SPORTS Friday, April 19, 2024 3B The Gazette Groundbreaking NIL law in Virginia governor signed a law Thursday that allows the colleges and universities to directly pay athletes through name, image and likeness deals. The law signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin bypasses an NCAA rule that prevents schools from paying athletes under NIL guidelines. It takes effect on July 1. Cavinder twins returning to Miami One day after Hanna Cavinder revealed she was returning to the Hurricanes, twin sister Haley Cavinder said she was decommitting from TCU and heading back to Miami, as well.
They were part of the Miami team that went to the Elite Eight in 2023, which at the time was expected to be their lone season with the Hurricanes. Neither played college basketball this season. The Cavinder twins two of the most prominent athletes in the name, image and likeness era of college athletics and who have 4.5 million followers on TikTok announced last year that they were leaving Miami after one season. At the time, Hanna Cavinder said she was considering no lon- ger playing, and Haley Cavinder suggested she wanted to play one more season. Until this week, the expectation was that Haley Cavinder would play at TCU.
Kansas adds Storr from Wisconsin AJ Storr says he is transferring to Kansas after leading Wisconsin in scoring this season. It was a busy day for transfer news involving Wisconsin, as Badgers point guard Chucky Hepburn announced on social media that he also was entering the portal. Butler out for play-in game Jimmy Butler will not be able to play for the Miami Heat in a win-or- else game tonight against the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tourna- ment because of a right knee injury, one that will sideline him for several weeks. An MRI exam showed that he sprained the MCL ligament against Philadelphia on Wednesday, an injury that typically takes at least four weeks to heal. Female ref picked for NBA playoffs Ashley Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game.
She was one of 36 referees an- nounced by the league Thursday as its referee selections for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend. Violet Palmer worked nine playoff games be- tween 2006 and 2012. Coyotes officially leave Arizona for Utah The NHL team mov- ing from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined. Former owner Alex Meruelo keeps the Coy- otes name and has the chance to reactivate the franchise if able to build an arena. The short timeline of relocating the club could mean it has a placehold- er name for the first sea- son, like NFL team had in 2020 and before becoming the Commanders.
Gazette wire services NATIONAL NOTES HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS SOCCER Panora native will succeed Berger on June 8 By Jeff Linder, The Gazette WEST DES MOINES too early to call it a legacy, but Erin Gerlich already has put her fingerprints on the landscape of high school athletics. Instrumental in the rapid growth of high school wrestling, Gerlich was announced Thursday as the next executive director of the Iowa Girls High School Ath- letic Union. an Iowa Girl, it feels ex- tra special to carry the said Gerlich, 40, who will suc- ceed the retiring Jean Berger on June 8. got a really good staff that is full of good ideas, and deeply hon- A native of Panora, Gerlich came to the Union as an associate director in Sep- tember 2021 after serving as activities director at the Pan- orama Community School District. She received her undergrad- uate degree at Iowa State Uni- versity, her mas- in health promotion from Oklahoma State University.
Upon her hire at the Union, main role was to over- see wrestling, a sport that was IGHSAU-sanc- tioned in time for the 2022-23 season. Last season, 3,100 girls par- ticipated in wrestling, an in- crease of more than 20 percent from the previous year. Gerlich also served as the sport administrator for ten- nis, and has led the IGHSAU student athletic advisory com- mittee. She will become the sixth person and the second woman in the head role. Berger announced her re- tirement in February.
She had held that role since 2016. so grateful for Gerlich said. have a front-row seat has been phenomenal, and has prepared me for Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com IGHSAU tabs Gerlich as its next director Erin Gerlich New IGHSAU executive director Move from Cownie Soccer Park keeps event on grass By Ryan Pleggenkuhle, correspondent MARION Marion soccer coach Erik Trilk is a fan of the concept. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and Iowa State University announced Wednes- day the state soccer tour- nament will be held in Ames, beginning in 2025. The agree- ment for Iowa State to host the tournament is for three years with extension options.
love the idea for a num- ber of Trilk said. at a will be a great reward for the teams that make it there. And playing on natural grass that is taken care of will always be better than The Cyclone Sports Com- plex, home to the Iowa State soccer team, opened in 2013 and holds about 1,500 specta- tors with a new video board and system expected to be in- stalled this year. think really great for the girls just getting exposure to Division I schools and what the fields are Linn-Mar Coach Hannah Clark said. I played at the Uni- versity of Iowa, its grass field was amazing.
These kinds of colleges keep really nice fields. So, be good for the players to play on Center Point-Urbana Coach Kevin Schmidt is a bit more skeptical of the move. facilities look OK according to Google Maps, but without actu- ally ever stepping foot at the venues it's hard to know for Schmidt said. will be a change for sure and based on the first two rounds being at the Lied Recre- ation Athletic Center and then the championships being at a completely different space, I'm not sure I'm a fan so far. an aerial view, the fields at the Lied facility seem very tightly packed.
