The Southwest Valley Girls Basketball team is looking to rebound after a disappointing season a year ago. Despite finishing with a 2-17 regular season record, the Timberwolves were competitive last season. Out of their 18 losses, five of them were by five points or less. They were also able to win their regional quarterfinal game against Central Decatur before falling in the semi-final to Nodaway Valley. Couple this with a young roster that had only had seniors, it’s a team that has room to grow. Head Coach Mike Cormack is hopeful about the coming season and proud of the work his players have put in during the offseason.

The Timberwolves do return both of the top scorers from a year ago. Hailey Randall put up 12 points per game and 2.8 steals while Mackenzie Fast averaged 8 points a game with 8.3 rebounds per contest. In addition to Fast and Randall, Cormack is also looking forward to watching the continued development of some of his depth players that he knows will need to contribute.

Cormack thinks the biggest improvement his team can make this year is closing out games in the fourth quarter.

Southwest Valley is a team with a lot of room to grow. Returning two top scorers plus adding another year of experience and continuity to a young team can do nothing but help. Cormack is very excited to start the season and to watch his team grow and compete.

Their first scrimmage of the season will be on Saturday.

PEORIA, Ill. – Iowa State junior Maelle Porcher qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championships and the Iowa State women picked up two Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series points at the 2024 NCAA Midwest Regional cross country meet.

“I was very pleased to see our women have their best race of the year at the Midwest Regional!” said director of track & field/cross country Jeremy Sudbury. “This group had a lot of heart and grit and although the season has not gone the way they would have wanted it to, their resilience and effort was on full display today.”

The Cyclones finished fourth as a team, led by Porcher’s podium finish, to best their in-state foe as the Hawkeyes finished 17th. Porcher started the race strong, running with the front pack early and was tied for sixth through the first 2K mark. She improved to fifth at the 3K mark and jumped again to fourth at the 4K and 5K marks. The junior made her final push into third ahead of the finish and earned the second individual automatic qualifying spot with her time of 19:52.8.

Porcher will run at her third straight NCAA Championships, after qualifying as an individual for CBU in 2022 before running as part of Iowa State’s qualifying team last season. It will mark the 16th consecutive season and the Cyclone women will have a representative running at the national championship meet.

Coach Sudbury was elated that Porcher will have the chance to compete next weekend after a great race Friday morning, saying “Maelle was brilliant in her individual race and I couldn’t be more excited for her to get to race next week at NCAAs!”

Redshirt-juniors Riley Beach and Bella Heikes also finished in the top 25 to help the Iowa State effort and earned All-Midwest Region honors along with Porcher. Beach was 18th in 20:20.75 while Heikes finished 21st less than a few seconds later in 20:22.50. The young Cyclones gained great experience at the regional meet as well, as freshmen Ruby Hughes (42nd, 20:47.53) and sophomore Sheridan Wheeler (55th, 20:57.67) rounded out ISU’s top five.

“Coach Wallace is going to build off this finish and have his team ready to get back to NCAAs next year,” said Sudbury.

Up Next
Porcher will prepare for the 2024 NCAA Championships next Saturday, November 23. Start time for the women’s 6K in Madison is set for 9:20 a.m. CT at the Zimmer Championships Cross Country Course.

Team Results
1. No. 19 Oklahoma State, 61; 2. No. 23 Minnesota, 76; 3. Northwestern, 103; 4. Iowa State, 139; 5. Nebraska, 181; 6. Bradley, 203; 7. Oklahoma, 222; 8. Illinois, 261; 9. Loyola (Ill.), 261; 10. Tulsa, 303; 11. Missouri, 316; 12. South Dakota State, 392; 13. Kansas, 404; 14. Kansas State, 427; 15. UNI, 435; 16. Drake, 439; 17. Iowa, 478; 18. North Dakota State, 485; 19. Illinois State, 532; 20. DePaul, 567; 21. North Dakota, 576; 22. South Dakota, 595; 23. Saint Louis, 619; 24. Wichita State, 654; 25. Eastern Illinois, 681; 26. Missouri State, 701; 27. Oral Roberts, 767; 28. SE Missouri, 769; 29. Illinois-Chicago, 779; 30. Omaha, 820; 31. Creighton, 825; 32. Southern Illinois, 993; 33. SIU Edwardsville, 1025

