The Big East Conference announced the men's regular season basketball league schedule Sept. 14, completing Xavier's 2026-27 regular season slate.
Xavier, which finished 16-18 overall and tied for last in the Big East (6-14) last year, opens league play on Saturday, Dec. 19 on the road against Marquette at Fiserv Forum.
Xavier's Big East home opener is on Tuesday, Dec. 22 when Creighton visits Cintas Center.
More: Xavier basketball gets commitment from 4-star, Class of 2027 forward
More: Elder, Xavier grad Pat Kelsey gets a Louisville Bats bobblehead

#east #regular #gets #sept

SIOUX CITY, IA (KCAU) - The #10 Blue Jays hosted Tulsa for a Sunday afternoon volleyball match and lost 3-2.
Creighton won the fourth set, forcing a fifth, but they fell short, losing 15-10.
Next stop for Creighton is the Rice Invitational on Friday, where they will first take on UNI.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KCAU 9 News | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.

#kcau #creighton #sports

WEST LAFAYETTE − Before the first serve of Purdue volleyball's Wednesday night match against Georgia in Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers got a motivational boost.
All-American outside hitter Kenna Wollard was on the sideline with her team, dressed in street clothes.
Wollard, who last season was a second-team All-American and Midwest Region Player of the Year who entered 2026 on the preseason National Player of the Year watch list, announced on social media last week she would be taking a hiatus "with an unexpected health issue that will keep me away for a little while."
Kenna Wollard is in the building and named as a Purdue honorary starter. pic.twitter.com/SaLjw6zKfp
Wollard was not present in Purdue's season opener against Creighton in South Dakota or for Tuesday's home win over Texas A&M.

#wollard #american #year #team

The Minnesota Golden Gophers volleyball team knew their season opening pair of games against ranked opponents in Sioux Falls in the State Farm Women's College Volleyball Showcase would be tough, and sure enough it was. Then #14 Minnesota was swept 3-0 by #13 Arizona State in Friday's season opener before the Gophers returned the favor to #12 Creighton on Saturday picking up a 3-0 sweep of their own.
In their season opener against Arizona State, the Gophers knew they would still be shorthanded as they slowly worked in their four starters who all missed large chunks of the season a year ago with injuries. Two of the four in McKenna Wucherer and Zeynep Palabiyik returned to action this past weekend while Minnesota still missed middle blocker Calissa Minatee and outside hitter Alex Acevedo. The Sun Devils had opened their schedule the weekend before with an upset win over #2 Texas 3-1.
The opening set was a back and forth affair with the two teams going through 11 ties and five lead changes before ASU took the set, 26-24. Minnesota led 22-20 but the Sun Devils would run off four of the next five points to take control.
In only went downhill from there for Minnesota. ASU jumped on the Gophers in the second set and won 25-17. ASU took an 8-2 lead out of the gate and while Minnesota would make several runs to cut the lead to just three points at multiple points, ASU would run off a 6-1 run to close the set for the win.
Minnesota showed signs of life in the third set, but once again could not hold a late 20-19 lead as ASU would win 26-24. Sun Devils star Una Vajagic finished of the match with back to back kills, two of her match high 20.

#minnesota #gophers

Purdue volleyball serves up a new challenge this season – no longer sneaking up on teams but proving it can meet top 10 expectations in a more competitive ***** e.
Coach Dave Shondell, who is 68 and signed a four-year contract extension in the offseason, said the Big Ten is much better this season and pointed to three of the ninth-ranked Boilermakers' first four matches are against top-20 teams. He also will be challenged with blending young talent to a returning core and redefining leadership, pointing to 10 of his 17 players having not played for Purdue in a regular-season match.
It also will be part of the first-of-its-kind college volleyball event in the Bahamas, where it will face either No. 11 SMU or No. 3 Kentucky, take part in the Big Ten/SEC challenge and a Big Ten Tournament hosted in Fishers. Purdue returns its core leadership with outside hitter Kenna Wollard, opposite Grace Heaney, setter Taylor Anderson and libero Ryan McAleer.
"I think that my approach has been a little bit different in that I'm expecting a little bit more from our team every day in practice than I did a year ago, which is kind of a dangerous move because last year whatever we did seemed to work," Shondell told IndyStar.
Ahead of first serve against No. 13 Creighton at 7 p.m. Friday on a neutral floor at the Sanford Pentagon, here are four things to watch with Purdue volleyball in 2026.