Will there be enough room for fans and everything else that comes with the state tournament? We won't know until 2025 when we're Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines will host this state tour- nament, as it has every year since 2013 (with the exception of COVID-cancelled 2020 sea- son). we have only been to Cownie once as a team and so we just took the whole experience with open arms, but moving this to a state uni- versity is a smart Trilk said. a great recruitment tool for in-state universities to keep athletes Cownie Park, which opened in 1998, consists of 12 natural grass fields and has been used by Drake and Grand View universities, Des Moines high school teams and youth pro- grams. liked Cownie the times we've been Schmidt said. the fields perfect? No, but finding a perfect grass field in Iowa is hard to do.
field has developed over the years to facilitate a good experience for the state tournament. Is it a little bit off the beaten path? Sure, but again, finding the space to house that many soccer fields sometimes requires you to ven- ture outside the interior of the One concept is consensus among the three coaches: Play- ing on a well-maintained grass field is the preferred choice. love grass fields and were extremely pleased when reading that it would remain on a grass Schmidt said. am not a fan of turf fields. You just don't get the natural compared to grass and the way the ball moves, bounces, and reacts in all weather Coaches happy with move to Ames Marion soccer coach Erik Trilk, encouraging his players during last state tournament at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines, is excited to see the state tournament move to Ames.
(Jim Gazette) WRESTLING Former Hawkeye Gilman may stand in the way at 125.5 pounds By K.J. Pilcher, The Gazette Eighteen spots for the U.S. Olym- pic Team Trials are up for grabs today and Saturday at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Some former and current Iowa Hawkeyes will attempt to claim one of six in and freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. Here are four things to watch during the weekend event: LEE LOOKS FOR OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITY Spencer return to freestyle has been the version of three-time NCAA champion and three-time age-level world champion that fans expect.
He has seemed strong ands healthy, winning titles at the Bill Farrell Memorial tourna- ment in November, Senior Nationals in December and the Pan-American Champi- onships in February. The road to the Olympic spot is filled with interesting matchups at 125.5 pounds (57 kg). Lee is the No. 4 seed and will likely face former Penn State champion and No. 5-seed Nico Megaludis.
It would be their third meeting in half a year Lee was victorious in the first two. If he reaches the semifinal, it will prob- ably be against top-seed and world team member Zane Richards, who wrestled at Illinois. The last hurdle could be former Hawk- eye NCAA finalist and 2021 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman, the No. 2 seed. Lee was heir apparent at 125 in the lineup.
The two shared space in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex as Gilman won a World silver medal with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. The matchup could be epic, especially since Gilman moved from HWC to the Nit- tany Lion Wrestling Club. MARINELLI MIXES IT UP WITH THE BEST Iowa All-American and four-time Big Ten champion Alex Marinelli is the No. 8 pre-seed at 163 (74 kg). The weight class is overflowing with talent partly caused by four fewer weights in the Olympics com- pared to World Championships.
Former Hawkeye Tony Cassioppi is also the No. 8 seed at 213.9 pounds (97 kg). He had to defeat teammate Jacob War- ner at Senior Nationals to earn a spot. Cassioppi has dropped down to a lower weight than he was as a four-time All- American for Iowa. HAWKEYE WOMEN IN THE FIELD Iowa wrestling captured National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals and National Collegiate Wrestling Championships team title in its first official season of competi- tion.
A large contingent of Hawkeyes will be in the freestyle field. National champions Kylie Welker and Reese Larramendy lead Iowa wrestlers. Welker is the No. 2 seed at 167.5 (76 kg), while Larramendy is the No. 3 seed at 149.75 (68 kg).
Welker is a legit contender but six-time world champion, nine-time medalist and Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray is back. Gray awaits the challenge tourna- ment winner in a best-of-3 series Satur- day. Welker has a chance to make the final series but will have to get through top-seeded Kennedy Blades. KOONTZ COMPETES IN GRECO-ROMAN University of Dubuque All-American Brady Koontz, who previously wrestled at Ohio State, is the 10th seed at 132 (60 kg). It rare for small school competi- tors to make the field, especially in Greco- Roman.
Koontz also has an advantage, being able to train with Spartans head wrestling coach and assis- tant Dennis Hall. Hall is a 10-time U.S. National cham- pion, World champion and three-time Olympian in Greco-Roman. Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com Lee in pursuit of Olympic spot Spencer Lee is lifted up by teammates during the senior day in 2023. Lee will pursue an Olympic spot at 125.5 pounds (57 kg) this weekend In State College, Pa.
(Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP).
