An eastern Iowa native is preparing to take to the ice at the Paralympic Winter Games which begin this week in Milan, Italy. Kevin McKee grew up in Davenport. He was born with a rare spinal condition and has used a wheelchair his entire life. McKee says he started playing sled hockey at around 10 years old. He says he plays other adaptive sports but loves the speed and physicality of sled hockey.

(As said) “What makes this sport so hard is you have to use your hands to not only skate but then to puck handle, pass, shoot,” McKee says, “and also maneuver so you don’t get your head taken off when people are trying to hit you.”

McKee won gold medals in sled hockey in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He says the sled hockey team hopes to repeat in 2026, especially after the American women’s and men’s hockey teams won gold last month.

(As said) “So there’s a little bit of pressure, but I think it’ll be good too,” he says, “because I don’t think our team’s had that kind of pressure over the last four years. I mean, we’ve been pretty dominant at the world level.”

Speaking on Iowa Public Radio’s “Talk of Iowa,” McKee says he feels fortunate to be on the 2026 Paralympic team. He had emergency surgery on a broken femur in October after breaking it in practice in the Czech Republic.

5A

#1 Johnston – 54 vs #8 Ankeny Centennial – 30

#2 Dowling Catholic – 55 vs # 7 West Des Moines Valley – 48

#3 Waukee Northwest – 80 vs #6 Iowa City West – 49

#5 Ankeny – 57 vs #4 Cedar Rapids Washington – 44

3A

#1 Mount Vernon – 55 vs Cherokee Washington – 44

#2 Maquoketa – 57 vs # 7 Mediapolis – 23

#4 Wahlert Catholic – 56 vs #5 Williamsburg – 47

Substate 1:

Carroll – 58 vs Sioux Center – 55

Substate 2: 

Gilbert – 73 vs North Polk – 62

Substate 4:

Solon – 49 vs Central DeWitt – 44

Substate 5: 

Pella – 60 vs Keokuk – 47

Substate 6:

ADM – 73 vs Nevada – 43

Substate 7: 

Ballard – 79 vs Oskaloosa – 45

Substate 8: 

Storm Lake – 66 vs Seargent Bluff-Luton – 53

Cold shooting plagued Iowa State as second ranked Arizona won a Big 12 title.

John Walters on the Cyclone Network. The sixth ranked Cyclones shot an ice cold 29 percent in a 73-57 loss. ISU led only once early in the game in falling to 11-6 in the Big 12.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger, who was happy with the effort.

The Cyclones are 24-6 and will close the regular season on Saturday by hosting Arizona State.

The Audubon Wheelers Boys Wrestling completed one of the best seasons in school history. They sent four wrestlers to the state tournament: Leyton Elmquist, Jon Rasmussen, Karter Obermeier and Lane Meyer. Elquist and Meyer went as district champions, where as Obermeier and Rasmussen were runners-up. Four is the most wrestlers Audubon has sent to state in years. In the State Tournament, Leyton Elmquist was the lone place-getter, placing 8th in the 113 division. When looking at the season as a whole, Head Coach Tyler Christensen says this is the best squad he has ever coached.

Coach Christensen praises the effort put in all season from the boys that made it to state:

Only one wrestler from the team is graduating, so the future is bright for next season:

Although this season was successful, Coach Christensen would love to see even more wrestlers make it to State next season:

This Wheelers wrestling season finished with four individuals at state and a 19-9 overall record at duals. With only one senior graduating, this Wheelers team will be prepared to do more damage next season.

The Northern Iowa men used a 20-2 run to close the opening half and beat Drake 75-53 in Des Moines. The Panthers limited the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting.

That’s UNI coach Ben Jacobson. After being picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley preseason poll the Panthers overcame several injuries to finish 11-9 in the Valley and 19-12 overall.

Forward Will Hornseth led the Panthers with 16 points. He was seven-of-11 from the field.

Drake coach Eric Henderson says 15 turnovers proved costly as the Bulldogs closed the regular season with their ninth straight loss.

The Bulldogs were unable to stop the bleeding during UNI’s first half run, a common occurrence during their current skid.

The Bulldogs finish the Valley race 6-14. They are 12-19 overall.

The ninth ranked Iowa Hawkeye women outscored Wisconsin 13-0 to open the third quarter and raced away to an 81-52 win in Madison. The Hawkeyes are 15-3 in the Big Ten and 24-5 overall. They will be the two seed in the Big Ten Tournament after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll.