#shondell

Isaiah Mack-Russell, a class of 2027 guard at Winton Woods High School, announced via Instagram his commitment to UNLV.
Mack-Russell, the Enquirer's 2025-26 Div. II boys' basketball player of the year, had offers from Cincinnati and Xavier, in addition to Arizona State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Virginia, Washington, South Florida, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Liberty, Toledo, Creighton, Dayton and Detroit Mercy.
Mack-Russell led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in scoring last season with 23.7 points per game. His 43-point game against Withrow including 10-of-15 from 3-point range.
The Runnin' Rebels finished last season 18-17 overall, 11-9 in the Mountain West Conference in Josh Pastner's first season as head coach. They reached the NIT second round.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Isaiah Mack-Russell, Winton Woods Class of 2027 guard, commits to UNLV

#mack #cincinnati

2025-26 Season Recap:
16-18 record, 9-11 in conference play
Finished in 5th place in the Big East
Lost to Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament (Quarterfinals)
Head Coach: Alan Huss, who takes over for the retiring Greg McDermott. Huss played at Creighton from 1997-2001, and after multiple coaching stops became an **** istant under McDermott in 2017. In 2023, Huss took the head coaching position with High Point, leading the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2025. After that run, Huss decided to return to Creighton as the "coach in waiting." As it turns out, he didn't have to wait very long.

#east #mcdermott #creighton #recap

Jaxon Kohler has a new lease on college life, and now he has a new college team, too.
Kohler, a former Michigan State big man who gained an extra year of eligibility through a Colorado federal court ruling last month, is transferring to BYU, his agent told Rivals on Thursday night. Kohler is from American Fork, Utah.
Kohler, 23, played four seasons for Michigan State, and last year, he averaged 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 38.9% from 3 and 50% from the floor in helping lead the Spartans to the Sweet 16.
His college career seemed to be over when he played for his hometown Utah Jazz in the NBA's Summer League, before the court order came down that granted the entire 2022 recruiting class a fifth year of eligibility.
That same court order led to Oakland point guard Brody Robinson transferring to Creighton, despite Oakland leaving a roster spot open should the courts allowed him an extra season. Robinson was among several college athletes who sued for an extra year of eligibility.

#college

HINTON, Iowa (KCAU) - The Hinton volleyball program has its sights set on reloading ahead of a year full of opportunity.
Hinton finished last season as the Class 2A runner-up with a 30-3 overall record, entering this year with a new look.
The Blackhawks graduated three depth pieces and a trio of starters, including IGHSAU All-State pick and now Creighton freshman Bailey Boeve.
Hinton returns a rising trio featuring sophomore Ellie Friesen and juniors Addison Dunkel and Raelyn Kempema as the program hopes to remain in the mix for a chance to contend this season.
"Once you all get that experience like now, then we all know what it takes to get there and I think that helps, like having us on the team and whatnot," Dunkel said.

