NI 03-04

CEDAR FALLS, IA

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026

UNI Planetarium offers campus community a glimpse of the stars

By Sam O’Hair Staff Writer

The weeks leading up to spring break can often feel like a grind to UNI students. Outside, the early March sky is gray and gloomy. With the depressing weather present and academic stress in full throttle, students need a place to escape.

Inside the UNI Planetarium, many students choose to journey through planets, galaxies and constellations — transporting themselves far beyond campus.

The planetarium and

its iterations have long served UNI students and many more.

“I do know that the planetarium was built into one of the rooms in our building, Latham Hall, when they remodeled it,” said Dr. Siobahn Morgan, a leader of the planetarium facilities.

“Before that, the planetarium was either an inflated or artificially created dome that somebody had set up, and you’d crawl into it,” Morgan added.

The legacy of the plan -

etarium lives on today. Every Thursday evening, groups of 25 students, staff and community members alike pile into the planetarium to enjoy a public show.

As the lights dim and the ceiling above reveals stars, the planetarium offers more than a night out of the dorm. Instead, it offers an engaging educational opportunity while remaining low-stakes and completely free.

A show at the planetarium can be personalized to

the group visiting as well.

“It can evolve around certain things. Maybe something the audience would like to know is, like, where is this constellation? Or I heard about the star and where things are. And so I can give them first a brief introduction of what’s out there tonight,” said Morgan. This semester, shows will conclude in March.

Students can request a private showing as a group at a scheduled time later in the semester..

Morgan hopes the experience encourages students to slow down and reconnect with the night sky.

“Maybe take a little bit of time to look up at the sky and not look through your cell phone all the time,” said Morgan.

The next showings are on Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Latham Hall.

For more information, visit https://chas.uni.edu/ ees/teacher-resources/facilities.

Class project turns into Cedar Falls’ latest pop-punk band

By Lily Munnik News Editor

On Aug. 23, 2025, in a packed basement near the University of Northern Iowa campus, “Party Grrrl and The Dawgs” played their first show together. It wasn’t flawless, and it wasn’t elaborate — but it was loud, energetic and filled with friends who showed up to support them.

The band’s origin traces back to UNI’s Mod Band class, where Paige Guthrie, a senior majoring in digital media production, was paired with Logan Stoll, a computer science major who graduated in 2025. The assignment was to write and perform an original song.

Guthrie wrote “Party Grrrl,” a high-energy track inspired by the Riot Grrrl genre and when the class ended, the collaboration continued.

“We just didn’t want to stop playing,” said Guthrie. They began rehearsing

outside of class and recruited their musically inclined friends: guitarist Jesse Sheehan, a senior double majoring in music education and percussion performance, bassist Mac Brandt, a senior studying instrumental music education and drummer Regan Wilke, described by the group as “too cool for school.”

Most of them had already spent years playing together in the UNI Marching Band, making the transition from football field performances to basement stages natural.

“It was easy to get together because we were already friends,” the band said. “The hardest part was just finding time.”

Between projects, student-teaching hours and weekend commutes — Stoll now lives in Des Moines and drives back for rehearsals — coordinating schedules has

been their biggest challenge.

“Party Grrrl and The Dawgs” primarily play poppunk, performing a mix of covers and original music. While much of their current setlist consists of covers, they continue writing new songs. What sets them apart is Guthrie’s vocal range. A mezzo with a lower register, she brings a different tone to songs originally performed by male-fronted bands. The group frequently covers artists such as “My Chemical Romance,” “The All-American Rejects” and “Green Day” — but with their own twist.

Their name stems from their first original song. After performing “Party Grrrl” live several times, the title began to stick. “The Dawgs,” they joke, comes from Guthrie’s tendency to say “men are dogs.”

Model UN Club represents UNI in St. Louis

By Skylar Zimmerman Staff Writer

From Feb. 18 to Feb. 22, the UNI Model United Nations club competed at one of their spring semester conferences, Midwest Model United Nations (MMUN), in St. Louis, Missouri.

Every semester, the club goes to two different conferences. This semester is special, with a couple of members going abroad in March for a third conference in Lima, Peru.

At MMUN, the students are sent to different committees to start writing papers. They collaborate with various students from across the country to get certain resolution papers passed with things they would like the United Nations to do. With multiple layers to this process, it takes an extensive amount of time.

The weekend overall consists of an insane amount of paper writing and spending time with teammates.

“The two main conferences are about four days long, and you really get a lot of time to get to know your fellow delegates, really, really well. A lot of the time, maybe too well,” said Jack McIrvin, current UNI Model UN member.

McIrvin serves as the club’s secretary. He is in charge of making all the itineraries for the conferences. At meetings, he takes attendance and sends out emails to members. Model UN at UNI for him is a very fun experience that has a more relaxed environment that he can work

well in than other universities, due to it being a club rather than a class.

McIrvin was assigned to the GA2 committee, one of five, assigned to partner with another UNI student and member, Gabriel Salazar, at

MMUN.

