Iowa
Northern Iowa Wrestling Perseveres Despite Facility Instability – FloWrestling
The clock on the freshly painted white wall is ticking toward noon on the final day of September and Doug Schwab is yelling instructions to his Northern Iowa wrestlers.
His commands are filled with messages about opportunity and response — words the Panthers have been putting into action in recent weeks.
Their longtime home — the West Gym — has been condemned, forcing Schwab and his team to pack up and move a couple miles off campus to a training facility that’s been remodeled in short order.
The building belongs to Shawn Kelly, a former Northern Iowa wrestler and the president of Black Hawk Roof Company, and everything about the place is blue collar. On this day, weights are scattered on the cement outside in an area the Panthers have dubbed “The Yard.” Nearby are pallets of shingles, barrels of adhesive and a forklift parked on a trailer.
The construction still continues inside. For the past two decades, the Kelly family has run the USA Mat Club out of here.
“It’s a community club,” Shawn Kelly said.
The family intentionally left Cedar Falls out of the club name because they wanted wrestlers from other communities to feel welcome. Kelly’s son, Michael, an NCAA qualifier at Iowa, trained here. So did Waterloo East’s Kyven Gadson, who went on to win an NCAA title at Iowa State.
“We had kids from all over coming in there, and if kids couldn’t afford it, we didn’t care, they still got in,” Shawn Kelly said. “It’s not a money issue.”
When Northern Iowa locked down the West Gym in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwab called the Kellys and they opened the USA Mat Club doors for the Panthers.
This is where Schwab again turned in July when his team was forced to find a temporary training facility after structural engineers deemed the West Gym unsafe for occupancy.
It was initially supposed to be a two-week stay at the USA Mat Club while engineers worked to brace the east wall at the West Gym. But efforts to stabilize the wall were unsuccessful, and the Panthers were left looking for a training facility to replace the building they called home for nearly 100 years.
“For me, this made a whole lot of sense,” Schwab said. “For one, we had already been in here, we had been able to train here. The possibilities of it, you see the room. We have more mat space than we had in the West Gym. That’s a huge thing having more space where we get to work on our craft. I don’t know any other space where we’d have that right now.”
The school offered the wrestling program the option of moving into the Wellness and Recreation Center just north of the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center, where the Panthers wrestled their home duals last season. But Schwab wanted a place his team could call home, something that felt more like a traditional wrestling room and a place his athletes could access 24 hours a day, if necessary.
“That’s something that wasn’t going to be able to happen on campus in the situation we were in,” he said. “To me, there was so much benefit (to moving into the USA Mat Club).”
The transformation of USA Mat Club in Cedar Falls: Northern Iowa wrestling’s current training headquarters pic.twitter.com/RMHgl4oBKy
— Andy Hamilton (@Andy_Hamilton) October 2, 2023
Future Plans For The Panthers
While the weeks passed and the Panthers started settling into their new digs, questions began to surface about Northern Iowa’s commitment to its wrestling program. Why wasn’t the school better prepared for the demise of a facility built in 1925? Why weren’t administrators articulating short- and long-term plans for the program to the public? Is the program’s future any more stable than the West Gym walls?
“The West Gym has been having issues for a few years and no one thought about a possible short- and a definite long-term solution for a wrestling facility?” said Gary Steffensmeier, a three-time All-American for the Panthers. “That is unacceptable and doesn’t make sense.”
While Schwab opted to remain focused on the perseverance of the Panthers, others around him seethed over the fact the program was left scrambling to find a new home.
“I am deeply disappointed and frustrated,” said Northern Iowa graduate, wrestling donor and UNI Foundation trustee Sandy Stevens. “This outstanding program should never have been placed in this situation. I hope that going forward, UNI administrators will give it the respect and support it deserves.”
It appears that’s what’s happening.
After Schwab outlined his vision for the future home of the Panthers during an interview with Flowrestling on Saturday, the Northern Iowa coach was asked if other key stakeholders on campus share that same vision and if the program is on solid footing.
