Author: Nathan Bloechl

College Football: Central Earning Preseason Attention:

The Central College football team — which will feature several Mount Pleasant alumni — is receiving quite a bit of preseason love.

The Dutch are ranked No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division III preseason poll according to the nationally published Lindy’s College Football Magazine.

Central earned their 31st conference crown two years ago and competed well in the truncated spring season this year.

They’re expected to return 33 letterwinners from that year’s group.

Mount Union is the preseason No. 1 team, according to the publication.

Central head coach Coach Jeff McMartin has posted a 128-42 mark over 17 seasons at the helm in Pella.

The Dutch open the 2021 campaign Sept. 4 at St. Olaf College (Minn.).

College Sports: Pollard Named President of NACDA:

Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard has been named the President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics for the 2021-22 membership year.

Pollard succeeds University of Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel, who served as President in 2020-21.

Pollard, who is in his 17th year as the leader of Cyclone Athletics and prior to his arrival at ISU he served in various athletic administrative capacities at Wisconsin, Maryland and Saint Louis.

Pollard is also in the midst of a five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Committee.

College Baseball: Iowa Brings in David Pearson:

David Pearson will join the University of Iowa baseball program as the volunteer assistant coach, it was announced Tuesday by head coach Rick Heller.

Pearson will serve as the Hawkeyes’ hitting coach.

Pearson joins the program following a two-year run as associate head coach at North Dakota State – his second stint with the Bison.

He also has served as head coach at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) from 2016-19.

During the 2021 season, Pearson helped the Bison to a school record 42 victories, as the team went 42-19 on its way to a Summit League Tournament title and NCAA Regional berth.

NDSU won its first NCAA Regional game – a 6-1 win over Nevada – to tally its first NCAA win of the Division I era.

Pearson spent 10 years in Fargo from 2007-2016 where he ended his run as the associate head coach for two seasons.

PGA Golf: John Deere Classic Moves Up Two Weeks:

The John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities is moving two weeks prior to The Open Championship.

Next year’s tournament will run June 27th through July third.

The JDC has been held the week before The Open Championship since 2004.

The Scottish Open will now be the week after the John Deere Classic and that tournament has been elevated to an event that will offer FedEx Cup points.

Lucas Glover was the winner of this year’s tournament.

Prep Baseball: Iowa Print Writers Association Names All-State Teams:

The Iowa Print Writers Association has released their 2021 All-State teams, announced late yesterday night.

In Class 1A, New London’s Tucker Gibbar was the lone local selection.

Gibbar was listed as a Third Team choice at catcher.

The terrific backstop was second on New London with 31 RBI and led the squad with nine doubles.

He finished second on the team with a .427 average and also was incredible in the field for the Tigers.

New London finished their season 26-2, losing in the first round of the Class 1A State Tournament, 4-3.

It was just the Tigers’ second ever state tournament appearance in school history.

College Football: Iowa Wesleyan Tabbed for 7th Place Finish in NSAA Preseason Poll: 

The North Star Athletic Association football head coaches have  selected Dickinson State (N.D.) as the unanimous favorite to win the league title for the seventh consecutive year, the conference preseason poll was announced Monday by the conference office.

Iowa Wesleyan received eight points and was picked to finish 7th in the seven team league.

This will be Wesleyan’s first year back competing in the NAIA ranks.

Valley City State, Waldorf, Dakota State and Mayville State round out the top five.

Iowa Wesleyan will open their North Star schedule at home on Saturday, September 25th against Valley City State (ND).

They’ll open their season on the road at Saint Ambrose University on Saturday, August 28th.

Kick is slated for 1:00 p.m.

College Football: Former Wesleyan Player Tragically Shot and Killed in Arkansas:

A former Iowa Wesleyan football player was tragically shot and killed in a homicide police are saying occurred Sunday morning in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

The victim was identified as Omarion Bones in a statement from the Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Laurence B. Alexander.

Bones was a member of the Iowa Wesleyan Tiger football team last year and had hoped to walk on at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The investigation has been turned over to the Arkansas State Police.

College Football: Two UNI Panthers Named Preseason All-America:

The UNI Panther football team will head into their 2021-22 season with two preseason All-Americans, the university announced yesterday.

Senior defensive tackle Jared Brinkman and junior offensive tackle Trevor Penning were named to the first and second team preseason All-American teams, respectively.

Brinkman, a consensus first-team All-America after the spring season, was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

He led the league in tackles for loss.

Penning was a Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention honoree one year ago.

UNI opens their season on the road at Iowa State on Saturday, September 4th.