INDIANAPOLIS — University of Iowa senior Luka Garza is the recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I Player of the Year and the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year awards. The announcement was made on Friday morning by the NABC.

Garza will be presented the awards tonight on the NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Stadium.

Garza adds the two awards to his already impressive collection from his senior campaign. He was voted the Senior CLASS Award winner earlier today, while he was awarded yesterday the Associated Press and Lute Olson Player of the Year, as well as winning with Oscar Robertson Trophy. Iowa’s first two-time unanimous consensus first-team All-American is also a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.

DIVISION I PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Garza is the first Hawkeye to earn the NABC Division I Player of the Year award twice (2020, 2021) since it was introduced in 1975. He is the 10th player from a Big Ten institution overall, and sixth in 11 years, to earn the distinction from the NABC.
• “It is truly humbling to be named the Division I Player of the Year knowing how many great players there are across the country,” Garza said. “To win this award is an incredible accomplishment. All of the credit goes to my teammates and coaches. I would not be here today without the University of Iowa, Coach (Fran) McCaffery and the guys I have played with throughout my career. I worked extremely hard to be the best I can be for my teammates. I am incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to play in a Hawkeye uniform.”
• “It has been an incredible honor and pleasure for me to coach Luka Garza,” said McCaffery. “I can think of no one who represents our organization better as a person or as a player. His consistency, his work ethic, his leadership, his attention to detail, and his ability to be an unbelievable teammate in every way has had great impact on our program for the past four years. This award is well-deserved and truly a representation of his character and his family.”

PETE NEWELL BIG MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Garza is the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons since the inception of the award in 2000. A Big Ten player has won the award four of the last five seasons: Caleb Swanigan of Purdue in 2017, Ethan Happ of Wisconsin in 2019, and Garza in 2020 and 2021.
• The award is named after Pete Newell, a former coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man Camp for low-post players from 1976 until his death in 2008.
• “It is a tremendous honor to be named the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year, especially a year where there are so many great big men around the country and in the Big Ten,” Garza said. “Winning this award means the world to me because I have competed against many of the top big men. I want to thank my teammates because a big man is nothing without his guards who are able to move the ball around and get it to their big man. I am incredibly fortunate to have played with unselfish teammates. I also want to thank Coach Fran McCaffery and his staff, who allowed me to play my game as a traditional big man who can also stretch the floor. That is what made me who I am, and I don’t think if I went anywhere else this would be possible.”
• “There is no one who represents low post play and no one who is a true example of the great big men of the past than Luka Garza,” said McCaffery. “Luka spent a good portion of his life studying those incredibly talented big men. He has shown what it is like to perform in the low post, high post, and be a stretch-five. He is a modern-day big man in every sense of the word. I am proud to be his coach and I am proud he is a Hawkeye.”

Atlantic senior Craig Alan Becker announced on Friday that he will continue his running and academic career at the University of Northern Iowa. The cross country and track standout for the Trojans made the announcement via social media Friday morning.

Extremely excited to start the next journey this coming fall! pic.twitter.com/LYGzmVTKsD

— Craig Alan Becker (@CraigAlanBecke1) April 2, 2021

Becker took a 7th place finish at the 2021 Class 3A State Cross Country Meet. He was part of Atlantic’s Championship 4x800M Relay team in 2018 and helped the Trojans to a team Runner-Up finish that year and a 3rd place finish in 2019.

INDIANAPOLIS — University of Iowa senior Luka Garza is the recipient of three national player of the year awards announced Thursday afternoon: Lute Olson Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, and Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year.

OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY

• Garza is Iowa’s first Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and the first from the Big Ten since Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in the 2014-15 season. He is the eighth player and the ninth overall honoree from the Big Ten. Following a 15-year hiatus between 1995-2009, the Big Ten has now claimed four of the last 12 awards.
• The Oscar Robertson Trophy is voted on by the entire USBWA membership, which consists of more than 900 journalists. The Oscar Robertson Trophy is the nation’s oldest award. The legendary Oscar Robertson was the USBWA’s first player of the year in 1959 and was the consensus national player of the year as a sophomore in 1958, the year before the USBWA started giving its player of the year award. The USBWA renamed the award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1998.

ASSOCIATED PRESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Garza is the first Hawkeye and 12th player from a Big Ten school to win the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year Award.
• Garza was the runner-up for last year’s AP College Basketball Player of the Year (Obi Toppin).
• The Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award was established in 1961, recognizing the top men’s college basketball player, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP).

LUTE OLSON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Garza is the first Hawkeye and third player from a Big Ten school to win the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award, joining Denzel Valentine of Michigan State in 2016 and Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan in 2017.
• The award, which has been presented annually to the top Division I college basketball player since 2010, is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. He won 776 games in 34 seasons, nine of which were spent at the University of Iowa. Olson, who passed away last August, is one of 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list. Olson is the all-time winningest coach at Arizona (587-190, .755) and third winningest coach in Iowa history (167-91, .647).

