IOWA CITY, Iowa – Former University of Iowa player and assistant coach Kirk Speraw will be inducted into the University of Central Florida Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday as part of the Class of 2024.

The six-person class will be recognized at an induction banquet and the group will be honored on field at halftime of the UCF-Arizona football game.

Speraw, who served as the Knights’ head coach from 1993-2020, led the program to four NCAA Tournament appearances (1994, 1996, 2004, 2005), four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles and an A-SUN regular season crown in 2005.

During the 2006-07 season, Speraw was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year after guiding UCF to 22 victories and a runner-up league finish. He coached 18 all-conference selections in his 17 seasons and 54 academic all-league honorees.

In his career, Speraw coached a total of 43 years as an assistant coach at Iowa (1979-80, 2010-22), Denver (1980-82), Florida Southern (1982-87), Florida (1990-93) and head coach at Pensacola Junior College (1987-90) and UCF.

The Sioux City, Iowa, native was a two-time letterman (1978-79) as a Hawkeye, playing under Hall of Fame head coach Lute Olson.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Bob Cousy Award and, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Nancy Lieberman Award.

A Waukee High School graduate, Dinnebier became ninth player in program history to win Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year last season and was also named to All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. She earned MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honors and collected Patty Viverito MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. The Waukee High School graduate was included as a finalist for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. She led Drake and was atop or near the top of the league with 18.1 points, 6.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game and eclipsed 1,000 career points as a junior, currently sits at 1,333. Dinnebier ranks 10th all-time with .370 career three-point percentage and second all-time with .856 career free throw percentage, fourth all-time with 548 career assists, marking the seventh player in program history to dish out 500+ assists, and cracked top 10 on all-time steals list with 188.

Now in its 26th year, the Nancy Lieberman Award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman. The entire list of preseason watch list candidates is included below.

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, November 1. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2025 Nancy Lieberman Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for Nancy Lieberman Award are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.

The winners of the 2025 Lieberman Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).

Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Caitlin Clark, Iowa (2022-24), Paige Bueckers, UConn (2021), Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (2018-20), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Diana Taurasi, Connecticut (2003-04), and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior return specialist Kaden Wetjen has been named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the Hawkeyes’ Homecoming victory over Northwestern. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office.

Wetjen (5-foot-10, 196 pounds) finished with 176 return yards against the Wildcats, including an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The 85-yard punt return for a score is a career long and the seventh longest punt return for a touchdown in program history.

The Williamsburg, Iowa, native has posted three straight games with 100+ return yards. He is the first Iowa player since at least 1978 with 100+ kickoff/punt return yards in three consecutive games. The last Big Ten player to accomplish the feat was Maryland’s Javon Leake in 2019.

Wetjen leads the country with 692 combined kick return yards, ranking eighth in punt returns (13.7) and 12th in kickoff returns (25.4). He is one of 40 players nationally to return a punt for a touchdown this season. Wetjen is also a candidate for the annual Jet Award, which recognizes college football’s top return specialist.

Wetjen is the third Hawkeye to earn Big Ten weekly honors this season. Kaleb Johnson was recognized with the offensive honor following his performance in Iowa’s win at Minnesota, while Aaron Graves was honored with the defensive accolade after the win over Washington.

Iowa (5-3, 3-2) returns to action on Saturday versus Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2). Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The game will be televised on NBC and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

A brutal schedule continues for Northern Iowa this week as the Panthers visit top ranked North Dakota State on Saturday. UNI is 0-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and the four losses have come against ranked foes. UNI coach Mark Farley.

The Panthers are coming off a 49-42 loss to Missouri State. Farley is in his 24th season as head coach and does not remember any stretch of a schedule as tough as this.

Farley says the Panthers face another tough challenge.

Farley is looking for ways to fix a defense that is giving up more than 40 points per game in conference play.

Farley says a positive was the play of quarterback Matthew Schecklman. He was 20 of 30 through the air for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

Farley says a key for North Dakota State has been the play of quarterback Cam Miller.

Former Iowa offensive line coach Tim Polasek is in his first season as head coach of the Bison.

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired pass rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots for a 2026 sixth-round pick on Monday, giving one of the NFL’s best defenses an upgrade at a position where it was looking for some help.

Uche will take the roster spot of tight end Jody Fortson, who is headed for injured reserve with a knee injury.

Uche was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2020 and has 20 1/2 sacks over parts of five seasons, including two through the first seven games of this season. His best year was in 2022, when Uche had 11 1/2 sacks and forced two fumbles in 15 games.

The deal is the second significant trade for Kansas City in less than a week. The Chiefs sent a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans last week for DeAndre Hopkins, who had two catches for 29 yards in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Raiders.

Final Class 5A
1. Dowling Catholic (8-1), LW #1 vs Cedar Falls
2. WDM Valley (7-2), LW #5 vs Sioux City East
3. Johnston (7-2), LW #4 vs Waterloo West
4. Iowa City Liberty (8-1), LW #7 vs Waukee
5. Ankeny Centennial (7-2), LW #6 vs #9 Iowa City High
6. Bettendorf (8-1), LW #2 vs Iowa City West
7. Pleasant Valley (7-2), LW #8 vs #10 S.E. Polk
8. Linn-Mar (7-2), LW #3 @ Ankeny
9. Iowa City High (6-3), LW #10 @ #6 Ankeny Centennial
10.Southeast Polk (5-4), LW #9 @ #7 Pleasant Valley

Final Class 4A
1. North Polk (9-0), LW #1 vs Fort Dodge
2. Decorah (9-0), LW #3 vs Newton
3. Lewis Central (8-1), LW #4 vs Ballard
4. Gilbert (8-1), LW #6 vs #9 Waverly-Shell Rock
5. Pella (8-1), LW #2 vs Cleer Creek-Amana
6. ADM (Adel) (7-2), LW #5 @ Spencer
7. North Scott (7-2), LW #7 vs #10 Western Dubuque
8. Norwalk (6-3), LW #8 vs Cedar Rapids Xavier
9. Waverly-Shell Rock (6-3), LW #9 @ #4 Gilbert
10.Western Dubuque (6-3), LW #10 @ #7 North Scott

Final Class 3A
1. Dubuque Wahlert (9-0), LW #2 vs Davenport Assumption
2. Humboldt (8-1), LW #3 vs #10 Clear Lake
3. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (9-0), LW #4 vs MOC-Floyd Valley
4. Mount Vernon (8-1), LW #5 vs Carroll
5. Benton (7-2), LW #8 vs #9 Solon
6. Algona (8-1), LW #6 vs Harlan
7. Independence (7-2), LW #7 vs #8 Williamsburg
8. Williamsburg (7-2), LW #1 @ #7 Independence
9. Solon (7-2), LW #9 @ #5 Benton
10.Clear Lake (6-3), LW (X) @ #2 Humboldt