Iowa Athletics Week in Review 7/22-26

Collection of Latest Hawkeye Press Releases

A subtle version of the University of Iowa Hawkeye logo was recently revealed embedded in glass in the physical therapy space at the east end of the new 300,000-square-foot UI Health Care facility under construction in North Liberty. / Provided by Richard Hakes/Special to the

Iowa’s home football game against Washington on Oct. 12, scheduled at Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium, is officially sold out. The announcement was made Monday by the UI Athletics Department.

All seven Hawkeye home games in 2024 are now officially sold out: Illinois State (Aug. 31), Iowa State (Sept. 7), Troy (Sept. 14), Washington (Oct. 12), Northwestern (Oct. 26), Wisconsin (Nov. 2) and Nebraska (Nov. 29). Iowa has now sold out each home game in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (21 straight games).

Limited Hawkeye Village Ticket & Tailgate packages remain for select home games. Secure your game tickets and the best gameday tailgate here: hawkeyesports.com/hawkeye-village/

Tickets are only sold and issued by the UI Athletics Ticket Office and its authorized agents. Persons buying tickets from other entities do so at their own risk. Fans should use caution if buying tickets from unauthorized outlets and are strongly encouraged to use SeatGeek, the official fan to fan marketplace of Hawkeyes, for sold out events. The UI Athletic Ticket Office (hawkeyesports.com/tickets) is only able to service/support purchases made through that office, or on SeatGeek. Iowa Athletics reserves the right to cancel any ticket purchases, less fees, made for the purpose of resale without notification.

All tickets for University of Iowa athletic events are distributed electronically and should be downloaded to a smartphone device. If you do not have access to a smartphone, please contact the ticket office to make arrangements.

Tickets are distributed no earlier than three weeks prior to the start of a season. If applicable, season tickets and/or parking will not be released until all required contributions have been received and processed by the I-Club. For more information, please visit hawkeyesports.com/mobiletickets.

Iowa Signs Olympian Blades

Olympian Kennedy Blades has signed a national letter of intent to join the Iowa women’s wrestling program starting in 2024. Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun made the announcement on Tuesday.

The Chicago, native is a three-time world medalist. At u20s, Blades brought home gold in 2021 and a bronze in 2023. She also competed at the 2023 u23 world championships where she captured the silver medal. She was also the first girl to win an Illinois state championship and took second at the 2020 US Olympic Trials at the age of 17.

Blades is representing Team USA at 76kg at the 2024 Olympics in Paris starting on August 10th. At Olympic trials in April, she defeated 2020 Olympic medalist Adeline Gray to secure her spot on Team USA.

Other Hawkeye Olympians 

Iowa has 11 combined current/former student-athletes traveling to Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

 

Hawkeye athletes will be representing the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Nigeria, South Sudan and Spain. The opening ceremony was Friday night with event competition taking place over the next two weeks.

 

Fans can stay current with their individual or team progress throughout the Olympic Games via the following link: 

 

The last Hawkeye to earn an Olympic medal was Thomas Gilman in 2021 (bronze).

 

Men’s Wrestling

Spencer Lee (USA)

 

Women’s Wrestling

Kennedy Blades (USA)

 

Women’s Basketball

Megan Gustafson (Spain)

Tomi Taiwo (Nigeria)

 

Men’s Basketball

Peter Jok (South Sudan)

 

Women’s Gymnastics

Cassie Lee (Canada)

Aurélie Tran (Canada)

Sydney Turner (Canada-Alternate)

 

Women’s Track & Field

Brittany Brown (USA)

 

Women’s Soccer

Cloé Lacasse (Canada)

 

Women’s Rowing

Eve Stewart (Great Britain)

Higgins Recognized 

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior linebacker Jay Higgins has been named to the Big Ten Conference preseason honors list. The announcement was made by the league office on Tuesday.

Twelve student-athletes from all 18 conference schools were selected by a media panel.

Higgins has also been named Walter Camp, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele 2024 preseason first-team All-America, as well as being recognized as the preseason National Defensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele.

Higgins started at middle linebacker in all 14 games in 2023, leading the Hawkeyes with 171 tackles (79 solo, 92 assists). The figure tied an Iowa single season school record, led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally. He finished with 15+ tackles in three games and 10+ tackles in 10 contests.

The Indianapolis native earned All-America distinction from eight different outlets a season ago and was Iowa’s Roy Carver Most Valuable Player on defense for a unit that ranked fourth nationally, surrendering 14.8 points per game.

The Hawkeyes have had 11 players named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List in the last 11 seasons. They include Higgins (2024, defensive back/return specialist Cooper DeJean (2023), linebacker Jack Campbell (2022), center Tyler Linderbaum (2021), defensive end A.J. Epenesa (2019), tight end Noah Fant (2018), linebacker Josey Jewell (2017), quarterback C.J. Beathard (2016), defensive back Desmond King (2016), defensive end Drew Ott (2015) and offensive tackle Brandon Scherff (2014). DeJean, Campbell, Linderbaum, Epenesa, Fant, Jewell, Beathard, King, and Scherff were selected in the NFL Draft after making the list.

The Hawkeyes open the 2024 season against Illinois State on Aug. 31, on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium, at 11 a.m. (CT).

All seven Hawkeye home games this fall are sold out.

