Rob Gray

Kevin Dresser’s Iowa State wrestling program is coming off a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships — its best finish since 2010 — and all the coaches accompanying him on the Cyclones’ 18th annual Tailgate Tour have their respective programs on marked upswings, as well.

John Reniewicki didn’t enter the Drake Relays to make history. Or break a 40-year-old record in the 1,500-meter run owned by the legendary miler Steve Scott. So as the 28-year-old former walk-on runner at Arizona State outdueled this week’s Grand Blue Mile champion, Vince Ciatti, he tuned out PA announcer Mike Jay, who informed the crowd at Drake Stadium of his tense record-breaking performance in real-time.

Cam Jones already owns Iowa State’s indoor and outdoor records in the shot put. Friday night, the former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep added an elite Drake Relays title to his long list of honors.

Lolo Jones finds herself in an unusual position. The decorated veteran hurdler enters the blocks as the epitome of a long shot — both at this weekend’s Drake Relays and in her ambitious quest to earn a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

Former Saint Mary’s forward Joshua Jefferson announced Tuesday on social media that he’ll be joining the Iowa State men’s basketball program.

Should Iowa State football fans take away anything from Saturday’s official spring game from an offensive standpoint? “No,” Matt Campbell said before amending that one-word assessment.

Even though Iowa State’s spring football game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium isn’t an actual contest of any sort, fans should grab a post-tailgate popcorn because there are plenty of things to watch.

Iowa State linebacker Jack Sadowsky’s rookie success story included a stat line of 33 tackles and 2.5 stops for loss. He also notched a quarterback hurry for a deep unit that lost Gerry Vaughn to graduation and Carson Willich to a torn ACL this spring, but returns several players with valuable playing experience.

Endless adversity. That’s what Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell and his staff have tried to create for a Cyclones team brimming with a blend of proven and unproven talent.

Jontez Williams, a 5-11, 200-pound native of Starke, Fla., doesn’t possess T.J. Tampa’s expansive wingspan, but he clearly has the mental makeup to shine at cornerback for Iowa State opposite returning starter yles Purchase.

Kiper thinks the cornerback has all the tools to make it in the NFL and should be rated higher in the draft

Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins could give Cyclones quite a punch on offense, among other talented threats

Cyclone junior has only been playing football since his senior yeare in high school and once considered basketball his future

New Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser played an integral role in building strong relationships on the recruiting trail and within the team’s walls. And he’s ready to lead an offense that improved from 128th to seventh in red zone scoring and features an array of big play threats in the running and passing games.

One broke a 38-year-old Iowa state record in the long jump. The other became Minnesota’s first two-time Gatorade player of the year award winner. Together, Iowa State sophomore tailbacks Abu Sama and Carson Hansen form a one-two punch in the backfield that should pose a problem for opposing defenses this fall.