AMES, Iowa – Iowa State is back on the road this week as the Cyclones head south for a pair of tests in the state of Texas, starting with Baylor. ISU and BU will face off on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. and the action will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

ISU (4-8-1, 1-4 Big 12) enters Thursday night’s contest coming off a home setback against the top-ten BYU Cougars. Baylor (6-5-2, 1-3-1 Big 12) is coming off a road win over Kansas State, as the Bears secured their first Big 12 win of the season.

The Matchup: Iowa State (4-8-1, 1-4 Big 12) vs. Baylor (6-5-2, 1-3-1 Big 12)
Where: Betty Lou Mays Field // Waco, Texas
When: October 5 – 7 p.m.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Live Stats: cyclones.com

  Leading the Cyclones
Iowa State will look to bounce back from Monday’s home loss to No. 6 BYU in Waco. The Cyclones are looking to earn their first Big 12 road win since 2021.  

Mira Emma leads all Cyclones in goals (4), points (11), shots on goal (14), shots (22) and assists (3). The fifth-year senior captain notched her second career brace in the team’s outing against Portland State.

Fellow senior Salomé Prat notched her third score of the season as well as her third career game-winning goal against Houston, making her the second-highest point scorer for the Cyclones. Prat now has 15 career goals and four as a Cyclone.

Goalkeeper Avery Gillahan has tallied 37 saves and has faced over 160 shots through 13 contests. Gillahan recorded her second career shutout against Portland State earlier this season.

Scouting Baylor
The Bears got off to a rough start in conference play, but understandably so, as Baylor faced three straight ranked teams to begin Big 12 play. After getting through a gauntlet which featured No. 16 Texas, No. 6 BYU and No. 25 Texas Tech, Baylor is 1-0-1. Baylor is just 3-4 at home this season, but three of those losses came to ranked Big 12 foes. 

Baylor’s attack is led by a pair of Bears who each have 14 points on the season. Senior midfielder Ashley Merrill has a team-high seven goals, while sophomore forward Tyler Isgrig has four goals and a team-best six assists. Merrill’s seven scores are the seventh most in the conference, while Isgrig’s six assists are the sixth most amongst Big 12 players.

Between the sticks, Baylor uses a rotation of Makinzie Short and Ashlee Zirkel. The two have played an equal 585 minutes this season and have totaled 66 combined saves, the most in the Big 12. Short has started six matches, while Zirkel has started seven.

From the Notebook 

• The Cyclones have lost just one match under Coach Fannon when scoring at least two goals. Two seems to be the magic number for the offense.
• Iowa State leads the Big 12 in shot accuracy, placing 56% of its attempts on goal. That’s good enough for the 18th-highest ranking in the country.
• Three Big 12 programs are ranked in the Coaches Poll this week, as BYU and Texas Tech are tied for seventh, while TCU reenters the rankings at No. 23.
• Senior Mira Emma ranks in the top ten in ISU history in points, goals, game-winning goals and assists.
  • Should Emma play every game the rest of the season, she will become the school leader in games played.
• After program legend Jordan Silkowitz was drafted into the NWSL, a new face took the net for the Cyclones this past week, as Avery Gillahan handled goalkeeping responsibilities. Through 13 matches, Gillahan has a pair of shutouts and 37 saves.
• Gillahan earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors on August 23rd for her performances during the first week of the season.

Series History
Iowa State and Baylor will meet for the 31st time Thursday evening in a series that has been controlled by the Bears. Overall, Baylor has a 20-8-2 record and has won the last three meetings in Waco. Coach Fannon-led ISU teams are 1-2 against Baylor. 

Up Next
Iowa State will stay in Texas, making a short drive down I-35 to Austin for a Sunday matchup with the Texas Longhorns. Sunday’s match is set to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on the Longhorn Network. 

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Big Ten Conference officially announced details for the University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team’s 2024 conference schedule on Wednesday.

The Hawkeyes will host two Big Ten home meets in Iowa City against Nebraska and Ohio State. Iowa will travel to Minnesota, Michigan State and Rutgers during the Big Ten season. The Hawkeyes will compete at the Big Five Meet on Feb. 24 along with Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Penn State in University Park, Penn.

Iowa made its 22nd consecutive NCAA Regional Appearance in the 2023 season. The Hawkeyes return 16 letterwinners including two All-Big Ten selections, JerQuavia Henderson and Adeline Kenlin. Henderson is a three-time All-American and reigning Big Ten Champion on the floor exercise returning for her fifth year. Iowa added five newcomers to the roster, including Long Island transfer Ilka Juk.

IOWA 2023 IOWA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS BIG TEN SCHEDULE 

Jan. 22 — at Minnesota — Minneapolis, Minn.

Jan. 28 — at Michigan State — East Lansing, Mich.

Feb. 5 — Nebraska — Iowa City, Iowa

Feb. 12 — at Rutgers — Piscataway, N.J.

Feb. 18 — Ohio State— Iowa City, Iowa

Feb. 24 — Big Five — University Park, Penn.

March 23 — B1G Championships — East Lansing, Mich.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge field and schedule was announced today as Iowa State will be one of the seven teams in the first session of the eighth edition of the event.

