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3 keys to the game for Iowa State women’s basketball vs Utah

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3 keys to the game for Iowa State women’s basketball vs Utah


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AMES – When Iowa State women’s basketball’s long break in the Big 12 season arrived, the team had just gotten back on track.

The Cyclones picked up their fourth-straight win, had knocked off another ranked opponent and were getting some much-needed momentum.

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But the way coach Bill Fennelly looks at it, the break couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Our team needed it,” Fennelly said.

The Cyclones (18-5, 6-5 Big 12) will find out if the extended break helped when they begin an important road trip that kicks off when they travel to Utah (16-7, 7-4) for a Feb. 7 game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The 6 p.m. CT contest will be the Cyclones’ first game since a Jan. 31 win over UCF.

“I think overall it came at a good time for us,” Fennelly said.

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It’s easy to see why fans may not have wanted the break to come when it did. Iowa State just regrouped following a five-game losing streak that nearly derailed the season. The Cyclones picked up wins over Cincinnati and Arizona. They then knocked off No. 20 Texas Tech on Jan. 28.

But Fennelly believes his team needed a breather as the roster dealt with injuries. Point guard Jada Williams hadn’t been feeling well. Guard Reese Beaty had missed time with a foot injury. Fellow guard Arianna Jackson missed three games with a knee injury. Forward Addy Brown has been out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

Those injuries took thier toll on the Cyclones, with Fennelly having to go deep into his bench as they tried to get back on track. With so many players dealing with so many things, simply practicing had gotten difficult. The time off allowed them to get some rest and regroup.

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“We had some kids that were physically wobbling and the rest probably outweighed anything,” Fennelly said.

Players got the day after the win over UCF off. The team had light workouts over the next two days and then got another day off. Fennelly hopes that by keeping them off their feet for some time, the Cyclones will be able to sprint to the finish line of the regular season.

It could be a mad dash for Iowa State, which may still be trying to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. At the very least, the Cyclones will be trying to improve their seeding. There will be tons of shots to impress with seven regular season games remaining. The next few days will be huge with road games at Utah and then at BYU on Feb. 10.

“Definitely huge,” said Iowa State senior Sydney Harris.

Here are three things to keep an eye on during the Cyclones’ trip to Utah.

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Don’t overlook Utah

Utah’s record doesn’t stand out, but the Utes’ resume certainly does. Utah took down now No. 12 TCU in overtime back on Jan. 3. The Utes also toppled West Virginia, currently ranked No. 20, on Jan. 27. They’re also coming off a 67-57 win at UCF. So, it won’t be an easy matchup for Iowa State.

Can the Cyclones survive the extended road trip?

This will be an important stretch for Iowa State, which won’t be home for a while. The Cyclones play at Utah on Feb. 7 and then travel to BYU on for a game on Feb. 10. Iowa State won’t make the trip back to Ames in between games. The next time the Cyclones play in Ames will be on Feb. 15 against Kansas State. Iowa State has had mixed results on the road, going 3-3 in true road games this season, though they are 2-0 in neutral-site games.

Will there be any rust to shake off for Iowa State women’s basketball?

The Cyclones are coming off one of their uglier wins of the season, a 65-62 victory over UCF on Jan. 31. Iowa State was in control for most of the game, but it still wasn’t pretty. It shot just 25% (9-of-36) from 3-point range and only 54.5% (6-of-11) from the free throw line.

So, with the ugly win and the long layoff, who knows what to expect from Iowa State early on?

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer

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Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer


As we work through the month of June, things are starting to heat up on the diamond around Iowa high school baseball.

With the start of postseason play just around the corner in July, teams are working to get prepared for the stretch run.

High School On SI Iowa has a Top 25 state power ranking while the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases weekly class-by-class rankings.

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Here are leaders as of June 17, 2026 for several major hitting and pitching categories. Stats are from those uploaded to the Bound website.

Iowa High School Baseball Leaders

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Home Runs

  • Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 9
  • Colton Roemmich, West Des Moines Valley, 9
  • Brandon Bea, Davenport North, 8
  • Kamden Jorgensen, Saydel, 8
  • Gabe Blanshan, Urbandale, 7

Running Batted In

  • Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 38
  • West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic, 37
  • Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 36
  • Chance Georgius, Roland-Story, 34
  • Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 34

Stolen Bases

  • Aiden Ferry, Roland-Story, 38
  • Tate Garman, Algona, 33
  • Titan Foster, Nodaway Valley, 32
  • Tate Moulton, Grand View Christian, 30
  • Cael Wishman, Baxter, 29

Runs Scored

  • Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 45
  • Aiden Frey, Roland-Story, 43
  • Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 41
  • Kolton Schiltz, Fort Dodge, 40
  • Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39

Hits

  • Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
  • Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 38
  • Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 36
  • Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 35
  • Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 34

Doubles

  • Joe Nilles, Sioux City North, 13
  • Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 13
  • Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 12
  • Brett Harris, Western Dubuque, 12
  • Brooks Bond, Lewis Central, 11

Triples

  • Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 7
  • Will Nesler, Ankeny Centennial, 5
  • Jacob Pierro, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 5
  • Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 5
  • Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 4

Total Bases

  • Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 68
  • Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 68
  • Bryce Pauly, Davenport North, 67
  • Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 65
  • Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 62

Pitching Wins

  • Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 9
  • Chase White, Dyersville Beckman Catholic, 7
  • Colton Moffit, Baxter, 7
  • Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 6
  • Aidan Nielsen, Don Bosco, 6