“Absolutely,” he said. “That’s what’s to come. There’s a press release coming out. I’m getting in front of it a little bit. But I can tell you from the alums and guys I’ve talked to, the silence has kind of been deafening as far as are we on solid footing, are we on solid ground?
“I talk to my bosses and it’s, ‘Absolutely, look at what you’ve done with the program. Look at how these guys represent the program. Look at the GPA and we’ve got a guy (Parker Keckeisen) in the (2023 NCAA) finals and these guys are beating teams like Ohio State.’ In that respect, it’s not a thought. But to the wrestling community, I think that’s something you need to make sure you’re very clear (about) because it’s happened before and in our world that’s definitely a concern. The press release that’s coming out is certainly going to help squash that.”
Schwab indicated that school officials are eyeing a standalone facility on campus. He envisions a place that has West Gym elements intertwined with modern amenities. In a perfect world, he’d like to see Northern Iowa eventually move into its next 100-year home.
For now, the Panthers have tried to replicate the West Gym as much as possible. In the past month, they’ve installed their purple and gold mats in their temporary home. The team repainted the walls and the Black Hawk Roof Company crew knocked out a wall, creating enough space for nearly four full mats — roughly 25-percent more mat space than they had at the West Gym.
“It’s been a whirlwind of getting things done, but I saw a vision of what this place could be for us and our guys and I shared that with them,” he said. “As soon as I felt like the West Gym was done, it was time for us to move forward.”
A few projects still need to be completed. Weight racks and plates sit alongside the mats and there’s a wall mat section that still needs to be tacked up. Kelly is installing two rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning units this week and he plans to remodel the locker room area.
It’s beginning to feel like home for the Panthers. This is where they’ll likely be for the next two or three years, and they’re moving forward.
“That’s what I’m going to echo and continue to talk about and what I’m probably most proud of,” Schwab said. “Our guys have responded very well. They haven’t played victim to this thing. They haven’t put their head down in any way. They’ve controlled what they could and they’ve taken it as a challenge that we’ll be stronger from this.”
Iowa
Iowa football isn’t always pretty, but because of Kirk Ferentz, it has punched above its weight class
IOWA CITY, Iowa — In unseasonably warm air and beneath a blueish haze over Kinnick Stadium, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz took a moment to himself with two minutes left and his team wrapping up a 40-16 win against Washington.
Ferentz stood apart from his team on the sideline with his headset on as his offense huddled during the media timeout. On the video board, his picture appeared. Public address announcer Mark Abbott relayed that Ferentz was about to win his 200th game as Iowa’s head coach, passing Amos Alonzo Stagg for second in Big Ten history. The crowd stood and applauded, and Ferentz acknowledged them with a wave.
GO DEEPER
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz earns 200th career win as Big Ten coach
Tight end Luke Lachey gave him a hug, as did running back Kaleb Johnson. Backup quarterback Marco Lainez III shook his hand. With 33 seconds left, Ferentz walked to the TigerHawk at midfield, shook hands with Washington counterpart Jedd Fisch and completed an interview with Fox Sports. More subdued than emotional, Ferentz jogged off the playing surface, up the tunnel and into Iowa’s locker room where his players welcomed him with a water bottle shower.
Sunshine and 70-degree days — literally or figuratively — rarely have followed Ferentz into October in his coaching career, so the picturesque autumn setting was abnormal for college football’s longest-tenured coach. However, how Ferentz and the Hawkeyes responded to a 35-7 loss to Ohio State last week went entirely by script.
There are two defining characteristics through the highs and lows of Ferentz’s 26 years at Iowa: One, his players trust him and believe in him. The other truth is, no football coach — thus, no program — responds better to adversity than Ferentz and his Hawkeyes.
Ferentz’s entire career has revolved around continual improvement. And Iowa has gone very far following Ferentz’s ethos.
“He’s the same person every day,” said left tackle Mason Richman, who is in his fifth season. “He brings the same exact energies. You know exactly what to expect from him, no matter what the scoreboard says.”
