Category: Sports

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Iowa volleyball completed a perfect opening weekend Sunday morning, sweeping Sacred Heart in straight sets to win the Black Knight Invitational at Christl Arena.

The Hawkeyes dispatched the Pioneers 25-20, 25-20 and 25-19, improving to 3-0 for the second consecutive season while winning their season-opening tournament for the second year in a row.

WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Iowa volleyball team improved to 2-0 Saturday afternoon with a four-set victory over UAlbany, while head coach Jim Barnes celebrated the 500th win of his coaching career.

The Hawkeyes defeated the Great Danes 25-18, 27-29, 25-16 and 25-13 inside Christl Arena at the Black Knight Invitational.

Barnes became one of just 28 active NCAA Division I head coaches to reach 500 career victories.

AMES — The UNI volleyball team dug itself out of a two-sets-to-one hole Saturday and stormed past Loyola-Chicago in five sets, earning its first victory of the 2026 season at the Cyclone Invitational.

Northern Iowa defeated the Ramblers 25-22, 17-25, 18-25, 25-8 and 16-14 at Hilton Coliseum, bouncing back after opening the season Friday with a straight-set loss to Georgia Tech.

WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Iowa volleyball team opened its 2026 season in commanding fashion Friday night, sweeping Army West Point in straight sets at Christl Arena.

The Hawkeyes never trailed in the match, defeating the Black Knights 25-23, 25-15 and 25-17 behind a dominant performance from their middle hitters.

Iowa’s middles accounted for 20 of the team’s 38 kills.

AMES — The UNI volleyball team opened the 2026 season on the wrong side of a sweep Friday, falling 3-0 to Georgia Tech in the opening match of the Cyclone Invitational at Hilton Coliseum.

The Yellow Jackets held off late UNI pushes in the first two sets before pulling away in the third, winning 25-22, 25-21 and 25-17.

Northern Iowa struggled to solve Georgia Tech’s blocking and service pressure, finishing with 30 kills and a .036 team hitting percentage.

IOWA CITY — The 11th-ranked Iowa field hockey team opened its season with a dramatic comeback Friday, erasing a three-goal deficit before knocking off No. 7 Wake Forest, 4-3, in sudden-victory overtime.

First-year Hawkeye Reine van Hoof delivered the game-winner at the 66:46 mark, scoring her first collegiate goal to complete Iowa’s stunning rally.

CEDAR FALLS — The UNI Panthers finally broke through Thursday, scoring their first goal of the season and snapping a nine-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw against St. Ambrose at the UNI Soccer Field.

AMES — The Iowa Hawkeyes seized control early and never let Iowa State breathe Thursday night, rolling to a 2-0 Cy-Hawk victory at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

Iowa dominated nearly every phase of the rivalry match, piling up a staggering 26-2 advantage in shots while holding the Cyclones without a single attempt during the second half.

CHICAGO — The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference have drawn a firm line in the rapidly changing world of college athletics, adopting new rules designed to prevent players who have crossed into professional football from returning to college teams — a move that directly affects the Iowa Hawkeyes and could soon reach Iowa State and other major programs.

The Big Ten announced Tuesday that its schools unanimously adopted a conference eligibility rule prohibiting football players from competing at a Big Ten institution if they have signed a professional contract, appeared on a professional roster at any point or declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman and failed to withdraw.

CEDAR FALLS — The UNI volleyball dynasty is expected to keep rolling in 2026, with Northern Iowa picked as the favorite to capture a fifth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship and four Panthers earning preseason all-conference honors.

UNI received nine of 11 first-place votes and 119 total points in the MVC preseason coaches poll released Monday, putting the Panthers atop the league’s preseason rankings for the fourth consecutive year.

CEDAR FALLS — The University of Northern Iowa is expanding its alcohol marketing inside the UNI-Dome with a newly branded booze station for Panther football fans—even as fewer Americans say they are drinking.

UNI Athletics announced August 25, 2026, that fans attending home football games this fall will be able to visit the new NÜTRL Zone on the north concourse of the UNI-Dome.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Iowa broke open a tight match with a four-goal second-half explosion Sunday, August 23, 2026, overwhelming UNC Greensboro 5-1 at UNCG Soccer Stadium.

AMES — Iowa State and Creighton battled through 28 fouls and seven yellow cards Sunday, August 23, 2026, but neither side could break through in a physical 0-0 draw at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

DEKALB, Ill. — Northern Iowa produced its strongest offensive numbers of the young season, but the Panthers remained unable to crack the scoreboard Sunday, August 23, 2026, falling 3-0 to Northern Illinois in their first road match of the year.

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The NIACC volleyball team opened the 2026 regular season Friday morning by going 1-1 at the OWT All-In Tournament.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Iowa women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the young season Thursday night, falling 2-0 to No. 11 Wake Forest despite outshooting the nationally ranked Demon Deacons.