Individual Results
1. Leah Jeruto, Oklahoma, 19:42.87; 3. Maelle Porcher, Iowa State, 19:52.8; 18. Riley Beach, Iowa State, 20:20.8; 21. Bella Heikes, Iowa State, 20:22.5; 42. Ruby Hughes, Iowa State, 20:47.5; 55. Sheridan Wheeler, Iowa State 20:57.7; 58. Taylor Briggs, Iowa State, 20:58.8; 67. Kiki Connell, Iowa State, 21:11.20

PEORIA, Ill. — The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country teams wrapped up postseason competition on Friday at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The men placed 13th with a score of 389 points, while the women finished in 17th place with 478 points.

In the men’s 10,000-meter race, junior Will Ryan (30:42.6), sophomore Miles Wilson (30:45.7), and junior Brayden Burnett (31:11.8) all recorded new personal bests. Senior Miriam Sandeen set a personal best with a time of 20:55.5 in the women’s 6,000-meter race.

The woman began the morning, led by Sandeen, who placed 51st. She was followed by freshman Elena Torres in 71st (21:12.6), senior Amber Aesoph in 108th (21:35.1), freshman Hillary Trainor in 117th (21:45.7) and junior Jalyssa Blazek in 134th (22:02.1).

Ryan led the men, finishing 58th, while Wilson landed in 61st. They were followed by freshmen Kyle Montgomery (31:07.3) and Ethan Eichhorn (31:09.6), who placed 88th and 93rd, respectively. Burnett rounded out the top five runners in 97th place.

HEAR FROM COACH HASENBANK
“Will Ryan and Miriam Sandeen competed the best they have all season. Miriam got started in a much better position and competed well the entire race. Will was the right kind of patient today, leading to a very good result. Miles Wilson put the wraps on an excellent sophomore campaign very consistent in every race.

The freshmen were fantastic. For Kyle (Montgomery) and Ethan (Eichhorn) to make their 10K debuts on a stage like this is really impressive. Those two were in lockstep the entire race and ultra-competitive on the course today. Elena (Torres) and Hillary (Trainor) were equally impressive. What they brought to the team this fall was consistency at a high level and a lot of confidence for a couple of very talented young women. Very proud of these four freshmen.”

HAWKEYE RESULTS
Men’s 10,000 meters
58. Will Ryan-30:42.6, PR
61. Miles Wilson- 30:45.7, PR
88. Kyle Montgomery- 31:07.3
93. Ethan Eichhorn- 31:09.6
97. Brayden Burnett- 31:11.8, PR
134. Hayden Kuhn- 31:56.8
160. Carson Houg- 32:31.9

Women’s 6,000 meters
51. Miriam Sandeen- 20:55.5, PR
71. Elena Torres- 21:12.6
108. Amber Aesoph- 21:35.1
117. Hillary Trainor- 21:45.7
134. Jalyssa Blazek- 22:02.1
135. Abby Ryon- 22:07.0, PR
182. Aleah Tenpas- 22:50.8

Iowa State looks to snap a two game losing skid at home on Saturday night against Cincinnati. Former Cyclone linebacker coach Tyson Veidt (vite) is in his first season as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator. ISU coach Matt Campbell.

Campbell says Veidt has had an impact on the defense.

The ISU defense was steamrolled in last week’s loss to Kansas and that unit must slow down A Bearcat offense led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

It is a seven o’clock kickoff in Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be televised by Fox.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser announced Thursday that 141-pounder Casey Swiderski will miss the 2024-25 season due to a knee injury suffered in practice earlier this week.

