The Griswold Tigers lost their opening game of the season to Southwest Valley 53-34 Thursday night. The Timberwolves used tight defense to take the early lead and never looked back after leading 15-9 by the end of the first quarter. Foul trouble and missed free throws were a big issue for the Tigers through much of the game. The Tigers had 15 fouls called on them.

Southwest Valley led 22-16 at halftime and had a 39-28 advantage by the end of the third. The Timberwolves got 21 points from sophomore Hailey Randall and Mackenzie Fast also scored 12. The Timberwolves improved to 1-1 and will head to Mount Ayr on Friday.

The Tigers got 7 points from Addison Adams and Abby Gohlinghorst had 7 points. Head Coach Ryan Lockwood noted that the sluggish offensive, hindered his team’s ability to score.

With the loss the Tigers are 0-1 to start the year and coach Lockwood is already focused on Griswold’s next matchup against Riverside.

Tip off for the Riverside game is set at 6:00 p.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa swimming and diving concluded day one of the Hawkeye Invitational on Thursday. Through the first six events, the Hawkeyes lead the team scoring with 229.

“It was an excellent start for our team to come out and expect to perform well on the first day,” Iowa head coach Nathan Mundt said. “That’s the standard they’ve been setting all season and to come into our home pool and continue to raise the bar even more, was a lot of fun. Seeing so many of our program’s top-10 performances is exciting momentum going into tomorrow. We want to continue to push and get better each day.”

Iowa posted six marks that rank on Iowa’s top 10 all-time lists. Freshman Jenna Kerr started it off, posting the eighth-fastest 500 free with a time of 4:48.63. Three Hawkeyes broke their all-time records, including freshman Olivia Swalley climbing five spots to rank third in the 200 IM (1.59.15), while sophomore Scarlet Martin and fifth year Kennedy Gilbertson followed up in the 50 free. Gilbertson tied for third all-time with a 22.70 and Martin posted a 22.91 to rank sixth all-time.

Gilbertson, Kerr, Swalley, and Martin combined to post new all-time marks for both relays on the night. The squad posted a time of 1:31.46 in the 200 free relay to become sixth at Iowa and ended the day in the 400 medley relay (3:38.28) to rank seventh in the record books.

The Hawkeyes return to action on Friday, Dec. 1 for day two of the Hawkeye Invitational. The meet will be live streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

EUGENE, Ore. – Hawaii (24-8) had 13 blocks as it turned back No. 7 seed Iowa State (20-10), 3-1 (16-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-23), Thursday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Matthew Knight Arena on the campus of the University of Oregon.

The Cyclones claimed the first set behind a 15-1 run and led much of the second set before relinquishing the lead late. ISU could never regain momentum as the Rainbow Wahine easily won the third set and held the Cyclones off in the fourth to advance.

The Cyclones were paced by senior Alexis Engelbrecht, who finished with 13 kills while hitting .478. Maya Duckworth posted her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 15 kills and 11 digs to go along with a career-high matching five services aces. The Cyclones notched eight aces as a team.

Freshman Nayeli Gonzalez was in double figures with 12 kills and 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. She broke Rachel Hockaday’s freshman point record, finishing her first season at ISU with 409.5 points.

Setter Morgan Brandt dished out 43 assists and now has 83 assists in her NCAA Tournament career, the fourth-most by any Cyclone in tournament play.

ISU hit just .186 in the match while playing without libero Brooke Stonestreet and right side hitter Lilly Wachholz, who missed the match due to injury.

This was ISU’s 17^th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the 16^th under the direction of Christy Johnson-Lynch.

 Set One

The Rainbow Wahine jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead before a timeout was called by Johnson-Lynch. The timeout was just what the Cyclones needed as it propelled them to nine-straight points and an 11-7 lead before UH could score another point. The Cyclones extended the run to 15-1 and cruised to a 25-16 opening set victory and a 1-0 lead.

The Cyclones hit .480 in the opening frame and had four service aces as a team, including three from Duckworth.

Set Two

Iowa State scored the first three points in set two and held Hawaii at arm’s length throughout the first half of the set until the Rainbow Wahine were able to close the Cyclone lead to just one at 21-20, forcing a timeout. The Wahine kept rolling and went on top 22-21, but Gonzalez and Engelbrecht stopped the 5-0 run with a block. Hawaii would extend the lead back to two (24-22) before the Cyclones fought off a pair of set points. Ultimately, the Cyclones dropped the set on a service ace by Talia Edmonds, evening the match 1-1.

Hawaii controlled the net in the second set, notching five blocks and holding the Cyclones to a .000 hitting percentage on its way to the 26-24 win.

Set Three

The Cyclones never led in the third set as Hawaii hit .533 on its way to a 25-18 set win and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Wahine had 16 kills and no errors on 30 attacks in the frame, while ISU hit just .179 as a team. An Annie Hatch kill trimmed the deficit to 16-13, but UH closed it out with a 9-5 run.