#hinton #season

Auburn basketball is preparing for the 2026-27 season by taking an overseas trip to Greece, where it will face some of the toughest competition the European circuit has to offer.
On Saturday, the Tigers open their excursion by facing KK Mega Superbet at Ano Mera Indoor Hall on the island of Mykonos at 11 a.m. CT, and will get a rematch with the same club on Sunday at the same time.
The Tigers are nearly as healthy as possible entering this weekend's action, with key returners Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, as well as notable transfers Thomas Dowd and Adam Olson, available to play.
According to Auburn Athletics, four players will be unavailable for this weekend's games. Vanderbilt transfer George Kimbel II and Creighton transfer Owen Freeman are injured, and international signees Mantas Rubštavičius and Narcisse Ngoy are being held out of this weekend's games in Greece as they await eligibility clearance from the NCAA.
This year's overseas excursion is the first for Auburn basketball under head coach Steven Pearl, and the first since the Tigers visited Israel ahead of the 2022 season. This weekend's games will not be live-streamed or broadcast, but fans will be able to view behind-the-scenes content via TheStreamU.

#transfer

Ohio State basketball landed in the top eight for one of the top point guards in the 2027 class.
Four-star prospect Jason Gardner Jr. listed the Buckeyes as one of the final teams he is looking at via Joe Tipton of On3. Gardner is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound combo guard out of Fishers (Indiana) High School. He is listed as the No. 63 player overall in the 2027 recruiting cycle per 247 Sports Composite.
According to Tipton's list, Ohio State will be competing with Auburn, Creighton, DePaul, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi State, and Stanford for Gardner's services. Ohio State is already getting a visit from Gardner on Oct. 3. He also plans on visiting Auburn on Sept. 19.
According to 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein, Gardner Jr. "is a physically gifted, but undersized, attacker who can break down opposing defenses at will and has the potential to be a real pest at the point of attack on the opposite end."
There has been some turnover on the basketball roster this past offseason. Head coach Jake Diebler and his Buckeyes are coming off a sweep in an exhibition played in Puerto Rico, and will hope to continue that positive momentum off the court by locking down Gardner Jr.'s commitment.

#buckeyes #Basketball #point

Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger is leaning into a bigger, more physical frontcourt strategy as the Cyclones conclude their eight-week summer program. The focal point of this shift features sophomore Dom Pleta and Blake Buchanan playing alongside one another, a combination that Otzelberger believes mirrors the "formidable size" seen in top-tier programs like Houston and Arizona.
Pleta, who returned to his native Germany this summer to train with professional players, says he is entering his second season at his physical "peak". While he is technically a sophomore, his experience in the German pro leagues has put him ahead of a typical second-year player's developmental curve.
Blake Buchanan (23) and Dominykas Pleta (21) of the Iowa State Cyclones shake hands in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays during the Players Era Championship basketball tournament at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Nov. 25, 2025 in Las Vegas.
"We just got more physicality… more like bigger bodies on the court," Pleta said of the pairing with Buchanan. "It's a lot of new opportunities that open up that we just have to use."
Otzelberger emphasized that the two big men possess complementary skill sets. Buchanan offers defensive versatility that allows him to guard perimeter players, while Pleta is noted by Otzelberger for his "terrific hands," interior scoring, and decision-making in the short roll. The coaching staff has specifically challenged Pleta to improve his competitive endurance, providing him with a specialized stamina plan to help him play longer stretches without the foul trouble that hampered him as a freshman.

#otzelberger #buchanan

We've made it to day eight of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and it's a big one for boxing with a number of semi-finals as the athletes look to upgrade on the bronze medals they have already won.
Northern Ireland's netball team play an 11th/12th place classification match against Trinidad and Tobago at the Hydro at 09:00.
Cycling action starts at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, with Esther Wong going in the women's 400m individual pursuit qualification.
Matti Dobbins will compete in the qualification of the men's elimination race while Erin Creighton and Emma Jeffers will go in the women's 10k scratch race qualification.
If they make it through the various cycling finals will take place from 16:00.

