By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Major League Baseball:
Today would have been opening day of Major League Baseball, but, as we all know, the coronavirus knocked that out of the park.
Be on the lookout for the KILJ MLB Season Preview on KILJ.com.
Regional games today would have seen the Brewers host the Cubs, the Royals take on the White Sox, the Twins out west against the A’s and St. Louis at Cincinnati.
Penn, Robbins Honored at Drake:
Drake University sophomores Liam Robbins and Roman Penn have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District Second Team.
The two recent honors add to an impressive postseason haul for the duo as Robbins was named second-team All-MVC, MVC All-Defensive and MVC Most Improved. Penn was named third-team All-MVC and to the All-Newcomer Team.
Robbins’ latest honor caps a season in which he finished fifth in the nation in blocks with 2.91 blocks per game this season and a school-record 99 total blocks. Those 99 blocks were the third-most in a season in Valley history. He also added 14.1 points per game as Drake’s leading scorer and 7.1 rebounds per game to lead the Bulldogs.
Penn was one of the top point guards in the nation and led the Valley in assists with 192, the second-most in a season in Drake history to rank 31st nationally with 5.6 assists per game. He was also second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game and was one of just four players in the nation to record at least 400 points, 160 rebounds and 190 assists this season.
Doyle, Joens, Hittner Honored:
Three regional women’s college basketball players have been named region finalists by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Iowa’s Kathleen Doyle, Becca Hittner of Drake and Iowa State’s Ashley Joens were all honored in their respective regions.
Joens, a sophomore from Iowa City, had a particularly strong season for the Clones, The Iowa City, Iowa native, putting ogether one of the best seasons in school history.
Joens finished the season first in the Big 12 in scoring and 11th in the nation, averaging 20.5 points per game, while her 10.5 rebounds ranks third in the Big 12 and 13th nationally, the most of any guard in the league.
Joens was the only player in the NCAA averaging over 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and is also the only player in the Big 12 ranking in the top-5 in points and rebounds for the season.
Now, WBCA will now choose their All-American teams from the 52 region finalists.
Three Cyclones Get Awards:
Three Iowa State student-athletes have been named All-American Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
The trio is Cyclone softball’s Hannah Carter, All-Big 12 volleyball player Candelaria Herrera and ISU All-American men’s golfer Tripp Kinney.
The award, presented annually by the NSCA, is nominated for by institution strength and conditioning coaches and recognizes student-athletes accomplishments in the weight room while maintaining academic performance.
The Iowa State softball and men’s golf team’s strength coach is Jovon Shaw, while Tim Dombrowski is the strength coach for the Cyclone volleyball team.