College Football: Central Favorited for ARC Crown:
The Central College Dutch are the coaches’ choice to win the 2021 American Rivers Conference Football title.
Central was chosen first on eight ballots and earned 64 points to earn the No. 1 ranking.
Two years ago, the last time conference football was played, the Dutch split the title with Wartburg. The Knights garnered 56 points in the poll and received one first-place vote.
Dubuque debuts at No. 3 in the coaches’ poll, earning 47 points, and Coe picked up 43 points to put them at the No. 4 spot.
Simpson tallied 36 points to put them at the No. 5 spot and Loras picked up 31 points to earn sixth.
Nebraska Wesleyan, Luther, and Buena Vista finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
Central is entering the season ranked No. 14 while Wartburg is entering ranked No. 18 in D3football.com’s Top 25 Preseason Poll.
The 2021 season kicks off on Saturday, September 4 with all nine members of the American Rivers Conference taking the field.
Men’s College Soccer: Wesleyan Falls in NAIA Opener:
After nine years in NCAA Division III, the Iowa Wesleyan men’s soccer team made their return to NAIA, falling the Midland University on Saturday, 1-0 at Bracewell Stadium.
In the early minutes of the game, the Tigers put pressure on the Warriors.
However, Midland countered with a goal against the run of play, finding the back of the net in the 35th minute.
The Tigers would struggle to put shots on goal with Carlos Mateo Moreno having the lone shot on goal for Wesleyan.
Midland put seven shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Alvaro Morera made four saves for the Tigers.
Wesleyan will look to bounce back against William Penn University on Tuesday in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m.
College Football: Drake Ready to Compete in the Pioneer Football League:
An experienced Drake football team looks to contend for the Pioneer Football League championship this fall.
The Bulldogs return the entire roster from a team that finished 2-3 during an abbreviated spring season — including former Mount Pleasant standout Kieran Kohorst, who played in four games with three starts last year.
“Normally that first week of training camp, it’s a bit of a cluster — but it feels like we’ve picked up right where we’ve left off” head coach Todd Stepsis said.
The defense gave up less than 13 points and 77 yards of rushing per game in the spring but the Bulldogs need improvement from an offense that averaged only 18 points per contest.
The Bulldogs open at home on Thursday, September 2nd against West Virginia Wesleyan.
Women’s College Basketball: Iowa City’s Joens Picks Iowa State:
The third installment of the Joens’ sisters is following her older siblings footsteps.
Yesterday City High Star Kelsey Joens announced her commitment to Iowa State — picking the Clones over other offers from Nebraska and Michigan.
Both of the elder sisters are currently on the Cyclone roster, including National Player of the Year Candidate and All-American Ashley Joens.
Iowa State finished 17-11 last year, falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Texas A&M.