The CAM Cougars baseball team had a nail biting 4-3 win over the Woodbury Central Wildcats through 9 innings on Tuesday. Both starting pitchers were sharp at the start of the game with Eric McGill for the Wildcats throwing high velocity pitches and Makade Paulsen sticking to a diverse arsenal of pitch types. The game stayed scoreless through the first two innings with neither side making much progress at the plate. The bottom of the third inning saw the first run come in for Woodbury Central as Joe Destigter hit an RBI single putting the Wildcats up 1-0. CAM responded in the top of the fourth with back to back RBI’s from Jack Follmann and Brody Paulsen giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

Woodbury Central tied the ballgame at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a sharply hit RBI grounder off of Destigter. Then in the top of the sixth CAM had the advantage again with a run scoring by a badly thrown error at first base. Making the score 3-2 for CAM. The Wildcats would rally in the bottom of the sixth with Jayden Lloyd hitting an RBI grounder at first base tying things up at 3-3.

The game then stayed at a 3-3 deadlock til the top of the ninth. It was then Makade Paulsen hit a triple towards right field putting the go ahead run 90 feet away. Lukas James was then walked, putting runners on the corner and Kegan Croghan smacked a sac fly out towards center field making it a 4-3 ball game. In the bottom of the ninth, the Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs, but ended the game on a groundout.

Cougars Head Coach Drew Ticknor acknowledged his team’s backbone as being key for their victory on Tuesday night.

CAM had solid performances from multiple players like Jack Follmann going 1-3 with an RBI and Lukas James relief pitching for 3 innings giving up 1 earned run, 3 hits, and 2 strikeouts.

The Cougars next game will be on Saturday night for the district championship against Coon Rapids-Bayard. Coach Ticknor wants to see strong performances at the plate.

Woodbury Central’s loss ends their season at a record of 19-8.

A new look Big 12 Conference gets ready for a new football season. Texas and Oklahoma are gone and the league is adding Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizone State. It is the second straight year there are four new members. Big 12 Football Media Days are underway in Las Vegas.

With the changes the Big 12 enters the new season as a 16-team conference.

LAS VEGAS – The Big 12 Conference and Microsoft have announced a partnership that will see Microsoft Surface devices provided to each Big 12 football program for use throughout the 2024 season. This is Microsoft’s first partnership in college athletics and across A4 conferences.

These tablets will be available for usage on the sideline and in the coaching booth, allowing players and coaches access to video review in-game. Microsoft has served as the Official Technology Partner for the National Football League since 2013, where all 32 NFL clubs utilize Microsoft Surface devices.

“The Big 12 is excited to announce our partnership with Microsoft that will see their Surface devices across our sidelines and in our coaching booths this fall. We look forward to continuing to be innovative and grow Big 12 Football, and we are thrilled to do so alongside a pioneering company such as Microsoft.” – Scott Draper, Chief Football & Competition Officer, Big 12 Conference. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the Big 12 Conference for the 2024 NCAAF season as they continue to innovate in football and technology. We look forward to bringing our joint expertise together to evolve the game and further empower student-athletes and coaches.” – Gabe Rudolph, Sr. Manager, Sports Partnerships, Microsoft.

Earlier this year, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the use of tablets to view in-game videos. Teams can have up to 18 active tablets for use in the coaching booth, sideline, and locker room. Tablets cannot be connected to other devices to project larger additional images and cannot include analytics, data or data access capability or other communication access. All team personnel will be allowed to view the tablets during the game.

AMES, Iowa – David Carr has been named the recipient of the Big 12’s 2024 Bob Bowlsby Award, league Commissioner Brett Yormark announced Tuesday during his State of the Conference address to kick off football media days in Las Vegas.

Named in recognition of the conference’s former commissioner, the award is the Big 12’s most prestigious individual accolade. It is presented to a male and female student-athlete who represent the absolute best in the conference for their leadership and excellence, on and off the field of competition. The winners were determined in a vote by Big 12 athletics directors.

Carr led Iowa State wrestling to its best season in more than a decade, helping the Cyclones to their first Big 12 title since 2009 and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, ISU’s best finish since 2010.

Adding to a season in which Carr won his second national title to cap a storied career, he has been named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year, Amateur Wrestling News’ Hammer Award winner, a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American and a First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Carr compiled a 27-2 season record with a 40:3 takedown ratio (80 for, 6 against) en route to winning his national title. He received the Hammer Award, given to the athlete who wins the most competitive weight class at the NCAA Championships, by defeating the No. 1, 2 and 5 seeds in the national tournament. Four of his five opponents in the tournament either finished on the podium or had earned All-American honors at some point in their career.

Carr is active in growing the sport of wrestling in central Iowa, providing free clinics, camps and practices at area schools. He was also an active member of the ISU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In May, the Canton, Ohio native completed his master’s degree in education with a 3.74 GPA. He was a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American in his career.

Carr is the second Iowa State student-athlete to receive the honor in the Bob Bowlsby Award’s two-year history, joining Ashley Joens, who was the first female recipient in 2023.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s golfer Madison Dabagia was named to the 2023-24 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team.

Dabagia is one of more than 1,500 women’s collegiate golfers from 419 programs recognized with the prestigious honor.