Salazar is a first-year member of the team. With this being only his second conference, he was quite intimidated by the intelligence of everyone present. Salazar said the St. Louis conference was quite different from the earlier meeting.

“It was a lot smaller, but I did enjoy that intimate factor because by the end of it, you got to know everybody in the room,” Salazar said.

Networking is a big part of the Model UN conferences. Oftentimes, those who participate in these conferences receive opportunities to work with them later or make connections that can get them working with the United Nations or in some sort of political setting.

McIrvin talked about how the Model UN club benefits his future as an educator and worker.

“Being able to network and experience, being able to come together and work on something as a big group as opposed to just, hey, you do this, you do that. It really does give you experience in goal setting and writing papers,” said McIrvin.

Overall, the bonding of the group was the most engaging part of the trip.

“A big part of Model UN you’re supposed to kind of network, but, I mean, the fun of it is just kind of drawing silly pictures and connecting with your fellow delegates,” Salazar said.

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Natasha and The Great Comet of 1812 make a Pierre-fect night at the Strayer-Wood Theatre

By Josue Villatoro Staff Writer

TheatreUNI kicks off the second to last production of the semester with the opening of “Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812,” a glistening electropop opera that is adapted from a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s acclaimed novel “War and Peace.” The story follows two main protagonists: Pierre Bezukhov as he navigates depression through an existential crisis in search of meaning and Natasha Rostova, who falls for the dashing rogue, Anatole Kuragin, while awaiting her fiancé’s return from war, dismantling her reputation. Directed by assistant professor and UNI alum, Katy Hahn, the Strayer Wood Theatre is being transformed from its original thrust design into an arena performance space where the seating will also be placed on the stage to create an immensely immersive experience, marking the first time with this specific set up since 2009.

This upcoming musical is completely sung through and will have stylized movement in vain of popular shows such as “Les Miserables,” “Hamilton,” and “Hadestown,” with a lot of the lyrics of Dave Malloy’s Tony-Award winning score being taken from the actual novel of “War and Peace.” Unlike the traditional live music format usually associated with the genres of musicals, TheatreUNI has tracked and recorded the soundtrack in collaboration with UNI’s School of Music. Fans of either EDM or classical opera may find the premise of this show to be

bizarre on paper, considering how polar opposite these genres are for music, but will find themselves in an energetic state when they listen to the memorable motifs and crescendos laced throughout despite the purposeful inconsistency to the melodies.

Witnessing the dedicated commitment that scenic designer, Eric Chen, brought to craft the world of 19th century Russian cabarets and nightclubs to the stage is one of the biggest selling points considering it fuses the architecture of its setting with a starry night that fits the undertone of hope that is sprinkled throughout. Not only is this show serving to be the biggest production of the semester, but one of the largest that TheatreUNI has staged. The 19 cast members featured throughout will be facing the audience 360 degrees around them, utilizing Michael Chekhov techniques to act with their full bodies and give a performance unlike previous productions put on in the past.

Interaction will be an availability opportunity to anyone who sits close to an aisle or front row, being very close to where the actors are moving in the space. The cast will be dancing and singing up and down the aisles choreographed by junior Charleston Kay, and there will be moments where they directly interact with audience members. “There’s a couple of moments in the play where actors might even come up and pretend that the audience member is a character in the story,” Hahn said. “You can’t get AI standing up in front of you on stage, looking in your

eyes, singing to you, reaching out to take you on this journey; it’s a uniquely human experience.”

Within the performance, theatregoers will see the actors bouncing between the characters they’re portraying as well as the storyteller who takes a step outside to guide viewers through the story. Though it has rich elements of escapism centered in just the atmosphere alone, this show’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect in discussion of addressing issues that feel distant at first glance, but slowly become inevitable to address, without delving connecting them directly to current events around the world.

and human connection.

From the script by itself, one of this show’s core values is the inner dilemmas that the characters are confronted with, pivoting from being an eccentric adaptation to a tale that questions the polarity of small scale battles that viewers can identify with. In portrayal of one of the titular lead characters, senior Andrew Breitsprecher, in his sixth and final production with TheatreUNI, as Pierre, describes the show’s roots being centered about love, emotion,

Even though all the stories are about high-class socialites, Breitsprecher emphasizes that this musical ventures deeply into self-discovery. “No matter where you sit, you’re going to have a completely different experience from someone else in the theatre,” Breitspecher said. “There’s so many little things that you might want to see again, so this show has a great chance for you to come again, and see it like two or three times cause each time is going to be an entirely different experience for you.”

Though their performances are not without mistakes, the band focuses on authenticity rather than perfection.

“Our performances aren’t flawless,” they said. “But we always make the most of them.”

Their debut basement show remains one of their most memorable. They

packed the space and received overwhelmingly positive feedback — a sign that their class project has potential beyond a weekend hobby.

