Mount Pleasant, IA- Mt. Pleasant High School has had a strong tradition of women throwers for the track and field team and that tradition added another name to its history as Ava English signed her National Letter of Intent to throw at St. Ambrose University.

English was able to witness some of that dominance her freshman year when Jadan Brumbaugh was in the process of taking home both the shot put and discus state championships, while English put up a respectable season best of 33 feet and 9 inches.

For English, it has been an honor getting to throw for the Panthers,

“I feel very, very lucky. I look at everyone else and I’m like I have a very, very talented coaching staff and other athletes that came out of this program that are just amazing, like Jayden and she’s definitely one of my people I look up to 100%.”

The nascent of her college decision goes back to her sophomore season, but not in the shot-put ring. Offseason shoulder surgery set the stage for her career choice and her best season of throwing.

“I kind of just had my heart set on St. Ambrose,” said Ava English. “I had shoulder surgery in 2022 and so I went to my physical therapist. I was like, ‘this is what I want to do.’ Where do you recommend? She’s like St. Ambrose. So, I decided. ‘OK. St. Ambrose or nothing.’ St. Ambrose or SCC. So, I went, and toured and I was like, this is it. This is. This is going to be my home.”

Despite the adversity, English led the team with a season best throw of 37 feet and 3 inches and a trip to Des Moines for the Class 3A State Championship for the shot put. English would claim 16^th place with a throw of 34 feet and 11.75 inches.

English missed out on state last year with a season best throw of 35 feet and 7 inches as the sport of track and field can often be a frustrating outlet of competition with more setbacks and plateaus than personal bests.

In fact, English was contemplating whether track and field had a place in her future plans, but that thought was short lived,

“It definitely developed last year was kind of iffy. I didn’t know if I wanted that to be my whole life, but now I’m dead set on that. It’s definitely my main thing.”

Now, in her senior campaign, the goal is simple,

“Just keep improving. Trust the process, chop wood, carry water, [Shawn] Striegel [her throwing coach] would like that one. Make it to state. Just do my best. Have fun.”

In the indoor season, English hit a mark of 34 feet and 6.75 inches, as she prepares for Mt. Pleasant’s first outdoor meet on April 1^st at West Burlington High School for the Falcon Relays.

St. Ambrose had Annah Miller finish in 11^th place in the shot put with a heave of 45 feet and 0.5 inches at the 2024 NAIA National Championship meet.

Mount Pleasant, IA- One of the three senior captains that helped snapped a 23-game losing streak and nearly got the Panthers to finish the year with an over 0.500 record, Payton Walker has signed his National Letter of Intent to play football at St. Ambrose University.

He discussed what went into his decision to play for the Bees,

“Honestly, after talking to their coaches and going there, it really wasn’t that hard. They were close. They have a nice culture there and they have the major I was looking for. So those things kind of lined up and made a really easy decision for me.”

Walker first saw Varsity action in his sophomore campaign and instantly made his mark for the Panthers. Patrolling the middle of the field on defense, he finished second on the team in total tackles with 34.5, while adding 7.5 tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery, and an interception.

As a fullback on offense, he would open lanes and occasionally get the call to carry the ball, resulting in 87 yards and three touchdowns on four yards per carry for the season. Walker would end up taking home District Punter of the Year honors after stepping in for Owen Vansickel and averaging 34.3 yards per punt.

The promise shown in his sophomore season exploded onto the gridiron as Walker turned into a star his junior year. The jack-of-all-trades started the year exclusively in the backfield, whether that was running or blocking and occasionally catching a pass.

That was until starting quarter Cooper Coleman was knocked out of a road game at Tipton in the third game of the season, ushering a need for a new signal caller and who else to step in but Walker.

The running quarterback led the team on the ground in yards and carries with 609 yards, while scoring eight of the team’s nine rushing touchdowns; additionally, he completed 31 passes for 582 yards and added four passing touchdowns.

Moreover, he was also the leader on defense. The middle linebacker totaled 71 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss and still held the role of the team’s punter, averaging 31 yards per punt. This culminated in him earning 2^nd Team All-District running back.

However, he was still looking for his first victory in the Maroon and Gold.

Week one of his senior season provided the perfect opportunity in a road matchup against non-district rival Fairfield. Offensively, Walker only had to focus on blocking and running the ball, while defensively he was still the sheriff of the squad.

