CLEVELAND, OH, (April 1, 2021)—Pioneer® Athletics proudly announces that CAM Community School District has been selected as a WINNER of the 2020 Fields of Excellence® Award.

As a winner, CAM Community School District will receive a certificate of recognition and a Fields of Excellence banner that they can proudly display at their winning field. Pioneer may also use the picture of CAM Community School District’s winning field in their upcoming publications and annual calendar.

Pioneer understands that excellence in athletic field maintenance goes unrecognized and often, unappreciated. The Fields of Excellence Award Program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. The Fields of Excellence Award Program was established in 1997 and has honored over 1262 athletic fields from around
the country since its creation.

Colleges, universities, high schools and parks & recreation departments from all over the United States submitted photographs, letters of recommendation and application forms describing their institutions detailed athletic field maintenance program. A rigorous judging process yielded 73 winners from a large pool of applicants, with two athletic fields randomly selected as Scholarship Winner’s.

Pioneer® — The nation’s leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Designed for durability and dependability, Pioneer’s line-up of natural and synthetic field paints, antimicrobial coatings, striping machines, high-quality stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State women’s basketball junior Ashley Joens earned third-team All-America honors by the US Basketball Writer’s Association on Friday.

Joens‘ had a spectacular season for the Cyclones as she made her mark on the Cyclone single-season record book. Joens set a new school record of 24.2 points per game, topping Carleton’s previous mark of 21.7 points per game in 2018-19. Joens also finished the season second in points scored (678), tied for seventh in rebounding average (9.5), fourth in free-throw percentage (.883), third in free-throws made (181), sixth in free throws attempted (205), fourth in field goals made (223), third in field goals attempted (482).

Joens‘ 24.2 points per game, led the Big 12 conference and ranked fifth nationally. Her 46.3 percent from the field was also a career best. Joens also finishes the season as the NCAA leader in free throws made with 181.

Joens was honored as a Second-Team All-American by Sports Illustrated and received honorable mention honors by the Associated Press. She is also a Top-5 Finalist for the Cheryl Miller award, which honors the nation’s best small forward.

Joens is the third Cyclone to receive USBWA All-America honors, with Bridget Carleton earning a spot on the third-team in 2019 and Angie Welle making the team in 2001.

Men’s Basketball’s Luka Garza Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)

INDIANAPOLIS – National Player of the Year Luka Garza of the University of Iowa has been selected as the 2021 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men’s basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in men’s basketball.

Garza is the third student-athlete from Iowa to win the Senior CLASS Award: Megan Gustafson (2019) and Samantha Logic (2015).

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.

“The University of Iowa has prepared me for the real world both on and off the court,” said Garza. “I am forever grateful to the countless teachers, advisors, tutors, and classmates that have helped me balance the life of a Division I student-athlete with the rigorous curriculum in the Tippie College of Business. I will use all the knowledge that I accumulated at the University of Iowa to help me in my future endeavors.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa football team will hold an open practice, presented by Coca Cola, Saturday, April 17, in Kinnick Stadium. The open practice is free.

Gates to Kinnick Stadium will open at 8:30 a.m. (CT), with practice scheduled to begin at 9:30. Fans will be able to enter select gates, including Gates A (south end zone), B (southwest) and H (northeast). All fans need to wear masks during the event. Regular season game-day search procedures will be in place and fans will be allowed to sit in the north, south and west stands. Fans will not be permitted in the premium seat areas and press box.

Free parking will be available on hard surface lots, while normal ramp fees will apply. Tailgating will not be allowed. Concession stands will be open at select locations on the concourse, with limited menu items available. Additional information is available at hawkeyesports.com/FootballGameday.

Fans who purchased Hawkeye Fan Cutouts for our football or winter sports seasons will have the opportunity to pick up cutouts during the open practice. The pick-up location will be in the North concourse and begins at 9 a.m., running until the end of practice. For more details, visit hawkeyesports.com/fancutouts.

The Hawkeyes open the 2021 season Sept. 4 against Indiana. Other home games are Kent State (Sept. 18), Colorado State (Sept. 25), Penn State (Oct. 9), Purdue (Oct. 16), Minnesota (Nov. 13) and Illinois (Nov. 20).

Questions concerning the purchase of 2021 football tickets, including general public, UI faculty/staff and UI student season tickets by current UI students, should be directed to the UI Athletics Ticket Office. The office telephone number is 1-800-IA-HAWKS.

All tickets for 2021 home games will be mobile. Fans may access tickets via the Hawkeye Sports App, a link via email, or account login at Hawkeyesports.com/myaccount. These tickets are optimized for display on your smartphone device, and should not be printed. Fans can review additional information on mobile tickets by visiting Hawkeyesports.com/mobiletickets.

Iowa will conclude spring practice Saturday, May 1, with a second open event in Kinnick Stadium. That free event will begin at 9:30 a.m.

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.”