By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Iowa’s Kemerer Granted Extra Year:
Iowa wrestler Michael Kemerer will be back for next season.
Kemerer announced via social media that he has been granted a medical hardship after missing the 2018-2019 season with injury.
Kemerer was 15-1 this past season and finished second at the Big Ten Tournament.
Iowa coach Tom Brands said last month he was confident Kemerer would get an extra year.
“It’s a foregone conclusion everything that I’m understanding on it. I imagine there is more important things the NCAA has to do than these hardships. I think it’s a formality” Brands explained.
Kemerer will likely open next season as the top ranked wrestler at 174 pounds.
His return means the Hawkeyes will return nine of ten wrestlers from their post season line-up.
Cyclone’s Campbell Aims at Internal Improvement:
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell says the Cyclones are still trying to get better, even at a different pace. Campbell says with the campus shut down they are using different forms of technology to try and maintain a routine for the players.
“We live in a world that goes 100 MPH. Right now, it’s like a sabbatical. It’s an opportunity to come back better and we can really improve. It’s been our mantra over the last few weeks” explained Campbell.
Without spring practices, Campbell has put the onus back on the players to keep up with weights and conditioning. And while everything else has seen a freeze, Campbell says recruiting must go on.
“We feel really good about where we are in terms of the 2021 class. I think we just continue to be creative and find ways to connect and engage and get both players and parent’s questions answered about our program” he said.
The Cyclones return quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall from a team that went 7-6 one year ago.
NCAA Makes Several Rules Changes:
The NCAA has announced numerous rules changes ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Yesterday in a statement by the NCAA, the Playing Rules Panel announced that number “0” is now eligible number for players to wear.
They also made changes to the targeting protocol. Previously, players who were ejected for targeting must have left the field and returned to the locker room. Moving forward, that player would be able to remain on the sidelines with his teammates.
The panel also mentioned a continued emphasis on brevity of replay reviews, saying that reviews should not take more than two minutes, except for exceptionally challenging or end-of-game reviews.