AMES, Iowa (KCRG) – Bobby Douglas, a former Iowa State head wrestling coach who made history as the first Black American wrestler to compete in the Olympics, died Monday at age 83. Douglas, a Bridgeport, Ohio, native, coached the Cyclones from 1993 to 2006, producing 52 All-America performances, 10 individual NCAA titles, three runner-up NCAA finishes, and 198 dual victories.

Before coaching, Douglas broke barriers as an athlete. He represented the United States at both the 1964 Tokyo Games, where he finished fourth in the featherweight division, and the 1968 Mexico City Games, where he captained the U.S. Olympic team.

Douglas began his coaching career at UC Santa Barbara in 1973 before spending 18 years at Arizona State from 1975 to 1992. He helped lead the Sun Devils to the 1988 NCAA national championship — one of only three times between 1968 and his arrival at Iowa State that a program other than Iowa or Iowa State claimed the title.

His tenure at Iowa State produced memorable moments. The 1995-96 Cyclones went to the NCAA Championship with only five qualifiers, but all five earned All-America status and three reached the finals, finishing second nationally.

During the 1999-2000 season, the Cyclones went 20-2 in duals, won the National Duals title, and finished as NCAA runners-up to Iowa, despite having four wrestlers reach the finals.

Douglas was named conference coach of the year twice. He also earned the 2000 NWCA National Coach of the Year award and the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 2004.

Douglas was inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. He is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame, NAIA Hall of Fame, West Liberty Hall of Fame, and Arizona State Hall of Fame.

Following the 2005-06 season, Douglas stepped down and passed the program to his assistant, Cael Sanderson. With 198 dual victories, he finished as the second-winningest coach in program history, trailing only Harold Nichols.

LANSING, Iowa (KCRG) – Gene Schultz, the all-time winningest coach in Iowa high school baseball history, died Monday. According to a statement from the Eastern Allamakee School District, Schultz spent his career at Kee High School, where he coached both baseball and basketball. It was on the baseball diamond, however, where he built his legacy.

During his 45-year career, Schultz compiled 1,754 wins, led the Kee Hawks to 19 state tournaments, claiming 9 summer state championships and two fall championships.

Schultz won his first state title in 1973, when his team went a perfect 47-0 to claim the Class 1A championship.

Substate 1 – 

Unity Christian – 78 vs West Lyon – 71

Southeast Valley – 50 vs Clarion-Goldfield-Dows – 38

Substate 2 – 

Roland-Story – 55 vs Garner Hayfield Ventura – 52

Kuemper Catholic – 72 vs South Harlan – 56

Substate 3 – 

Grundy Center – 62 vs Van Meter – 47

Beckham Catholic – 65 vs Denver – 57

Substate 4 – 

Aplington-Parkersburg – 75 vs Crestwood – 68

Cascade – 41 vs Monticello – 37

Substate 5 – 

Regina Catholic – 66 vs Central Lee – 41

Northeast – 75 vs Mid-Prairie – 66

Substate 6 – 

Union Community – 58 vs Columbus Catholic – 52

Pella Christian – 65 vs Grand View Christian – 59

Substate 7- 

Underwood – 54 vs OABCIG – 50

Treynor – 59 vs Ridge View – 45

Substate 8 – 

Tri-Center – 77 vs Cherokee Washington – 73

Western Christian – 82 vs Rock Valley – 76

Class 1A- 

Substate 8 – 

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 74 vs Audubon – 48

Boyden-Hull – 55 vs Gehlen Catholic – 41

Substate 7 –

Riverside – 55 vs Bedford – 42

St. Edmond – 78 vs Ankeny Christian – 58

Substate 6 – 

Madrid – 52 vs Martensdale-St Marys – 48

Woodbine – 61 vs St. Albert –  43

Substate 5 –

Burlington Notre Dame – 64 vs Holy Trinity Catholic Fort Madison – 51

Calamus-Wheatland – 48 vs Hillcrest Academy – 46

Substate 4 – 

Montezuma – 62 vs Lynnville-Sully – 56

Marquette Catholic – 57 vs Springville – 46

Substate 3 –

Bellevue – 64 vs Maquoketa Valley – 59

East Marshall – 71 vs Baxter – 54

Substate 2 – 

Bishop Graham – 85 vs Nashua-Plainfield – 48

South Winnesheik – 68 vs Wapsie Valley – 50

Substate 1 –

MMCRU – 75 vs Sibley-Ocheyedan – 32

North Union – 52 vs Belmont-Klemme – 50

The Riverside Bulldogs defeated the Bedford Bulldogs on Tuesday night by a score of 55-42 and are now within one game of the state tournament. Despite Bedford having the better record, Riverside showed early that they belonged in the game. An 11-5 run to start the game kickstarted Riverside as they held a 25-21 lead going into halftime. In the second half, the defense was phenomenal and held a Bedford offense that usually averages 65 points to just 42. They also had three players in double digits to secure the District 15 Championship.

