College Sports

Former Spirit Lake and current Northwestern football player Jacob Jenness was recently named to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works team as announced by the Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches' Association. This award, made up of 22-players from the NCAA D-I, D-II, D-III and NAIA, shines a spotlight on the incredible stories of selflessness and community service displayed by these student-athletes, and honors their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others.. ...

Former Spirit Lake athlete Cody Poock helped the University of Minnesota football team to a season opening win over Buffalo on Thursday, Aug 31. It was the final season opener for the fifth-year Gophers senior.

Former Indian Cody Poock readies for senior season at Minnesota

Minutes were hard to come by in Ryan Kriener's freshman season at the University of Iowa. The former Spirit Lake hoops star battled through an illness that cost him most of the summer between his high school graduation and the start of the Hawkeyes' basketball season. Kriener battled back, but found cracking the young and deep Iowa lineup a tough task.

Former Harris-Lake Park athlete Jordan Kyle recently signed to continue his baseball and academic careers at Morningside College in Sioux City. Kyle was a four-sport athlete at H-LP, competing in football, basketball, golf and baseball. In his senior football season, Kyle helped lead the Wolves to a runner-up finish in the 8-Player state championship while leading the entire state in touchdown receptions and setting school marks in career receptions, career receiving touchdowns and career sacks. ...

Editor's Note: The following is an Op-Ed piece from Sean Welsh, a senior offensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes from Springboro, Ohio. He has 35 career starts and has been recognized nationally for his efforts as a player and a student. The 2017 season will mark Welsh's fourth year as a member of the Iowa Football Leadership Group...

Big Sky Conference coaches and media members each picked Montana State to finish eighth in the league this season in polls released by the league Tuesday. That would be a slight improvement over 2016, when the Bobcats finished tied for ninth. The team returns 14 starters, including eight on offense. ...

Former Spirit Lake and current Northwestern College football player Jacob Jenness was recently nominated for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has been one of the most coveted community service awards in college football, bringing together select student-athletes from all divisions of play to honor their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others. ...

Former standout Iowa Lakes Baseball player Kyle Thomas was drafted Wednesday afternoon by the Detroit Tigers in the 30th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Thomas, a right-handed pitcher is originally from Mississauga, Ontario. ...

Former Spirit Lake athlete Caleb Jennings was honored for his performance with the Central College men’s track and field team this spring. Jennings, a sophomore, earned his second letter of his collegiate career in 2017. He was named the team's Most Valuable Freshman in 2016 after earning All-Iowa Conference honors...

Spirit Lake Park wrestlers Daniel Trucksess (left) and John Tuttle (right) recently signed to continue their athletic and academic careers in college. Trucksess will attend Hannibal LaGrange University, a private four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Hannibal, Missouri, and Tuttle will attend Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. They are pictured with SLP coach Andrew Lundgren (center)...

Iowa Lakes women's basketball player Lauryn Smith signed her letter of intent to continue her collegiate career at Augusta University, a Division II institution located in Augusta, Georgia. Lauryn will also continue pursuing her academic career in Athletic Training/Physical Therapy...

Iowa Lakes Community College women's basketball coach Ashley Martin recently signed Anjanea Simms, a transfer student-athlete from Moberly Community College in Missouri. “We are thrilled to announce the addition of Anjanea Simms and her family to our program and Laker family," Martin said. ...

Seven Iowa Lakes Community College Softball athletes were named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Division II Softball All-Region teams.   Named to the first team were sophomore catcher Deanna Gerrard and sophomore infielder Lauren Hein. Gerrard, from Southey, SK, Canada, finished the season with a .471 batting average, .536 on base percentage, and .813 slugging percentage. ...

Iowa Lakes women's basketball player Lauryn Smith signed her letter of intent to continue her collegiate career at Augusta University, a Division II institution located in Augusta, Georgia. Lauryn will also continue pursuing her academic career in Athletic Training/Physical Therapy...

Iowa Lakes women's basketball player Tristyn Dunivant signed her letter of intent to continue her athletic career at Nebraska Christian College (NCC), an NCCAA Division I institution located in Papillion, NE. Tristyn will also continue pursuing her academic career in Human Development and Psychology at NCC...

Iowa Lakes Community College softball coach Katie Larson announced the signing of Lexi Pallisco to the 2017-2018 recruiting class. Lexi is the daughter of Jane Pallisco and played for Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.   “We welcome Lexi Pallisco and her family to Iowa Lakes softball today,” Larson said. “Her work ethic and love for the game are the traits that we want future Laker softball players to exemplify as well.” ...

Iowa Lakes Community College softball coach Katie Larson announced the signing of Kacie Salazar to the 2017-2018 recruiting class. Kacie is the daughter of Jerry and Jane Salazar and played for the Ridgeview High School Wolfpack.  "We are very excited to welcome Kacie and her family to our Laker softball program," Larson said. ...

Purdue Northwest University has signed an Iowa Lakes Community College men’s soccer player. Renato Silva, midfielder, appeared in 12 games for the Lakers.  He registered nine goals in his sophomore season – third highest scorer for the season – with two of his goals being game winners. He also added four assists to his statistics...