In order to be selected to the All-American Scholar Team, student-athletes must have an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, be an amateur and on the team’s roster through the conclusion of the team’s season and have played in 50 percent of the team’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year through the team’s conference championship.

Dabagia had a team-best 73.20 scoring average during the 2023-24 season, posting one top 10 and four top 20 finishes in 10 tournaments. Off the course, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native has a 3.54 cumulative grade point average, majoring in elementary education.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Mariel Bruxvoort was named to the CSC Academic All-American Third Team on Tuesday.

Bruxvoort is the first Academic All-American at Iowa since 2012 and the first women’s track and field athlete to earn the honor since Lisa Skidmore in 1990.

College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) began the Academic All-America program in 1952. The recognition is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all levels.

On the track, Bruxvoort capped a stellar Hawkeye career with a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the Big Ten Championships, qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary.

Bruxvoort was Big Ten Athlete of the Week for her 400-hurdle win at the USF Alumni Invite.

Previously, Bruxvoort was a first team All American in the outdoor 4×400-meter relay in 2022 and an All-American Honorable Mention in the outdoor 400 meters in 2023. Bruxvoort was the leading leg on the 2022 squad that owns the program record in the 4×400, racing 3:32.28 at the Tyson Invitational.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced Tuesday updates to its season ticketing procedures for the 2024-25 men’s and women’s basketball season.

The Hawkeye women’s basketball team is coming off a season where it won a school-record 34 games, claimed a Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Championship game for a second consecutive season. Iowa returns a pair of starters in 2024-25 under first-year P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jan Jensen.

The Iowa men’s team won 19 games in 2023-24 and advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. The Hawkeyes welcome back three starters, including All-Big Ten selection Payton Sandfort and the reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman.

Women’s basketball renewal season tickets will be priced at $210 for adults, $175 for faculty/staff and senior discounts and $100 for youth tickets. New season tickets will be priced at $225 for adults, $190 for faculty/staff and senior discounts and $115 for youth.

Prices for the upcoming men’s basketball season tickets/renewals remain the same as last season. Prices range between $325-$375 (plus per-seat contribution) depending on location for public and $280-$320 (plus 50 percent off per-seat contribution) for faculty/staff.

Men’s basketball deposit fulfillment will begin July 10, while general public sales will start on July 22 at 9 a.m. (CT). Iowa sales tax and $10 processing fee will be added to each order.

The renewal/upgrading deadline for men’s basketball season tickets is Aug. 1, while the women’s basketball deadline is Aug. 9.

The process for securing student tickets for both men’s and women’s basketball seasons will be announced later this summer.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s golf coach Tyler Stith announced that Steven Ihm has been named the programs assistant coach.

“We are very happy to welcome Steven back to the team.” said head coach Tyler Stith. “He’s one of the most accomplished players in the history of our program. Steven possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be invaluable to the players. As an Iowan and former Hawkeye, he understands what it means to carry the golf bag and represent our great state.”

Ihm, a former student-athlete at Iowa competed on the men’s golf team from 2011-14. Ihm started his playing career at Indian Hills Community College where he led them to a Junior College National Championship and won the 2011 Phil Mickelson Award as the top freshman player in the NJCAA.

In Ihm’s first season as a Hawkeye, he was named second team All-Big Ten as well as earning Big Ten Golfer of the Week and PING All-Region Honoree selection. The Hawkeyes would go on to place 22nd at the NCAA Team Championships. Following his stellar first season, he led the team with a 73-stroke average. Ihm then earned first team All-Big Ten selection, and Division I PING All-Midwest Regional Team.

Ihm had seven straight rounds at or below par and became the first Hawkeye since 1970 to win back-to-back stroke play tournaments. In the summer going into his senior year, Ihm won the 60th annual Sunnehanna Amateur, joining the likes of Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson. The victory earned Ihm an exemption for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic where he missed the cut by just two strokes.

In his final season as a Hawkeye Ihm was named first team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year and named to the Division Ping All-Midwest Regional Team. Ihm became the first player in program history to earn all-conference honors three times. Ihm would go on to place fifth at the Big Ten Championships where he was named to Big Ten-All Championships team.

Ihm made his professional PGA Tour debut at the 2014 John Deere Classic where he finished tied for 27th at 10-under par.

Summer workouts are underway for the Iowa men’s basketball team as the Hawkeyes look for a return to the NCAA Tournament. Iowa finished 19-14 this past season but missed the Big Dance for the first time since 2018.

That’s junior guard Josh Dix, whose role increased in the second half of last season. The Council Bluffs native started 20 games and averaged just under nine points per game. He expects a more expanded role next season.

He also expects to be more of a leader.

Point guard Brock Harding appeared in all 34 games as a freshman and is working on improving his shooting. Harding shot only 36 percent from the floor and just under 38 percent from behind the arc.

Harding has worked hard in the offseason to shore up his game.

Harding averaged about 10 minutes per game and feels that experience will help getting ready for next season.

The Hawkeyes got a lift when senior Payton Sandfort withdrew his name from the NBA Draft to return for his final season.

Hawkeye Ten 

Creston 3, ADM 2
Denison-Schleswig 1, Carroll 0

Raccoon River Conference

Gilbert 14, Marshalltown 3
Clarke 10, Carlisle 5
Indianola 6, Ballard 1
Winterset 4, Greene County 0
Bondurant-Farrar 4, Knoxville 0