The August 20, 2026, road loss dropped Iowa to 2-1 after the Hawkeyes opened the season with two dominant shutout victories in Iowa City.

AMES — The Iowa State men’s basketball team will begin the 2026-27 season without one of its most experienced young guards after sophomore Killyan Toure underwent surgery Friday for a right shoulder injury and is expected to remain out until January.

Iowa State announced August 21, 2026, that Toure’s surgery was successful.

DES MOINES — The Iowa State women’s soccer team entered Thursday night unbeaten and had yet to surrender a goal this season, but Drake quickly changed both storylines as the Bulldogs handed the Cyclones their first loss of the year, 2-0, on August 20, 2026, at Mediacom Stadium.

The defeat dropped Iowa State to 2-1 on the young soccer season, while Drake improved to 1-2

CEDAR FALLS — Freshman goalkeeper Hailey Luedtke delivered an impressive 10-save performance in her collegiate debut, but Northern Iowa could not manufacture a goal as Omaha slipped past the Panthers, 1-0, on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

AMES — Morgan Goodman had a hand in every Iowa State goal Sunday night as the Cyclones rolled past Kansas City, 4-0, in their 2026 home opener and Senior Night match at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

Iowa State improved to 2-0 on the season with the Aug. 16 victory, while Kansas City fell to 0-1.

CEDAR FALLS — The University of Northern Iowa women’s soccer team honored five seniors Sunday afternoon, but Milwaukee spoiled the celebration with a 4-0 non-conference victory at the UNI Soccer Field.

UNI recognized Jenna Scholz, Kailey O’Brien, Ella Ubben, Maya Anderson and Camille Landphair prior to the Aug. 16 match.

CEDAR FALLS — Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner will return to the University of Northern Iowa this fall as the Panthers formally retire his football jersey, highlighting a group of 14 legendary UNI athletes receiving the honor during the 2026 fall sports season.

AMES — Iowa State head football coach Jimmy Rogers has selected six players to serve as team captains as the Cyclones prepare for the 2026 season, his first at the helm in Ames.

Defensive tackle Max Baloun, cornerback David Coffey, running back Aiden Flora, quarterback Jaylen Raynor, offensive lineman Jake Taylor and defensive end Isaac Terrell will carry the captain designation for Rogers’ first Cyclone squad.

The announcement comes as Iowa State continues preparations after opening fall camp earlier this month under Rogers, who has stressed competition, toughness and leadership while putting his stamp on the program.

IOWA CITY — Five different Hawkeyes scored Saturday night as the University of Iowa women’s soccer team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Loyola (Ill.) at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

(TOP PHOTO via Iowa Athletics.)

The win improved Iowa to 2-0 on the young season and gave the Hawkeyes back-to-back shutout victories to open the year.

AMES — Former Iowa State superstar Tyrese Haliburton is coming home—and he is bringing the Indiana Pacers with him.

The Pacers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in an NBA preseason exhibition game at Hilton Coliseum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

IOWA CITY — Iowa women’s soccer wasted no time making a statement to open the 2026 season, pouring in a program-record seven goals in a 7-0 demolition of Milwaukee on Wednesday, August 12, at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

OMAHA, Neb. — Iowa State opened the 2026 women’s soccer season on a winning note Wednesday night, using Danica Lunceford’s first collegiate goal and a strong defensive effort to earn a 1-0 road victory over Omaha at Caniglia Field.

The victory gave the Cyclones a result in their season opener for the fourth consecutive year and moved Iowa State to 1-0 on the young season.

CEDAR FALLS — The University of Northern Iowa women’s soccer team opened its 2026 season with five Panthers making their collegiate debuts, but South Dakota controlled the scoreboard in a 4-0 victory Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the UNI Soccer Field.

Northern Iowa had difficulty generating sustained offensive pressure against the Coyotes, who finished with a 21-5 advantage in total shots and put nine attempts on goal compared with three for UNI.

AMES — Iowa State football officially turned its attention toward the 2026 season Wednesday morning as the Cyclones opened their first fall camp under head coach Jimmy Rogers.

The first practice featured helmets and shells rather than full pads, but Rogers wasted no time introducing younger players to the pace and expectations of the program.

TERRIL — David Dean Dingel, a longtime farmer, skilled woodworker, military veteran and active member of the Terril community, died Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at age 84.

Visitation was held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 24, 2026, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home, 1101 10th Street in Milford.

A memorial service was held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 25, 2026, at the United Methodist Church, 302 South State Street in Terril.

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team significantly reshaped its roster in mid-April by signing three high-profile newcomers, adding exceptional size, proven scoring and one of the state’s top high school prospects as head coach Ben McCollum continued building the program for the 2026-27 season.

AMES – The Iowa State women’s wrestling program has signed three more athletes. Joining the Cyclones are William Penn transfers Tatiana Paragas and Avy Perez, as well as Oklahoma State transfer Kailey Benson, head coach Alli St. John announced.