#finals #race #glasgow

Michigan basketball is set to add another blueblood to its schedule.
The Wolverines are in the process of finalizing a two-year deal with Louisville, a program source with knowledge of the plans confirmed to the Free Press. The plan is to play in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena this season, with a "return" trip to be played next season in Indianapolis.
This season's game could potentially be played Dec. 5, though the teams are still finalizing the dates.
This appears to be an ACC replacement for a matchup with Duke in December. That game against the Blue Devils was nixed after being originally scheduled for New York then Miami.
It's yet another big-time name Michigan will play in a schedule that already includes an exhibition against Houston, and nonconference games against UConn (in a rematch of April's national championship game), Villanova and Marquette. That's in addition to the Wolverines' participation in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving week; U-M's slate in that tourney features an opener vs. Creighton followed by a Day 2 matchup with either Miami (Florida) or TCU and a third game against Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor or Alabama.

#game #finalizing #play #matchup

Michigan basketball is set to add another blueblood to its schedule.
The Wolverines are in the process of finalizing a two-year deal with Louisville, a program source with knowledge of the plans confirmed to the Free Press. The plan is to play in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena this season, with a "return" trip to be played next season in Indianapolis.
This season's game could potentially be played Dec. 5, though the teams are still finalizing the dates.
This appears to be an ACC replacement for a matchup with Duke in December. That game against the Blue Devils was nixed after being originally scheduled for New York then Miami.
It's yet another big-time name Michigan will play in a schedule that already includes an exhibition against Houston, and nonconference games against UConn (in a rematch of April's national championship game), Villanova and Marquette. That's in addition to the Wolverines' participation in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving week; U-M's slate in that tourney features an opener vs. Creighton followed by a Day 2 matchup with either Miami (Florida) or TCU and a third game against Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor or Alabama.

#michigan #wolverines #Miami #schedule

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball program has gone through a litany of changes this offseason, with eight incoming transfers replacing eight outgoing transfers. The coaching staff has also experienced its fair share of changes, as long-time Dana Altman ***** istant coach Mike Mennenga departed for Creighton and Brandon Kuhn was hired as the new strength and conditioning coach.
The latest change comes from ***** istant coach Kevin McKenna, who has decided to retire. McKenna has worked on the player development side for the past few seasons, helping develop a trio of Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr. into All-Big Ten caliber players. He spent 16 seasons at Oregon.
McKenna's basketball career spans back a number of decades, as he was a standout player at Creighton before being selected 88th overall in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1981 NBA Draft. He spent six seasons in the league with eight different teams before heading into coaching after his playing days concluded.
Thank you, Coach McKenna, for helping lead Oregon to new heights during your 16 seasons on the bench.

Enjoy retirement, K-Mac! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/Ms0Zkv9PSW
The Minnesota native coached under Altman at Creighton, and held head coaching jobs at Nebraska-Omaha and Indiana State before being hired in 2010 to be an ***** istant coach with the Ducks.

#creighton

Nebraska baseball earned a spot in the 2027 Battle at the Ballpark next season. The Huskers are one of four teams to play, including Air Force, Army West Point and Notre Dame.
The three-day tournament will be hosted by the San Antonio Missions, the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium on Feb. 26-28, 2027. The tournament will have two games per day, with each team playing each other in a round-robin format.
Nebraska finished last season 43-17, leading to it hosting an NCAA Regional. The Huskers are the only team in the Battle at the Ballpark lineup that reached the NCAA tournament. Notre Dame earned a 31-22 record last season but missed the NCAA tournament after falling in the second round of the ACC tournament. Army finished 28-20 and fell in the Patriot League Baseball Championships. Air Force finished 27-28 and finished 2-2 in the Mountain West tournament.
Air Force and Army previously played against Creighton in the Battle at the Ballpark back in 2024. Now, Nebraska gets a turn to face Air Force and Army, along with Notre Dame. Fans can sign up for pre-sale ticket access at www.peak.com/events.
Contact/Follow us CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

