Iowa
Oregon Football’s New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Iowa, Part 1
Though not an original member the Big Ten Conference, Iowa has been known for its consistency over the last few decades. The Hawkeyes are another program awaiting the arrival of the Oregon Ducks.
“I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the players of this country would much more, much rather struggle and fight to win a Heisman award than a Croix de Guerre.”
– Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s 1939 Heisman Trophy
School History
The University of Iowa was founded in 1847, just 59 days after Iowa was admitted as a state. Until 1964, the official name of the school was State University of Iowa. Classes began in 1855 with 124 students, including 41 women.
Iowa was one of the first institutions to accept creative work in theater, writing, music, and art on an equal basis with academic research, and, in 1873, became one of the first to granta a law degree to a woman.
The first law school and dental school west of the Mississippi River was established at Iowa. UI was the first university to use radio and television in education. Iowa has produced 46 Pulitzer Prize winners.
Enrollment in 2023 eclipsed 31,000 students. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the public research institution had research expenditures in fiscal year 2021 of $818 millions.
In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Iowa is No. 93 among national universities and No. 47 among public schools.
Football Program History
Iowa football began as a club sport in 1872, but the program was not officially recognized by the university as a varsity team until 1899. The Hawkeyes were an Independent that year, going undefeated and earning an invitation to the Western Conference, the precursor to the Big Ten.
In their first season with the Western Conference, Iowa went undefeated again to win a share of the league title. That success waned as Iowa soon split time between the Western Conference and the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the precursor to the Big Eight.
Success picked up again in the 1920s, with undefeated seasons in 1921 and 1922. Both of those seasons resulted in claimed national titles, though are not among the recognized national championships from the NCAA.
A 6-1-1 record in 1939 produced the program’s first top-10 finish from the Associated Press. That same year, the Hawkeyes notched their only Heisman Trophy winner in program history, Nile Kinnick, would become he namesake for their football stadium.
The 1950s saw Iowa become a national power. From 1953 to 1961, the Hawkeyes were ranked in the top-12 every season, posting five top-10 finishes. In 1961, Iowa was preseason No. 1, but managed to go just 5-4. That was the last season Iowa would be ranked until the 1980s when Heyden Fry took over.
Fry held the reigns for more than 20 years, leading the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten titles and 14 bowl games, including a trio of Rose Bowls. His 1985 team won a school-record 10 games and took the Big Ten title outright.
In 1998, Fry retired and handed the keys to former assistant Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz kept the consistency going with a trio of top-10 finished in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Despite no Big Ten titles since 2004, Iowa has only missed the bowl season once while reaching double-digit wins six times.
Iowa represented the West Division in two of the final three Big Ten Championship games before the league eliminates divisions this fall.
Championships and Heisman Trohpy Winners
Claimed National Championships: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960
Confrence Titles: 13
Heisman Trophy Winners: Nile Kinnick (1939)
Oregon is set to join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. For information on the league as a whole and where to read about the other programs, refer toOregon Football’s New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Rich History, Distance.
Iowa wrestling’s Tom Brands discusses Big Ten Championships results
VIDEO: Iowa wrestling’s Tom Brands talks Big Ten Championships results
Iowa Athletics
The 330 wrestlers competing in Cleveland at the NCAA Championships are now set.
After the conference tournaments established the lion’s share of wrestlers, the NCAA announced the at-large bids on Tuesday, March 10, completing the rest of the field.
Brackets and seeds will be announced on March 10, but here’s a look at the contingents each state of Iowa program will be sending after the at-large bids were announced.
Iowa wrestling NCAA qualifiers
For the third year in a row, Iowa wrestling will be sending nine to the NCAA Championships. Victor Voinovich did not earn an at-large bid at 157 pounds after finishing ninth at the Big Ten Championships, one place outside of NCAA automatic qualification. He concludes his season with a 12-6 record.