Since their Mod Band days, they’ve felt consistent support from friends and the UNI community. The band emphasizes that simply showing up makes the

biggest difference.

“All we want is for people to have a good time,” Guthrie said.

With three members graduating this year, the band’s future remains uncertain. Stoll already commutes for rehearsals and post-graduation plans could scatter the group geographically.

While they hope to continue playing together, they are aware that life after college may shift the group’s priorities.

“We’ll have to see where the wind takes us,” they said. “But none of us will stop making music individually.”

For now, Party Grrrl and The Dawgs are focused on

what’s ahead as the band is scheduled to perform at Octopus on April 3 and continues to release music on streaming platforms. At the moment, they’re sticking to what brought them together: loud music, friendship and making a room of people happier when they’re done.

“Sé que no soy una amenaza” Los estudiantes se reunieron en el Capitolio de Des Moines para abogar y educar

Por Lily Munnik, Editora de noticias

Traductora invitada: Ana Chavez, estudiante del curso SPAN 3016

Translation for Heritage Speakers

El miércoles, 18 de febrero, los pasillos del Capitolio del estado de Iowa se llenaron de cantos, conversaciones e individuos decididos, mientras el Movimiento Migrante para Justicia de Iowa albergaba el Día de Defensa en Des Moines.

La organización estatal de defensa –dirigida por voces de inmigrantes y refugiados, unidos con aliados– juntó a miembros de la comunidad de todo Iowa para hablar directamente con los legisladores sobre propuestas de ley que impactan a familias inmigrantes y otras comunidades marginadas.

Entre los que fueron había estudiantes de la Universidad del Norte de Iowa, representando a UNIdos, una organización estudiantil enfocada en inspirar a voces latinas y de inmigrantes en el campus.

Para Lusia Alvarez Mendoza, estudiante de último año con carrera de educación primaria y una especialización secundaria en español y coordinadora de programas de UNIdos, el Día de Defensa era más que un viaje al Capitolio.

“El Día de Defensa fue una poderosa oportunidad para que miembros de la comunidad se juntaran y hablaran directamente con legisladores sobre asuntos que impactan a nuestras comunidades,” dijo Alvarez Mendoza. El día se enfocó en legislación anti-inmigrante y en propuestas de ley que afectan a las mujeres, las personas de color y las familias de bajos ingresos.

Los participantes asistieron a sesiones educativas sobre cómo comunicarse efectivamente con legisladores, proponer leyes y navegar el proceso legislativo, antes de juntarse con los representantes. Para Alvarez Mendoza, la experiencia recalcó que muchas veces la defensa se trata de empezar conversaciones en vez de ver resultados inmediatos.

“A veces se trata de sembrar una semilla,” dijo. “Empezar una conversación que puede transformarse en reformas significativas.”

Alvarez Mendoza se enteró del evento por medio de su hermana mayor, María Gonzalez Alvarez, quien trabaja para el Movimiento Migrante para Justicia y anteriormente cofundó Aliados de Inmigrantes en Marshalltown, una organización que provee información gratis y recursos a familias migrantes. Inspirada

por el compromiso de su hermana con el servicio comunitario, Alvarez Mendoza ayudó a coordinar la participación estudiantil de UNI.

Ella trabajó con Osmar Castro, director de administración de UNIdos, para diseñar y distribuir volantes y organizar un formulario de SRC. Como coordinadora de programas, dijo que se sentía responsable de no solo informar a los estudiantes, sino animarlos a participar en espacios cívicos.

Para ambas Alvarez Mendoza y Dulce Bucio, estudiante de segundo año con carrera de diseño gráfico y directora de relaciones públicas de UNIdos, el evento fue profundamente personal.

Alvarez Mendoza, una mexicana-americana de primera generación e hija de inmigrantes, compartió que su madre fue detenida por ICE cuando ella tenía tres años. Su hermana mayor, que tenía 18 años, se convirtió en la cuidadora principal para sus cuatro hermanos menores.

“Las experiencias como las mías no son aisladas,” dijo, “Son la realidad para muchas familias a lo largo de nuestra nación.”

Bucio repitió sentimientos similares.

“Como producto de inmi-

grantes, yo sé que no soy una amenaza y tampoco lo son los otros en nuestra comunidad,” dijo.

El Día de Defensa proveyó a los estudiantes la oportunidad de juntarse directamente con representantes estatales después de recibir dirección sobre cómo presentar sus preocupaciones. Bucio se preparó para hablar con un representante con relación a tres propuestas de ley anti-inmigrante. Aunque el representante no haya estado en su oficina ese día, ella dijo que su meta era urgir oposición a la legislación y enfatizar las contribuciones que los inmigrantes aportan al país.

“Mi motivo era, con suerte, convencerlo de que no pasara la propuesta de ley y enseñarle la importancia de los inmigrantes en este país,” Bucio dijo. “Porque sé que, si nuestros hermanos y hermanas pierden sus derechos, también los pierdo yo. Eso es cómo empieza, con un acuerdo mutuo cada vez.”

