A sport on the rise: Esports at Iowa State

By Anthony Hanson
September 30, 2021
Prepared for JLMC 302

Iowa State esports has had success in high-level competition. The Valo-
rant team finished third in the nation, and the Dota 2 team was consistently
a top-five team. Club president Derek Patel credits the ISU Gaming and
Esports Center for some of the success.

Located in Beyer Hall, the esports center has 30 gaming computers

and four different gaming consoles. The ISU Gaming and Esports Club
partnered with Iowa State Rec Services to provide the space free to all
students.

“That is the thing that separates us because we have the university’s

involvement heavily in our club, and not every esports program can say the
same,” said Derek Patel.

The gaming facility is a resource making esports accessible to those who

cannot access equipment such as expensive gaming computers.

Accessibility, for Joe Zuber, is an important quality of esports. Compe-

titions are not affected by physical advantages or disadvantages. For
example, Joe Zuber remembers competing against a player from Georgia
AMES -- Esports at Iowa State experiences constant growth despite set- Tech with cerebral palsy.
backs caused by COVID-19.
“It’s made even more accessible by the gaming space because now the
While missing key opportunities to recruit members and holding fewer individual players don’t have to go out and buy their own computer,” Zuber
in-person events, the ISU Gaming and Esports Club was able to gain signifi- said.
cant members for the 2021 fall semester.
Working directly with the university for more financial support is vital for
The club has 126 due-paying members as well as 2100 members on its the club’s future, according to the ovfficers. Specifically, the club leaders
Discord server. Additionally, the club doubled their League of Legends hope scholarship opportunities can be made available in the future.
teams this semester from three to six, according to club officer Andrew
Spaulding. According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, schools have
already given about $16 million in esports scholarships.
“The club is constantly growing. We’ve had a tremendous growth this past
year,” Spaulding said. “That’d be the next biggest leap for us to make,” Patel said.

The ISU Gaming and Esports Club fields rosters for about 10 different Providing scholarship opportunities for players would raise Iowa State’s
esports. They have anywhere from one to six teams for each sport. The program to a level of a national powerhouse, according to Patel.
esports offered are multiplayer video games such as Valorant, Overwatch,
Rocket League and others. Students can be involved in ways other than league competition. The club
hosts in-person game night events for social gamers, and any student can
“You’re only really limited by what your brain can do. Think of it like a very use the Gaming and Esports Center for casual gaming.
advanced chess game with a lot of people playing on both sides of the
chessboard,” said Joe Zuber, the manager for the Overwatch teams at Iowa
State.
Checking in on ISU Boxing
By Anthony Hanson
Oct. 22, 2021
Prepared for JLMC 302

AMES—Olivia Meyer became the first female boxer to win a national cham- her sophomore year of undergrad. She’s had along road to becoming head
pionship for Iowa State in 2014. Now, she’s the head coach facilitating one coach, and it’s a journey she did not expect.
of the Iowa State Boxing Club’s most significant years of growth.
“When I started, I never thought I would compete. Then when I competed, I
A change in leadership is ushering in a new era for the Iowa State Boxing never thought I would win,” Meyer said.
Club. The club has nearly tripled its membership in the fall of 2021. About
200 students have attended at least one of the club’s training sessions, Meyer was a two-time national champion while at Iowa State and became
according to class coordinator Muhammad Farooq. The number has grown an assistant coach after graduation. With the former head coach recently
from around 60 or 70. retiring, Meyer is now stepping into the head coach role.

Additionally, the club is retaining much more members as the semester

progresses. In a typical year, attrition rates are high. This year, a new head “I just loved the sport too much. I had it in my blood.” Meyer said.
coach and class coordinator see more members in training sessions week As a coach, Meyer is working better with athletes of different styles,
to week. according to junior Mckenzie Stewart. Workouts are more structured, and
communication between athletes and coaches has also improved.
The club’s new leadership has reevaluated the importance of recruiting
new members and they are working hard to retain members long term. “They’re very open to suggestions and improvements with the athletes,”
Stewart said. “It is the athletes club, not the coaches.”
“I cannot make people show up, but when they do show up, they keep
showing,” Farooq said. “I’ve had a very positive response from people.” Stewart joined the club in her sophomore year and is 3-3 in competitive
fights. Other than winning some fights and getting a good workout Stewart
Farooq has been involved with the club for four and a half years and is says boxing is a great outlet to relieve the stresses of college and meet
beginning his first year teaching younger members. Farooq is from Paki- people.
stan and is pursuing his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry. Farooq considered
multiple schools for his Ph.D., but he chose Iowa State ultimately because Boxing is not just a healthy activity for Farooq, either. The sport has
of the boxing club. In the ring, he breaks down the science and dynamics afforded him the confidence he takes into his studies and beyond.
of every punch to younger club members.
“If you can stand in the ring for a fight, you can take on any interview or
“He [Farooq] does such a wonderful job at providing information, explain- exam,” Farooq says.
ing why we’re doing things, answering questions thoughtfully and just
being present,” Meyer said. With more members sticking to boxing, the ISU Boxing Club is hoping to
compete better at the national level in the future, according to Farooq.
Meyer and Farooq have both been around the sport a long time. Meyer is
in her second graduate program, and she’s been involved in the club since “We want to put boxing on the map in Ames,” Meyer said.
Iowa State tops Iowa by 20

