Iowa
TCU women’s basketball player Sydney Harris transferring to Iowa State
When Texas Christian women’s basketball player Sydney Harris entered the transfer portal a second time, she was hoping to hear from Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and his staff. Harris was interested in the Cyclones the first time around but ended up committing to TCU. Still, she kept the Cyclones on her radar as she went looking for another school again.
“They were definitely the first people to reach out,” Harris said. “So, kind of right then and there, I was like, ‘Let’s get this rolling again.’”
Harris didn’t pass up the Cyclones this time around. The 6-foot-1 guard/forward committed Iowa State over the weekend. Harris, who has played at Central Michigan and most recently TCU, will stay in the Big 12 Conference and play for the Cyclones this upcoming season.
“Coach Fenn has made Iowa State a huge powerhouse for women’s basketball,” Harris said. “It’s a phenomenal program and just the fact that he has interest in me and think I am capable of helping him continue to be great at the Big 12, Power 5 level, is just really awesome and that’s just kind of what I’m looking for.”
Harris gives Iowa State some size and experience, something the Cyclones needed after losing Nyamer Diew and Jalynn Bristow to the transfer portal. Harris has appeared in 45 games between Central Michigan and TCU the last two seasons. During those two seasons, Harris averaged 14.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Her best season came as a freshman when made 29 starts and averaged 17.4 points per game while being named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year at Central Michigan. Like Diew and Bristow, Harris brings a versatile skillset as someone that can play the three or the stretch four. Harris is a career 36% 3-point shooter that can also attack the hoop. She said both attributes were appealing to Fennelly.
“Coach Fenn was saying I have the greenlight for 3’s,” Harris said. “But I really liked, whenever we had the conversation about that, was how he recognized multiple plaice of my game that I feel like people kind of forget because I shoot the ball so well.”
Harris made 29 starts at Central Michigan. She missed all of the non-conference portion of the TCU schedule due to an ankle injury. Harris, who appeared in 16 TCU’s final 18 games, said she also dealt with some family issues. She added that after a season there, she needed a new fit.
“When I was in the portal the last time, I was looking for things and I feel like I didn’t end up getting it again,” Harris said. “So, I think it was time to try and find a better place for me that I can fit in better and kind of flourish more.”
She hopes Iowa State can offer her that. Harris said the Cyclones were in her top three teams to transfer to when she left Central Michigan. She was even scheduled to visit Ames but didn’t end up taking that visit after ending up at TCU. Luckily for her, the Cyclones were still interested in her.
“I was hoping I would get a text from Coach Fenn,” Harris said.
Harris will be a junior the upcoming season. After missing so much time last season, she’s hoping to can get a waiver for another season of eligibility.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
Iowa
Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer
Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.
Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.
Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.
The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.
Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.
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Iowa
Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
Iowa
Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling
The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.
Drew Anderson (Riverside)
The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.
Urijah Courter (West Marshall)
Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.
Cooper Hinz (Jesup)
Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.
Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)
Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.
Mason Koehler (Glenwood)
The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.
Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)
Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
Keaton Moeller (Starmont)
Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.
Iowa High School Premium Rankings
Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.
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