A lo largo del día, los estudiantes se reunieron dentro del Capitolio, juntando a defensores de todo el estado. Los organizadores enfatizaron que el compromiso cívico se extiende más allá de votar en las elecciones presidenciales e incluye participación en el proceso de toma de deci-

siones locales y estatales. Alvarez Mendoza enfatizó que la política debatida en los parlamentos estatales afecta directamente a los salones de clase, el acceso a asistencia médica, el alojamiento y los derechos civiles.

“Como estudiantes de universidad, tenemos el privilegio de la educación y la responsabilidad de usar nuestro conocimiento para defender cambios positivos,” dijo.

Bucio estaba de acuerdo, agregando que la participación estudiantil ayuda a contrarrestar estereotipos sobre apatía política en las nuevas generaciones.

“Fue interesante ver a tantos estudiantes de universidad usar sus voces y probar a las generaciones mayores que no somos apáticos y que somos instruidos,” dijo.

Ambas estudiantes describieron el Día de Defensa como una oportunidad para no solo dar apoyo, sino para actuar significativamente y poner un ejemplo para pares y futuras generaciones.

“El Día de Defensa fue más que un evento; fue un recordatorio que nuestras voces son importantes,” dijo Alvarez Mendoza. “Los cambios no pasan de la noche a la mañana, sino que comienzan con conversaciones valientes y acciones colectivas.”

You just have to keep an open mind, and never surrender yourself to what is the easiest option.”

By Estelle Johnson Executive Editor

March has officially rolled around, which means that graduation is getting closer for hundreds of students at the University of Northern Iowa.

Many of us are excited to walk across the stage, and shake hands with UNI President Mark Nook — but what’s the plan for after that?

Do you jump right into work? Take a week off and go somewhere? Or, do you go live with your parents and their dog for a month?

Who really knows. We all have these grand ideas of what’s supposed to happen after we graduate — but from what I’ve learned, it’s highly unlikely everything will go as we desire. There’s very few people that start working their forever job right out of college.

The best thing to do is be proactive in job searching. Apply to everything — in surrounding states, cities and really, wherever you’re willing to go. Be ready to move for the right opportunities, and apply to the jobs that you might not even get. Applying is the easiest part of this entire process.

Either way, interview experience is the meaning of it all. The more interviews you get, the better you get at being interviewed. You start to

understand the deeper meanings of the questions you’re being asked, and you are able to change your language to fit what the particular hiring manager is searching for.

There’s still a chance that you do all of the right things and don’t get hired somewhere. Some other candidate was better than you — and now you have to restart the entire experience, but with another organization.

So you apply again and again to new jobs, update your LinkedIn, resume and rewrite cover letters.

And again, you receive an email saying “We’ve decided to move onto different candidates for this position.”

It’s not because you aren’t qualified enough, but rather someone else was just a better fit. I think part of the entire job hunting experience is acknowledging that what you have is special, but not always better for a specific organization.

Sometimes, you just aren’t what they’re looking for. And that is okay — the process gets better when you realize you just weren’t the one for the job. The more rejections you receive, the easier it gets to be rejected.

You have to have some trust that getting the “moved-on” email is the best thing that could have happened.

Why?

- Estelle Johnson, Executive Editor

Again, who knows … maybe the right job opportunity is about to be offered to you in a week. That application you submitted a month ago? Yeah, they’re calling to offer you a fantastic position that has amazing benefits and a livable wage.

The best thing we can do is believe it will all work out. Boost your name, post on LinkedIn and scroll through Indeed to find positions that match your major. This is not something to procrastinate — graduation is in two months.

The financial aid grace period ends in six months after you graduate — so you need to have a plan for when payments come around. Do the math, make sacrifices and know that eventually, things will be paid off. The life of student loan payments will end eventually.

You have to believe that all of this effort will be worth it. Even if it feels helpless now, we have to remind ourselves that things will likely come around.

You might have to work a crappy job for a couple years — but, if you play your cards right, the crappy job could turn into something you’ve always wanted. You just have to keep an open mind, and never surrender yourself to what is the easiest option.

People You Should Know UNI spotlights campus leaders in honor of sesquicentennial celebration

Renée Rapier

A voice trained at UNI, heard around the world

No matter where I go or whom I sing with, I am always proud to be a UNI School of Music alumna.”

By InsideUNI

From the stages of Cedar Falls to opera houses around the world, Renée Rapier has built a career that blends technical mastery with emotional depth — a journey rooted in the training and mentorship she received at the University of Northern Iowa’s School of Music.

Rapier received her bachelor’s degree from UNI in 2009, with a major in voice and opera, as well as viola performance. In 2011, she continued at UNI, earning her master’s in voice and opera.

As a graduate student, she was featured in the UNI School of Music newsletter, Rhythms, as a spotlight story.