By Anthony Hanson
Dec. 10, 2021
KURE Sports

AMES — After Iowa State men’s basketball returned from its late Novem- Conditt in foul trouble, but Iowa State was able to win the rebounding
ber holiday tournament, it cruised to victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. margin 50-32.

Head coach TJ Otzelberger, however, was not pleased with the team’s de- Iowa State flew around its home court forcing tie-ups and diving for loose
fensive performance. Even in a comfortable win, giving up 42 points in the balls. Every Cyclone that checked in grabbed a rebound in the 20-point
second half did not meet the standard the first-year head coach is trying to victory.
build, he said after the Dec. 1 contest.
“It speaks to the competitive spirit of our guys,” Otzelberger said. “It’s not
The message got through to his team. like we got a bunch of 6’10” guys out there.”

Iowa State held the Iowa Hawkeyes to just 53 points on 27 percent shoot- Twenty-one of Iowa State rebounds came on the offensive end. The
ing Thursday evening in a 20-point Cy-Hawk win. Cyclones scored 19 second-chance points.

“We made them uncomfortable,” Izaiah Brockington said. On the offensive end, no one made it look easier than Izaiah Brockington.
The Penn State transfer scored 29 points while shooting 11 of 14 from
Iowa State won by a final score of 73-53 and improved its record to 9-0. the field. Connecting three times from deep, Brockington was the night’s
leading scorer.
Averaging just over 90-points a game, Iowa sported the top-scoring of-
fense in the Big Ten conference heading into the highly anticipated match- The slasher consistently found driving lanes to the basket and energized
up. In its first nine games, the Iowa team played at a fast pace and put up the Hilton Coliseum crowd with multiple dunks.
three triple-digit scoring nights. Playing against a defense that gives up
60.1 points per game, something had to give. “It was quite heroic,” Otzelberger said about Brockington. “It’s the byprod-
uct of how he works, his character, his integrity, his toughness as well.”
“We watched film and we noticed that they never really saw ball pressure
like ours. They never really saw intensity like ours,” Brockington said. Freshmen point guard Tyrese Hunter added 11 points while being tasked
with breaking Iowa’s three-quarter court pressure. Hunter added six
“They did a really good job defensively. You know, being up into our space assists to his box score while limiting turnovers to three.
being physical,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said.
With the win, Otzelberger is now one of two coaches in Iowa State history
Brockington and Iowa State’s defense was able to neutralize Iowa’s Kee- to start 9-0.
gan Murray.
The other? His predecessor Steve Prohm in 2015. The Cyclones led by
The 6-foot-8 Murray grabs 23.9 points and 8 rebounds a game for the Georges Niang, Monte Morris and Otzelberger as an assistant lost to
Hawkeyes and is the team’s leading scorer. He was held scoreless in the Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen that season.
first half and finished the game with nine points. Iowa point guard Joe
Toussaint did not score in the game. No. 17 Iowa State will return to the court at Hilton Coliseum Sunday at
noon against Jackson State.
Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon was the only Hawkeye to reach double figures.
Bohannon scored 17 points in 31 minutes for the Hawkeyes. The Hawk- “It’s pretty special. I love this place. I love being here. And being home
eye’s all-time leader in three-pointers made connected three times from with 14,500 to your family members and being on this journey together I
beyond the arc in his sixth game against Iowa State. don’t know how I could be any luckier,” Otzelberger said.
Iowa was the bigger team on paper, especially with Iowa State’s George
Iowa State vs Arkansas-Pine
Bluff: Three Takeaways
By Anthony Hanson
Dec. 3, 2021
KURE SPORTS

AMES – Iowa State cruised to a victory Wednesday night but didn’t satisfy head
coach T.J. Otzelberger’s defensive standards.

