Nebraska

Hawks Snap Losing Skid with 57-52 win over No. 9 Nebraska

Published

4 months ago

February 18, 2026

Hawks Snap Losing Skid with 57-52 win over No. 9 Nebraska

Finally, Iowa has their big win.

In what can only be described as a rugby match played on a basketball court, Iowa outdueled ninth-ranked Nebraska Tuesday night, 57-52, to land the biggest win of the Ben McCollum era to date.

Iowa was again led by Bennett Stirtz, who finished with 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in his customary 40 minutes of action. Nebraska briefly tied the game at 45 late in the second half on a Rienk Mast layup, but Stirtz saved his best for last, scoring 10 of Iowa’s final 14 points over the last 7:06 of game time to guide Iowa to their 19th win of the campaign.

The first half was back-and-forth, with neither team able to take hold on the game. Iowa did break the back-and-forth nature of the contest late in the first half and briefly took control, with the Hawks converting at the foul line and Alvaro Folgueiras knocking down a big 3 to briefly extend Iowa’s lead to 9. After a basket from former Hawk Pryce Sandfort cut the lead back down to 7, Stirtz – had to be him – made a 3 with just under a minute remaining in the first half to push the lead into double-digits, 33-23.

But Nebraska’s a tough team – they aren’t a super athletic team but they work hard on defense and they get great looks over and over; sounds awfully similar to this Iowa team – and they closed on a small run to cut the lead to 33-28 at half on a Cale Jacobsen 3 at the buzzer.

The second half can only be described as a rugby scrum. If I wanted to watch rugby scrums, I’d pirate a Six Nations feed off Sky and watch that. The whistles were out in full force against the home team early in the half – Iowa gets by far the worst home whistle in a power conference as officials constantly fell for flailing arms and head bobs, particularly from Jamarques Lawrence – but they disappeared late in the game as everything fell into under-the-rim chaos. The second half was about as physical a half of basketball as I can remember, with Nebraska slowing clawing their way back into the game and leading for two brief moments at 41-39 and 43-41.

First it was Stirtz to tie the game at 41, then Tate Sage scoring on a putback to get Iowa level again. It ended with the Stirtz Show down the stretch, highlighted by a massive Sam Hoiberg error in the final 36 seconds as he fouled Stirtz on a 3-point attempt, as Iowa finally found their way to a huge win to end their short-lived 2-game skid and cemented their NCAA Tournament bid.

Up next for Iowa is a date with No. 24 Wisconsin in Madison Sunday afternoon.

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Nebraska

Miss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Miss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) -The Miss Nebraska festivities kicked off tonight at Venue 304 with opening ceremonies.

The week-long event began with a ceremony to give the delegates a chance to introduce themselves to the community before official competition begins.

Each contestant was joined alongside a young girl, where they had the opportunity to be given a crown and sash by a Miss Nebraska member.

Officials say the event is about inspiring young women across the state.

“What it does is it helps them really build that stage presence confidence, and it really allows them to see kind of what we’re all about. We’re more than crowns; we’re more than sashes, but really about building confidence in young women. And they get to see that, and they leave with that confidence after their week-long journey with their candidate,” said Audri Pelton-Johnson, co-director of Miss Nebraska.

The first night of official competition begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

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Nebraska

Three-Time Nebraska State Champion Eje Kim Sends Commitment to Yale for 2027

Published

12 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Three-Time Nebraska State Champion Eje Kim Sends Commitment to Yale for 2027

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Three-time Nebraska High School State champion Eje Kim has announced his verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University as a part of the Bulldogs 2027 recruiting class.

Kim wrote the following about his commitment.

I’m extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University! I want to thank my coaches, Pat, Miranda, Gaby, Randy, Katie, Uriah, and Emma for creating my love for swimming and pushing me to the limits. I also want to thank the Yale coaching staff, Jim, Kyle, Joey, and Dana for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you to my teammates, Mason, Mason, Ryan, Quinn, Bennett, and Nolan for making practice fun and becoming such good friends. Lastly, thank you to my parents. GO BULLDOGS! 🐶💙

Kim hails from Lincoln, Neb., where he represents Club Husker and Lincoln East High School. As a junior, Kim secured a pair of Nebraska State championship titles, winning both the 100 backstroke in 48.32 and the 100 fly in 47.95. As a sophomore, he claimed his first state championship title in the 100 back, clocking 49.73.

A few weeks after those championships, he raced at the Speedo Sectionals in Columbia, where he won the 50 fly in 21.63, and set a plethora of lifetime bests in the process, including the 50 free (21.22), 100 back (47.83), 200 back (1:44.17), and the 100 fly (47.81).

Best Times SCY:

100 Back: 47.83
200 Back: 1:44.17
100 Fly: 47.81
50 Free: 21.22
100 Free: 46.44
200 Free: 1:40.60
200 IM: 1:52.82

Kim is set to join a Yale men’s program that finished just under 200 points behind Ivy League Champions Princeton at the 2026 Men’s Ivy League Championships.

Based on Kim’s best times, he would have finished tied for 11th in the 200 back, 14th in the 100 back, and 20th in the 100 fly.

Kim’s immediate scoring ability is a major upside, and in the highly competitive Ivy League, Yale could use all of the points they can get to creep up to the top of the Ivy League.

With another year until he makes his collegiate debut, Kim still has plenty of time to build up his base times and make an even more significant impact on the Ivy League stage from year one.

Yale was productive in all of Kim’s events at the 2026 Ivy League Championships, including 51 points in the 100 back, 55 points in the 100 fly, and another 74 in the 200 back.

Kim joins Fin McLane, Charles Knoepp, Evan Pan-Wang, and Edward Zhang in Yale’s 2027 recruiting class.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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Nebraska

Free summer meals available for Nebraska children

Published

22 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Free summer meals available for Nebraska children

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) — Children across Nebraska can get free meals during the summer months through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

The Olinger family is one of many families getting free meals while school is out. Mikayla Olinger said the program helps save money on groceries.

“It helps a lot,” Olinger said. “Oh yes, especially with the three boys and now my daughter is starting to eat big food.”

Oscar Garcia, director of food service at West Lawn Elementary, said the community struggles with food insecurity.

“Some kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from, that’s why it’s important we meet the need in our community,” Garcia said.

The program also provides a place for children to learn new skills. One parent said it teaches children how to use a cafeteria so they are prepared when they go for the first time.

“The bonus to that is that sometimes they may run into their classmates they haven’t seen in a couple of months,” Garcia said.

Another parent said the program keeps children active.

Garcia said he has a goal for 16,000 meals to be served this year. Meals are available for any child whether they are in the school district or not.