#army #battle #finished #ncaa

Michigan State football is set to play a pair of Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams this fall -- so where do they rank in their league's preseason poll?
The MAC held its annual preseason media day event on Wednesday, which meant the coaches preseason poll was released as well. The Spartans are set to open the season against Toledo and then play Eastern Michigan the following week, which got me personally wondering how those teams stack up against their peers.
In the eyes of the coaches, Toledo came in as the preseason No. 3 team in the MAC behind only Western Michigan and Miami (OH). Eastern Michigan was a few spots lower in the poll, ranking at No. 7 in the preseason poll.
Michigan State currently sits as a 11.5-point favorite over Toledo in the season-opener on September 4 from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. The betting line for the Spartans' matchup against Eastern Michigan on September 12 has not yet been released, but one would ****** ume that number would be higher than the line for the Spartans-Rockets matchup.
Toledo is annually a top team in the MAC but is going through a coaching change that could shift where they typically land in the standings. Eastern Michigan is also became a regular middle-to-upper-tier team in the MAC under head coach Chris Creighton. So these rankings in the preseason poll align with what we have come to expect from both schools.

#poll #state

The Los Angeles Lakers rewarded rookie forward Arthur Kaluma with a two-way contract on Monday after an impressive Summer League outing with the team, according to ESPN.
Kaluma, 24, made the most of his opportunity after joining the Lakers organization on an Exhibit 10 contract following the 2025 NBA Draft. He spent the 2025-26 season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League before emerging as one of L.A.'s top performers during Summer League.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 **** ists in seven games while shooting 55.1% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range.
He also posted a standout 34-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks, knocking down six 3s while shooting 11-of-16 from the floor.
Kaluma's path to the NBA has included stops at three major college programs. The Boston native began his career at Creighton, earning Big East All-Freshman Team honors in 2021-22 before helping the Bluejays capture the 2022 Big East Tournament **** le. He later transferred to Kansas State for his junior season before finishing his collegiate career at Texas.

#Lakers #kaluma #forward

Lakers urged to cut ties with rookie guard, sign 6-foot-7 Summer League star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Summer League is a great opportunity for franchises to evaluate talent that could prove useful in both the short and long term.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, there are plenty of high-upside contributors the organization should keep close tabs on.
Former Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma is one of them, as he's off to a promising start to the exciting offseason event. The Boston, Massachusetts, native has improved his scoring in each of his first four contests in Las Vegas, finishing with 12 points against the Golden State Warriors, 16 against the San Antonio Spurs, 18 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a remarkable 34 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers Nation's Daniel Starkand is a fan of the young pro's game and believes the Lakers should consider signing him to a two-way deal before it's too late.

Iowa State soccer’s fall 2026 slate was announced on Monday. The Cyclones will have 11 home matches and 19 total regular season contests.
Head coach Matt Fannon, in his seventh year at the helm of Iowa State, will have his squad open the season with an exhibition against Minnesota on Aug. 5.
The regular season starts with a road match at Omaha on Aug. 12, followed by the home opener against Kansas City on Aug. 16.
On Aug. 20, the Cyclones head south on Interstate 35 to face Drake. Following the matchup with the Bulldogs, Iowa State has four straight home matches: Aug. 23 versus Creighton, Aug. 27 versus Iowa, Aug. 30 versus UNI and Sept. 3 versus Missouri State.
Iowa State will travel to Baltimore to face the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds for the first time in school history on Sept. 10.

Despite Iowa women's basketball being among her offers list, 2027 four-star center prospect Addison Medeck announced her intention to stay home and has committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The 6-foot-3 native of Papillion, Neb., stars for Papillion-La Vista South High School, where she is rated as a four-star and ranks as the No. 43 overall prospect, as the No. 8 center, and as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Nebraska in the 2027 class, per 247Sports.
In addition to Iowa's offer on Oct. 18, 2025, Medeck held offers from programs such as Creighton, South Dakota, Marquette, South Dakota State, Northern Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Northwestern, and Nebraska.
According to MaxPreps, Medeck averaged 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 ******* ists, and 1.5 steals per game last year through 20 contests for Papillion-La Vista South.
While Iowa certainly would have loved to secure Medeck's commitment, especially given her skill set in the paint, the Hawkeyes will need to continue searching elsewhere as they retool their depth at the center position.

