This week the Atlantic Trojans Cross Country regular season begins. The 2024 season brings a mixed bag of returning runners and a multitude of new faces for a total of 32 athletes. Atlantic Head Cross Country Coach Dan Vargason commented that this year’s combination has a greener group who are quickly picking up the completive culture of Trojan Cross Country.

Junior Katrina Williams is one of the Atlantic runners that has seen this steady stream of improvement for the Trojans.

Williams is not alone in her observations of this team continuing to build positive momentum. Senior runner Megan Birge is another runner who has seen her team unify and learn to better uplift one another.

On the boys side senior Luke Irlmeier is looking forward to Saturday’s season opener at Glenwood. Irlmeier is hoping that his teammates continue to clean up their times and strengthen the discipline of being focused throughout the entire meet.

Coach Vargason explained that the 2024 team has different goals than previous years, but are still determined to enhance their times at each meet.

The meet at Glenwood on Saturday will begin at 9:00 AM

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says it will be business as usual for him in practice this week. Ferentz is suspended for Saturday’s opener against Illinois State for a recruiting violation and assistant head coach Seth Wallace will lead the team. Ferentz says the coaching staff always goes over game situations in a Thursday meeting.

Ferentz says while Wallace has the final call in the game a coaches role is most important in practice.

Ferentz is hoping to see progress from the offense under new coordinator Tim Lester.

Former Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack is the longtime coach at Illinois State. The Redbirds are ranked 20th in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says season openers make football unique. The Cyclones take lofty expectations into Saturday’s season opener against North Dakota.

Campbell says the opener always features a lot of question marks.

While excited by the season opener Campbell says the Cyclones should approach this game no different than the others.

Campbell says North Dakota will be a physical challenge.

Campbell says the Fighting Hawks won’t be intimidated.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Big Ten Conference announced the opponent rotation for the 2024-25 wrestling season on Tuesday.

The University of Iowa will host Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois and Ohio State inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will travel for road duals against Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State and Maryland.
The complete schedule will be released once finalized.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa head baseball coach Rick Heller has announced the addition of two former Major League Baseball players and Iowa alumni to his coaching staff on Tuesday. Tyler Cropley will join the Hawkeyes as a student assistant and Wes Obermueller joins as Director of Player Development.

Cropley played for Heller and the Hawkeyes from 2017-18. He hit a team-best .342 with 20 doubles, nine home runs, 50 RBIs and 43 runs scored as a senior. He was a named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award.

Cropley was selected in the eighth round of the 2018 Major League Draft by the Washington Nationals with the 251st pick. He was the first Hawkeye catcher drafted in top eight rounds since 1972.

The Sioux City, Iowa, native made his MLB debut on August 19, 2023, for the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in two games for the Royals.

Obermueller played for Iowa from 1997-1999 before being selected by Kansas City in the second round of the MLB Draft. In 1999 he had a 6.83 ERA while recording 91 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings. He also had a .352 batting average with 24 RBIs. Obermueller started his career at Iowa as a shortstop and then a right fielder before making his debut on the mound as a junior. He locked down a spot in the starting rotation in 1999.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native made his major league debut on September 20, 2002, and played parts of five seasons in the big leagues (Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins) starting 48 games and appearing in 80. He had a 5.82 ERA over 315 1/3 innings tallying 166 strikeouts.

He also pitched for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League and the Samsung Lions of the KBO League.

Obermueller is the father of junior LHP Cade Obermueller.