For the first time in nearly three years, Mt. Pleasant ended the game with the victory as Walker scored both touchdowns in a 13-12 win over the Trojans. Two weeks later at Bob Evans Field, he came through on defense, registering 8.5 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack for a safety in a win over Tipton.

Walker had trouble describing what it meant to get Mt. Pleasant back in the win column,

“I don’t know how to explain it honestly because we were 1-8, 0-9, 0-9 and after we got that first win it was just kind of like a sense of relief and then building on it and going 4-5 and I just want to keep seeing more and more win totals and it’s just a lot of gratification there and feel amazing.”

Overall, in the eight games he played his senior season he found the endzone in seven of the contests as he led the team in carries, despite splitting his share with Ramzy Davis.

Walker again led the team in tackles with 75 on the season, including 11.5 tackles for loss and an interception and fumble recovery. His impact on defense earned him 1^st Team All-District linebacker.

For his Panther career, Walker compiled 180.5 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions on defense. The side of the field he will continue to play for the Bees,

“I’m probably just going to stick with a linebacker. mean, punting is fun and all, but I think I’m more of a next level linebacker. I don’t think the leg is quite there”

On offense he totaled 1,100 rushing yards on four yards a carry and found paydirt 18 times and he’s not quite ready to close the chapter on that side of the ball,

“Definitely for sure. It’s definitely fun to run the ball. I mean, who knows if the opportunity presents itself.”

Walker will study Sports Management as he would like to become an Athletic Director. Though he looks toward his collegiate career, he will never forget the past four years at Mt. Pleasant High School,

“Oh, it’s just been amazing. Probably the best four years of my life right here playing football here. My best memories are with the guys out there on that field. So, I kind of realized that as soon as I was having fun out there, I just wanted to keep doing it for as long as I can.”

The Bees finished the season with a 3-8 overall record with a 1-5 mark in conference. They are searching for their first winning season since going 5-3 back in the 2020-2021 season. St. Ambrose will kickoff the season on the road against Briar Cliff on August 30^th at 6 pm.

High School Track

The Washington boys’ team will host the Steve Roth Relays on Thursday, March 27th, with Fairfield, Mediapolis, Wapello, Mt. Pleasant, Danville, West Burlington/Notre Dame, Columbus, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union all competing. 

The Danville, Fairfield, Mediapolis, New London, WACO, Winfield-Mt. Union, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Mt. Pleasant girls’ teams will meet up in Burlington for the Falcon Relays on April 1st. Panther head coach Scot Lamm wants his team to get back up top the pedestal of the conference again,

“That’s always the goal. Washington hadn’t won the conference since 1979, and like I said, you know, we won ten of the last 12 and we certainly pride ourselves on being good not only in Southeast Iowa but across the state. Yeah, that’ll be the goal all year long, and we’ll try to chase down the demons and see if we can get that conference title back to Mount Pleasant.”

High School Basketball

The 2025 Pizza Ranch All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 29th, at Dallas Center-Grimes High School with three of our local players and a coach making the trip to compete. 

On the girls’ Southeast team, WACO’s Ella Huisenga, who ranked 2nd on the team in points and 1st in rebounds, earned a spot and accompanying her will be her coach Lisa Graber. The Southeast squad will face off against the Northwest team for the first round at 10:45 am.

On the boys’ Southeast team, a pair from the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division will join forces in West Burlington’s Mason Watkins and Luke Hellige of Holy Trinity Catholic. Watkins and Hellige both finished within the top 10 in the state in points per game and as their respective program’s all-time leading scorer. The Southeast and Northwest will square off for their first round matchup at noon. 

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will host a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College tomorrow, March 26th. 

The baseball team will hit the road tomorrow to take on Ellsworth Community College in a doubleheader. 

College Basketball

The #6-seed Iowa woman’s team proved to be outmatched in their showdown with the #3-seed Oklahoma yesterday, losing 96-62. Lucy Olsen collected 20 points in the loss. The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 23-11 record. 

Ben McCollum will be the 23rd head coach in Iowa men’s basketball history after accepting the job yesterday. McCollum sports an 81.8 winning percentage in his career and holds four NCAA Division II National Championships when he coached at Northwest Missouri State. He was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year after leading Drake to a conference regular season and tournament title along with a win in March Madness. McCollum will have an introductory press conference today at 3:30 pm.

March Madness

The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with nearly 50 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes. 

The standings have been updated through the first two rounds. For a look at the top 10 breakdown, follow this link: KILJ Bracket Challenge Standings

The standings will be updated after the Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship matchup. The Sweet 16 will be back in action on Thursday, March 27th.

