Drake led nearly the entire way and beat Miami 80-69 in the opening round of the Charleston Classic, handing the Hurricanes their first loss. Bulldog coach Ben McCollum.

Drake held Miami to 41 percent shooting and out-rebounded the Hurricanes 35-23.

Bennett Stirtz had 21 points as the Bulldogs improve to 4-0 and move on to Friday’s semifinal round.

Iowa’s defense has struggled on the road and Maryland will pose anther challenge on Saturday. The Terrapins average just over 421 yards of offense, including 305 per game in passing. Senior corner Jermari Harris.

Tackling has been an issue this season and defensive end Ethan Hurkett says they worked on that during the bye week.

With two games remaining in the regular season linebacker Nick Jackson sees the finish line of his college career.

Drake will get a second chance to lock up the outright Pioneer Football League title on Saturday by closing the regular season at Stetson. Morehead State spoiled Drake’s Senior day celebration with a 29-20 win. It also snapped the Bulldog’s 17-game win streak in the league race.

That’s Bulldog coach Todd Stepsis. Drake has already clinched a share of the title and there is a chance the Bulldogs could get the FCS playoff bid even with a loss. Step[sis says they are treating this as a must win.

Drake’s turnaround as a program began two years ago with a late rally at Stetson. It was the first of 17 straight in the PFL.

The Iowa Hawkeye men take a 5-0 record to Kansas City Friday night to play Utah State in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic. Utah State is 4-0.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. Utah State was 28-7 last year and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Purdue.

The Hawkeyes have had success with full court pressure the past few games and have done so without giving up easy baskets.

The second ranked Iowa Hawkeye wrestling team will look to extend its dominance in the series with Iowa State when the teams collide Saturday night in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last 19 duals in the series and 34 of the last 35.

That’s Iowa coach Tom Brands who says it is the next challenge on the schedule.

The 13th ranked Cyclones will be in search of their first victory over the Hawkeyes since 2004. ISU coach Kevin Dresser.

The series dates back to 1916.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three members of the University of Iowa women’s soccer team – Maggie Johnston, Elle Otto and Kenzie Roling — earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, it was announced Wednesday by the CSC.

Johnston is majoring in elementary education, while Otto and Roling are enterprise leadership majors.

The CSC Academic All-America program recognizes the nation’s top collegiate athletes for performance in the classroom and on the pitch. To qualify for all-district recognition, each student-athlete must earn at least a 3.5 GPA and demonstrate athletic excellence while meeting a 90 percent game participation threshold.

Johnston earned the honor for a second straight season. The Corona, California, native has started 18 games this season, scoring three goals and adding an assist. Johnston has one game-winning goal – a strike in the NCAA Tournament win over Missouri State.

Johnston was a second-team All-Big Ten this season after playing a key role for a Hawkeye defense that is one of the best in the nation.

Otto also earned her second academic all-district honor. This season, the Grandville, Michigan, native has scored one goal and registered three assists in 2024. She has nine career goals and 11 career assists.

Roling, who also earned the distinction for a second straight year, has scored one goal and registered five assists in 2024.

The Hawkeyes return to action Friday, facing Georgetown in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The game will be play at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles beginning at 6 p.m. (CT). Iowa is looking to punch its ticket into the Sweet 16.

The Riverside Girls Basketball team is ready and excited for the start of the 2024-25 season.  The Bulldogs show a lot of promise as they are returning a large portion of what was a young team that finished 11-11 last season. Head Coach Mark Jeppesen says the team is ready and that he’s enjoyed watching the team get better with another year of experience under their belt.

The Bulldogs are returning their leading scorer. Last season, Sophia Taylor led the way averaging seven points per game, and was Riverside’s best 3-point shooter, shooting 35% from beyond the arc. Jeppesen commented that Taylor has been a hard worker and that she is ready to be one of the team’s leaders.

Coming off a year with such a young team, there are lots of opportunities for players to step up and have breakout seasons. One of those players is sophomore Kayden Schnack. Last season, she finished in the top five on the team in scoring, field goal percentage, and 3-point shooting. She also led the team in free throw percentage. The Bulldogs also return their top two rebounders from a season ago. Madison Kelley led the team averaging 4.3 per game. Sydney Sommers wasn’t far behind averaging 4.0 per game. Jeppesen is excited about the number of girls who are on track for a breakout season.

