Iowa

Dowling Catholic’s Frye, Mauro win Class 2A state tennis doubles championship

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

Dowling Catholic’s Frye, Mauro win Class 2A state tennis doubles championship

Iowa’s best tennis players from Class 2A and 1A showcased their talents at the Iowa high school girls tennis tournament on Friday and Saturday.

The Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City was the site for 1A finals, while Johnston High School in Johnston played host to the 2A finals.

Here is a recap of the 2A and 1A finals.

Dowling Catholic’s Grace Frye, Juju Mauro take home 2A doubles title

Dowling Catholic’s Grace Frye and Juju Mauro toppled Allie Christensen and Lauren Hendrickson of Johnston to win the state doubles title in Class 2A.

After dropping their first set, 2-6, the Dowling duo bounced back with a 6-3 win in the second set. In a winner-take-all set, Frye and Mauro pulled out a 6-3 win to clinch a state title.

Their state tournament run included wins in straight sets over teams from West Des Moines Valley, Marshalltown and Waukee Northwest to earn a spot in the finals.

Katelynn Kock earns 2A singles title for Cedar Rapids Washington

Cedar Rapids Washington senior Katelyn Kock entered this year’s 2A state tournament as a doubles champion from 2022. She added a singles title to her resume with a win over Lily Holland of Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Kock earned a 6-1 advantage over Holland in the first set, then earned a 6-0 win in the second set to claim her first singles titles.

Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Gabi Fleming claims 1A singles crown

Gabi Fleming of Cedar Rapids Xavier is just a freshman, but she’s already made her mark in school history. Fleming defeated Kate Holton of Waterloo’s Columbus Catholic in straight sets (7-6, 6-1) to become the second singles titleholder in program history.

“It’s everything, it’s awesome you know? It’s great,” Fleming said.

Fleming was the top-seed heading into the state tournament. In her finals match against Holton, Fleming admitted she started off slow in the first set but picked up the pace in the second. She won all of her four matches by straight sets on her way to her first state title.

“In the first set, I was letting her dictate. I wasn’t really hitting my shots but in the second set, I was like,’ You know what, I’m just going to go for it and make things happen’,” Fleming said.

Central DeWitt’s Brooke Bloom, Isabelle Pierce win 1A doubles title

Despite entering the state tournament as an unseeded team, Brooke Bloom and Isabelle Pierce left no doubt that they were the best tandem in the 1A field. The duo from Central DeWitt defeated the top-seeded Kendall Olson and Kaitlyn Olson from Osage (4-6, 7-6, 6-3) to clinch their first state title.

“Everyone we played was so competitive, so good and every single match was a battle, every single point was a battle,” Bloom said. “We didn’t really get handed anything so I think that this is crazy and I’m really grateful to be here with Isabelle.”

After dropping the first set, Bloom and Pierce battled back. It wasn’t the first time that the duo faced adversity, having dropped their first set in the semifinal round. They said they used that experience to push them to win their last two state-winning sets.

“Every year we’ve had to prove ourselves that we were a program, that we were good enough to compete against big schools and every year we’ve came out and surprised people,” Pierce said. “I feel like we proved ourselves here and we proved that our program is an amazing program.”

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com, and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

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Iowa

Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan

Published

3 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan

After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.

He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.

According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.

Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.

Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments

As of April 21

Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

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Iowa

Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster

Published

15 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster

Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.

Here’s what to know.

When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?

The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.

What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?

During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.

Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.

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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Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.

Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.

On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.

Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.

The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.

Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.

The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.

Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.

As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews

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