AMES, Iowa – Due to low temperature concerns in Ames this Sunday, the Iowa State softball program has changed the weekend schedule for its series against Texas Tech at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The Cyclones and Red Raiders will now play a doubleheader on Friday, March 22, and a single game on Saturday, March 23.

Sunday’s previously scheduled game has been moved to Friday at 1 p.m. at the CSC. Friday’s original 4 p.m. game will remain at the same time, as will Saturday’s 1 p.m. finale.

The weekend schedule is still subject to change and the situation is considered to be fluid, so please stay tuned to cyclones.com to stay up-to-date on any and all game time/date changes.

This is the third-straight Big 12 series that the Cyclones have seen altered due to weather, as ISU saw its opening weekend in Oklahoma changed before last week’s Houston series did the same. Overall, it’s the fourth weekend series that ISU has had impacted due to weather.

ATLANTA – The list of four finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award has been announced and it includes a Cyclone. Iowa State sophomore Tamin Lipsey made the final list, announced Thursday morning.

Lipsey is the only sophomore on the list, joining three seniors. He is joined on the list by Zach Edey (Purdue), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) and Jamal Shead (Houston). The winner will be announced on April 7 at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Phoenix Art Museum during the Final Four.

Earlier this week, Lipsey was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. Lipsey is the first Cyclone to earn All-American honors since Marial Shayok in 2019 and the first Cyclone to earn AP All-America honors since Georges Niang in 2016.

The awards have been rolling in for Lipsey, who was selected to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team this past weekend after leading the Cyclones to their sixth Big 12 Championship. He was also named an NABC First Team All-District selection.

Lipsey has been stuffing the stat sheet all season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. He is one of just 14 NCAA Division I men’s basketball players since 1996-97 to average those numbers in a season. Lipsey has also been named to the All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team this season.

The No. 4 Cyclones return to action Thursday night, facing South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Iowa State is seeded second in the East Region, while the Jackrabbits are a No. 15 Seed. Tipoff is set for 6:35 p.m. in Omaha and will be broadcast on truTV.

(Radio Iowa) – While many Iowans are excited about this week’s start of the college basketball tournaments, another tournament in a different sport will be held in Iowa starting today (Thursday). Daryn Hamilton of Fairfield is vice president of the W-P-B-A board of directors, that’s the Women’s Professional Billiard Association. Hamilton says the Fairfield Invitational is bringing 48 of the world’s most talented professional women billiard players to the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.”They’re literally coming from around the globe,” Hamilton says. “Of the 48 players, maybe 30 of them are from here in the United States and different locations, but we have people coming from China. We have people coming from Europe, Bulgaria. We’ve got a gal coming from Germany.”

Spectators are expected from all over, too, as these women are among the best of the best and they’ll be competing simultaneously on six tables. “We have a couple of younger players,” Hamilton says. “One is a gal by the name of Savannah Easton. She’s 14 years old, she’s from Las Vegas, Nevada, and she’s ranked number 10 right now in the WPBA.” The youngest player in the tournament is a 12-year-old whose nickname is “Sure Shot” and Hamilton says the name fits as she doesn’t miss. This event is all about billiards and there will -not- be T-Vs set up so people can watch the basketball tournament. Still, there’s free wi-fi in the convention center, so Hamilton suspects there will be people watching hoops on their phones.

Kelly Fisher, from the UK, won the Fairfield tourney in 2021. (WPBA photo)

“I knew that I would be competing against them,” Hamilton says. “The very first time I put this on, I did it in August which was the same time that another really big event was going on here in the state of Iowa — the State Fair.” Think you’re pretty good at shooting pool? You can try and prove it at this event, as Hamilton says there will be a pro-am meet and greet. “You’ll be put on a team with three other people and one pro,” Hamilton says, “and you’ll be able to play in a scotch-format nine ball with that pro against another team with three amateurs and a pro.”

The tournament runs through Sunday and will feature some of the best women in the sport, including Kelly Fisher from England. Fisher, known as the “Duchess of Doom,” won the tournament the last time it was held in Fairfield in 2021.

The Tri-Center Trojans girl’s season is off to a fresh start. The Trojans have 25 plus participants out for track and are coached by Lexi Cochran.

Coach Cochran recapped on how last season went for the Trojan’s

Coach Cochran said she is going to have a good group of returning athletes.

Coach Cochran says practice has been going great this season.

Coach Cochran talked about what her big goals for the year.

The Trojans next track meet will be the Audubon Invitational on Tuesday March 26th. That Invitation will be begin at 4:30 p.m.

The AHSTW Vikings Boys track season has started. The Vikings have 15 high schoolers out and coached by Jackson Renberg.