“We didn’t show up the way we would like tonight,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

“The standard we have defensively is at a much higher level.” After all, the Cyclones played three games in five days in the previous week and trav-
eled across the country to win dogfights against Xavier and Memphis. Iowa State
Iowa State defeated Arkansas Pine Bluff 83-64 after allowing 42 points in the trailed Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9-7 at the under 12-minute media timeout.
second half.
Iowa State proceeded to pick off the pace going forward, finishing the game with 83
No. 19 Iowa State came in as a 27.5-point favorite after its impressive performance points on 44.8 percent shooting.
at the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Cyclones knocked off
two top-25 teams in the Big Apple and were looking to improve on their unblemished Izaiah Brockington was the leading scorer of the game with 23-points on a 50
record against another SWAC opponent. percent shooting clip.

From Iowa State’s roller coaster night on defense to a great performance from “I feel like I get some easy ones,” Brockington said about his nice offensive night.
George Conditt, here are the takeaways from Wednesday night’s contest.
“My teammates do a really good job of finding me on cuts.”
A roller coaster on D
Yet again, Iowa State’s opponent was creative on the defensive side of the ball.
Iowa State hounded the passing lanes while scoring 20 points off 19 turnovers. Arkansas-Pine Bluff mixed schemes against the Cyclones and their freshman point
Arkansas-Pine Bluff was held to only 30 percent shooting in the first half. guard Tyrese Hunter. The Golden Lions showed a matchup zone while sometimes
extending into a half-court trap.
The Cyclones showed glimpses of the stifling defense that propelled the team into
the AP Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 2019. Brockington continually slashed through the zone and picked up valuable buckets.

However, after the first half, the tides turned for the Golden Lions. Arkansas-Pine The Iowa State backcourt is quickly becoming accustomed to facing a variety of
Bluff shot 48 percent from the field in the second frame. defenses. Multiple teams have thrown different looks at Iowa State to slow down its
backcourt. Iowa State is showing it can adjust on the fly and score against a variety
“At times, we were too complacent,” Otzelberger said. “We need to be a more stub- of looks.
born, tough team every single possession and not play the scoreboard.”
George in the middle
Tyrese Hunter was tasked with picking up the Golden Lions’ top scorer Shawn Wil-
liams. Williams, the primary ball-handler for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, is a dynamic scorer Iowa State forward George Conditt picked up a new season high scoring total in
from the outside who averages 15.4 points per game on great shooting splits. Wednesday night’s contest. The junior eclipsed his former high of 10 early in the
second half. Conditt, who played in all six games, averages only 4.7 points per
The freshman Hunter stayed in Williams’ grill but let him connect four times from game.
the outside. Williams averages 13 field goal attempts a night; he was able to score
21 on only eight shots Wednesday evening. Williams found 15 of his 21-points in the So far, Conditt’s value to Iowa State has not shown up in the stat sheet. Conditt sets
second half. hard screens, rotates on defense, and has been a jolt of energy for the Iowa State in
its early-season run.
Tre Jackson had 3 steals in 25 minutes off the bench. Several times the backup
point guard’s activity awarded him run-out layups. Iowa State guards have lived in Going forward, however, the Cyclones will need Conditt to be more than a “glue
the passing lanes so far in the early season and Jackson was no exception against guy.” As the schedule ramps up for Iowa State, the 6-foot 10 big man will need to
the Golden Lions. step into a bigger offensive role. Scoring from the inside will prove to be imperative
in the ultra-competitive Big 12. In conference play, defenses will likely key on the
“I thought he [Jackson] was a bright spot for us,” Otzelberger said. “He read some stellar guard play Iowa State has seen from Gabe Kalscheur, Izaiah Brockington, and
plays and did a good job guarding the ball, getting into the basketball, and speeding others. Conditt will need to take advantage of open opportunities inside.
them up.”
Wednesday night Conditt showed a glimpse of an offensive spark with his 11 points
Jackson, a junior, was still disappointed in the defensive consistency. including a monster dunk early in the first half. Continuing a trend of increased
offensive production will be a major help for Iowa State.
“We have a standard we have to uphold each day,” Tre Jackson said. “That’s the rea-
son we’re upset right now, the standards and those habits that we build every day.” While coach Otzelberger was unpleased by the 19-point victory, the Cyclones have
a lot to be happy about as they head into another key stretch. Iowa State will see
On the offensive end Creighton on the road on Dec. 4 and return to Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 9 to play the
Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa State showed signs of a holiday hangover in the early going against Arkan-
sas-Pine Bluff. They will enter these match-ups a perfect 7-0.
Swimmers and divers split for two road trips
By Anthony Hanson
Nov. 16, 2021
IOWA STATE DAILY

AMES -- Multi-day tournaments are the next challenge for Iowa State
swimming and diving.