 Set Four

What appeared to be a pivotal replay put Hawaii up 13-11, but the Cyclones took it in stride and rattled off the next five points to gain control of the set and go ahead 16-13. Hawaii quickly rallied back and knotted it up at 18-18. The set went back-and-forth the rest of the way until Hawaii was able to gain some separation and eventually won the match on Iowa State’s eighth service error of the match.

Top ranked Northwestern hosts 10th ranked Saint Xavier of Illinois on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NAIA playoffs. Northwestern coach Matt McCarty.

In an upset of fifth ranked Marian last week, Saint Xavier had 15 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks. McCarty says the Raiders will need to take advantage of man coverage.

Saint Xavier leans on its passing game but McCarty says the defensive game plan begins with stopping the run.

McCarty says advancing in the playoffs requires playing at a high level.

The Iowa State men face their first true road test of the season on Friday night with a visit to DePaul. The Cyclones are 5-2 after dropping their final two games at a tournament in Florida and coach T.J. Otzelberger says they have been focused on the things it takes to get a road win.

DePaul is off to a dreadful start. The Blue Demons are 1-5, have lost three straight and their only victory was a 12-point win over South Dakota at home.

Otzelberger expects to face a motivated DePaul team.

Iowa punter Tory Taylor expects fellow specialist and place kicker Drew Stevens to bounce back against Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. Stevens had two field goals blocked and had two kickoffs go out of bounds at Nebraska and backup Marshall Meeder kicked the game winning 38-yard field goal against the Huskers.

Taylor is the holder and remains confident in Stevens.

Iowa safety Quinn Schulte says all the distractions should be taken care of before the 16th ranked Hawkeyes leave on Friday for Indianapolis and Satursay night’s Big Ten Championship Game against second ranked Michigan. An issue for akk the players during championship week is ticket requests.

Iowa’s defense gave up a little more than 12 points per game in Big Ten play but must try to slow down a Michigan offense that averaged more than 39 points per game.

Schulte says the Hawkeyes are not focusing on them being a better than three touchdown underdog.

Third ranked Wartburg hosts fifth rated and perennial power Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Knights will earn a return trip to the semifinals with a win.

That’s Wartburg coach Chris Winter who says the styles of the teams are similar.

Winter says the challenge gets bigger with each round of the playoffs.

Whitewater has won the three previous meetings but this will be the first time they will play in Waverly.

Former Bellevue high school standout and senior running back Hunter Clasen hopes the home field is an advantage.

Clasen looks forward to playing Whitewater at home.

AMES, Iowa – After leading the Iowa State men’s cross country team to Top 5 finishes at two of the last three NCAA Championships, the Cyclones’ Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeremy Sudbury has been rewarded with a new contract, Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.

“Jeremy Sudbury has done a tremendous job leading our program and instilling a championship culture since taking over in the summer of 2021,” Pollard said. “I look forward to watching our programs continue to excel academically and athletically under Jeremy’s leadership. The future of Iowa State Track & Field is very bright.”

Sudbury, who is in his 11^th year on the ISU staff and third leading the program in 2023-24, has guided a talented group of student-athletes to historic accomplishments and record-breaking performances. His new contract will run thru June 30, 2030.

The 2023 Iowa State men’s cross country team placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships, second at the NCAA Midwest Regional and fifth at the NCAA Championships; marking the third time in the last five seasons the program produced a Top 5 NCAA finish. Only Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State have enjoyed more Top 5 NCAA finishes than Iowa State in that span. The Cyclone women, meanwhile, were 20^th at the 2023 NCAA Championships and have advanced to the final site in eight of the last 10 seasons.

“I am extremely humbled to lead the Iowa State track and cross country programs, and grateful for the belief that Jamie (Pollard) and Calli (Sanders) have shown me with this new contract to continue leading our tradition-rich programs,” Sudbury said. “It shows great commitment to myself and my family, as well as our staff and student-athletes. As the Big 12 continues to evolve, I believe this will provide the stability necessary for us to continue building upon our past successes and fulfill Jamie’s vision for Iowa State’s championship-level track and cross country programs.

“My family is grateful to call Ames our home, and we look forward to the continued support of Cyclone Nation in future years,” he added.

His tenure leading the Iowa State program got off to a flying start during the 2021 cross country season, as both the men’s and women’s programs finished in the Top 10 in the same year for the first time since 1985. Sudbury’s men’s squad, which he oversees, finished second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, its fifth Top 2 NCAA placement in program history. Sudbury’s star pupil, Wesley Kiptoo, took second at the 2021 NCAA Championships, his second Top 3 placement as a Cyclone, and Thomas Pollard took 21st to earn his first career All-America honor. The men’s cross country squad had seven All-Big 12 honorees in 2021, the third-straight season it produced seven honorees.

