinals home games this season.
“Mike Shannon has served as the voice of the Cardinals on the radio for generations of Cardinals fans and few announcers in the history of baseball have equaled his longevity in the booth,” said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III. “As he begins his final season behind the microphone, we are honored to congratulate him on his remarkable career and join with all of Cardinal Nation to express our appreciation for what he has meant to baseball in St. Louis.”
The campaign, presented by Budweiser, will feature former Cardinals players and other celebrities congratulating Mike and sharing their own personal stories of the Cardinals Hall of Famer via recorded tributes that will become part of the in-game entertainment at Busch Stadium throughout the season. Mike’s own memories of his career in baseball and his discussions with former teammates, players and broadcasters will also be featured on Cardinals radio broadcasts.
“Budweiser is proud to honor Mike Shannon’s historic career this baseball season,” said Kody Babb, Director of Budweiser Sports. “As a longtime partner with the St. Louis Cardinals, we look forward to hearing Mike in the booth and celebrating his many legendary moments throughout the year.”
The celebration of Shannon’s career will also include a Mike Shannon bobblehead promotional giveaway for fans attending a Cardinals home game later this season (game date to be determined), display cases of Shannon memorabilia from his playing and broadcasting career inside of Cardinals Nation Restaurant, and the launch of a dedicated website for fans to re-live Shannon’s most famous calls and highlights at cardinals.com/shannon50.
After a nine-year career with the Cardinals from 1962-70 and a front office stint as assistant director of promotions and sales in 1971, Shannon—a key player on the Cardinals World Series championship teams in 1964 and 1967 along with the pennant-winning club in 1968—joined Jack Buck in the broadcast booth in 1972. He becomes only the 14th announcer in baseball history to serve as long as 50 years in the booth and only the sixth announcer to log at least 50 years with one team. Shannon’s tenure with the Cardinals is the fourth-longest active tenure among Major League Baseball announcers behind Jamie Jarrín (Dodgers, 1959), Denny Matthews (Royals, 1969) and Bob Uecker (Brewers, 1971).
Part of the Cardinals announcing team for three World Series championship seasons and four other pennant-winning campaigns, Shannon, a St. Louis native, has earned numerous honors for his contributions to the Cardinals, both on the field and behind the microphone. As part of the Cardinals’ television broadcasts, he received a local sports Emmy award for sports broadcasting in 1985. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and was named Missouri Sportscaster of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2014 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Mike was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural induction class in 2014 and was named a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award in 2014 and 2020.
Fans are encouraged to visit cardinals.com/shannon50 throughout the season to celebrate Mike Shannon’s outstanding career.
Pictured front row left to right- Eric Bach(Council Bluffs Soccer Club U19 Spirit coach), Morgan Holtz, Beth Herbst(AHSTW High School coach) Back row left to right- Jordyn Holtz(sister), Christie Holtz(mom), Rich Holtz(dad), Ethan Holtz(brother) (Photo Submitted)
AHSTW’s Morgan Holtz signed on Wednesday March 10th to play soccer for the Iowa Western Reivers and continue her education through their Vet Tech program. Morgan will graduate in May of 2021 from AHSTW High School. Morgan started all 15 games her freshman year and 13 of 16 games her sophomore year, mostly in a defensive role for the Lady Vikes. She recorded 3 assists and 1 goal from 8 shots on goal in limited action on the offensive side. Her junior year was cancelled due to Covid and will be competing in her senior season this spring.
AMES, Iowa – T.J. Otzelberger (OTTS-ull-burger), who has crisscrossed the nation recruiting all-star talent and building championship-level programs, is returning “home” as the 21st head men’s basketball coach in Iowa State history.
Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard made the announcement Thursday. Otzelberger will be introduced virtually Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT and that news conference feed will be available on cyclones.com. The hiring is pending a background check by the University.
This will be Otzelberger’s third stint in Ames, but his first as head coach. Previously, he was lead recruiter and bench coach for Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm. The last three Cyclone teams Otzelberger worked with registered a 69-35 (.663) overall record with NCAA Tournament appearances every season.
“It’s with great excitement and anticipation that we welcome T.J., Alison and their three children to Iowa State,” Pollard said. “T.J. was instrumental in helping our program achieve some of its most-significant achievement and he is keenly aware of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State.”
Otzelberger left a flourishing ISU program in 2016 to begin building his own head coaching resume. He spent three successful years in charge at South Dakota State where his teams amassed 70 victories, won two regular season and conference tournament championships and earned three post-season appearances. At UNLV he was re-energizing the Runnin’ Rebels’ program, which is college basketball’s fifth-winningest program but had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
“I have had a close professional relationship with T.J. for many years and admired his work ethic and commitment to excellence,” Pollard said. “Having watched him grow professionally, I am convinced he is exactly what our program needs at this time.”
