Wolfe to join Briar Cliff Hall of Fame

SIOUX CITY — Basketball standout Jay Wolfe of Creston is among the Briar Cliff University Athletics 2025 Hall of Fame class.

The inductees include Rusty Muncy (track and field), Tara Cocerill (track and field), Don Munchrath (baseball) and both Erich Erdman and Wolfe in men’s basketball.

“I’m so proud of both Erich Erdman and Jay Wolfe being inducted into the Briar Cliff Hall of Fame,” said men’s basketball coach Mark Svagera. “Having two players of their caliber in the same class for four years is an outlier in college basketball. They led us to 106 wins in their four seasons at Briar Cliff, which included two GPAC regular season titles, one GPAC tournament title, four NAIA national tournament appearances and three trips to the Elite Eight. To say this is well-earned, and well-deserved for both would be an understatement.”

The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held at halftime of the men’s basketball game on Jan. 25. That game will begin at approximately 3:45 p.m.

Wolfe is one of three players in the history of the Great Plains Athletic Conference to earn Defensive Player of the Year and conference Player of the Year. The two-time All-American and three-time All-GPAC selection ranks 10th in career points with 1,804, second in games played (135) and 13th in rebounds (735).

Wolfe was first team All-American for the 2018-19 season and honorable mention as a junior. His 718 points as a senior ranks eighth all-time in Briar Cliff history and his 246 3-pointers made ranks sixth. He shot 47.1% from 3-point range in 2015-16. His 86.6% free throw shooting in 2018-19 ranks ninth.

“I’m so excited for Jay Wolfe to be inducted into the Briar Cliff Hall of Fame,” Svagera said. “Jay was a four-year rotation player that improved every year he was in our program. He was also the most calm, cool and collected player I’ve ever had the privilege to coach. Nothing rattled Jay, and after Erich Erdman’s career-ending injury in 2018-19, Jay led our team onto the NAIA Elite Eight.”

Jackson Lamb of Nodaway Valley was also a starter for Briar Cliff during much of Wolfe’s career. Lamb was first team all-conference and was named Briar Cliff’s Co-Male Athlete of the Year in 2020.

Bowl win

CEDAR FALLS — Ty Morrison was a reserve inside linebacker for the Iowa Central Community College football team that won the 2024 Game One Bowl over North Dakota State School of Science, 49-6.

The game was played Dec. 8 in the UNI-Dome. With the victory, the Tritons finish the season with a 6-6 record and achieved their 14th consecutive bowl victory.

Semifinal loss

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The season came to an end Saturday for the Benedictine College football team in a 42-38 loss to No. 1-ranked Kaiser in the NAIA Football Championship Series semifinals.

Avery Fuller, a junior offensive lineman from Creston, is a member of the Benedictine team coached by Harlan native Joel Osborn, formerly of the Northwest Missouri State University staff.

The Ravens held a 38-21 lead in the fourth quarter before the defending champion Seahawks made a comeback to improve to 12-0 for the season. Benedictine ends its season at 11-3. Kaiser meets No. 2-ranked Grand View in the championship game.

Jackrabbits roll

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State steamrolled to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals with a 55-14 victory Saturday over Incarnate Word.

Max Chapman of Creston is a freshman redshirt defensive lineman for the Jackrabbits. In reaching the FCS semifinals for the fifth consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight years, the third-seed Jackrabbits improved to 12-2 overall. SDSU will travel to second-seeded North Dakota State on Dec. 21 for an 11 a.m. kickoff with a trip to the national championship game in Frisco, Texas, on the line.

Mustang wrestlers

CRETE, Neb. — Four former Creston wrestlers competed for Morningside University at the Doane Conner Oppenheim Open.

Third place finishes by Abraham Dirkx an Jakob Jerabek highlighted the Mustangs. Former Creston Panthers in the tournament were Christian Ahrens (Open Division 133 pounds), Chris Aragon (Open 149), Kaden Street (Open 184) and Justin Parsons (Amateur 125).

Ahrens won a 17-5 major decision and a 16-0 technical fall while going 2-2 for the day. Street won a 10-3 decision and lost two matches.

UNI cruises

CEDAR FALLS — In a dual between two of the top wrestling programs in the Midwest, UNI defeated Nebraska-Kearney 35-8 Saturday night.

Northern Iowa, which remains undefeated through three duals, won eight of 10 matches. The teams went 1-1 in the final two bouts of the night involving southwest Iowa natives. UNI’s Kalob Ruynon won a 12-3 major decision over UNK’s Jackson Kinsella of Creston at 197 pounds. UNK heavyweight Crew Howard of Clarinda, ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II, won a 15-3 major decision over UNI’s Adam Ahrendsen.

The other UNK winner was 125-pounder Zach Ourada in an 8-0 major decision over Kyle Gollhofer.

Road loss

EMPORIA, Kan. — Emporia State made nine 3-pointers in upsetting the No. 9-ranked Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team, 75-66, on Dec. 5. Senior Kelsey Fields of Creston had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.

The Bearcats fell to 7-3 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA. Emporia State improved to 4-4 and 1-0. Northwest is participating in the Nova Southeastern Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week. After Thursday’s game against Colorado Mesa, the Bearcats met No. 24-ranked Nova Southeastern today (Friday).

Simpson rolls

INDIANOLA — The Simpson College women’s basketball team raced to a 33-5 lead in the first quarter on the way to routing Faith Baptist Bible College Saturday, 115-40.

The 75-point win marks the fourth-largest margin in team history, while Simpson’s 115 points are the most since 2011. Six Storm players scored in double figures, including Maddax DeVault of Nodaway Valley with 11 points and four steals. Doryn Paup of Creston had two points and three rebounds.

Simpson travels to Florida to take on Mount Union and Lawrence on Dec. 20-21.