“UNI means so much to me, as it has made me the artist I am today,” said Rapier. “The foundations I learned at the School of Music have given me the confidence to work with some of the top musicians in the world.”

Along with winning a Grammy in 2017 for her role in John Corigliano’s “The Ghosts of Versailles,” Rapier has had recognition within several competitions, such as being the national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, first place in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, a finalist in the Seoul International Music Competition, a semi-finalist in Operalia and first place in The Brava! Opera Theater and James M. Collier Young Artist Program Vocal Competition.

Rapier completed several training programs through the Chautauqua Opera and the Merola Opera Program. She went on to join the LA Opera’s Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program in 2011, where she made her professional debut as Stephano in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. Soon after, she joined the Adler Fellowship at the San Francisco Opera.

Rapier has made various notable appearances

- Renée Rapier, Grammy Award Winning Mezzo Soprano, UNI alumna

including Wagnerian debut as Grimgerde in the San Francisco Opera’s visionary “Ring Cycle,” Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni” and Jezibabe in “Rusalka” with Opera Steamboat, Rosina in “ll Barbiere di Sibiglia” with Opera San Jose, Cherubino in both “Le Nozze di Figaro” and John Corigliano’s “The Ghosts of Versailles” and Suzuki in “Madama Butterfly” at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, Opera San Jose and Tulsa Opera.

“The continued support of my amazing professors is what keeps me focused, grounded and on the right path,” said Rapier. “No matter where I go or whom I sing with, I am always proud to be a UNI School of Music alumna.”

FILM REVIEW

‘The Life of Chuck’ provides a lifetime’s worth of wisdom

By Josue Villatoro Staff Writer

Quiet films sometimes have the biggest messages. This is certainly an original kind of story that you won’t see in any other film from director Mike Flanagan, nor encounter anything like other from Stephen King.

“The Life of Chuck” is a fantasy drama based on Stephen King’s 2020 novella and is directed by Mike Flanagan (writer and director of “Hush” and “The Haunting of Hill House”) and stars Tom Hiddleston in a life-affirming, genre-bending story about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles “Chuck” Krantz.

This is the type of film where you cannot explain since it would simply give away the entire point but rather urge others to watch and see for themselves in order to have a proper conversation about.

This is not a film you will understand straight off the bat, and that’s a good thing considering what’s happening allows you to delve deeper into the mystery around the plot.

If this film could be described in one word, it would be enigmatic. All that must be stated is that it follows a non-linear structure through a coming-of-age tale that urges viewers to question how they approach every second of their lives. Its somber and depressing tone is masking the bittersweetness this film holds around our titular main character’s journey.

Tom Hiddleston brings so much through his facial expressions, avoiding a surprising amount of dialogue and bringing a noteworthy performance filled with utter radiance.

While he is the main star, there seems to be a pattern of top tier casting this past year because this film is stacked with familiar faces such as Karen Gillian, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill, Katie Siegel, Nick Offerman, and numerous guest appearances.

It seems Flanagan wanted to approach “The Life of Chuck” by using visuals and tone, accompanied by a simplistic yet incredibly beautiful soundtrack consisting mostly piano from the Newton Brothers (famous for soundtracks such as “X-Men ‘97” and “The Shining” sequel, “Doctor Sleep”).

It challenges the audience’s right of the back and doesn’t try to hold your hand through in order to give you the chance to piece together the story in your own interpretation.

Flanagan also serves as one of this film’s editors and provided a neat set of match cuts and aspect ratio that enlarges with each act as they roll through while utilizing the color of blue to paint the themes of love, loss, and meaning in a grand manner.

Mike Flanagan and Stephen King both step away from their expertise in horror to make something more experimental and provide a sweet message that encourages viewers to make

sure they are making every moment count and question the mortality they possess.

Both heartwarming and mysteriously saddening, this came out as one of, if not the most extremely moving film of the year and of 2025’s most thought-provoking films.

It has a realistic sense of optimism, despite how bizarre some of the occurrences within play out, which can boost the way one sees the world around them, in an introspective standpoint.

You won’t see many films that feel this fresh with the way it was directed and produced given how fresh a concept such as this is.

For the best experience, it is recommended that you don’t look up anything related to plot until you have fully finished the film. A takeaway that can be given once you have finished this film can be the two famous words of “carpe diem.”

The past year has been a wonderful year with movies, and this is a contender to be in 2025’s top 10 films given if you choose to expand your tastes into films outside of the traditional loud and big blockbuster cinema experience.

“The Life of Chuck” is philosophically warm, beautifully directed, and an intelligently thematic journey that puts a daring spin on the comingof-age narrative with its non-linear act structure and stirring performances.

“The Life of Chuck” is now available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

UNI Women extend momentum with consecutive MVC victories

By Tyler Wood Sports Writer

The University of Northern Iowa women’s basketball team earned two consecutive Missouri Valley Conference victories this week. The first came Thursday, Feb. 26, against Valparaiso. Two days later, the Panthers defeated UIC. Both games were played at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls and were won by comfortable margins.

