IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s tennis team released its complete schedule for the 2023-24 season, it was announced Thursday by head coach Sasha Schmid. The Hawkeyes will host nine duals at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center.

SCHEDULE NOTES 

– Iowa has five dates on the fall schedule, including the Charlotte Invitational on Sept. 24-25 to open the season.  The team will play in three ITA events in October and early November before closing out the fall at the Las Vegas Invitational.

– The Hawkeyes will face eight opponents – with the possibility of playing nine – that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2023.  Iowa will face Notre Dame (Round of 32), Denver, Iowa State (Elite 8), Drake, Illinois, Wisconsin (Round of 32), Ohio State (Sweet 16) and Michigan (Elite 8) during the spring schedule.

– Iowa could also face NCAA runner-up NC State or Alabama on Jan. 28 in the ITA Kickoff event in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The Hawkeyes open the event against Clemson on Jan. 27.

– The Hawkeyes home opener is set for Feb. 9, hosting Memphis and Northern Illinois in a doubleheader at the HTRC.  Iowa’s Big Ten opener is set for March 2 at Indiana.

– The 2024 Big Ten Tournament will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from April 24-28.

Iowa returns five players for the 2023-24 season to go along with three newcomers, including LSU transfer Nikita Vishwase.  

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Four University of Iowa field hockey student-athletes — fifth-year Esme Gibson, sophomore Mia Magnotta and freshmen Lauren DeRose and Gia Whalen — have been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Watch List, it was announced Thursday by the association.

The Hawkeye quartet are among 131 collegiate student-athletes from across the country included on the watch list. It is intended to represent players with the strongest potential for consideration to the 2023 NFHCA All-Region and All-America teams.

The Hawkeyes are coming off an undefeated opening weekend at the ACC/B1G Challenge, which included a shutout victory over No. 12 Wake Forest and a 3-2 overtime win at No. 1 North Carolina.

Gibson, a midfielder from England, started in both of Iowa’s victories against ranked opponents to open the season. As a senior, Gibson was a NFHCA second-team All-American and a first-team All-West Region honoree.

Magnotta, a Forty-Fort, Pennsylvania, native, posted both wins in goal, recording the first shutout of her career vs. Wake Forest. She followed it up by tallying a career high six saves against No. 1 North Carolina in her fifth career start.

DeRose — a defender from Collegeville, Pennsylvania — and Whalen — a midfielder from Paoli, Pennsylvania — have started both games to open their collegiate careers.

No. 7 Iowa travels to Albany, New York, on Friday to face Fairfield at 1 p.m. (CT).  

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa women’s golfers — sophomores Madison Dabagia and Shannyn Vogler and freshman Xiemena Benites — have been named to the Big Ten Women’s Golfers to Watch List for the 2023-24 season.  The announcement was made Thursday by the Big Ten office.

Dabagia, who is on the Watch List for a second straight season, posted a 76.31 scoring average over 35.5 rounds during her first season as a Hawkeye.  She finished the year with two top 20 and one top 10 finish.  The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native qualified for the 123rd United States Women’s Amateur this past summer.

Vogler is on the Big Ten Watch List for a second straight season after posting a team-best 74.70 scoring average in 2022-23.  She finished the season with one top 10 and two top 20 finishes, including winning the medalist honors at the inaugural National Golf Invitational.  The Moline, Illinois, native was Iowa’s first medalist since 2018.

Benites joins the program after a stellar career in Peru, where she was honored by the Congress of Peru as the South American Pre Juvenil champion in 2021, after firing a career low of 65 (-6). Benites finished second at the South American Pre-Juvenil Championship, helping team to a gold medal, and was named “Cruz Marianista”– the best student of the year — twice.

The Hawkeyes open the fall season Sept. 17-19, traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Badger Invitational.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has announced the captains for the 2023 football season.

Seniors Easton Dean, Ben Nikkel and Gerry Vaughn are joined in the leadership role by juniors Beau Freyler and Jaylin Noel.

Easton Dean – R-Sr. – Oswego, Kan.

Dean arrived at Iowa State as a quarterback recruit and moved to tight end in 2019. He started six games last year while battling injury and is listed as an expected starter for the season opener Saturday against UNI. Dean has excelled in the classroom as well, earning Academic All-Big 12 first team honors three times.

Beau Freyler – Jr. – Colorado Springs, Colo.

A safety for the Cyclones, Freyler has started 12 games and compiled 109 tackles in 24 games. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades in 2021 and 2022. Freyler is also a leader in the classroom, being named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-District selection last season.

Ben Nikkel – R-Sr. – McPherson, Kan.

Nikkel joined the Cyclones as a walk-on in 2021 and redshirted his initial season. In 2022, he played in all 12 games as a special teams standout and in August of 2023 he was placed on scholarship. Nikkel was initially a wide receiver before moving to defensive back.

Jaylin Noel – Jr. – Kansas City, Mo.

Noel is entering his junior season as a very productive wide receiver for the Cyclones. He enters his third season with 99 career receptions for 841 yards and three career touchdowns. Noel is on the Paul Hornung Award watch list, which recognizes the most versatile player in college football. He was named to the Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team in 2021 and was an Academic All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2022.

Gerry Vaughn – R-Sr. – Atlanta, Ga.

Vaughn, a linebacker, has made 18 career starts for the Cyclones and led the team in tackles a season ago with 71. He is Iowa State’s 2023 Jack Trice Endowed Scholarship recipient and is also on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, which honors players who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society. Vaughn is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa offensive lineman Eric Steinbach will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes host Utah State on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:03 a.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on FS1.

Steinbach, who was a four-year lettermen from 1999-2002, started all 13 games at left guard on a team that won a share of the 2002 Big Ten Championship and appeared in the program’s first Bowl Championship Series invitation (Orange Bowl). Steinbach and the rest of the Hawkeye offensive line yielded only 12 sacks in 2002, a Big Ten best.

Steinbach’s efforts garnered the senior All-America honors after being named first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Associated Press, Sporting News and ESPN. He was honored as the 2002 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Steinbach was part of an offense that led the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons, leading to first-team All-Big Ten accolades in 2001 and 2002. Steinbach and the 2001 Hawkeyes won seven games, including a 19-16 triumph over Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl.

The native of Joliet, Illinois, was the first player selected in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft when he was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals. Steinbach played nine seasons in the NFL in the state of Ohio, starting 124 of 125 games for Cincinnati (2003-06) and Cleveland (2007-11).

Steinbach, who will be inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend, will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.