“Casey suffered a knee injury earlier this week in practice and will have surgery tomorrow to repair that knee,” Dresser said. “He will use his redshirt for the 2024-25 season, and we look forward to his return in the spring and his final two years of eligibility.”

Swiderski was an All-American at 149 pounds last season after placing seventh at the NCAA Championships and compiled a 24-5 record for the Cyclones.

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State wrestling program and head coach Kevin Dresser announced the addition of four prep wrestlers Thursday. Christian Castillo, Jacob Helgeson, TJ Koester and Carter Pearson all put pen to paper and officially became Cyclones on National Signing Day.

“At this time, it’s one of the smallest classes we have signed in our time at Iowa State, but I also think it is one of the most talented,” Dresser said. “We can’t wait to get these guys to Ames and get them in our practice room. These guys will raise the level of talent and competition in our room on day one.”

Iowa State’s signing class is ranked No. 15 nationally by FloWrestling. Christian Castillo is the highest-rated recruit in the class, checking in at No. 11 on MatScouts’ Class of 2025 Big Board.

While Castillo hails originally from Arizona, he is spending his senior year at Ames High School, meaning all four Cyclone signees will have graduated from an Iowa high school.

All four signees are set to arrive on campus for the 2025-26 season.

Here’s a look at the new additions:

Christian Castillo
Hometown: Glendale, Ariz.
High School: Valiant College Prep / Ames High School
Projected Weight Class: 125
Attended Valiant College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona before transferring to Ames High for his senior year … rated as the No. 11 overall recruit nationally by FloWrestling and No. 14 by MatScouts … listed as the No. 2 120-pounder nationally by FloWrestling … two-time Super 32 Champion (2022, ’24) and four-time placewinner … 2022 U17 World Silver Medalist (Freestyle) … also represented the United States in Greco-Roman at the 2022 U17 World Championships … won gold in Freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2022 Pan-American Championships.

Carter Pearson
Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Iowa
High School: Southeast Polk
Projected Weight Class: 133/141
Wrestled at Southeast Polk High School … rated as the No. 113 recruit nationally by MatScouts … 2024 Iowa High School Class 3A state champion at 120 pounds … three-time state medalist … placed third as a freshman and sophomore … posted a 39-0 record en route to his state title as a junior … defeated Bettendorf’s Jake Knight, 1-0, in the state title match … helped the Rams to 2024 tournament and dual team titles.

Jacob Helgeson
Hometown: Johnston, Iowa
High School: Johnston
Projected Weight Class: 165/174
Prepped at Johnston High School … rated as the No. 160 prospect nationally by MatScouts … two-time Iowa High School Class 3A state champion (2023, ’24) … owns a 115-5 prep record entering his senior season … suffered just one loss (32-1) in his junior season and won a state title despite a torn labrum … undefeated (43-0) state champion as a sophomore … placed third as a freshman after tearing his ACL over the holidays … younger brother of current Cyclone wrestlers Caleb and Owen Helgeson … also played football and was one of the best linebackers in the state … second on the team with 49 tackles, including five for loss and a sack … also had two interceptions.

TJ Koester
Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa
High School: Bettendorf
Projected Weight Class: 141
Prepped at Bettendorf High School … rated as the No. 172 recruit nationally by MatScouts … tabbed as IAwrestle’s No. 1 132-pounder in Iowa Class 3A to begin the 2024-25 season … enters senior season with a 127-7 prep record … two-time Iowa High School Class 3A state champion (2022, ’24) … three-time state medalist … 43-1 record en route to his state title as a junior, avenging his only loss of the year in the state finals … placed third as a sophomore with a 43-5 record … finished with a 41-1 record and a state title as a freshman … 2023 Fargo All-American at 126 pounds (runner-up) … runner-up at USA Wrestling’s 2023 National High School Recruiting Showcase.