UNI’s victory over Valparaiso was decisive from the start. The Crusaders entered the matchup winless at 0-28, and the Panthers maintained control throughout.

UNI led 33-21 at halftime and pulled away in the second half, outscoring Valparaiso 59-37. The Panthers secured a 92-54 win, their largest margin of victory this season at 38 points.

Forward Elise Jaeger led UNI with a double-double, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. It marked her fourth double-double of the season, second on the team behind Ryley

Goebel, who has nine. Jenna Twedt added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Goebel contributed 12 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal.

Valparaiso was led by Fiona Connolly, who scored 20 points and went 5-for5 from the free-throw line.

Allia Von Schiegell added 13 points, along with one rebound and one steal.

Valparaiso remains one of three winless teams in Division I this season, alongside Niagara and Central Connecticut State.

The Crusaders are on pace for the first winless season in program history.

UNI returned to the McLeod Center Saturday to face UIC and delivered another strong performance.

The Panthers built a 42-30 halftime lead and added 40 points in the second half to secure an 82-68 victory.

Guard Taryn Wharton led all scorers with 22 points, adding two rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jaeger recorded her second straight double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Goebel also scored 15 points to go along with two rebounds and one steal. Twedt fin -

ished with 11 points, two rebounds and three assists.

UIC was led by Julia Coleman, who scored 18 points and added four rebounds, two assists and one block. Jessica Carrothers finished with 14 points and six assists. Amelia Strong

contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, while Crystal Ortiz added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.

The win improved UNI’s record to 15-13 overall, while UIC fell to 14-15.

The Panthers will next trav -

el to face Indiana State on Thursday, March 5, at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Panthers will hold their final home game on Sunday, March 8 versus the Drake Bulldogs.

Goebel strives to be more than just a basketball player

By Jenna Westendorf Managing Editor

A six-foot forward from Urbana, Iowa, senior Ryley Goebel is a standout on the UNI women’s basketball team. In the 2025-26 season, Goebel has averaged 13.9 points per game, and just last week earned her second Missouri Valley Conference player of the week honor this season. However, just like any other star athlete, Goebel is a lot more than just a basketball player.

Goebel grew up playing basketball in her driveway. She went on to play AAU basketball with Team Iowa and notes that at that moment, she knew she wanted to play basketball at a higher level. “A bunch of the older girls within the program were starting to commit to playing college hoops throughout the country. I saw them and thought I could do that too.”

As Goebel considered her next steps, the decision of where to continue her basketball career involved several key factors. “A family atmosphere, distance from home, and a university with the major I wanted to pursue were all variables,” said Goebel.

“Ultimately, UNI provided me with all of those things.”

Goebel admits that her first two years were difficult. Not only was she in a new city at a new school, but she had to adjust to a new basketball system, new teammates and coaches, and a new level of play.

“There were times where I questioned myself and my mind was challenged, but ultimately, every day I took another step,” shared Goebel. “I learned that trusting the process might not mean everything happens on the timeline I want it to. It might mean taking things day by day, doing my best every chance that I can, and giving everything to God.”

Goebel also noted how Coach Warren, along with teammates, keeps her motivated, even on her off days. “She [Coach Warren] challenges me and holds me accountable, yet encourages and instills confidence in me,” said Goebel. She added how Coach Warren reminds her how important it is to take care of herself first.

“I have learned that I can’t be my best on the court or in the classroom if I don’t first take

care of myself mentally.”

Beyond the basketball court, Goebel is more than just a UNI women’s basketball standout. She is a devoted Christian, loves pickleball, is a big coffee fan, and loves to read, especially psychological thrillers. Goebel is also a nursing student at UNI and dreams of one day becoming a traveling nurse.

As her time at UNI and being a collegiate basketball player inches closer to coming to an end, Goebel also takes note of the people who have impacted her time at UNI. Goebel shares that someone who greatly impacted her both on and off the court is her mentor, Sara Fitzgerald.

“Her [Fitzgerald] ability to spread God’s love while also loving her people well is what kept me going during some of the hardest parts of my career,” said Goebel. “She created a space where we could be more than just basketball players and simply be human, and for that I will always be grateful.”

Goebel hopes young girls see “true joy” when they watch her play. But more than anything, she wants to be remembered

as a kind, Jesus-loving friend. “I want my teammates to know that they can come to me for anything, even after the season ends,” said Goebel. “I also

want them to know that they are loved, and more than just a basketball player or student athlete.”

Avery Hogan wins MVC Diver of the Year, joins sister as first pair of siblings to both win the honor in conference history

NICOLE WATERS Sports Writer

The UNI swim and dive team competed at the MVC championships Feb. 25-28. A pair of UNI sisters made MVC diving history on Saturday. Avery Hogan won MVC Diver of the Year, joining her older sister Taylor, who earned the honor in 2022. The Hogan sisters are now the only sibling duo in MVC history to both win Diver of the Year.

