Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — Several freshmen showed no jitters on the opening day of the women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, they embraced the bright lights of the Big Dance. It came as no surprise that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark began a run of impressive performances in the first game of the tournament. She was the nation’s leading scorer during the regular season. There were others. Anaya Boyd averaged only eight minutes a game for Georgia Tech. She made major contributions down the stretch to help the Yellow Jackets avoid being upset in the first round.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Freshman Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer, had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Monika Czinano also scored 23 points, and No. 5 seed Iowa beat 12th-seeded Central Michigan 87-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Clark was held to two points in the third quarter but teammate McKenna Warnock, who was scoreless in the first half, scored 11 straight Iowa points — capped by a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a 63-52 lead. Clark scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to start Iowa’s 8-3 run to build an 18-point lead. Micaela Kelly finished with 23 points in 27 minutes for Central Michigan.

UNDATED (AP) — The Oregon Ducks moved on to the next round in a way they didn’t wish for, want or expect when positive COVID-19 tests bounced VCU from the NCAA Tournament before the teams’ first-round game in the West Region. Now it’s on to face No. 2 seed Iowa. By the time No. 7 seed Oregon takes the floor for the second round, it will have been 10 days since the Ducks played a game. The Ducks straddle a fine line between rested and rusty. The Hawkeyes are now tournament-tested after an 86-74 win over Grand Canyon. Elsewhere in the West, top-seeded Gonzaga takes on Oklahoma.

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have given six-time All-Star catcher Salvador Pérez the richest contract in club history, an $82 million, four-year deal that begins in 2022. The contract includes a club option worth an additional $13.5 million and has a $2 million buyout for 2026. The deal surpasses the four-year, $72 million contract the Royals gave to outfielder Alex Gordon in 2016. That deal wound up being a disappointment and Gordon retired after last season. Pérez is coming off a season in which he won his third Silver Slugger. He is also a five-time Gold Glove winner.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Zion Webb threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Jacksonville State handled Southeast Missouri State 21-3. Webb’s 9-yard run finished a nine-play, 75-yard drive to start the game for a 7-0 Gamecocks lead. Webb wrapped it up with a 54-yard scoring pass to Josh Samuel as part of a six-play, 78-yard drive with 1:44 left in the third for the game’s final score. Andrew Bunch threw for 120 yards for the Redhawks. Kenny Doak’s 33-yard field reduced Southeast Missouri State’s deficit to 7-3 with 2:44 left in the first.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Freshman Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer, had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Monika Czinano also scored 23 points, and No. 5 seed Iowa beat 12th-seeded Central Michigan 87-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, right, shoots over Central Michigan guard Molly Davis (14) during the second half of a college basketball game in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament at the Alamodome, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Clark was held to two points in the third quarter but teammate McKenna Warnock, who was scoreless in the first half, scored 11 straight Iowa points — capped by a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a 63-52 lead. Clark scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to start Iowa’s 8-3 run to build an 18-point lead. Micaela Kelly finished with 23 points in 27 minutes for Central Michigan.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Iowa State’s David Carr continues to etch his name deeper into Iowa State wrestling history. On Saturday night, the Canton, Ohio, native won the 2021 157-pound NCAA Wrestling Championship.

With his national title, Carr becomes Iowa State’s 50th individual wrestler to win a national title and the 70th-overall individual national champion in program history.

As a team, Iowa State tied for 13th at the 2021 NCAA Championships with 37.5 team points.

Session VII (Finals)

In the 157-pound championship bout, Carr took on Jesse Dellavecchia from Rider. After a scoreless first period, Carr began the second with an escape. He added a takedown and finished the period on top. Heading to the final stanza, Carr led 3-0.

In the final period, Carr went to work on top, stifling any attempt by Dellavecchia to get to his feet. He racked up 2:04 of riding time and posted a 4-0 decision to claim the 157-pound crown.

With his championship performance, Carr gives head coach Kevin Dresser his first-ever individual National Champion. Carr becomes Iowa State’s first NCAA Champion since 2015, when Kyven Gadson won the 197-pound bracket in the very same arena.

Session VI (Medal Round)

During the medal rounds on Saturday morning, two-time All-American Gannon Gremmel wrestled to a fifth-place finish at 285 pounds. Coming into the week, the heavyweight bracket was touted as one of the deepest in the tournament.

After dropping a tight 3-1 decision to Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State in sudden victory in the consolations-semifinals, Gremmel took on Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger in the fifth-place match at 285 pounds.

The Big 12 Champion got to work early against Hillger, taking him down in the first period. Gremmel finished the period on top and led 2-0. Hillger put in a tough ride to begin the second, but Gremmel eventually broke free and reversed the Badger to extend the lead to 4-0. In the end, it was Gremmel over Hillger, 4-0, for a fifth-place finish for the Cyclones.

NCAA Champion Notes

• – David Carr is Iowa State’s first NCAA champion since 2015 (Kyven Gadson)
• – Carr is Iowa State’s 50th individual national champion and 70th individual national champion overall
• – Carr is Iowa State’s first 157-pound champion since 2007 (Trent Paulson)
• – Carr is Kevin Dresser’s first-career individual national champion

ST. LOUIS – University of Iowa senior Spencer Lee won the 125-pound NCAA Championship Saturday night, becoming the seventh three-time national champion in program history and putting an exclamation point on the Hawkeyes’ 2021 NCAA team title.

