On Iowa Sports

It’s Iowa and Colorado in the NCAA women’s basketball Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. Boulder Daily-Camera reporter Brian Howell joins The Gazette's John Steppe to help preview the game and let us know what to expect from the Buffaloes.

The 2023-24 finale of the Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and hall of famer Dick Briggs puts a bow on the college wrestling season with takeaways from the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The Gazette's John Steppe has quick thoughts on an eventful week in Iowa athletics on this week's show, including Kadyn Proctor's plan to reenter the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes' path back to the NCAA women's basketball Final Four and a preview of the Iowa-Utah NIT game.

A big weekend is ahead for wrestling fans in the state of Iowa. The National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships come to Cedar Rapids and the Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa men compete in their respective conference tournaments. The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs preview them all on this week’s episode of the Pinning Combination, plus look back at notable results last week, including the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional.

Iowa probably won’t have Molly Davis for the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament this week, but Caitlin Clark and the two-time defending champion Hawkeyes will be among the favorites in Minneapolis. The Gazette's John Steppe and Jeff Linder preview the tournament, Iowa’s NCAA potential and take a peek at the future of the program on this episode of Hawk Off The Press.

It’s all about the postseason now on the Pinning Combination podcast, a show about all things wrestling in Iowa with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs. This week’s episode has takeaways from Iowa’s win over Oklahoma State and Iowa State and UNI’s wins over Missouri and looks ahead to their respective conference tournaments. The Hawkeyes have some redshirt decisions to make.Plus, previewing this weekend’s NCAA Division III and Division II regional tournaments and NAIA national tournament and recapping last weekend’s women’s regionals.

After another unpredictable Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament, the Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs is here to break down all the top storylines.The podcast talks all things wrestling in Iowa, beginning with the Hawkeyes’ win over Wisconsin and previewing Sunday’s dual against Oklahoma State and the approaching postseason. Plus, a big weekend ahead for Iowa State and Northern Iowa and updates from the NAIA and NCAA Division II and Division III levels.

With Caitlin Clark set to break the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring record Thursday night, analyst Meghan McKeown talks about her perspective with The Gazette's John Steppe.McKeown, who will be on the call for Peacock on Thursday night and has covered Clark throughout her Iowa career, discusses what makes Clark a special player, where she has improved, what the Carver-Hawkeye Arena environment will be like and more.

Penn State's one-sided win over Iowa combined with Iowa's loss to Michigan the week prior gave the Hawkeyes a rare losing streak. The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs break down where things stand now for Iowa on this week's college segment of the Pinning Combination podcast.

The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs talk all things wrestling in Iowa on the Pinning Combination, including the Hawkeye men’s loss to Michigan ahead of this week’s Penn State dual, the upcoming UNI-Iowa State dual, Wartburg’s one-sided win over Coe and recaps of the girls’ state tournament and boys’ state duals.

Sean Bock of 247Sports joins the Hawk Off The Press podcast this week to discuss the latest Iowa football news, including new offensive coordinator Tim Lester and the Hawkeyes self-reporting a violation involving impermissible contact with Kadyn Proctor to the NCAA.

A look at the college wrestling scene in Iowa on this week's Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs, including Hawkeyes you shouldn’t overlook, Iowa’s sweep of Illinois and Northwestern, 1-1 trips to Oklahoma for Iowa State and Northern Iowa and Augsburg’s win over Wartburg.

It was only about a month or so ago when the Pinning Combination podcast had limited topics during a slow period of the wrestling schedule. That’s far from the case now. This week’s episode with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs looks back at wins for the Iowa men and women last week, reviews American Rivers Conference competitions, highlights the standouts from the weekend of high school tournaments and previews upcoming boys’ conference tournaments and regional duals and girls’ regional tournaments.

Swarm Collective CEO and founder Brad Heinrichs is the guest on this week’s episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe.Heinrichs talks about Iowa naming Beth Goetz its permanent athletics director, Swarm’s growth, his goals for the collective and more.

Weather wiped out much of the wrestling schedule in Iowa last week, but there still are plenty of topics to discuss on this week’s episode of the Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs.Iowa impressed in a dual win over Nebraska, Ben Kueter made his debut in the Hawkeyes’ victory over Minnesota and UNI wrestled Utah Valley in an unusual setting.

The first weekend of wrestling in 2024 gave the Pinning Combination podcast plenty to discuss this week, including the Iowa women winning the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls.Tune in for takeaways from all levels and more discussion about the Iowa men’s wrestling team’s roster questions with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs.