Starting Wednesday night were the 200-yard freestyle relay finals, where Charlotte Sander, Morgan Meyer, Morgan Raether and Abby Lear placed third with a time of 1:31.21 to open the meet. In the 500-yard freestyle, Sam Oeltjen placed 13th in 4:58.49. The 200yard individual medley saw Elyse Brayton finish 18th in 2:05.73, Natalie Harris

22nd in 2:07.28 and Nikkie Walters 23rd in 2:07.61.

Abby Lear stood out in the 50-yard freestyle, placing second in 22.84. Closing out night one was the 400-yard medley relay, where Raether, Aspen Cole, Hannah Nedder and Meyer placed sixth in 3:45.32.

Night two of finals action began with the 100-yard butterfly, where Walters claimed 15th in 56.29, while Harris and Nedder finished 22nd and 23rd in 56.89 and 56.90, respectively. Oeltjen finished eighth in the 400yard individual medley in 4:29.17, while Cole took 13th in 4:29.66, Sydney Aird was 19th in 4:33.50 and Abigail Barkhurst 21st in 4:35.08. Meyer secured 13th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:51.48, and Averie Bilskemper finished 22nd in 1:53.65. Capping night two was the 200-yard medley

relay, where Raether, Neriah Giedrys, Sander and Lear took fifth in 1:41.93.

Friday’s finals began with the 200-yard butterfly, where Walters placed 12th in 2:05.20, Oeltjen 15th in 2:07.50 and Harris 22nd in 2:10.28. Giedrys finished sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:03.26, while Cole placed 10th in 1:04.23 and Aird 14th in 1:05.86.

The 100-yard backstroke saw Brayton place second in 54.75, with Raether fifth in 55.21, Meyer 12th in 56.58 and Lear 18th in 56.73. Oeltjen, Barkhurst, Walters and Harris placed seventh in the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:42.93 to close night three.

The fourth and final night began with the 200yard backstroke, where Raether secured fifth in 2:00.72, Brayton placed 12th in 2:02.92 and Peyton

Pasqualicchio finished 24th in 2:08.17. Lear swam 50.80 in the 100-yard freestyle to claim ninth, while Bilskemper was 19th in 51.29 and Meyer 24th in 51.95.

Cole posted a time of 2:18.56 in the 200-yard breaststroke to earn seventh place, while Giedrys took 17th in 2:19.07 and Aird 19th in 2:20.27. Closing out the meet was the 400yard freestyle relay, where Raether, Lear, Bilskemper and Meyer placed fifth in 3:21.86 to wrap up the 2026 MVC Swimming and Diving Championship.

The diving portion saw major success for the Panthers. Avery Hogan placed second in the one-meter diving event with a score of 250.90. Erica Peters finished fourth with 243.40, Trista Thompson sixth with 243.25 and Addison

Bausman eighth with 204.00. In the three-meter event, Hogan claimed the title with a winning score of 282.25, while Peters placed third with 272.70. Thompson finished seventh with 238.50 and Bausman 10th with 242.80.

Hogan and her older sister, Taylor Hogan, became the first pair of sisters in program history to win the three-meter diving competition at conference finals.

Northern Iowa finished fifth with 920 points.

Coach Nick Lakin was proud of his program and the success they had.

“It was a special weekend,” said Lakin. “We ended up scoring more points overall than we did a year ago so I’m just really happy for this group.

The team will next be action on March 9-11 at the NCAA Diving Zones.

This years MVC tournament is set to be one of the most competitive conference tournaments in the country. Eight teams enter with a record above .500.

COHEN KAMAUS Sports Editor

As the calendar flips from February to March, college basketball hosts their annual conference tournaments. Winners of each conference tournament earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making for some of the best basketball games of the season.

One of the most exciting tournaments, year in and year out, is the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The MVC tournament, also known as “Arch Madness,” is held in St. Louis every year in the Enterprise Center. This year is one of the most anticipated tournaments in recent memory, as the MVC has been highly competitive the last four months. Here is a preview of the tournament and who I think will secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The No. 1 seed is the Belmont Bruins. Belmont claimed the top seed by going 16-4 in league play, leading the conference in scoring at

84 points per game. They are led by Tyler Lundblade, who contributes 15.8 points per game, many of those coming from beyond the arc. Belmont plays as a team of runs, scoring points in a hurry but also going through dry spells. The big question mark for the Bruins is their defense and if they can get the stops when it matters.

The Bradley Braves claimed the No. 2 seed in the field. The runner-up a season ago, the Braves play at a steady pace, scoring 77.5 points per game. Jaquan Johnson has played like the MVC player of the year this season, averaging north of 17 points per game. Alex Huinregtse provides help from the outside, netting 92 three-pointers this season. The Braves will be a tough out, and history states that experience matters in March.