Voinovich narrowly earned the starting job over Jordan Williams at 157, with Iowa coach Tom Brands saying it was very close, but Voinovich had shown a little more “fight” this year. Now that Voinovich hasn’t qualified for NCAAs, it’s a decision that will go further under the microscope.
What’s done is done, however, for Iowa. They’ll take Dean Peterson (125), Drake Ayala (133), Nasir Bailey (141), Ryder Block (149), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184), Gabe Arnold (197) and Ben Kueter (285) to Cleveland in hopes of salvaging what has been a tough season.
Iowa State wrestling NCAA qualifiers
For the first time since 2010, Iowa State will send all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Vinny Zerban earned an at-large bid at 157 pounds despite falling short of the automatic qualifying threshold at the Big 12 Championships. Zerban suffered a concussion and medically forfeited out of the tournament after his first match in Tulsa. His health status will be worth monitoring NCAAs inch closer, from March 19-22.
The Cyclones look poised for one of their best postseasons in recent memory with their 10 qualifiers ―Stevo Poulin (125), Garrett Grice (133), Anthony Echemendia (141), Jacob Frost (149), Zerban, Connor Euton (165), MJ Gaitan (174), Isaac Dean (184), Rocky Elam (197) and Yonger Bastida (285). The loss of Evan Frost hurts the Cyclones, considering his pedigree and season as a whole, but Grice’s has earned several ranked wins since entering the lineup in February and could still add some much-needed team points as the team chases a team trophy.
Behind title contenders Elam and Bastida, proven podium threats in Poulin, Echemnedia, Jacob Frost and Zerban (if healthy), Iowa State will be in the mix for a top-four finish in Cleveland.
UNI wrestling NCAA qualifiers
Northern Iowa will send five to the NCAA Championships. Automatic qualifiers Julian Farber (133), Caleb Rathjen (149) and Ryder Downey (165) will be joined by Jared Simma (174) and Nick Fox (184), who each earned at-large bids. The number of qualifiers could extend to six, with Trever Anderson (125) being the alternate at 125 pounds for NCAAs. However, he had to medically forfeit out of the Big 12 Championships, so his health status would be in question if he got called up.
With that, Max Brady (141), Cael Rahnavardi (157), John Gunderson (197) and Adam Ahrendsen (285) will have their seasons come to an end. Brady, a true freshman, will still have three NCAA chances in his career after showing promising moments in relief of Cory Land’s season-ending injury. Gunderson, a U23 World team member, will return for next season as well. Rahnavardi and Ahrendsen were both in their final seasons of eligibility.
Following injuries to Land and Wyatt Voelker, it’s been a hard year for the Panthers. This is half the number of NCAA qualifiers that UNI had last season when they qualified 10 for the first time since 1986. The last time UNI had five or fewer qualifiers was 2016.
However, all five of their wrestlers have each shown moments of brilliance, either this season or in prior NCAA Championships. They may be a smaller crew than normal, but Downey, Rathjen, Farber, Simma and Fox are all ones to watch in Cleveland.
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.
ISU’s Kevin Dresser on gambling probe: ‘I knew this thing was a mess’
Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser on the gambling probe: “I hope all these athletes at Iowa and Iowa State take the state of Iowa to the cleaners.”
A longtime investigator for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says he was forced out of the agency because he voiced reservations about a high-profile investigation into gambling in college athletics.
Mark Ludwick was hired by Iowa’s top investigative agency in 1997 and was terminated in November 2024, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 20 in Polk County. According to his complaint, Ludwick was fired after two “frivolous” investigations, one claiming he’d exceeded the speed limit driving to a murder scene, and the other for assistance he provided to a domestic abuse victim.
The real reason, Ludwick alleges, is that officials were embarrassed after Ludwick testified under oath about what he regarded as weaknesses in their sports wagering investigation, which resulted in dozens of Iowa State University and University of Iowa student-athletes facing suspensions, 25 being criminally charged and 19 pleading guilty to underage gambling.