Auburn basketball is looking to regain its spot as one of the top programs in the SEC this upcoming season. After a disappointing 2025-26 season, the Tigers will have some work ahead of them to show they are back in that conversation.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports released his SEC preseason power rankings on Wednesday, and the Tigers came in ranked No. 11 on the list.
For Auburn to become a top-five team in the SEC, a roster full of new faces will need to come together. They do have the benefit of returning their backcourt from last season, featuring Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton. However, Steven Pearl and staff overhauled the front court. With KeShawn Murphy heading to the NBA and Filip Jovic transferring to UCLA, the Tigers went to the transfer portal.
The new front court will feature French center Narcisse Ngoy and a pair of in-state transfers, Thomas Dowd (Troy) and Adam Olsen (South Alabama). The Tigers also added Santa Clara center Bukky Oboye and Creighton big man Owen Freeman to give the team some depth in the front court, something the team did not have last season. A player to look out for will be Lithuanian wing player Mantas Rubstavicius.
Taking the top spot in his rankings were the Florida Gators. Florida should be No. 1 on a lot of lists heading into the 2026-27 college basketball season. The Gators return their talented front court of Reuben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh, along with guard Boogie Fland. Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky round out the top five.

Shams Charania: Undrafted Creighton guard Josh Dix has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources tell ESPN.
x.com
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Undrafted Creighton guard Josh Dix has agreed to a …

The OKC Thunder signed undrafted rookie Josh Dix to a two-way deal on Wednesday.
ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the news following the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Draft, where OKC selected Michigan's Aday Mara (No. 12 pick), Iowa's Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) and Kentucky's Otega Oweh (No. 41).
Dix is a 6-foot-6 guard who averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 ****** ists as a senior at Creighton last season on 43.9% shooting from the field (33.8% from deep). He spent the first three years of his college career at Iowa, where he was teammates with OKC's Payton Sandfort.
More: OKC Thunder 2026 NBA Draft grade: Otega Oweh fits Cason Wallace, Lu Dort mold
Dix has great positional size and is a talented 3-point shooter, despite just having a down year in that department. He shot 42.2% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game two seasons ago at Iowa.

The Cyclones have strengthened their softball roster with the addition of two impactful transfers, pitcher Kennedy Diggs from Kansas and utility player Maggie Werner from the Minnesota.
Kennedy Diggs joins the Iowa State program as a sophomore following two seasons at Kansas. A standout pitcher from Creighton, Missouri, Diggs entered college with a legendary high school resume, holding the career record at Sherwood High School with 1,308 strikeouts, including a single season where she retired 511 batters. In 2025, she was recognized on the Softball America Freshman Watch List after finishing her debut season with a 4–1 record and a 4.04 ERA, highlighted by a nine-strikeout shutout performance against East Texas A&M. During the 2026 season, she proved highly efficient in the circle, posting a 1.91 ERA over 18.1 innings and recording a shutout victory against DePaul.
Maggie Werner, a 5-10 utility player from Greenville, Wisconsin, moves to Ames as a junior after a productive four-year tenure at Minnesota. Werner is coming off a breakout 2026 season where she led the Golden Gophers in several offensive categories, including batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.426), and runs scored (26). Beyond her 42 hits and five home runs, she was a defensive anchor with a .990 fielding percentage and 278 putouts. Her collegiate journey is marked by steady progression, having transitioned from a redshirt freshman year in 2023 to becoming a central starter and a team leader by 2026.
In addition to their on-field production, both athletes bring a high level of character and academic excellence to the Cyclones. Werner is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2026.
Both players competed against the Cyclones in the 2026 season; Diggs pitched 3.1 innings of relief against the Cyclones in April, while Werner appeared in a matchup against Iowa State earlier this year in February at U.S. Bank Stadium.