This Day in Sports History

1934 – The Masters Tournament was held for the first time. Horton Smith becomes the inaugural Champion with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

1972 – Chicago Blackhawks’ Bobby Hull becomes the 2nd NHLer to score 600 goals, with a goal in Boston assisted by his brother Dennis.

1986 – Kurt Browning becomes the first figure skater to land a quadruple jump.

Mt. Pleasant, IA- Two rounds of March Madness are down for the men’s NCAA tournament with the Sweet 16 looming ahead on Thursday, March 27^th, it is the perfect time to update what has happened in the pool of 64 and the standings heading into a bit of a reprieve.

What Happened

The prediction amongst the people of southeast Iowa was that upsets were so last year and that came to fruition as only seven upsets prevailed through the first round with #12 McNeese State pulling off the biggest upset, knocking out Clemson—an upset only four brackets had.

Home state pride proved successful until the second round as Iowa State and Drake were eliminated by Ole Miss and Texas Tech, respectively.

The second round was thrilling but did not yield many upsets, especially on the right side of the bracket as only #6 BYU was able to down #3 Wisconsin in a tough game. The left side of the bracket was a bit more unpredictable as #5 Michigan, the Big Ten winner, and #6 Ole Miss advanced.

Oh and #10 Arkansas, coached by John Calipari, outpaced #2 St. John’s, coached by Rick Pitino, 75-66 to galivant into the Sweet 16 in a battle between two legendary coaches. Nine brackets predicted St. John’s to lose in the second round, but only three had Arkansas complete the task. Most did not have the Razorbacks escaping past Kansas in the first round.

Above all, seven of the top eight teams still remain and only four brackets lost their champion out of 46, although one lost their entire championship matchup.

Before we jump into the top 10, most people did an excellent job guessing the first round with 30 brackets at least guessing 25 games correctly. The most belonged to Mat Wilson and Terry McWilliams as each picked 28 first round matchups correctly.

The second round was also above average as 37 brackets at least picked 10 games right, though 16 were able to get up and over 12 correct. Wanda Broeker demolished the second round with 14 correct choices out of a possible 16 contests. Five brackets accurately guessed 13 games right.

Standings

1. Wanda Broeker: 110
2. Rick Bunnell: 104 Guessed the Arkansas Upset
3. Mat Wilson: 104 Guessed the Arkansas Upset
4. Curt Wilson: 102
5. Aaron Freeman: 102
6. Matt Donnolly: 102
7. Terry McWilliams: 100
8. Brent Broeker: 100
9. Janae Body: 98
10. Karen Brimhall: 98

More

Stay tuned to KILJ for an update on the standings after the Elite 8.

Iowa City, IA- The madness of March is not just confined to the hardcourt, but the coaching carousel as well with numerous coaches having announced their decision to accept vacant positions at other programs. You can add Ben McCollum to that list as Iowa has reached an agreement to have the 43-year-old lead the men’s basketball team next year.

It did not take McCollum long to make a name for himself at the Division I level as his first season at the helm of Drake yield a 30-3 record during the regular season that included the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships, which brought upon an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The #11-seeded Bulldogs pulled off one of the few upsets in the first round, handing the #6-seeded Missouri a 67-57 loss. Despite just entering the upper echelon of coaching, McCollum has exuded confidence in himself and his players,

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect this,” McCollum said late Thursday night after Drake secured its first NCAA tournament win since 2021. “… I expected exactly this. I expected [my players] to compete. I brought winners with me. That’s what I brought. I guess my superpower is finding winners, finding tough kids and believing in them. So, I kind of expected this. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I know I try to be humble in other words. But man, I believe in these kids.”

His 31 wins this season were a program record for the Bulldogs as they finished a win away from their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1971.

Before coaching at Drake, McCollum dominated at the Division II level with Northwest Missouri State, totaling 394 wins in 15 seasons as he won four Division II titles. After returning to his home state, his overall record now sits at 425-95—a winning clip of 82%.

Now, coaching in the city he was born in; McCollum will now have to deal with the expectations of improving a Hawkeye team that has missed back-to-back NCAA tournament bids. Additionally, he will have to replace Fran McCaffery, the all-time winningest coach in Iowa history.

This will be McCollum’s first power conference job when the Hawkeyes tip-off in the upcoming winter. Iowa Athletics will be hosting an introductory press conference tomorrow, March 25^th, at 3:30 pm.