Earned Run Average (min. 18 innings pitched)

  • Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 0.00
  • Luke Vestal, Pleasantville, 0.00
  • Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, 0.24
  • Will Litton, Iowa City Regina Catholic, 0.25
  • Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center, 0.26

Strikeouts

  • Colton Moffit, Baxter, 85
  • Brody Wangsness, North Butler, 75
  • Lincoln Roethler, Denver, 71
  • Owen Klocksiem, Louisa-Muscatine, 67
  • Cooper Chizek, Emmetsburg, 65

Opponents Batting Average Against (min. 18 innings pitched)

  • Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, .017
  • Jack Wedemeier, Waverly-Shell Rock, .065
  • Teagan Brunk, Shenandoah, .069
  • Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, .072
  • Bronx Siebersma, MVAOCOU, .075

Saves

  • Beckham Simon, West Liberty, 4
  • Deacon Kucera, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4
  • Graham Rima, Pleasant Valley, 4
  • Gavin de Jesus, Waukee, 4
  • Easton Goodwin, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, 3

Innings Pitched

  • Colton Moffit, Baxter, 43
  • Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 38.2
  • Owen Galvin, Denison-Schleswig, 38
  • Tallon Crandall, Carroll, 37.1
  • Austin Remster, Melcher-Dallas, 37.1

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Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

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Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map


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Drought conditions in Iowa improved for a second consecutive week, though areas of moderate drought expanded in parts of the state.

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday. What are the current drought conditions in Iowa?

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U.S. Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?

The latest Drought Monitor report, released on Thursday, June 18, showed about 46% of Iowa experiencing some form of drought. This continues the streak of conditions improving week to week in Iowa. The previous report, released on June 11, showed that 63% of the state was experiencing some form of drought.

The most recent report reflects conditions as of 8 a.m. June 16, right as storms were sweeping through Iowa, with parts of eastern Iowa seeing more than 2 inches of rainfall. Light rainfall on June 17 led to areas like Iowa City and Burlington reporting around an inch of rain.

Here is the breakdown of current drought conditions in Iowa:

  • 61% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no drought conditions
  • 39% of Iowa is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
  • 7% of Iowa is experiencing moderate drought conditions
  • 0% of Iowa is experiencing severe drought conditions

Even though drought conditions have improved overall in Iowa, the area experiencing moderate drought increased from the week of June 11, particularly in northern Iowa. Much of Cerro Gordo, Hancock and Kossuth counties are under D1 conditions, with nearby Palo Alto, Winnebago, Floyd and Mitchell also in moderate drought.

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Pockets of moderate drought also persist along the northwest edge of Iowa in Lyon, Sioux and Plymouth counties. In eastern Iowa, Jackson, Clinton and Scott counties saw their moderate drought status ease week to week.

Most of the U.S. is facing drought conditions

About 73% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought, a 2-percentage-point improvement from the prior week. Some of the most intense drought conditions are in the southeast and the mountain west.

Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday.

The intensity levels range from abnormally dry, or D0, to exceptional drought, or D4.

Typically with D0 conditions, corn can show drought stress. Pond levels start to decline under moderate drought conditions and soybeans abort pods, according to the Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor also has a look-back chart that compares drought conditions from 3 months ago up to 1 year ago.

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Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.



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Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

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Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest


Confirmed tornadoes were reported in Illinois and Iowa Wednesday night as severe weather descended on a large swath of the Midwest.

According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado was reported near the small northeast Iowa community of Harpers Ferry at 5:10 p.m., while a second confirmed tornado rolled through Charleston in central Illinois at about 6:40 p.m. local time.

Both tornadoes were flagged by the weather service as a “particularly dangerous situation,” a rare designation used by the weather service for environments in which “strong and violent tornadoes” are possible.

Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extensive damage in Charleston, with downed trees and power lines. Hail that measured 2.75 inches was also reported in the Charleston area, according to the weather service.

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“There are a large number of trees blocking roadways throughout Charleston at this time,” Charleston police said in a Facebook post. “Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not drive or attempt to go anywhere.”

The city of Charleston later declared a local state of emergency. 

Damage after a tornado struck Charleston, Illinois, on June 17, 2026. 

Cameron Craig

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One cell phone video captured the terrifying moments what appeared to be a large tornado tore through Effingham, Illinois, located about 40 miles southwest of Charleston.

Larry Thies, coordinator for the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News that initial information indicated damaged buildings, trailers, and downed power lines and trees. He said officials were working to set up an emergency operations center, but were facing challenges because internet was down in the area.

Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

Cell phone video of a tornado in Effingham, Illinois, on June 17, 2026. 

Laura Gaynor / Chris Chittick


The extent of the damage to region was still unclear. There was no immediate word of injuries or fatalities. CBS News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano said there were at least seven reported tornadoes during the weather event.

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According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, at least 55,000 customers were without power in Illinois.

Earlier Wednesday, Marciano reported that more than 125 million Americans were facing severe weather advisories, including the Gulf Coast states, which were under flood alerts due to Tropical Storm Arthur. Speaking on “CBS Evening News,” Marciano said such ripe tornado conditions were rare for June.

“This is unique for June, this is unusual to have such a strong jet stream just screaming across the country, then you’ve got the summertime tropical moisture coming in…and then some cold air coming in,” Marciano said. “And winds coming at different direction, at different levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is really the high probability of seeing, not just tornadoes, but intense tornadoes of EF2 strength or higher on the ground for a long time. And also damaging winds at 75 mph or higher, and of course big time hail.”



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