Iowa rarely recruits five-star players and mostly signs three-star prospects. Only once in his career did Iowa finish in the top 15 in national recruiting, and that was in 2005. The Hawkeyes are a low-offer program because they heavily research character in recruiting. They want high achievers with good grades who were team captains in multiple sports. To Ferentz and his staff, those players invest themselves and improve others.
“I feel like we recruit the type of the right type of guys,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said. “We just don’t have selfish guys in the locker room. So when you have good guys who understand what a team should look like, and then you also have a good leader, it’s easy to stand together. I just think this team, this program, anytime there’s adversity, we only get closer.”
Those types of players are built to handle challenges, and Iowa continues to have the right coach to navigate them through it. The examples in Ferentz’s era abound.
• In 2016, the Hawkeyes gave up 599 yards in a 41-14 massacre at eventual Big Ten champion Penn State. As a three-touchdown home underdog to No. 2 Michigan the following week, Iowa bounced back with a stunning 14-13 upset.
• Sitting at the midpoint of the 2008 season, Iowa was 15-16 over 2 1/2 seasons. Ferentz never wavered, and neither did his team. The Hawkeyes won their final four games to end that season, and then their first nine in 2009. They finished with their highest final ranking (No. 7) since 1960.
• In 2014, Iowa continued a slope of mediocrity by losing all four rivalry trophy games and finishing 7-6. The next year, dubbed “New Kirk,” Ferentz switched practices from afternoon to morning and became much more open in the public. The players responded in 2015 with a spirit of togetherness, leading to a school-record 12 wins. From that year onward, Iowa ranks tied for 10th among power-conference teams in victories.
• Two years ago, Iowa’s offense was among the nation’s worst in every category. After a 7-3 season-opening win against South Dakota State in which the Hawkeyes scored on two safeties and a field goal, linebacker Jack Campbell shot down any question that dealt with division. Campbell’s attitude set the tone for that season and it carried over to 2023, in which Iowa’s offense posted the Big Ten’s worst statistical numbers in nearly 40 years. Yet there was no sniping, let alone dissension. The team eventually claimed the Big Ten West Division crown.
• In 2004, Iowa started 2-2, including a 44-7 loss at Arizona State. Despite losing four scholarship running backs to injury, the Hawkeyes held it together with defense mixed with an occasional highlight-reel play. The Hawkeyes won their final eight games, claimed a share of the Big Ten title and won the Capital One Bowl with a 56-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.
That 2004 team was honored Saturday before the second quarter to rousing applause. One of its stars, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, was Iowa’s honorary captain on Saturday. It was a team molded by adversity, and it charted an unconventional path of success. It even took a safety midway through the fourth quarter against Penn State in a 6-4 win. Ferentz gave the eulogy at his father’s funeral in Pittsburgh the day before that game.
Most teams would have crumbled in any of those situations, but Iowa never did.
Why? Ferentz.
“It’s definitely his leadership,” Higgins said. “He truly only cares about the guys in the locker room. When you’ve got a guy like that thinking you’re able to respond, it’s nice. He’s not gonna freak out. Doesn’t matter what the headline is. He’s not gonna come to the meeting room and read off the headlines. He keeps his voice, and we all respond off him. If he’s calm and he knows that we need to respond after a bad game or a tough situation, we’re all going to follow that.”
None of those anecdotes mean Ferentz is perfect. Far from it. Critiques are plentiful about his son, Brian, running his offense for seven years, especially when the final three were so rough. Brian remained in place until university president Barbara Wilson and athletic director Beth Goetz stepped in and dismissed him following the 2023 season. Other complaints about Ferentz’s game-day decision making are fair.
