Iowa

Campbell touts ISU’s poise as late FG sinks Iowa

Published

1 year ago

September 7, 2024

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Campbell touts ISU’s poise as late FG sinks Iowa

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterSep 7, 2024, 09:30 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Matt Campbell was seething.

The Iowa State coach paced the sideline at Kinnick Stadium in the third quarter Saturday, incensed by a special teams blunder in a game that had been filled with them for his team. Campbell lit into an assistant. He dropped his play sheet and picked it up, before resuming the screaming.

“Our kids’ poise was probably better than their head coach’s,” Campbell later admitted.

Campbell became so wound up because he felt the Cyclones once again were “teetering on the edge” of being out of the game against No. 21 Iowa, a chief rival and a team that had often brought out the worst in Iowa State during Campbell’s successful tenure.

But the Cyclones bounced back, erasing deficits of 13 and 12 points and rallying to win 20-19 following Kyle Konrardy’s 54-yard field goal with six seconds to play. The victory was Iowa State’s second straight at Iowa as it improved to 2-6 in the Cy-Hawk series under Campbell.

“The teams that have elite success in our sport, it still takes mental toughness, I don’t care if it’s Georgia or Ohio State or if it’s Iowa State,” Campbell said. “That’s the best I’ve seen at Iowa State in my time here, having the ability to respond in a football game in an environment like this. I’ve never seen it.”

Iowa State finished the first half with 101 yards, zero third-down conversions, five penalties — mostly of the pre-snap variety — one turnover and no points. The Cyclones started two drives inside their own 6-yard line, which prevented them from even launching their offensive game plan.

But Iowa couldn’t fully capitalize, twice settling for field goals inside the ISU 6-yard line. When Cyclones cornerback Darien Porter intercepted a cross-field throw from Iowa’s Cade McNamara, a switch flipped.

“My freshman year, I used to guard him all the time, and he was tough to guard at receiver,” cornerback Myles Purchase said. “To see him be able to do this in his senior year, his last year, to be able to perform like this is something special.”

Iowa State went 75 yards in nine plays, scoring on a 3-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Jayden Higgins against an Iowa defense that hadn’t allowed a point through its first six-plus quarters. Then, after Iowa responded with a touchdown, Becht found Jaylin Noel for a 75-yard score.

“We wanted to be more aggressive in that second half, because we thought we were pushing the ball in the first, just couldn’t get over those little humps, the pre-snap operations,” Becht said. “We couldn’t really get past the 50-yard line, so we had to pivot a little bit.”

The Cyclones maintained an assertive approach on the game’s decisive possession, down 19-17 with no timeouts and the ball at their 22-yard line. Becht found Noel streaking up the sideline for 30 yards, a late-game play that ISU had not practiced all week but kept stored for the right moment.

Konrardy had not attempted a field goal in a game before Saturday, while wowing teammates and coaches during practice with a leg that can connect from more than 60 yards. He missed a 41-yard attempt before halftime, but Campbell wasn’t worried, grateful to only be down 13 and with full faith in Konrardy.

The redshirt freshman hit easily from 46 yards early in the fourth quarter and was called upon again with nine seconds to play. As he walked out, Becht reminded him: “This is just like practice.”

“Not think,” Konrardy said of his pre-kick routine. “That’s it. Just go out there, not think and do what you do.”

Iowa State recorded its largest comeback since 2020, when it trailed Baylor by 14 points, and its biggest on the road since 2017, when it dug out of a 14-point hole to stun No. 3 Oklahoma. The rally also marked ISU’s biggest against Iowa since 2002, when the Cyclones came from 17 points down to beat a Hawkeye team that went 11-2 and finished No. 8 nationally.

“We talk in our own program, it’s a law of progression, nothing ever just goes straight to success,” Campbell said. “You’re going to have failures, you’re going to have blips, but the great teams, man, the special ones, they can make those down moments blips and get right back on the road to success. For our kids to be able to show that, in this environment, against this football team, it’s really impressive.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz returned Saturday from a one-game suspension stemming from a recruiting violation, entering the field in warmups as 50 Cent’s “Many Men” played in the stadium. Ferentz said he remained committed to McNamara, who completed just 13 of 29 passes for 99 yards and had just 19 passing yards after halftime.

“It’s a big game for everybody in the state, certainly no bigger than the players on both sides and the coaches,” Ferentz said. “After a loss like this, it’s tough. There’s not much you can say to make anybody feel any better.”

The Cyclones had experienced plenty of bad feelings in the series under Campbell, but Saturday’s win could propel them toward bigger goals.

“Whenever we would get down in this game, we knew in our hearts that we would be able to come back,” Purchase said. “None of us got down. That’s a big growth from what we’ve had in the past.”

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Iowa

Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS − The undefeated start to the Iowa women’s wrestling program has ended after the Hawkeyes lost a dual for the first time in program history at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 10.

A 40-5 win over William Jewell College and a 39-3 victory over Sacred Heart set up a major semifinal clash with rival North Central College on Jan. 10.

Iowa won six of 10 matches in the semifinals. Karlee Brooks beat national runner-up Yele Aycock by a 8-4 decision, 138-pounder Skye Realin defeated a former national champion by a 6-6 score on criteria in Claire Dicugno with a four-point throw at the buzzer, Reese Larramendy knocked off No. 1 ranked and former Hawkeye teammate Bella Mir in a 10-4 decision at 145 and 180-pounder Kylie Welker wrestled and won in just her second match back after a period of rest to start the season.

All of those wins helped put Iowa in front, 21-18, going into the final bout at 207 pounds.