Pollard underlined several of Otzelberger’s personal strengths and his unique history with Iowa State.
“He is a natural leader who understands how to recruit to Iowa State, values our department culture of doing things the right way, and employs a work ethic that rivals anyone in this business,” Pollard said. “T.J. has always wanted to be the head coach at Iowa State, and he realized several years ago that creating his own head coaching resume was a requirement to build his candidacy. The success and challenges he experienced at South Dakota State and UNLV prepared him to lead our program back to national prominence. I am excited for his to return to Hilton Coliseum and Cyclone Nation.”
The homecoming to Ames almost reads like a Hollywood script.
“I couldn’t be more enthused about the opportunity that President (Wendy) Wintersteen and Jamie (Pollard) have given our family,” Otzelberger said. “It’s somewhat rare to get the chance to return home but Iowa State was my first stop as a Division I college coach and it is my wife’s (Australia native Alison Lacey, who played for ISU) adopted home. The resources are here to build and sustain a program that competes at a high level in the Big 12 and nationally. I’m familiar with the foundation of the school and basketball program and am eager and inspired to sell our vision and re-establish a championship culture.”
Otzelberger just finished his second year at UNLV where he was in the midst of restoring one of college basketball’s glamour programs. In his two seasons, the gains were being realized on the court, in recruiting circles and in the classroom.
In his first season (2019-20) in Las Vegas, the Runnin’ Rebels tied for second in the Mountain West Conference, won 12 league games (Rollie Massimino, in 1993, was the last coach to win more conference games), signed the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the MWC and excelled in the classroom.
UNLV won its final five regular-season games his first year as Otzelberger’s game-plan started to take hold. The Runnin’ Rebels sent shockwaves through college basketball with an upset of undefeated and No. 4 San Diego State, the school’s best road win in 30 years.
The 2020-21 roster included 10 players (seven freshmen), who had never played a game for UNLV. A 33-day break due to COVID-19 and losing its captain and starting point guard in January were other challenges that Otzelberger navigated. With the youthful roster, a month-long break from practice and competition and a season-ending injury to a team leader, UNLV endured four one-possession defeats to finish in the middle of the MWC.
Otzelberger is closing in on his 100th career victory having forged a five-year collegiate record of 99-63. His teams have been extremely competitive in conference play with a 67% winning rate and three championship or runner-up finishes.
At South Dakota State (2017-19), Otzelberger built reputations for winning and high-level offense. The Jackrabbits were 70-33 overall, won two Summit League regular-season titles, made the NCAA Tournament twice and the NIT once. SDSU finished seventh and fifth nationally in scoring offense his final two years.
In his rookie season as a head coach (2017), SDSU became the first in league history to win three conference tourney games in three days to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2018 Jackrabbits set a school record with 28 wins, won both the conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned a No. 12 seed in NCAA West Region. They were the highest scoring team in school history and were among the NCAA leaders in points, three pointers, fewest turnovers, free throws and winning percentage. He was honored as the Summit League Coach of the Year.
Otzelberger’s final South Dakota State team won 24 games, earned the Summit League title again, ranked among the nation’s Top 10 in five offensive categories and earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.
His star player was three-time Summit League Player of the Year Mike Daum. The sweet-shooting big man was an Honorable Mention All-American, became the Summit League’s career scoring leader and the 10th player in history with more than 3,000 career points.
Prior to joining the head coach ranks, Otzelberger served two stints over eight years as an assistant or associate coach with the Cyclones. He started as an aid to McDermott and was credited with recruiting a number of stars – Craig Brackins, Diante Garrett, Mike Taylor, Scott Christopherson and Melvin Ejim – to the program.
Otzelberger was a holdover on the staff when Hoiberg replaced McDermott on the sidelines. His duties expanded – as he was promoted to Associate Coach – under Hoiberg. Otzelberger was in charge of scouting reports and game plans in 2012 and 2013 when ISU won 23 games each season and made the NCAA Tournament.
Otzelberger’s eye for talent continued under Hoiberg. Iowa State signed and developed a number of eventual professional players – Wesley Johnson, Justin Hamilton, Royce White, Chris Allen, Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee, Georges Niang, Monte Morris, Abdel Nader, Matt Thomas, Naz Mitrou-Long and Deonte Burton while he was on staff.
The final two seasons with the Hoiberg-Otzelberger tandem in place were among the most-entertaining in school history. Iowa State ranked in the top five nationally for scoring and three-point baskets while winning consistently in Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones registered a 22-game homecourt win streak.