The Bulldogs are also adding some new pieces to the mix as well. Carly Miller and Riley Ewoldt both moved to the district this year and are set to provide some extra experience to the mix. Jeppesen says it’s easy to see how much they enjoy the game.

One of the most encouraging signs of this team is the depth and internal competition. Jeppesen knows that this can only be a good thing and that his team is ready to get out on the floor and compete.

The Riverside Bulldogs open their season at home against Essex this Friday at 6 pm.

The Tri-Center Trojans Football Team will look to capture their first state championship on Thursday when they take on the West Hancock Eagles. Despite 12 previous playoff appearances, the Trojans had never made it to the UNI Dome and now have a chance to win it all. The Trojans might be one of the hottest teams in the state. They have not lost since dropping their opening game of the season to AHSTW. The offense has been firing on all cylinders, putting up 40 or more points each of the last five games, and the defense has not allowed more than 20 points since their week two win over Treynor. Playing in championship games is always a remarkable opportunity and Head Coach Ryan Schroder is excited for this moment.

To get to this point, the Trojans had to deal with noteworthy opponents, and last week was no different. Battling a Saint Ansgar team with tons of talent, the Trojans shined. Although their halftime lead was slim, AJ Harder shined in the opening two quarters, arguably playing his best game of the postseason. Then, in the second half, Cater Kunze joined the party to finish the game with 195 yards and four touchdowns in Tri-Center’s 42-14 win. Schroder admitted that his team was a little tight in the early going but was happy with how his team handled the pressure, saying their balance attack allows them to have multiple options.

Part of those multiple options are receivers Zach Nelson and Cael Witt. Both have over 60 receptions and over a thousand receiving yards. In their semi-final matchup, Nelson and Witt each had six receptions, while Witt had two touchdowns, including a 34-yard strike from Harder. You also can’t forget about Brant Freeberg, who has made himself a very reliable third option, leading the team in yards per reception. This allows Tri-Center’s playbook to be expansive and cover a variety of scenarios. Coach Schroder knows it’s a very useful advantage to have in his pocket.

Despite all the weapons at the skill positions, it might be the unsung heroes of the offensive and defensive line that play one of the biggest roles for the Trojans.  They arguably were the biggest difference against Saint Ansgar. Schroder knows that without them, the Trojans wouldn’t have come this far.

Tri-Center will have to get over a big hurdle if they are to take home the crown. The West Hancock Eagles are a perfect 12-0 and have looked sharp throughout the postseason. The Eagles also have an edge in experience as the UNI Dome has practically been a second home for West Hancock. The Eagles are making their fifth final appearance in the last seven seasons. However, beyond just making it to the big game, they know how to win it. Schroder understands that today will be a very tough challenge.

Regardless of the outcome of today’s game, it will be the last time either of these teams plays in their current forms. The message from Coach Schroder was simple.

You can catch all the action on KJAN with pregame coverage starting at noon.

Maya McDermott poured in 37 points and the UNI women outscored Iowa State 19-2 to close the third quarter and stunned the eighth ranked Cyclones 87-75 in the McLeod Center.

That’s UNI coach Tanya Warren. It was the Panther’s first game after senior standout Grace Boffeli was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It was the Panther’s first win over a top ten opponent.

McDermott made 14-of-21 shots from the field to finish with a career high and only had one turnover in 35 minutes of action.

McDermott says it was an emotional victory for the Panthers.

UNI was 12-of-25 from three point range but McDermott says defense was the key to the win.

The Cyclones shot 45 percent for the game but were just two-of-11 from three point range in the second half.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly who says the closing moments of the third quarter turned the game around.

It is Iowa State’s first loss of the season and Fennelly says his team will need to bounce back with a good effort Sunday when they host Drake.

The Iowa Hawkeye women jumped out to an 18-4 lead at the end of one and beat Kansas 71-58 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Hannah Stuelke had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Lucy Olsen had 16 points and coach Jan Jensen says defense was the difference.

Jensen was happy with the way her team had to grind out a win.

The Hawkeyes got 23 points off the bench and Olsen says several freshmen played key roles.

The Hawkeyes improve to 5-0.