What did the Hawkeyes in was losses by fall at 110, 124 and 207. The 207 loss, with Dasia Yearby pinning Jaycee Foeller in the first period, gave North Central a 23-21 victory despite the Cardinals dropping six of 10 matches. North Central also scored team points in nine of 10 bouts because they scored match points and did not lose by fall.

As a result, the Iowa program’s 42-0 unblemished record in duals was broken.

The final result was eerily similar to the dual between the two teams at the same tournament two years ago, where the Hawkeyes also lost six of 10 bouts, but got crucial bonus points and at least one team point in all 10 bouts to escape with a 21-20 win.

Iowa women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun emphasized to her team two years ago that every point mattered in the win. This time around, it worked against them as the Cardinals got the upset victory.

“Every point does matter,” Chun said. “You can’t replicate those moments in those times, in certain moments and positions. We got to be better at finishing, that’s apparent. We can get to the legs, but we got to continue to wrestle through that to the strong finish.”

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

Chun said the emotions were raw afterwards, with wrestlers in and out of the lineup taking the loss to heart. Welker, who won her bout 8-2 against Jael Miller, took it hard since she nearly had a pin that could have flipped the final result.

“There was a lot of us that felt it was hard to take a loss, especially for me, and there was a couple other girls that took it pretty hard,” Welker said. “I have girls that look to me, so I’m like, ‘I got to pull myself together and step forward with them, alongside them so we can finish this tournament.’”

Ultimately, the Hawkeyes finished with a win in the third-place bout shortly after by defeating a solid Grand Valley State team, 26-15. The main difference, they said, was the positive energy exuded from the coaching staff to not harp on the past and look for the next best thing.

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

While the loss brings an unfamiliar feeling to the program, it’s something they knew would come eventually. While it was their main rival today, McKendree will also present a tough challenge to the field when the NCAA Championships come in March.

Behind stars Welker and Kennedy Blades, rising wrestlers like Brooks and Realin, as well as proven veterans in Larramendy, Brianna Gonzalez and Foeller, Iowa will have a good chance to win a third-consecutive team title this season.

Even in a crushing loss, they got some key wins from those like Realin, Larramendy and Brooks that bode well for the Hawkeyes in the future. The places they faltered were spots they’ll have confidence to bounce back or won’t apply come the NCAA Championships, like Nyla Valencia’s loss by fall after controlling most of the bout at 110 pounds, and Welker and Blades giving up team points in their matches.

Regardless, the third-place finish served as a reminder to the program and fans alike that this year is going to bring Iowa’s toughest challenge yet.

“Everyone on our team knows it, this sport has depth,” Chun said. “There are great wrestlers across the entire country.”

Iowa women’s wrestling’s results at NWCA National Duals

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker’s National Duals press conference

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker discusses program’s first loss

Round of 16: Iowa 40, William Jewell College 5

103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Juliana Alejandro (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
110 – Nyla Valencia (Iowa) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
117 – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) over Harlee Hiller (Iowa) Fall 1:04
124 – Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) over Miyah Palacios (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
131 – Emily Frost (Iowa) over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
138 – Lilly Luft (Iowa) over Zainab Ibrahim (William Jewell College) Fall 2:01
145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Mckinzie Ross (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Paige Barber (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
180 – Katja Osteen (Iowa) over Jianna Chavez (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
207 – Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) over Desiree Hall (William Jewell College) TF 10-0

Quarterfinal: Iowa 39, Sacred Heart University 3

103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) Fall 0:54
110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Tiffany Stoshak (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Tatiana Walker (Sacred Heart) TF 11-0
124 – Cali Leng (Iowa) over Lauren Nguyen (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
131 – Bella Williams (Iowa) over Bella Sowards (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Elleahna Anderson (Sacred Heart) Fall 2:21
145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Selena Sifuentes shaffer (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Love Daley (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
207 – Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart) over Libby Dix (Iowa) Dec 5-2

Semifinal: North Central College 23, Iowa 21

103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Brianne Graves (North Central College) TF 12-0
110 – Kaelani Shufeldt (North Central College) over Nyla Valencia (Iowa) Fall 5:38
117 – Riley Rayome (North Central College) over Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) Dec 3-3
124 – Sara Sterner (North Central College) over Cali Leng (Iowa) Fall 1:45
131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Yele Aycock (North Central College) Dec 8-4
138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Claire Dicugno (North Central College) Dec 6-6
145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Bella Mir (North Central College) Dec 10-4
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Taylor Graveman (North Central College) TF 11-1
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Jael Miller (North Central College) Dec 8-2
207 – Dasia Yearby (North Central College) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 1:38

Third-place dual: Iowa 26, Grand Valley State 15

103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) Dec 7-0
110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Kiely Tabaldo (Grand Valley State) Dec 6-0
117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Libby Roberts (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
124 – Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) over Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) Fall 0:37
131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) Dec 8-3
138 – Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) over Lilly Luft (Iowa) TF 10-0
145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State) Fall 3:45
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Maddison Ward (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
207 – Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 4:47

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

Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup

Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter is back and feels better than ever | The Gazette

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Iowa

Semi-truck crash causes Iowa power outage impacting hundreds

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Semi-truck crash causes Iowa power outage impacting hundreds

TAMA COUNTY, Iowa — A pair of power outages left more than 700 people without power in Tama County Friday afternoon.

Alliant Energy says the larger outage, just north of Garwin, was caused by a semi-truck striking one of their power poles. That outages impacted 690 customers as of 5 p.m. Friday.

The smaller outage impacted roughly 36 people in Tama. The outage was caused by equipment needing repairs.

Alliant says crews are on site and working to fix both outages.

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