In Kiptoo, Sudbury helped continue to develop one of the nation’s strongest and most versatile runners. Sudbury coached Kiptoo to a program-record six Big 12 titles in 2020-21, as he became the first male in Big 12 history to win three individual titles at a single conference outdoor championship meet with meet records in all three of the 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m and 10,000m. Kiptoo also earned four All-America honors and took down five school records in his debut season in Ames.

Edwin Kurgat claimed the 2019 NCAA Cross Country crown under Sudbury’s tutelage, along with picking up a pair of Big 12 and NCAA Midwest Regional titles during his Cyclone cross country career. Kurgat’s kick, developed under Sudbury’s watch, allowed the Kenyan to pull away from the field at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships and claim ISU’s first individual title since 1990.

On the track, Ezekiel Rop earned first-team All-America honors in the 1,500m, racing to a time of 3:43.59 to place seventh at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. All-told, the Cyclones produced nine All-Americans, eight new school records, 38 outdoor and 25 indoor All-Big 12 honors in 2023. The Cyclone women finished third at the 2023 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, their highest finish ever, and tallied a program-record 107.5 points, while the ISU men’s 800m squad was ranked #1 for much of the 2023 indoor season.

The 2022 track and field season saw many great stories throughout Sudbury’s pupils. Four earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, peaking with Jason Gomez taking fourth in the 800m run in a then-personal best 1:46.34. Nehemia Too took down ISU’s 28-year-old school record in the 1,500m run (3:39.15), which came after his anchor carry on the distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships took ISU from 10th to sixth and to first-team All-America distinction.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht was named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year to highlight the Big 12 Conference postseason awards for the Cyclones, announced Wednesday by the conference office after a vote by the coaches.

Becht joins Mike Warren (2015) as Iowa State players to be named Offensive Freshman of the Year. He’s the first quarterback winner of the award since 2019 (Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State).

Senior cornerback T.J. Tampa and sophomore safety Jeremiah Cooper earned All-Big 12 First-Team honors, while junior wide receiver Jaylin Noel and junior tight end/fullback Stevo Klotz earned second-team accolades.

In total, 16 Cyclones were recognized by the Big 12 coaches.

Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year

Rocco Becht, QB, RFr., Wesley Chapel, Florida

Becht had an outstanding season for the Cyclones in his first as a starter, breaking ISU’s freshman records for completions (209), passing touchdowns (20) and passing yards (2,674). He completed 63.5 percent of his passes in leading the Cyclones from one conference win in 2022 to six league victories in 2023. He had six completions for 60 yards or more, the most by an ISU QB since Brock Purdy completed seven passes of 60-plus yards in 2019.

All-Big 12 First Team

Jeremiah Cooper, DB, So., El Paso, Texas

After earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors for Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2022, Cooper burst onto the scene as a sophomore, picking off two passes in the season opener against UNI and returning one of them 58 yards for a touchdown. Cooper is fifth nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference with five interceptions despite missing two games due to injury. He’s fourth nationally in passes defended at 1.4 per game. Cooper has 41 tackles this season, including 1.5 for a loss. He’s allowed just one touchdown in 331 coverage snaps.

T.J. Tampa, DB, Sr., St. Petersburg, Florida

One of the nation’s top cornerbacks, Tampa earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in 2022 and elevated himself to a first-team spot after returning for his senior season. Tampa has locked down opponents this season, allowing just one touchdown in 414 coverage snaps. He has two interceptions, including the game-clincher in Iowa State’s win over Oklahoma State, and seven pass breakups while teams have largely refrained from throwing toward the all-league corner. Tampa is sixth on the team with 44 tackles, including three for a loss.

All-Big 12 Second Team

Stevo Klotz, FB, RJr., Chaska, Minnesota

The redshirt junior tight end spent much of his time in the backfield as a fullback and was rewarded for his efforts by earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors. It marks the third-straight season a Cyclone tight end has earned All-Big 12 honors as a fullback (Jared Rus). In addition to paving the way for the Cyclone running backs, Klotz had seven receptions, including a 13-yard touchdown reception against Cincinnati.

Jaylin Noel, WR, RJr., Kansas City, Mo.

Wide receiver Jaylin Noel led the Cyclones with 60 receptions for 741 yards with a team-high six touchdown catches. Noel finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference for receptions, fourth for receptions per game (5.5) and sixth for receiving yards per game (67.4). Nationally, Noel ranks among the Top 70 for receiving TDs, receiving yards per game and receptions per game. He’s also a standout on special teams as a kick returner and punt returner.

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention

Benjamin Brahmer (TE), Chase Contreraz (PK, STPoY), Beau Freyler (DB), Jayden Higgins (WR, ONoY), Jarrod Hufford (OL, OLoY), Jaylin Noel (KR/PR, OPoY), Tyler Onyedim (DL), Domonique Orange (DL), Tyler Perkins (P), Jack Sadowsky (DFoY), T.J. Tampa (DPoY), Gerry Vaughn (LB), Malik Verdon (DB)