AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior guard Monté Morris has been named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, becoming the second Cyclone to earn the recognition. Morris joins Jamaal Tinsley, also a point guard, prior to the 2000-01 season as the only ISU players to be named the league’s top player in the preseason. Tinsley went on to win the award at the end of the season as well.

Morris was also the only unanimous selection to the 2016-17 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Morris, a Flint, Michigan, native, was second on the Cyclone roster as a junior averaging 13.8 points. An All-Big 12 Second Team choice, he is the top returning scorer in the league this season. He led the Big 12 in assists (6.9) and minutes played (38.0) in 2015-16, while finishing second in steals with 62. He also had the nation’s third-best assist-to-turnover ratio (4.23).

Morris starts his final season at ISU ranked No. 25 all-time at the school with 1,133 career points. He is sixth in assists (551) and eighth in steals (172), with both records well within striking distance.

The Atlantic Trojans are gearing up for a road test this week at ADM.  The Tigers come in with a 2-4 record and fresh off a win last week over Denison-Schleswig.  Atlantic is 1-5 overall and is trying to bounce back after two big losses to state rated Creston and Glenwood in back to back weeks.  Atlantic Head Coach Mike McDermott said despite the recent losses the kids are still focused and excited for their next challenge. Atlantic has really struggled to get their offense going this year and Coach McDermott hopes they can do a few different things to turn that around this week.

On the other side the ADM offense likes to spread the field out and are led by a dynamic player at the Quarterback spot in Sam McCartney.  McCartney has completed 54% of his passes this season for a total of 1,247 yards, 7 touchdowns compared to 2 interceptions.  He is also the Tigers’ leading rusher on the season and Coach McDermott knows the Trojan defense faces a unique challenge this week.

ADM Head Coach Mike Whisner says his team has become more balanced as the season has moved along but knows that McCartney is the key to the engine.

Coach Whisner sees a lot of similarities between the Denison team they faced last week and the Trojans.

We’ll have coverage of the Trojans and Tigers Friday night on KJAN! Chris Parks and Mike Smith bring you the call with the Dvorak Tire and Service Pre-Game Show at 6:30pm and Kickoff set for 7:30pm.  You can also catch our weekly pick ’em show Who’s Gonna Win? starting at 6:00pm.  Tune in on AM1220, FM101.1, online at kjan.com, or on the free KJAN mobile app.  You can also watch the game with live streaming video on our TV page at kjan.com.

The Iowa High School Girls Athletic Association released the site assignments for the 2016 Cross Country State Qualifying meets on Thursday.  These meets will be run on Thursday, October 20th around the state.

The Atlantic Boys and Girls Cross Country teams was scheduled to host their Cross Country Invite tonight at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club but the stormy weather has forced cancellation of the meet.  The meet was to be held at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club. The following was a preview: spectators can enter and park on East 22nd Street in the driving range of the course.  27 teams and 850-900 runners are expected to participate in the 6 different races.

The schedule of races is set up like this. Middle School Boys 4:00pm, Middle School Girls 4:15pm, JV Boys 4:30pm, Varsity Girls 5:00pm, Varsity Boys 5:30pm, JV Girls 6;00pm. Awards will follow all the races.

The Girls Varsity race will feature two top-10 rated teams in Dallas Center-Grimes (#8) and Denison-Schleswig (#12).  Those two teams are likely to battle for the title with Atlantic, Abraham Lincoln, Glenwood, and Shenandoah-Essex all likely battling for 3rd. Karley Larsen of Underwood is ranked 6th in 2A and is the runner to beat. Reagan Anderson of Denison-Schleswig is ranked 15th and will challenge at the top. Atlantic’s Ashely Wendt, Exira-EHK’s Emily Copic, and Riverside’s Alexis Post will be aiming for top-10 finishes.

In the Boys Varsity race Dallas Center-Grimes comes in as a big favorite and are ranked #2 in the state. Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, Atlantic, and Lewis Central are also expected to battle toward the top of the team standings. The individual title will be a good battle.  Jerry Jorgensen of Treynor is ranked 3rd in Class 1A and is likely to be near the top.  Alex Thompson of Dallas Center-Grimes (#9 in 3A), Scott Miles of Sergeant Bluff-Luton (#10 in 3A), and Tyler Bonneman of Dallas Center-Grimes (#12 in 3A) are also likely to be in contention. Phoenix Shadden and Bradley Dennis of Atlantic are likely top-10 contenders.

The Atlantic Invite also doles out a Co-Ed title for combined low score. Dallas Center-Grimes is the favorite for that crown with Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, and Atlantic all strong contenders.