With four dual wins under their belt, the Cyclone squad returns to the road
this week for two multi-day tournaments against great competition.

First, Iowa State diving will take part in the Mizzou Invite starting on
Wednesday, then, the Iowa State swimmers will race at the Kansas Classic,
beginning on Friday. Both three-day tournaments are the first of the year
for Iowa State.

“This is an early run through,” head diving coach Jeff Warrick said. “Kind of
like a dress rehearsal, getting ready for the big one at the end.”

Warrick’s divers get their first shot at tournament-style competition at the

Mizzou Invite. Teams from seven conferences will make up the highly com-
petitive field of eight. Notably, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Wyoming format as the end of year Big 12 Championship. Beginning Nov. 19, the
and Nebraska will all dive against a red-hot Iowa State team. swimmers are racing prelims in the first session of each day. The athletes
must fight for a spot to return to the later session and race in the finals and
Iowa State comes off an electric 101-point victory against Omaha on Nov. score points for the Cyclones.
5. The previous dual saw Iowa State test lineup combinations, set new
season bests and win 13 out of 14 events against Summit League competi- Swimming coach Duane Sorenson also used the words “dress rehearsal”
tion. Now, Iowa State enters pools with high-major programs, a challenge to describe the Kansas Classic. Sorenson hopes it will serve as a reminder
that will prepare Iowa State to fulfill its end of season goals at the Big 12 to his team of what it takes to succeed in championship style competition.
Championship.
“You really have to work on being ready to race,” Sorenson said.
The Mizzou Invite is a return to normal for Iowa State. Last season, Iowa
State did not compete in any tournament style meets until the Big 12 The keys, according to Sorenson, are to focus on the little things and take
Championship in February. the weekend long competition one event at a time. Recovery, rest and
nutrition will all need to be in the minds of the Iowa State athletes as they
“We tried to simulate this at home last year,” Warrick said. “Having a three- navigate the weekend’s races.
day invitational with just our own team, it was quite a bit different.”
Iowa State placed second at the Kansas Classic in 2019. This season
The Mizzou Invite will certainly brings the level of competition up from marks the return of the event after it was not played in the 2020-2021 sea-
Iowa State’s dual schedule. The field contains no shortage of top-notch son. Expect Iowa State’s biggest competition to be fellow Big 12 opponent
divers. Kansas.

Sara Troyer (Nebraska), Lauren Gryboski (Kansas) and Sarah Rousseau The Jayhawks are 2-1 in duals and have had their fair share of Big 12
(Missouri), Melissa Mirafuentes (Wyoming) all have received conference honors on the early season. Breaststroker Kate Steward has been named
recognition during the season. All four are listed in the field for the invita- Big 12 swimmer of the week twice this season. Her teammate Ellie Howe
tional. earned the honor of newcomer of the week for the week of Oct. 27.

Iowa State’s own Michelle Schlossmacher Smith was the Big 12 Diver of Iowa State freshman Carley Caughron grabbed the most recent Big 12
the week for the week of Nov. 3. Iowa State was without the senior team newcomer of the week honor after winning the 100-yard freestyle on Nov. 5
captain in its most recent dual against Omaha. Warrick was certain she against Omaha.
would return following that dual.
“It’s a great honor for Carley,” Sorenson said. “She had a great meet
Two Iowa State divers posted zone qualifying scores in the most recent against UNO and it’s nice to see her rewarded for her great performance.”
dual against Omaha. Jayna Misra and Joscelyn Buss will look to build off
their impressive performance and continue to set new season bests. Indiana State, Northern Iowa, North Texas and Arkansas at Little Rock
round out the field at the Kansas Classic. For North Texas, watch out for
The Mizzou Invite starts on Wednesday with prelims and finals for the backstroker Diana Kolb the one-time Conference USA swimmer of the
3-meter dive. The meet continues Thursday and Friday with the 1-meter week.
and platform events respectively. Each day diving begins at noon.
Swimming competition will begin on Friday and continue Saturday and
For swimming, the three-day, six session Kansas Classic is also the same Sunday from Columbia, Missouri.