Iowa

3 takeaways from Northern Iowa wrestling media day

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2024

Press Room

3 takeaways from Northern Iowa wrestling media day

CEDAR FALLS — There’s a good amount to be excited about for Northern Iowa wrestling fans.

Nine of the 10 postseason starters for the Panthers return after UNI finished in 14th at the NCAA Championships, one place behind the program’s best all-time finish under Doug Schwab. Perhaps even more uplifting, the squad returns all seven of its NCAA qualifiers, including reigning 184-pound national champion Parker Keckeisen.

At media day Monday afternoon, reporters got the chance to catch up with the coaching staff and wrestlers. Here are the biggest takeaways ahead of their season, which begins Saturday at the Grand View Open in Grimes.

1. Northern Iowa’s culture keeps roster intact

Northern Iowa had no transfers off its roster and no transfers into its roster in the offseason. Only Tyrell Gordon graduated from last season’s team. Not many programs can say that, especially at the Division I level.

“Everyone gets this now, there’s no kids out there, no one is loyal anymore… come to my team, want to go down my roster,” Schwab said. “We got loyal men who are bought in and believe in something bigger than themselves. That’s why we didn’t have anybody leave last year.”

In an age where guys transfer in and out and flip commitments more than ever, the Panthers’ loyalty is evident in words and actions. Perhaps none more so than Keckeisen, who Schwab says could have had every opportunity to find a new home if he wanted it. For Keckeisen, however, the level of care from the staff is greater than any other opportunity he might have elsewhere.

“Whether it’s girlfriend things, life things or your car broke down, they’re going to be there for you,” Keckeisen said. “They’re more than just coaches. You can’t put a price tag on that.”

Given the amount of individual success the Panthers had last season, whether it be Big 12 Champion Ryder Downey as a freshman or Jared Simma’s incredible run to the NCAA quarterfinals, many of UNI’s wrestlers could have fetched a hefty price tag.

The reason they all stayed is the level of care and investment from coaches that has kept the roster intact in what is a free-flowing, increasingly transactional world.

2. Parker Keckeisen ready for matchup with Carter Starocci

UNI’s Parker Keckeisen discusses matchup with Carter Starocci

Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen discusses matchup with Carter Starocci, season ahead

After securing bonus-point victories in each of his matches at NCAAs and going undefeated on his way to a national title, Keckeisen will face the toughest test of his career this year. Penn State’s Carter Starocci, a four-time NCAA champ, makes his way to 184 pounds.

Keckeisen will wrestle him in an exhibition Saturday at the NWCA All-Star Classic. It seems like an inevitability, as well, that they will meet in the NCAA Finals in March.

While some could pout or avoid that challenge, Keckeisen is relishing the chance to compete.

“He’s one of the best wrestlers in the country… in the world,” Keckeisen said. “I think I’m up there, but an opportunity to test your skills against one of the best guys in the country, you got to take that opportunity.”

This undoubtedly is the best matchup of the year across college wrestling, and will likely determine the Dan Hodge Trophy winner.

3. Colin Realbuto embracing fatherhood, final season at UNI

There will be a couple of changes in the lineup, with Lance Runyon going to heavyweight and Colin Realbuto returning from an Olympic redshirt.

The biggest life-altering change, however, is that Realbuto became a father this offseason.

Wrestling at a series in Croatia as a warmup to the Olympic Trials Qualifier, Realbuto tore his ACL and knew he’d miss his chance to compete for Italy at the Olympics. While he sulked in a hotel room, he got a FaceTime call from his fiancé, Meredith, with a positive pregnancy test.

Now, Realbuto comes into the season with a bigger purpose: wrestling for his daughter, Georgia, and having a blast with her in his final season. That opportunity, while tough, is something he thanks his fiancé for ahead of what should be a strong season for the 149-pounder when he returns from injury.

“It’s been awesome, mostly because Meredith’s been a freaking trooper,” Realbuto said. “She’s taking the brunt of it. I got to give her credit because I’m gone all day at practice and at class, so I can’t do much during the day. She’s got no complaints, just taking it on. I really appreciate that, because without that, I wouldn’t be able to put as much time in on the wrestling mat and in class as I am now.”

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

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Iowa

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

Published

8 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

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.

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

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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Iowa

Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

Published

18 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

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?

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.

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.

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

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

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.

“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

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.

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.

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.”

Nikki Nolan

contributed to this report.