Sports briefs

All-conference

AMES — Iowa State junior offensive lineman Trevor Downing of Creston was named to the All-Big 12 Football first team.

Running back Breece Hall repeated as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Will McDonald IV took the Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year award with Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the release of the Big 12 football awards Thursday.

Downing, Hall and McDonald were joined on the first team by teammates Jared Rus (FB), Xavier Hutchinson (WR), Charlie Kolar (TE), Eyioma Uwazurike (DL) and Mike Rose (LB).

Semifinal game

SIOUX CITY — No. 2 ranked Morningside (12-0) will host No. 4 ranked Northwestern College in the 2021 NAIA FCS semifinals at noon Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium.

Blake Sevier of Creston is a starting offensive guard for Northwestern (12-1), which fell 55-49 to Morningside on Nov. 6 in Orange City. Ethan Ayers of East Union is a reserve offensive lineman for the Raiders.

Northwestern is coming off a 25-20 victory over Marian (Ind.) to advance to their second straight NAIA FCS semifinal game. Last year, Northwestern topped Morningside to reach the national championship game.

Conference honor

INDIANOLA — Simpson College forward Jenna Taylor of Creston was named American Rivers Conference Female Athlete of the Week for the week ending Nov. 28.

Taylor helped lead the Storm to a 2-1 week with wins over Loras (85-79) and UW-La Crosse (70-56) and a hard-fought battle that ended in a loss to UW-Eau Claire (72-70). Taylor averaged 15.0 points (8, 27, 10) and 8.7 rebounds during the week’s competition.

The Simpson graduate student was also named to the Gunderson Hotel & Suites Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team.

Bearcat basketball

MARYVILLE — The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team (4-1) begins MIAA this week, hosting Northeastern State Thursday and Rogers State Saturday in Bearcat Arena.

Both Emma Atwood of Central Decatur and Kelsey Fields of Creston are averaging 2.0 points per game. Fields, playing 11 minutes per game to date, is also averaging 2.0 rebounds per game.

Warriors winning

MOUNT PLEASANT — The Iowa Wesleyan University women’s basketball team defeated Waldorf University 67-45 Wednesday to improve to 8-2 on the season.

Junior Brielle Baker of Creston started for the Tigers and finished with two points and eight rebounds. In a 58-47 home victory over Culver-Stockton on Monday, Baker had eight points, three steals and seven rebounds.

Open tourney

KEARNEY, Neb. — Freshman Jackson Kinsella of Creston, redshirting this season for the University of Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team, competed in an open tournament at home on Nov. 21.

Wrestling at 184 pounds, Kinsella finished with a 1-2 record for the day. He defeated Connor Rinn of Midland (Neb.), 9-7; was pinned by Jesse Daniel Perez of Ottawa University in 5:27; and was defeated by Quayin Short of Wyoming, 8-2.

— Compiled by Larry Peterson, freelance contributor