It’s a good time for an Iowa women’s basketball-focused episode, with No. 14 Indiana coming to Iowa City for a Saturday night showdown this week (first, of course, the third-ranked Hawkeyes travel to Purdue on Wednesday).How is the Big Ten race shaping up? What needs to happen for Iowa to meet its March goals? John Steppe seeks answers from Gazette colleague Jeff Linder.

This week’s episode of the Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs looks at the ramifications of the Soldier Salute tournament.Which Hawkeyes made the biggest statements? What will happen with Anthony and A.J. Ferrari? Plus, a breakdown of the Iowa women’s team’s standouts and a look at the week ahead.

Something is broken. That much is clear again after No. 17 Iowa’s 35-0 loss to No. 21 Tennessee in Monday’s Citrus Bowl ended a 10-4 season for the Hawkeyes with three shutout losses to ranked opponents. Will a new offensive coordinator fix it? The Gazette's John Steppe and MIke Hlas discuss the future of the program and their final takeaways from the 2023 season on this episode of The Final Score.

This week’s Pinning Combination ponders “duck or not to duck” competition as ISU goes 3-0 at Collegiate Duals. K.J. Pilcher and Dick Briggs also discuss UNI’s next meets, senior nationals, Upper Iowa’s big weekend at Indianapolis and area high school. Our last podcast of 2023 includes our top Christmas movies and songs.

Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan joins the Hawk Off the Press podcast this week to discuss Iowa's return to the Citrus Bowl, his pitch for fans considering whether to attend the game and more.

This week’s Pinning Combination discusses Iowa’s and UNI’s contrasting results against Columbia. K.J. Pilcher and Hall of fame coach Dick Briggs also cover Upper Iowa’s dual opener and the weekend for area D-III schools. Briggs talks about what is in a name? We talk weekend results and upcoming tournament, including the Battle of Waterloo dual tournament.Catch the full show, talking all things college and high school wrestling in Iowa, on The Gazette's YouTube page.

Iowa women's wrestling associate head coach Gary Mayabb talks to The Gazette's John Steppe about the program's first season, including upcoming events, wrestlers to watch, fan support and his favorite moments so far.

On this segment of the Pinning Combination podcast, The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs break down the Iowa men's wrestling team's dual win over Penn. And Teeing it Up with Briggs takes a look at the impact the NIL era is having on college wrestling.Catch the full show, talking all things college and high school wrestling in Iowa, on The Gazette's YouTube page.

It wasn’t a surprising result, but Iowa’s 26-0 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten championship game still was hard to watch for Hawkeye fans. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas discuss what went wrong, this team’s season-long trends and what comes next on The Final Score podcast.

Does Iowa have a chance against Michigan in the Big Ten championship game? Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News joins The Gazette's John Steppe on the Hawk Off The Press podcast this week to help us break down the game and tell us what to expect from the 12-0 Wolverines.

The Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs breaks down Iowa's 18-14 wrestling dual win over Iowa State on Sunday.

Another coin-flip game went Iowa’s way. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down the late-game heroics in the Hawkeyes’ Heroes Game win over Nebraska on this episode of The Final Score podcast.

Iowa has the Big Ten West locked up, but it of course still wants a 10th regular-season victory and the Heroes Trophy on Friday against a Nebraska team that has bowl eligibility on the line. Amie Just of the Lincoln Journal Star joins this episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast to preview the game with The Gazette's John Steppe.

The Pinning Combination podcast returns for the 2023-24 season talking all things wrestling in Iowa with The Gazette’s K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs.This episode analyzes early impressions of the Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa teams, previews Sunday’s Cy-Hawk dual and looks at some initial storylines in D-II, D-III and high school girls’ wrestling.

In a season full of obstacles, Iowa found a path to the Big Ten championship game. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas discuss the Hawkeyes’ 15-13 win over Illinois and their journey to the Big Ten West title on this episode of The Final Score.

All Iowa football conversations this week start with Cooper DeJean’s season-ending injury. That’s how this episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast begins with The Gazette's John Steppe and HawkeyeReport.com’s Tom Kakert before moving into how Iowa put itself in position to win the Big Ten West and an early look at its offseason roster questions.

A well-rounded win for Iowa football. We haven’t been able to say that much in 2023, but it was true Saturday in the Hawkeyes’ 22-0 victory over Rutgers. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down the game and Iowa’s clear path to Indianapolis on The Final Score podcast.