And in 2020, dozens of former players accused the program of racial insensitivity and bias, which was confirmed through an independent investigation. Instead of resisting necessary changes or stepping down, Ferentz opted for a new course. He accepted responsibility and sought counsel from former players, relieved longtime strength coach Chris Doyle and extended a leadership council to include more voices. Many arbitrary rules such as not using X or wearing hoodies in the football complex were vacated. Although some feel the changes didn’t go far enough — while others believed they went too far — there’s no doubt the program has become more welcoming to all players. Its attrition rate is among the lowest in the Big Ten, and it has won the third most games in the Big Ten since that season.
With Ferentz’s guidance, Iowa has punched well above its weight class.
Its recruiting rankings are closer to those of Illinois and Purdue than Michigan and Penn State, yet the Hawkeyes’ results are closer to the latter. Iowa finds ways to win where its peers fall short. It’s not always pretty and perhaps it won’t ever win the ultimate prize. But that Iowa remains anywhere near the College Football Playoff rankings most years is a credit to Ferentz.
“I appreciate him how much this program means to him,” Richman said. “When you get an appreciation like that, you’re less stressed out. With him at the helm, this place has a really special place in my heart and the hearts of many across the entire state.”
(Top photo of Kirk Ferentz: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)
Iowa
What channel is Iowa State vs. West Virginia game tonight (10/12/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Channel for college football, Week 7
The No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones, led by quarterback Rocco Becht, face the West Virginia Mountaineers, led by quarterback Garrett Greene on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 (10/12/24) at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.
How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: NCAA Football, Week 7
Who: Iowa State vs. West Virginia
When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024
Where: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial)
***
Here are the best streaming options for college football this season:
Fubo TV (free trial): fuboTV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS.
DirecTV Stream (free trial): DirecTV Stream carries ESPN, FOX, NBC and CBS.
Sling TV ($25 off the first month)– Sling TV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC and NBC.
ESPN+($9.99 a month): ESPN+ carries college football games each weekend for only $9.99 a month. These games are exclusive to the platform.
Peacock TV ($5.99 a month): Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock this year as well.
Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games airing on CBS this year.
***
Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press:
No. 11 Iowa State (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-2, 2-0), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Iowa State by 3.
Series record: West Virginia leads 6-5.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Iowa State is off to its best start since 1980, and a win would make them 6-0 for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones are looking to extend their road winning streak to seven games. West Virginia is going after its third straight win after a 1-2 start. Iowa State and West Virginia are 2-0 in conference play. One of them will forge a first-place tie with idle Texas Tech.
KEY MATCHUP
Iowa State’s defense vs. West Virginia QB Garrett Greene. Of the dual-threat quarterbacks the Cyclones have faced so far, Greene could be the best. He had runs of 39, 15 and 10 yards against Oklahoma State last week and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 59 yards per game. Run defense hasn’t been a strength for the Cyclones, who hope to force Greene to try to beat them through the air. Iowa State has the Big 12’s top defense, allowing just 10 points and 272 yards per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Iowa State: LB Kooper Ebel has led or co-led the team in tackles in three straight games. He made just three tackles in eight games as a freshman last year. He added 15 pounds to get up to 240 on his 6-foot-4 frame and has made at least six stops in all five games. Last week he had eight tackles and a quarterback hurry against Baylor.
West Virginia: RB Jahiem White. The sophomore ran for a season-high 158 yards in the lopsided win at Oklahoma State and the Mountaineers compiled 389 on the ground. White hopes to be back on track after being limited to 94 yards combined against No. 4 Penn State, No. 22 Pittsburgh and Kansas.
FACTS & FIGURES
Anthony Becht, a tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996 to 1999, will be honored during the game for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. His son, Rocco, is Iowa State’s quarterback. … The Cyclones have won 12 straight when scoring at least 30 points. They’ve scored at least 30 in the last five meetings with WVU. … ISU had nine plays of 20 or more yards against Baylor last week, tied for the most by a Power Four team against a conference opponent this season. … The Cyclones’ defense gets better as the game progresses. They’re allowing an average of 4.0 points and 112 yards in the second halves. … West Virginia will wear all-black uniforms in honor of the state’s coal mining industry.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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Iowa
Rosemount H.S. Marching Band wins at Iowa competition
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