The eighth ranked Iowa State women are 4-0 after rolling to an 80-47 win over St. Thomas of Minnesota. Audi Crooks Scored 26 points and senior guard Emily Ryan had 13 assists as the Cyclones shot 57 percent from the field. Ryan says the Cyclones’ depth is a strength.

Ryan says the Cyclones can score in a number of different ways.

The Tri-Center Trojans will be making their first ever state title appearance next week after a 42-14 victory against the Saint Ansgar Saints on Thursday afternoon. In the first quarter the Trojans had a slow start with their running game not quite clicking, so Tri-Center looked to A.J. Harder to spark the offense and he did just that. Close to midway through the first Harder found Cael Witts for a 31-yard touchdown throw down the middle of the field to give the Trojans an early 7-0 lead. The Saints would quickly respond out of the wishbone with a Korben Michels three yard touchdown run and successful two-point conversion for the lead to swing back to Saint Ansgar at 8-7.

The second quarter saw both defenses step up as the offensive momentum slipped on both sides. Carter Kunze was finally able to get a score thanks to a long methodical drive by Tri-Center that resulted in him taking a three-yard carry into the end zone through multiple Saints defenders. The Trojans went for a two-point conversion but had their pass batted down. That would leave the score 13-8 as both teams headed into halftime.

In the third quarter Tri-Center seemed to have their mojo back with multiple explosive runs by Kunze and dynamic throws by Harder to set them up inside Saint Ansgar’s redzone. There Kunze had another handoff where he sliced his way for 13-yards and another touchdown. Kunze’s work wouldn’t end in the third quarter thanks to the Trojans defense forcing another punt and giving Tri-Center excellent field position to work with. Once again the Trojans couldn’t be stopped and Kunze pushed his way into the end zone for another score before the end of the third. Tri-Center now led 28-8.

Saint Ansgar would try to make a comeback in the fourth with the wishbone offense seeming to work again thanks to the hard running by Korben Michels and Tyson Kline. The Saints drive would result in a one yard touchdown from Michels to cut into the lead making it 28-14. Tri-Center would not relinquish for the remainder of the quarter putting two more touchdowns on the board to have a final score of 42-14.

The Trojans had a massive night from Harder going 17-24 with 284 yards and two touchdowns. He was accompanied by Kunze who dashed his way for 195 yards and four touchdowns contributing to a rushing attack that accumulated 286 yards, Trojans head coach Ryan Schroder was pleased with the way his team came to play, even with a sluggish start.

Coach Schroder also highlighted his team’s offensive barrage and the way they effectively ran the ball.

Tri-Center didn’t take much time celebrating their semifinal win as they immediately focused on next Thursday’s battle.

The Trojans will face off against an undefeated West Hancock team that won 50-35 earlier Thursday afternoon. It’s a contest that coach Schroder won’t take lightly.

Kickoff for the Class A Championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. next Thursday.

Iowa sophomores Brock Harding and Owen Freeman will head home Friday night when the Hawkeyes play Washington State at Vibrant Arena at the Mark in Moline. Harding says there are great memories from their senior season when they led Moline High School to the Illinois state championship.

Harding says this will be his first opportunity to play a game in the arena.

Harding says the Hawkeyes will be challenged by a Washington State team that is 3-0 and averaging 11 made three pointers per game.

Freeman says the Hawkeyes will need to play well to come away with a victory.

Drake will clinch a second straight Pioneer Football League title and a trip to the FCS playoffs with a win at home on Saturday against Morehead State. Bulldog coach Todd Stepsis says it would be a fitting way to celebrate Senior Day for a class that joined the program when times were tough.

Special teams have put Drake on the doorstep of another championship and in particular field goals. The Bulldogs rank third in the nation in FCS with five blocked field goals and kicker Shane Dunning ranks second in the country with 17 field goals in 21 attempts.

Stepsis says special teams have been involved in several game changing plays this season.

Stepsis says Morehead State will be a tough out. The Eagles’ are 4-2 in the PFL and their title hopes took a hot last week with a loss to Davidson.