Garza has previously been named the national player of the year by Sporting News, Basketball Times, and The Athletic. Garza, who is Iowa’s first two-time unanimous consensus first-team All-American, is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, and Senior CLASS Award.

GIRLS GOLF

Abraham Lincoln Tournament

1. Treynor 201
2. Bishop Heelan 211
3. Sioux City East 214
4. Shenandoah 216
5. St Albert 230
6. Sioux City North 231
7. Lewis Central 233
8. CB Abraham Lincoln 271
9. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 273
10. CB Thomas Jefferson 290

Medalist: Anna Fenton, Bishop Heelan, 39
Runner-Up: Maddie Lewis, Treynor, 41

CAM 255, Southwest Valley 291, Bedford NTS
Medalist: Maddie Holtz, CAM, 50
Runner-Up: Reese Snyder, CAM, 57

Sidney 226, Essex-Stanton 237
Medalist: Avery Dowling, Sidney, 46
Runner-Up: Tia McCLane, Sidney, 52

BOYS GOLF

CAM 184, Bedford 206, Southwest Valley 217
Medalist: Peyton Jessen, CAM, 45
Runner-Up: Carson Cary, CAM, 46

Sidney 240, Essex-Stanton 254
Medalist: Kyle Beam, Sidney, 47
Runner-Up: Phillip Franks, Essex-Stanton, 51

BOYS SOCCER

AHSTW 2, Grand View Christian 1
Millard South 1, Lewis Central 0
Nodaway Valley/West Central Valley 5, Van Meter 0
Panorama 2, Tri-Center 1
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 3, Glenwood 2
Treynor 3, Harlan 2

GIRLS TENNIS

Clarinda 5, Lewis Central 4

BOYS TENNIS

Clarinda 5, Lewis Central 4
Glenwood 9, CB Thomas Jefferson 0

The Atlantic, Harlan, and Treynor boys all competed at the Dowling Catholic Relays on Thursday night. Treynor had 8 wins on the night and Harlan picked up 4 victories. Treynor got wins from Todd Pedersen 400M, Cole Dooley 3200M, Sid Schaaf 400M Hurdles, Noah James High Jump, and Jaxon Schumacher Long Jump, 4x100M and 4x400M Relays.

Harlan’s Aidan Hall won the 100M and 200M. Jameson Bieker won the Discus. The Cyclones also won the 4x200M Relay.

Atlantic’s top finishers were Colin Mullenix 5th in the 100M Hurdles and 4th in the 400M Hurdles. The Trojans finished 2nd in the Sprint Medley (Gannon O’Hara, Colton Rasmussen, Joe Weaver, and Craig Alan Becker) and Distance Medley (Joe Weaver, Zane Vance, Colin Mullenix, Craig Alan Becker). Colton Rasmussen was 4th in the High Jump. Gannon O’Hara was 5th in the Long Jump.

Full results: 2021 Dowling Catholic Relays

Girls Team Scores

1. Shenandoah 139
2. AC/GC 135
3. Stanton 76
4. Southwest Valley 74
5. East Mills 64
6. Essex 37
7. Griswold 32
8. Sidney 21
9. Heartland Christian 4

Brenna Godfread led Shenandoah with wins in the 400M and 800M. Sara Morales was big in the field for the Phillies with wins in the Discus and Shot Put. Rylee Sloss picked up wins in the 1500M and 3000M for AC/GC. Chloe Largent won the High Jump for the Chargers.

Full results HERE.

Boys Team Scores

1. AC/GC 185
2. Shenandoah 106
3. Lewis Central 93
4. East Mills 39
5. Sidney 35
6. Tri-Center 33
7. Stanton 31
8. West Harrison 27
9. CAM 20
10. AHSTW 13
11. Essex 4
12. Southwest Valley 2

The Chargers won 9 events on their way to the team title: Austin Kunkle 200M, Charlie Crawford 800M, Justin Reinhart 3200M, Cael Hoing Discus, Clayton Wardyn High Jump and Long Jump, 4x800M, Shuttle Hurdle, Distance Medley. CAM’s Connor McKee won the 110M and 400M Hurdles.

Full results HERE.

Audubon Girls Early Bird Meet 04/01/2021

1. Harlan 114.33
2. Underwood 95.33
3. Audubon 74
4. AHSTW 56
5. Denison-Schleswig 55
6. Logan-Magnolia 50.33
7. Treynor 50
8. Tri-Center 50
9. CAM 46
10. Greene County 41
11. Riverside 40
12. Woodbine 27
13. Ar-We-Va 18
14. Missouri Valley 16
15. West Harrison 6
16. Exira-EHK 2

Harlan swept the relay events on their way to the team title. CAM had a couple of winners with Jade Jackson taking the High Jump and Molly Venteicher winning the Shot Put. Chloe Falkena of AHSTW won the 3000M and Holly Hoepner took the 400M Hurdles for the Lady Vikes. Peyton Pogge of Tri-Center won the 1500M. Lydia Erickson of Riverside won the 100M.

Full results HERE.