Ludwick testified in early 2024 he believed investigators had conducted illegal searches to identify the online gamblers and that he and other agents had been directed to lie to students about whether they were subjects of the investigation. He also alleged that stress about the case contributed to another agent’s fatal heart attack, although the agent’s relatives disputed the connection.
Now Ludwick is accusing the state of violating Iowa’s whistleblower protection statute. He declined through his attorney to comment. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes the DCI, did not respond to an inquiry about the case.
Gambling investigation raised constitutional concerns
In the gambling investigation, DCI investigators used software tools provided by GeoComply, a Canadian company that contracts with online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings, to look for evidence of illegal gambling activity. Using a GeoComply system, the investigators created a so-called “geofence” around college athletic facilities that allowed them to detect student athletes using wagering accounts registered to parents and friends to place bets ― sometimes on their own games.
Although the investigation resulted in numerous arrests and suspensions, it also drew controversy, in particular for agents’ failure to obtain warrants before conducting their location searches. GeoComply, which had encouraged Iowa to use its service, responded by cancelling the state’s access.
A large group of current and former students sued the state, accusing investigators of violating their constitutional rights. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that the state’s investigation “does not comport with the Fourth Amendment,” which provides protection from illegal searches.
Nonetheless, the court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the officers involved were entitled to immunity. An appeal is pending.
Ludwick’s reservations emerge in depositions
Ludwick was an experienced investigator for the DCI, working on high-profile cases including the 2015 murder of Shirley Carter, whose son was tried and acquitted, and the 2017 deaths of two girls in a fire started by a relative.
While not the lead agent on the 2023 gambling investigation, Ludwick was tapped to assist by interviewing some of the student athletes. He later testified he grew concerned that the state’s geofence searches amounted to illegal, warrantless searches, and declined to participate in the case any further. He alleges that other DCI agents shared his concerns and also maneuvered to avoid being involved in the case.
Ludwick says he reported his concerns to his superiors. In January 2024, he was deposed by defense attorneys for four of the students, and “testified truthfully during his deposition that he believed an illegal search had been conducted.” Defense attorneys cited Ludwick’s remarks within days in filings covered by numerous media outlets, including the Des Moines Register, which “caused embarrassment and increased scrutiny for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Bayens, and other employees,” Ludwick’s suit states.
According to the complaint, officials launched an investigation into Ludwick for speeding on March 5, weeks after the embarrassing testimony was reported. On Aug. 8, officials initiated a second investigation after, Ludwick says, “he attempted to help a victim of domestic abuse flee her abuser.” He denies his actions violated Iowa law or department policy.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
Iowa
Official Site of The ECHL | ECHL announces Voluntary Suspension of Iowa Membership for 2026-27 Season
The ECHL announced today that the League’s Board of Governors has approved the request of the Iowa Heartlanders’ Membership for a Voluntary Suspension for the 2026-27 Season.
During the suspension period, the organization will evaluate strategic alternatives aimed at ensuring a sustainable long-term future for professional hockey in the Corridor, including potential investment or ownership partnerships that support the continued success of the Membership.
The ECHL will continue to work with the Heartlanders’ ownership group during the suspension period as the organization evaluates its future. The League remains committed to the continued growth and stability of its member teams and markets.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision that followed months of careful evaluation,” said Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin. “Despite significant efforts to stabilize and strengthen the organization, we concluded that stepping back for a season is the most responsible course while we review long-term solutions. As stewards of the team, we believe this step gives the organization the best opportunity to return on a stronger and more sustainable footing.”
“We worked through every potential path that might have allowed us to continue uninterrupted,” Heartlanders President Matt Getz said. “Ultimately, we believe this pause provides the organization the best opportunity to position the Membership for long-term success.”
The Iowa organization expresses deep gratitude to the fans, partners, players, staff and the City of Coralville who have supported the Heartlanders since the team’s founding.
The ECHL will play with 30 Members during the 2026-27 season.
About the ECHL
Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 778 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 10 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.
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