It’s a two-part episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe this week, centered on two big games in Iowa City this weekend.First up, Pat Lanni of NJ Advance Media joins to preview Saturday’s Rutgers-Iowa football game.Then, Iowa soccer coach Dave DiIanni talks about his team’s Big Ten tournament championship run and the Hawkeyes’ home game Friday against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Bottom line: Iowa won. Three other Big Ten West teams that entered Saturday tied for first didn’t. So the Hawkeyes’ unconventional 10-7 win over Northwestern — a style of victory that is actually becoming conventional for Iowa — puts them alone in first in the West.We break down the game and the scene at Wrigley Field on The Final Score podcast.

It’s a mailbag edition of the Hawk Off The Press podcast, with most of the questions naturally centering on Iowa’s announcement earlier this week that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will not return next season.How will Kirk Ferentz handle that position moving forward? Plus, is there any hope for the offense during the remainder of the 2023 season?

Invalid fair catch? We discuss the call that wiped out Iowa’s would-be go-ahead touchdown in Saturday’s 12-10 loss to Minnesota and the brutal offense that put the Hawkeyes in a position to need that score on The Final Score podcast.

The play-by-play voice for Saturday’s Minnesota-Iowa football game on NBC is uniquely qualified to understand what Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill might be going through as he struggles. Former Iowa QB Paul Burmeister shares that perspective while previewing Saturday’s game on this week’s Hawk Off The Press podcast. He also talks about what it will be like to be back in his hometown and his favorite Hawkeye memories.The second segment of this week’s show features St. Pual Pioneer Press reporter Andy Greder breaking down what to expect from the 3-3 Golden Gophers.

Iowa is in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West, thanks to its defense, special teams (Tory Taylor, in particular) and a Leshon Williams 82-yard touchdown run. We discuss our takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ 15-6 win over Wisconsin on The Final Score podcast.

It’s another Big Ten West battle Saturday as Iowa travels to face Wisconsin. But what should the Hawkeyes expect from a Badgers team now coached by Luke Fickell? Jake Kocorowski of the Wisconsin State Journal joins The Gazette's John Steppe on this episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast to provide the scouting report and break down the matchup.» Follow Iowa football coverage

Iowa’s offensive line played its best game of the season. Iowa’s defensive line played its best game of the season. That was enough for a 20-14 win over Purdue.The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas discuss their takeaways from the game and look ahead to the Hawkeyes’ game next week at Wisconsin on The Final Score.

Five games in, we know what this Iowa football team looks like. But going forward, it looks like it might not have quarterback Cade McNamara either. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas discuss the Hawkeyes’ 26-16 win over Michigan State, Cooper DeJean’s heroics and where the Iowa offense goes from here on The Final Score.

It's a two-part episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe ahead of Saturday's game against Michigan State.First, Matt Wenzel of MLive.com joins the show to tell us what to expect from the Spartans and the situation in East Lansing after Mel Tucker was fired.Then, John answers your questions about the Iowa offense.

The Iowa-Penn State game is always one to look forward to when it's on the Big Ten football schedule, and the latest chapter is another Top 25 matchup Saturday night. Can the 24th-ranked Hawkeyes win in a Whiteout at No. 7 Penn State?Ben Jones of StateCollege.com joins The Gazette's John Steppe on this episode of the Hawk Off The Press to break down the game.

Former Iowa quarterback Drew Tate is the guest on this week’s Hawk Off The Press podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe.Now an assistant coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Tate talks about his coaching journey in the Canadian Football League, his time as an assistant at Northern Iowa, what impresses him about Kirk Ferentz’s coaching career and more.

Defense, special teams and mostly mistake-free football. The same old formula worked for Iowa in its 20-13 win over Iowa State on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium to take back the Cy-Hawk Trophy. John Steppe and Mike Hlas have postgame takeaways.

Iowa State needed just 10 points to recapture the Cy-Hawk trophy last season, beating Iowa for the first time since 2014. Is another low-scoring game in store Saturday in Ames, or will the offenses answer early-season questions?The Gazette's John Steppe and Rob Gray preview the game on this episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast.

Iowa's 24-14 win over Utah State wasn't a thing of beauty, but it wasn't 2022. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas discuss their postgame takeaways on The Final Score.

Will Cade McNamara play Saturday? Will the offensive line be improved? Will the Iowa offense be ... adequate? The Gazette's Mike Hlas isn't quite ready for summer to be over but he and John Steppe discuss those questions and more on this week's Hawk Off The Press podcast ahead of Saturday's Iowa football season opener.

Unsurprisingly, the Iowa field hockey program enters the fall with high expectations again. This year’s Hawkeyes are ranked seventh in the country and will be counting on some talented newcomers to make an immediate impact.Head coach Lisa Cellucci joins The Gazette's John Steppe on the podcast this week to preview the season and discuss her impressions of interim athletics director Beth Goetz.