Coach Renberg gave a brief recap of last season.

Coach Renberg talked about how practice is going so far.

Coach Renberg mentioned his squad’s goals for this season.

The Vikings next meet will be at the Audubon Invitational on Tuesday March 26th. That invitational will start at 4:30 p.m

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State (11-16) dropped Wednesday afternoon’s contest to Kansas City (11-18) in the City of Fountains, 3-7.

Iowa State claimed an early two-run lead, but four Cyclone errors proved too much to overcome, as ISU dropped its second midweek game of the season.

Ashley Minor was a bright spot for the Cyclones, as the sophomore recorded a game-high three hits and all three Cyclone RBI. Milaysia Ochoa and Angelina Allen were the lone other Cyclones to tally a hit.

Karlie Charles started in the circle for ISU, allowing two runs in three innings of work. Aziza Rodriguez (3-5) relieved Charles and tallied 2.1 innings of action before Lauren Schurman finished the game.

Kansas City’s starting pitcher went the distance, as three different Roos recorded multiple hits on the day.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa sophomore Karina Muñoz and junior Ilka Juk have earned All-Big Ten honors, announced by the conference office on Wednesday. Muñoz earned first-team honors and Juk was named to the second team.

Muñoz earned the distinction after winning 14 event titles and posting 30 top-three finishes in the regular season. She competed in the all-around for the Hawkeyes in each of the last six meets and took home three titles. The sophomore has posted 11 scores of a 9.900 or higher this season.

The East Brunswick, N.J., native set career-highs on every apparatus this season. She is tied for second in the Iowa record books posting a 9.950 on bars at the Big Five meet this season. At the Kidney Care Women’s Gymnastics Championship in Nashville, she posted a 39.575 in the all-around which is tied for eighth all-time at Iowa.

Muñoz has a national qualifying score (NQS) of 9.905 on beam. She is ranked third in the Big Ten and 35th nationally in the event. She is ranked sixth in the conference and 27th nationally for the all-around with an NQS of 39.470.

Juk earned second-team honors in her first season as a Hawkeye. She posted a season-high, 9.925, at the Big Five and in Nashville. That score put her in the Iowa record books, tied for ninth in school history.

The Vancouver, Canada, native has a NQS of 9.900 on beam and ranks sixth in the Big Ten on the event. Juk had five scores of 9.900 or above on the beam. Juk has also competed on bars at every meet this season with a season average of 9.770, and a season-high of 9.825.

The GymHawks return to action on Saturday at the Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Mich. for the Big Ten Championships. Iowa will compete in session I with Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers. The meet begins at 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Drake will be looking for an upset when the Bulldogs take on Washington State Thursday night at the NCAA Tournament in Omaha. Drake is making its third appearance in the tournament in four years and take on a Washington State team that finished second in the PAC-12 in defense.

That’s Drake coach Darian DeVries who says they will need to find ways to generate offense.

DeVries says with 10 new players on the roster it is about handling the moment.

A year ago, the Bulldogs squandered a late lead in a first-round loss to a Miami team that made it all the way to the Final Four.

That’s Drake junior forward Tucker DeVries who hopes there is a partisan Drake crowd in Omaha.

Drake is 28-6. Washington State is 24-9.

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger says after spending three years as the coach at South Dakota State he knows how dangerous the Jackrabbits can be. The Cyclones are seeded second in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament heading into Thursday night’s game in Omaha.

Defense has been a staple, and the Cyclones are one of the nation’s best at turning defense into offense.

The Cyclones enter on a hot streak after rolling to the Big 12 Tournament title in Kansas City.

A large contingent of Cyclone fans is expected inside The CHI Health Center Arena.

Iowa State sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey says defense will remain the key in the tournament.

After being picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll the Cyclones looked poised for a deep tournament run. Senior forward Rob Jones.

Two Iowa natives will help lead South Dakota State against second seeded Iowa State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night in Omaha. Former Cedar Rapids Xavier standout Matt Mims is the only player remaining on the South Dakota State team who was recruited by current Cyclone coach T.J. Otzelberger. He coached the Jackrabbits from 2016 to 2019.

Mims on the opportunity to knock his former coach out of the tournament.

With three local teams playing in the evening session on Thursday night the atmosphere is expected to be electric.

Mims is a senior guard who averages just over 17 points per game. Six-eight senior forward Luke Appel is averaging nearly 12 points per game. The Marshalltown native says ISU’s relentless defense will be a challenge.

Appel says limiting mistakes against the Cyclones will be crucial.

For Appel it is a chance to play against the team he grew up cheering for.

South Dakota State is 22-12.