2024 Big Ten Preseason Honors
LB Jay Higgins, IOWA
DT Mason Graham, MICH
DB Will Johnson, MICH
TE Colston Loveland, MICH
QB Dillon Gabriel, ORE
WR Tez Johnson, ORE
SAF Caleb Downs, OSU
WR Emeka Egbuka, OSU
RB TreVeyon Henderson, OSU
DE JT Tuimoloau, OSU
DE Abdul Carter, PSU
RB Kyle Monangai, RU

Kids Day Set

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa football team will host its annual “Kids’ Day at Kinnick,” presented by the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, on Saturday, Aug. 10. Supporting sponsors for the event include Alliant Energy, Chick-fil-A, Delta Dental of Iowa, and Scheels. The open practice begins at 11 a.m. (CT), with gates A, B and H opening at 10 a.m.

Team members will sign autographs for kids at approximately 10:30 a.m. along the front of the west and south stands.

During the practice, the 2024 Kid Captains will join players on the field for photos following an exclusive “inside look” at Kinnick Stadium. The Kid Captain program, a partnership between UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the University of Iowa football team since 2009, features the inspiring stories of 12 current and former patients throughout the football season.

Admission is free for all fans, and free parking is available in designated hard surface lots, with regular ramp fees applying. Cashless concession stands will be open, accepting debit or credit cards only, and Kinnick Stadium’s clear bag policy will be enforced.

Miranda Claims Iowa Amateur 

Rising Iowa senior Paula Miranda fired a 72 (E) at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo to win the 100th Iowa Women’s Amateur on Wednesday. Miranda shot a three-round 218 (+2) to claim the title.

It is the second straight year that a Hawkeye has won the event as Kaitlyn Hanna won in 2023.

“It was pretty special,” said Miranda. “Especially with it being the 100th anniversary of this tournament and with Kaitlyn winning last year. It is pretty special that the trophy gets to stay with the Hawks. I was really proud of myself today.”

The Puebla, Mexico, native finished with three birdies, 12 pars and three bogeys during her final round. She had a pair of birdies on the front nine and she birdied the par three 18th to finish at even par.

“I am very happy for Paula,” said head coach Megan Menzel. “She has put in a very consistent year of hard work, and it is great to see it paying off. She is a great competitor and a proud Hawkeye. It is great to see the Iowa Women’s Amateur trophy in Iowa City two years in a row!”

Miranda qualified for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur for the first time in her career last Thursday finishing as the individual runner up at a qualifying event at the Franklin Bridge Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee.

Grable Rounds Out Gymnastics Staff

Kyle Grable has been named an assistant coach for the Iowa gymnastics team, head coach Jen Llewellyn announced Friday.

“I am beyond thrilled to welcome Kyle to the Hawkeye family,” said Llewellyn. “Kyle has a wealth of experience in his 17-year coaching career. His knowledge for the sport in both the collegiate and elite world will be instrumental in moving the program to new heights. He brings with him a deep passion and joy for the sport and has an excellent ability in helping each student athlete grow to be the very best version of themselves to be a champion in the gym and a champion in life.”

Grable joins the Hawkeyes after three seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA. Prior to UCLA Grable had a successful 15-year club coaching career at Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center (JPAC) in Indianapolis and Gym-Nation in Mason, Ohio.

In 2023, he was selected by the WCGA as Co-Assistant Coach of the Year in the West Region, and the UCLA coaching staff was selected College Gym News’ Coaching Staff of the Year. Grable served as the Bruins’ vault and floor coach where he coached 2024 Olympian, Jordan Chiles, to a NCAA and Pac-12 floor exercise title. He also guided six Bruins to All-America honors, two on vault and four on floor. UCLA’s floor exercise squad ranked first in the nation in 2023 and set a school postseason record on floor with a 49.7125 at the NCAA semifinals.

In 2024, he coached the Bruin vault squad to a 49.312 season average, a two-tenths improvement from 2023.

Prior to UCLA, Grable coached at JPAC, a highly respected club gym, where he served as co-head coach for elite development for five years. Under his guidance, JPAC was awarded J.O. Club of the Year honors nationally in 2019 and in Region 5 in 2021. He led the uneven bars instruction for Levels 6-10, coached a Level 10 national all-around champion in 2019, three Level 10 uneven bars national champions, a 2021 Level 10 National beam champion, two Level 10 national all-around runners-up and qualified athletes to the Nastia Liukin Cup in four straight years.

From 2007-17, Grable coached at Gym-Nation assisting in the rebuilding of the gymnastics team program. As the primary vault and uneven bars coach, he helped qualify athletes to Level 9 Easterns and Level 10 Nationals.

The Dayton, Ohio, native earned degree in athletic training form Urbana University in 2008. He comes to Iowa City with his wife Autumn.

Tennis Team Honored 

Iowa women’s tennis team was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I All-Academic team for the 2023-2024 academic year. Along with the team’s honor, five student-athletes were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, announced by the organization Monday.

Vipasha Mehra, Barbora Pokorna, Marisa Schmidt, Pia Kranholdt, and Daianne Hayashida were all recognized as ITA Scholar-Athletes, earning a 3.50 GPA or above. Hayashida and Kranholdt have earned this honor for two straight seasons while Pokorna and Schmidt have been recognized for three seasons in a row.

As a team, this is Iowa’s 10th straight year receiving this award and the 15th in program history. To receive this recognition, all varsity letterwinners must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or above. The Hawkeyes finished the 2023-2024 academic year with a 3.8 GPA, and were recognized after the fall semester with a 3.83 GPA, the highest GPA in program history.