This week’s Pinning Combination podcast takes a look back at Penn State’s one-sided win over Iowa, Iowa State’s Super Bowl Sunday win over Northern Iowa and previews this week’s boys’ state wrestling tournament.
Iowa suffered consecutive losses for the first time since 2018, Iowa State beat UNI, Coe won the Bremner Cup dual against Cornell, Wartburg won the American Rivers Conference again and Tanner Sloan posted a notable win during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
Coe followed up a fifth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals with a 4-0 mark at the American Rivers Conference Duals on Saturday at Luther in Decorah. The Kohawks improved to 10-1 this season. The A-R-C held its first women’s conference tournament, Iowa’s offense against Purdue and prep results in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
The first weekend of wrestling tournaments in 2024 gave the Pinning Combination podcast plenty to discuss this week, from the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls to high school action returning around the state.
Wartburg captured its 13th title, while Coe and Upper Iowa rebounded after opening-round losses at the NWCA Multi-Divisional Dual Championships at the UNI-Dome. Life University got a title sweep. Iowa State swept out west, UNI got its 800th dual win and the Alburnett boys and Decorah girls impressed during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
The NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals return to the UNI-Dome. The two-day event includes some of the top teams in NCAA Division II and III and NCAA women’s and NAIA men’s and women’s brackets. Here are a few notable items to watch this weekend in Cedar Falls.
Dustin Elsbury has been named head varsity football coach at Iowa City Regina. He had been an assistant at the school under Jason Dumont, who recently retired from coaching.
Coe College’s men’s basketball team had to win its final two regular-season games just to qualify for last season’s American Rivers Conference Tournament. The Kohawks then won three road games to capture the league title and qualify for the NCAA Division III tournament. That momentum has carried over to this season, as Coe is 10-1 approaching the holiday break.
Action from Wednesday’s men’s college basketball game between Cornell College and Coe College.
Action from Wednesday’s game between Cornell College and Coe College
Iowa dominated Columbia with some notable happenings on the periphery of competition. The Lions rebounded against UNI. Upper Iowa opened GLVC action successfully and Luther swept two duals at UW-Stevens Point in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
Seven Coe football players returned for a fifth season, afforded to them by the 2020 COVID-disrupted year, and the decision was rewarded by Coe’s first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Kohawks (9-1) earned one of four at-large bids to the 32-team field and face No. 12 Aurora (Ill.) University on the road Saturday at noon in the first round.
The 25th-ranked Coe Kohawks need a win Saturday over Loras to stay in contention for one of four at-large bids for the NCAA Division III Championships. Cornell looks for its sixth win. Read about five storylines in Iowa non-FBS football.
Coe has cracked the d3football.com rankings for the first time since 2016 and heads to University of Dubuque. Cornell has had its best year under Coach Dan Pifer. Here are five notable things in Iowa small college football this weekend.
The Coe offensive line’s “fist” mentality emphasizes unity, meshing all five positions together to form a powerful unit. Behind that balled up fist of an offensive line, the Kohawks punched Luther right in the face, amassing 571 offensive yards and escorting six rushers to the end zone for seven TDs on the ground in a 64-2 win over the Norse in an American Rivers Conference football game Saturday at Clark Field.
Daily Newsletters