Lee defeated Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney, 7-0. He scored four points in the second period from an escape, caution point and takedown, and added another takedown in the third to go along with one minute, 44 seconds of riding time. He was 5-0 in the tournament, outscoring his opponents, 59-8. His seven-point margin of victory was the largest of any of the 10 championships matches.

“I go out there and wrestle my hardest and I score points for seven minutes or more if needed,” Lee said. “I won three (titles), awesome. Good for me. We won the team title, awesome. That’s what we came here to do. This is what I wanted and this is what I’ve been training for my whole life. Now we worry about what’s next. That’s all that matters.”

Lee was one of three Hawkeyes in the finals and one of seven to finish the tournament with All-America honors. Seniors Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer both dropped overtime decisions in their respective matches. Iowa locked up the team title Saturday afternoon in the medal round.

“We were one for three in the finals. There is a lot of processing going on here,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “I think it’s time to enjoy. That’s hard for me to say but as a leader of the program I have to steer it that way because our fan base has craved this. This isn’t automatic. This was earned.”

Iowa finished the team race with 129 points, 15.5 clear of second-place Penn State. The team title is the 24th in program history and the first since 2010.

“It’s been 11 years since a real important trophy has been in Iowa City, and this team, the 35 guys back in that wrestling room and these 10 guys here, and this coaching staff and administration, brought a trophy back that is important to our fan base. That has got to be said. Is there relief, not really, but there is joy,” Brands said.

Iowa’s chase for the national title was expected to come to an end 52 weeks ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic ended a season that saw the Hawkeyes entering the national tournament as the undisputed favorite. When cleared to return to competition in January of 2021, Iowa picked up right where it left off and continued its run as the top team in the country. In doing so, it honored that 2020 team that never had a chance to prove the same.

“You do your job as an individual and team titles will come,” said Lee, “and I just want to say something quick. I didn’t just do this for me. I did it for the seniors that lost out last year. I wanted them to win with us. They didn’t get that opportunity, so I don’t even care about this trophy right now. I want to give it to my one brother who wasn’t able to compete last year. We do our job as individuals and our team title will come.”

One through 10, the Hawkeyes did their job. Each of Iowa’s 10 qualifiers contributed to the winning point total. Collectively Iowa was 38-14 in the NCAA tournament, scoring bonus points in 21 matches. The tournament was decided Saturday morning when the Hawkeyes went 6-1 on the back side of the bracket.

“You can’t win a team title with just one guy,” Lee said. “Even if I pinned every single opponent the most I can score is 30 points, and I’m pretty sure the second and third place teams were above 100. You can’t win it with one guy. You have to win it with a team. That’s all that matters. It takes a team effort.”

Iowa finished the season with its 24th national championship, 37th Big Ten championship and a Big Ten regular season title. Four Hawkeyes won Big Ten titles and seven earned All-America honors at the national tournament.

NOTABLES

• Iowa won its 24th NCAA team title, its fourth under head coach Tom Brands.
• Iowa wrestlers had a combined record of 38-14 in the NCAA tournament, scoring bonus points in 21 matches.
• Iowa had five wrestlers place third or better for the first time since 2010.
• Iowa had seven All-Americans, its highest total since 2010 (8).
• Tom Brands was named 2021 NWCA National Coach of the Year.
• Spencer Lee, Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer became four-time All-Americans. Lee and Kemerer are the 21st and 22nd wrestlers in program history to earn four All-America honors wrestling at Iowa. Eierman won three All-America honor at Missouri.
• Iowa has had at least five All-Americans in eight straight seasons and 13 times in head coach Tom Brands’ 15 years.
• The Hawkeyes have won a team trophy in 12 of the last 13 national tournaments.
• Lee has outscored his four opponents 59-8 on his way to the title. He improved to 15-0 in his career at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, outscoring those 15 opponents 176-21.
• Lee has won 35 straight matches, outscoring his opponents, 432-42.
• Lee is the seventh three-time NCAA champion in program history, joining the ranks of Ed Banach (1981, 81, 83), Barry Davis (1982, 83, 85), Jim Zalesky (1982-84), Tom Brands (1990-92), Lincoln McIlravy (1993, 94, 97) and Joe Williams (1996-98).

NCAA FINALS RESULTS

• 133 – #2 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) dec. #1 Daton Fix (PSU), 4-2 SV1
• 141 – #2 Nick Lee (PSU) dec. #1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa), 4-2 SV1
• 157 – #3 David Carr (ISU) vs. #4 Jesse Dellavecchia (RID), 4-0
• 165 – #8 Shane Griffith (STAN) dec. #3 Jake Wentzell (PITT), 6-2
• 174 – #3 Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. #1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 3-1 SV1
• 184 – #1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) dec. #2 Trent Hidlay (NCST), 3-2
• 197 – #4 A.J. Ferrari (OKST) dec. #6 Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT), 4-2
• 285 – #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) dec. #2 Mason Parris (MICH), 8-4
• 125 – #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) dec. #3 Brandon Courtney (ASU), 7-0

TEAM STANDINGS

1. IOWA                  129
2. Penn State         113.5
3. Oklahoma St.     99.5
4. Arizona State     74.0
5. Michigan            69.0
6. NC State             68.0
7. Missouri             64.0
8. Minnesota         64.0
9. Ohio State          46.5
10. Northwestern   45.0