In the first half, Riverside showed that they were there to win. They began the game going up 11-5, however Quentin Dalton of Bedford went on a personal 10-0 run to give Bedford a 15-11 lead. It seemed at that point that the numbers on paper were coming to life, but that really was the only momentum Bedford would have all game. Despite it being back and forth in the third period, that 15-11 lead was the largest all night for the Bedford Bulldogs. Peyton Amdor came in with the best numbers for Riverside, and even though he finished as the leading scorer, it still felt like Riverside was getting everyone involved. Their 25-21 lead at half was in most part due to their collective effort on both ends of the floor. Comparatively, Quentin Dalton of Bedford had scored 13 of their 21 points at half. Riverside was playing as a unit, and not just through one player.

In the third quarter, the game felt very back and forth. It wasn’t necessarily a game of runs, but neither team was willing to break. Riverside’s defense was still holding strong, and it felt like Bedford never got comfortable in their offense. They started to work the ball around a lot more but were still turning the ball over a lot. Those turnovers led to to a massive lead heading into the 4th period. The floodgates opened as the third period went on, and by the end it was a 39-27 lead in favor of Riverside heading into the final 8 minutes.

In the 4th, it never got close than 11 as Riverside controlled the rest of the ball game. Peyton Amdor, Brody Henderson and Cole Jeppesen all finished in double figures on the night. Amdor led all scorers with 22 points, collecting his second straight 20+ point game this postseason. It was a collective effort all around and most specifically on the defensive end. They held Bedford to 23 points below their average by forcing a ton of turnovers that led to fast break points. Riverside puts a lot of pressure on opposing point guards and that opens up opportunities for steals. All in all, Riverside was the better team from start to finish and have earned their spot to play for the State Tournament.

Riverside will face St. Edmond for a chance at State on Saturday, February 28th at the Drake University Knapp Center. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa sophomore Ava Heiden was named the Associated Press Player of the Week on Tuesday. She is the second Hawkeye to earn consensus player of the week this season.

Heiden led the Hawkeyes with three double-doubles and wins at Nebraska, at Purdue, and No. 6 Michigan this past week. She averaged 24.0 points per game, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and was 33-of-44 from the field.

Against the Huskers, Heiden tied her career-high with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. She also went 10-of-12 from the field and added 21 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Purdue.

Against No. 6 Michigan on Sunday, Heiden led the Hawkeyes to their seventh ranked win of the season with her fourth 20-point double-double of her career and third of the week.

The Sherwood, Oregon, native is currently fourth nationally in field goal percentage (64) and is averaging 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Heiden and the Hawkeyes are set to host their regular season home finale on Thursday, Feb. 26 against Illinois at 8 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will air on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Exira-EHK Spartans Girls Basketball have won their first two regional tournament games and will now face GTRA in the regional final. The Spartans have won a total of 21 games in a row, with every win coming by double digits. They defeated Griswold in the first round by a score of 57-33. In the second round, they rolled past CAM 55-31 in a game with three double digit scorers. Head Coach Tom Petersen talks on how his team has such an efficient offense and why they are able to move the ball so well.

According to Coach Petersen, the Spartans offense is started by their defense:

The Spartans’ offense gives most girls on the team the green light, but everyone should be looking for an open teammate:

Exira-EHK has yet to play GTRA this season, but that doesn’t change how Coach Petersen wants the girls to play:

The Exira-EHK Spartans Girls will play GTRA with a trip to state on the line on Wednesday, February 25th. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Iowa’s metrics look good when it comes to an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament but there is still work to be done in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State Wednesday night and both teams are 9-7 in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Ben McCollum, who says he does not follow the daily updates on projected brackets. McCollum says he likes the late in the season pressure but it is much different at Iowa than it was at Drake, where winning the Missouri Valley Tournament was the only way to get in the field.

Wednesday night’s game will have a potential impact on seeding for the conference tournament but McCollum says it is important to not place too much emphasis on this game.

A concern for the Hawkeyes is Buckeye senior guard Bruce Thorton, who averages nearly 20 and-a-half points per game.

The Iowa State women will be out for revenge on Wednesday night when they close the home schedule against Oklahoma State. A injury riddled Cyclone team lost by 28-points in Stillwater back in mid-January and coach Bill Fennelly called it the low point of the season.

Being back to full strength should help ISU in the rematch.

The Cyclones are tied for seventh in the Big 12 race with Arizona State at 9-7 with two games remaining. Oklahoma State is one of three conference rivals the Cyclones play twice.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson is preparing to face a different looking Illinois State lineup when the teams collide in Cedar Falls Wednesday night. Redbird center and leading scorer Chase Walker has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury early in a February 12th win over Valparaiso. UNI and Illinois State are both 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

With Walker out, Illinois State has at times feature a five guard lineup.

Illinois State beat the Panthers in the first meeting 59-54 a little more than a month ago.