The Cyclones will compete in what figures to be one of the toughest fields of the spring, as the event as a whole will feature five members of the 2023 super regionals. Joining the Cyclones in session one (Feb. 8 – Feb. 11) are Duke, Long Beach State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah Valley and Washington.

The second session of the challenge will feature Auburn, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Clemson, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Utah and Wichita State and runs from Feb. 14 to Feb. 18.

The challenge is not a tournament, as all of the matchups are already scheduled. Iowa State will face four opponents across four days and is the only program to not have a doubleheader during the week.

The Cyclones get underway on the first day of action against Utah Valley in an afternoon matchup. ISU then kicks off the second day at 10 a.m. against Duke, a program that fell in the super regionals to Stanford last season.

Following its tough test with Duke, Iowa State will face off with Washington on Saturday afternoon, a program that made it to the Women’s College World Series last year. ISU will wrap competition play on Sunday, Feb. 11, against Long Beach State at 10 a.m. ISU and Long Beach State will be the only game that Sunday.

ISU will make its first-ever appearance in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge as it becomes the final Big 12 school to compete in the esteemed early-season challenge. Last season, BYU, Oklahoma State and Kansas all competed in the Mexico-based event.

Iowa State and Utah Valley will meet for the second time ever in the competition, with the Wolverines owning a 1-0 advantage over ISU thanks to a 1-0 win in eight innings back in 2017.

The Cyclones and Blue Devils will meet for the first time on the diamond in Puerto Vallarta. Iowa State will face Washington for the second time ever, having fallen short 1-0 to the Huskies in 2022 when UW was ranked fifth.

ISU and Long Beach State have met 13 times prior to their upcoming matchup. LBSU holds a 10-3 all-time advantage over Iowa State, though the Cyclones have won the last two meetings.

All games will be live-streamed by FloSoftball.

Games are played at Nancy Almaraz Stadium and the oceanside Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and Convention Center is within walking distance of the stadium. Visit www.pvcollegechallenge.com for more information.

Challenge Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 8 

10:30 a.m. – Utah Valley vs. Oklahoma

1 p.m. – Duke vs. Oklahoma

4 p.m. – Iowa State vs. Utah Valley

6:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Washington

 Friday, Feb. 9 

10 a.m. – Duke vs. Iowa State

12:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska

3 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Nebraska

6 p.m. – Utah Valley vs. Washington

8:30 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Washington

 Saturday, Feb. 10 

10:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah Valley

1 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Long Beach State

4 p.m. – Washington vs. Iowa State

6:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Long Beach State

Sunday, Feb. 11 

10 a.m. – Iowa State vs. Long Beach State

*All times Central

The (2-4) East Mills Wolverines are coming off a 58-20 win against Griswold last Friday. It has not been an easy season for Head Coach Kevin Schafer’s squad. He has seen both of his top quarterbacks Caleb Urban and Zach Thornburg go down with injury. All eyes were then on the third string junior QB Jackson Embree as he led a battered 1-4 East Mills into Griswold for his first start of the year. The 58-20 victory was one that Coach Schafer was pleased with.

The shift to a run heavy team worked well for East Mills. They carried the ball over 30 times and had 398 rushing yards. They averaged almost 14 yards a carry and had six rushing scores on the evening. The few times Jackson Embree needed to pass he made smart decisions. The junior quarterback went 2-4, 79 yards, and one touchdown. Coach Schafer complemented Embree’s play.

That win against Griswold broke a four-game losing skid for the Wolverines and gave them confidence. However, they have one of their toughest opponents up next on the road at (3-3) Exira-EHK. The Spartans are second in the district behind CAM. The run game has been critical to Exira-EHK’s success this season, as they have already rushed for over 1300 yards. The rushing attack for the Spartans has been led by senior quarterback Jameson Kilworth with 651 yards on the ground and junior running back Alex Hansen with 290 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Coach Schafer is aware of the threat that Exira-EHK’s ground game brings and the size they carry on both sides of the ball.

Kickoff is set for 7:00pm in Exira. KJAN will bring you the coverage as the pregame show begins at 6:30pm.

Reigning National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark has not set a timetable for a decision on her future. Clark is entering her senior season for an Iowa team that is coming off an appearance in the NCAA championship game and she could return for a fifth season.

The Hawkeyes return three starters but Clark says it is a much different team.

Clark says she is embracing the popularity that her and the team are enjoying and the opportunities that come with it.

Clark says the Hawkeyes are embracing the expectations.

Clark says one area she hopes to improve in this season is in the half-court offense.

Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder calls it a new season and a new challenge. The Hawkeyes are coming off an historic run to the NCAA championship game last season and with three starters returning are a consensus top ten team in the preseason polls.

Three starters return from a year ago including national player of the year Caitlin Clark. While the expectations are high Bluder says the Hawkeyes are not approaching it as national title or bust.

Clark has become one of the most recognizable athletes in the country but Bluder says there is never an issue with chemistry because she is such a good teammate.

Because of the popularity of the team the Hawkeyes will make several appearances on national television. A challenging schedule awaits against 11 teams ranked in the preseason top 25.

They open the regular season at home on November eighth against Fairleigh Dickinson.