That’s Iowa coach Jan Jensen, who says he emphasized a lack of rebounding at halftime.

The Riverside Bulldogs ended their season Saturday night one win short of the state tournament. After pulling two upsets over Southwest Valley and Bedford, St. Edmond proved to be too much to handle as they fell to the Gaels by a score of 71-54. In the first quarter, the Bulldogs were holding their own and even led at certain points throughout the period. Unfortunately, the height and athleticism of Gaels’ star Hunter Horn began to take over in the second period. St. Edmond took a dominant 45-28 lead into the half and didn’t look back. Riverside was led in scoring by Owen Fenner who had 19, but ultimately fell short at the Knapp Center in the Substate Final.

The first half truly began as a back and forth battle and was defined by the incredible shooting for the Bulldogs. They were moving the ball well, and guys like Owen Fenner, who finished 5/7 from three, knocked a couple down in the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it felt like it was only a matter of time before St. Edmond would break away. They were excellent in transition, but the incredible efficiency from Riverside was keeping it close. Hunter Horn of the Gaels, who also happens to be the 4th leading scorer in the whole state, was getting his fair share of buckets in the first period but it never felt out of reach.

Then to start the second period, St. Edmond began running in transition and getting easy buckets. They also started using their height to their advantage. Hunter Horn and Carson Bargfrede had the height advantage all night and were grabbing offensive rebounds like they were nothing. St. Edmond dominated the second period and led by 17 at the half.

The second half was very similar to the second quarter. The height of the Gaels proved to be too much. Although Riverside actually played excellent offensive throughout the entirety of the game, there just was no answer for Hunter Horn. Horn finished with 28 points, which is two above his average for the season. Even though the game never felt terribly close in the second period, this was a Riverside team that fought until the very end. They made 11 threes as a team, and played impressive half court basketball. What really separated the Gaels was their transition offense and rebounding. They gained many extra possessions. For Riverside, Owen Fenner led in scoring with 19, followed by Dawson Henderson and Peyton Amdor who had 11. All in all, this Bulldogs team fought and truly had a successful season. Three playoff victories and a Substate Final appearance. St. Edmond is just a phenomenal basketball team with a lot of height and athleticism. Despite the loss, Head Coach Nick Kroon was happy with how his guys fought to start the game.

Coach Kroon was proud of how Owen Fenner stepped up:

The Bulldogs were never the biggest team, but they battled every single night:

The seniors from this team meant so much to the success that Riverside had this season:

The Riverside Boys Basketball team finished the season with a record of 14-11, which included three playoff victories and a berth to the Substate Final game. Unfortunately, they fell to the St. Edmond Gaels on Saturday night 71-54.

CLASS 1A

Substate 1:

MMCRU. – 56 vs North Union – 42

Substate 2: 

Bishop Garrigan – 73 vs South Winneshiek – 60

Substate 3: 

Bellevue – 66 vs East Marshall – 55

Substate 4:

Marquette Catholic – 66 vs Montezuma – 63

Substate 5:

Burlington Notre Dame – 63 vs Calamus-Wheatland – 53

Substate 6: 

Woodbine – 56 vs Madrid – 51

Substate 7: 

St. Edmond – 71 vs Riverside – 54

Substate 8:

Boyden-Hull – 54 vs Coon Rapids-Bayard – 40

CLASS 2A

Substate 1:

Unity Christian – 65 vs Southeast Valley – 48

Substate 2:

Kuemper Catholic – 54 vs Roland-Story 48

Substate 3:

Grundy Center – 56 vs Beckham Catholic – 44

Substate 4: 

Aplington-Parkersburg – 75 vs Cascade – 68

Substate 5:

Regina Catholic – 51 vs Northeast – 37

Substate 6:

Union Community – 61 vs Pelia Christian – 60

Substate 7:

Treynor – 54 vs Underwood – 34

Substate 8:

Western Christian – 78 vs Tri-Center – 55

The Iowa State women took command in the fourth quarter and won at Kansas State 93-79. Junior Center Audi Crooks scored 41 points and added 13 rebounds. Crooks was 16-of-19 from the field and nine-of-nine at the free throw line.

The Cyclones finish the regular season 10-8 in the Big 12. ISU avoids the play-in round. The Cyclones will be the seventh seed in the conference tournament and open on Thursday.