Otzelberger was on Lorenzo Romar’s staff at Washington for two years (2014-15). The Huskies climbed as high as No. 11 in the national polls in 2014, and Otzelberger was credited with helping sign a Top 10 recruiting class in 2015.
When Prohm was named head coach in 2015-16, Otzelberger returned for one year with the Cyclones and that team won 23 games and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen. They defeated four ranked schools, including No. 1 Oklahoma in Hilton Coliseum.
In the community, Otzelberger was very involved with the Boys and Girls Club of Ames and he assisted in bringing the National Association of Basketball Coaches “Stay in to Win” program to central Iowa. At the 2017 NCAA Final Four, he received a prestigious Guardians of the Game Award from the NABC for his work with that program focusing on student success and dropout prevention.
Prior to Iowa State, Otzelberger was an assistant coach at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, when the team was 33-4 and placed fourth in the NJCAA tournament. He also spent three seasons at Catholic Central High School in Burlington, Wis., where he was a coach and athletics director for parts of his tenure.
The 43-year-old native of Milwaukee was a two-year captain at UW-Whitewater, where he earned his business administration degree in 2001. He added a Masters’ of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Whitewater in 2004.
Otzelberger is married to Alison Lacey, a three-time All-Big 12 player for the ISU women’s basketball program. Lacey scored 1,620 points while leading the Cyclones to four NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight (2009) and Sweet Sixteen (2010). She played professionally in the WNBA for the Seattle Storm, including its championship season of 2010. The couple has three children: Jayce, Olivia and Stella.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior Luka Garza was voted to the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) First-Team All-America team. The announcement was made by the USBWA on Wednesday.
Joining Garza on the first team are Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois, Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Jared Butler of Baylor, and Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham.
Among the first-team selections, Garza, Dosunmu, and Kispert are the finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, presented to the national player of the year by the USBWA. The winner of the award will be announced on April 1 in a virtual event in conjunction with the Final Four in Indianapolis, the hometown of Oscar Robertson.
The USBWA is one of four outlets used by the NCAA to determine its consensus All-America teams (Associated Press, National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association, and Sporting News). Garza has already been named to the first-team All-America squad by Sporting News and the Associated Press. The NABC is expected to make its announcement in the coming days.
Iowa has had an All-American in three of the last six seasons. Garza is a two-time first-team honoree (2020, 2021), while Jarrod Uthoff was a second-team selection in 2016.
Garza is also a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Senior CLASS Award, and the Lute Olson Award.
Garza (6-foot-11, 265 pounds) has led the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes to 21 victories this season, including wins in eight of their last 10 contests. The Washington, D.C., native leads the nation in total points (687); player efficiency rating (35.84); 30-point games (7); field goals made (258); and 20-point games (19). Garza is seventh nationally in free throw makes (134) and attempts (188), and 10th in double-doubles (13).
The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 21.9 points per game during the 20-game conference schedule, becoming the third player since 1990 to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons (Michigan State’s Steve Smith and Evan Turner of Ohio State).
Garza broke the Iowa’s 32-year old scoring record held by Roy Marble on Feb. 21, 2021. His 2,246 points rank eighth-best in Big Ten history. In addition to ranking first in career scoring, Garza is tops at Iowa in conference scoring (1,399), total field goals made (847), field goal attempts (1,558), and 40-point games (2); second in rebounds (916) and 30-point games (12); fourth in double-doubles (34); fifth in blocked shots (153); sixth in free throw makes (439) and attempts (625); and 13th in 3-pointers made (113). He is the only men’s basketball player in Big Ten history to accumulate 2,200 points and 900 rebounds.
No. 2 seed Iowa (21-8) will open NCAA Tournament play on Saturday against 15th-seeded Grand Canyon (17-6). Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 5:25 p.m. (CT) at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State women’s basketball junior Ashley Joens earned honorable mention All-America honors for the second-consecutive year.
The Iowa City, Iowa native, averaged a career-best 23.6 points per game, while shooting a career-best 46.7 from the floor. She added 9.2 rebounds per game. Joens led the Big 12 in scoring, for the second-straight season and ranks ninth nationally in scoring.
Joens’ was also honored yet again as a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First-Team, along with a Top-5 Finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. She was recently named a Second-Team All-American by Sports Illustrated.
Joens has tallied 613 points on the season, which ranks fourth in school history. Her 1,615 career points are just five points shy of tying Alison Lacey (1,620) for 10th in school history.
Iowa State returns to the court on Monday, March 22 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa State earned a No. 7 seed and will take on 10th-seeded Michigan State.
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