A 14-year-old Dyersville girl has died from injuries caused by a watercraft collision on Clear Lake on the 4th of July.

As the Iowa State Cyclones get set for the 2026 campaign, the program is also looking toward the future and rebuilding a program that was hit hard by departures. 

Last season, Iowa State battled a lot of injuries, but was still able to have a pretty good year. However, following the campaign coming to an end and before bowl season kicked off, the team lost head coach Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

As expected, a lot of players from the program ended up leaving, leaving the team with nearly an entire roster to rebuild. However, new head coach Jimmy Rogers has been able to come in and make a good impression early on. 

While Iowa State might not be as talented as they were last year, they have a good coach and a lot of depth. The Cyclones will be hoping that he can develop and get the most out of some of these new players, but the team certainly won’t be competing for a Big 12 title next season. 

For Iowa State, with at least this year being a rebuild for the program, they will be looking toward the future. With that comes a need to recruit well, and that is something Rogers and the staff have been impressive at so far. 

Iowa State Recruiting Class Shaping Up Nicely 

Following the four-star addition of Chuck Alexander, who flipped from the Louisville Cardinals, the 2027 recruiting class is looking really strong right now for Iowa State. According to Rivals, they rank 49th in the country right now, and that is a strong place to be for the team. 

With Alexander being the new top recruit for the team, he will be joining a class that has been highlighted by some good offensive talent so far. Running back Isaiah Hansen is regarded as a very good player at his position, and the team also has offensive lineman Will Slagle. 

With the three top recruits so far being offensive players, a future core might be starting to come together for Rogers and the program. While the team might be a bit more defensive-minded this year, there is clearly a focus on improving offensively for the future. 

Overall, with time still to go, this class could continue to get better. However, it is really encouraging to see what Rogers and the staff have been able to accomplish so far. Recruiting will be key for Iowa State to get back to where they want to be, and they are off to a strong start. 

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SOLON, IOWA — As holiday weekend crowds head to Iowa lakes and rivers, state and national law enforcement agencies are urging boaters to make safety a priority — especially when it comes to alcohol and drugs on the water.

The push is part of Operation Dry Water, a national awareness campaign aimed at deterring impaired boating, reducing alcohol and drug-related incidents, and enforcing Iowa’s boating while intoxicated laws.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say the holiday weekend is a time when they often see a spike in enforcement activity. Last year, the Iowa DNR reported interacting with more than 1,200 vessels and issued 382 citations.

Rachel Allis, the Iowa DNR’s boating education coordinator, said conditions on the water can intensify impairment.

“We don’t realize the effect the sun, water, the waves have. Simply stated, you can get dehydrated much quicker when you’re out on your boats,” Allis said. “So, all of those compounds with medication and everything else, so impaired drivers are really what we’re on the lookout for and what we’re concerned for. Nationally, about a third of all incidents occur with an impaired driver.”

At Lake Macbride State Park, boaters and paddlers said they’re also taking steps to avoid trouble on busy waterways.

“All of us love to be out here in nature and Macbride is so pretty. So, it’s just a good togetherness function,” said Angela Ranaud, who was kayaking during the holiday weekend. “Fisherman, we try to stay away from them, so we don’t interfere their catching. We try to stay away from the wakes; they tend to capsize. Other than that kayaks a pretty low danger type of sport, so we just like to be out in the water.”

Corey Scott, a holiday boater at Lake Macbride, said the lake’s horsepower restriction helps keep speeds down between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but he still watches closely for smaller craft and stressed the importance of sober operation.

“Macbride is nice and easy, 9.9 horsepower between Memorial Day and Labor Day,” Scott said. “So, that’s the nice part you don’t have people speeding up and down and everywhere, so really the only thing to look out for is anybody on paddleboats, kayaks, things like that. Again, out here people say well you’re only going 9.9 so it’s not ‘hey you can have a few beers’ and stuff like that; but that’s the main thing to be aware of. Making sure you have a sober driver and just be aware of your surroundings.”

To learn more about boater safety visit Iowa’s DNR website.