Coming in at No.3 is the Illinois State Redbirds. The Redbirds came into the year with sky high expectations, some of which have dwindled

as the season has progressed, but they’re in prime position to make a run to the NCAA tournament. Led by Chase Walker and Johnny Kinzinger, the Redbirds have proved to be one of the most balanced mid-majors in the country.

After dropping their final regular season game, the Murray State Racers come in as the No. 4 seed. After contending for a top seed for most of the year, the Racers have had a bit of a tough stretch, dropping three of their last four and losing out on a top 3 seed. They score at a high clip, with a 83.5 points per game average. Javon Jackson, Roman Domon, and Fredrick King are a big reason for that, all averaging over 13 points per game. As much as they score, they give up just about as much defensively. They’ll rely heavily on their scoring, and if shots aren’t falling, expect them to be an early exit.

A surprise to many, the UIC Flames registered the fifth best record in the MVC,

earning the No. 5 seed. The Flames earned a 12-8 conference record, but are leaving the regular season with a sour taste in their mouth after a loss to Indiana State. Elijah Crawford leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game. UIC runs a nine man rotation, keeping fresh legs in at all times. They’ll have a big matchup with the aforementioned Racers in the quarterfinals.

Coming in at the No. 6 seed is the Ben Jacobson led Northern Iowa Panthers. The Panthers identity comes on the defensive end. The Panthers give up just 61.1 points per game, which is the best in the MVC. They like to slow down the pace, get open shots and win in a rock fight. A problem the Panthers have faced this season is scoring points. Four-year starter Trey Campbell leads UNI in scoring with 13.2 points, with Leon Bond III, Will Hornseth, and Ben Schwieger all averaging double digits. If UNI wants to make a run, they’ll

have to make shots outside and play stout defense like they know how to.

Rounding out the field are the Valparaiso Beacons, Southern Illinois Salukis, Drake Bulldogs, Indiana State Sycamores, and Evansville Purple Aces. Each of these teams are capable of an upset, but the odds of them taking home the championship are slim to none. I do expect all of these teams to be competitive in the games they are in. If I had to pick a winner, I would pick the Belmont Bruins. I think they are the best team in the field, and they have proved it time and time again this season. They will have their hands full, and I think the winner of a potential Illinois State-UNI quarterfinal matchup will give Belmont a run for their money in the finals. Regardless of who wins, it’s set to be a great tournament. Game action starts on Thursday, March 5 with the Panthers taking on Evansville at 8:30 p.m.

Panthers close regular season with win at Drake

MICHAEL SPAHN Assistant Sports Editor

The Northern Iowa men’s basketball team wrapped up regular-season play with a 75-53 road win over Drake. The victory completed a season sweep of the Bulldogs for UNI in the 2025-26 campaign after Drake defeated the Panthers twice last season.

Will Hornseth opened the scoring for Northern Iowa

with a layup followed by a dunk to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead. Drake’s Jalen Quinn answered with five consecutive points to put the Bulldogs ahead 5-4. With the game tied 12-12 midway through the first half, RJ Taylor knocked down a 3-pointer and Hornseth added two more points to give UNI an 18-12 advantage. Drake responded with a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 19-18. Tied again with less than

five minutes remaining in the half, the Panthers began to create separation. Max Weisbrod hit his first 3-pointer of the game to make it 26-22. A few possessions later, Leon Bond III converted two free throws to extend the lead. Weisbrod followed with his second 3-pointer to push the advantage to 31-22.

In the closing seconds of the half, Hornseth connected on a 3-pointer to give UNI a 39-24 lead and surpass 500

career points.

Northern Iowa maintained its momentum in the second half. Bond opened the period with a 3-pointer to make it 45-26.

Just under the 15-minute mark, Tristan Smith drove the lane for a layup to extend the lead to 49-32. With four minutes remaining, Smith added a dunk to make it 66-49.

The Panthers improved to 19-12 overall and snapped a two-game losing streak. UNI

head coach Ben Jacobson praised his team’s effort.

“Our defense felt good from the start today and really connected,” Jacobson said. “I liked our physicality, our movement, our rebounding in the first half to go with what we were doing offensively.”

Northern Iowa will now turn its attention to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in hopes of earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

UNI men’s track and field claims conference indoor title

CARTER LUST Sports Writer

After 2025’s installment of the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships saw the UNI men win the team title and the women take third, both groups expected to repeat their placements in this year’s edition of the championships. A pre-meet poll voted on by MVC head coaches projected the Panther men to replicate their 2025 championship performance, with the women again posting a strong outing in third.

The championships opened Sunday, March 1, with a series of heptathlon, pentathlon and field events, all of which the Panthers excelled in. In the men’s heptathlon, Carter Morton repeated as MVC champion with a total score of 5,570 points. The former AllAmerican looks to improve on his fifth-place finish from the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks, where he will compete in the 2026 national meet. Teammate Tye Hardin also produced a commendable showing in his 5,169-point, third-place performance.

In the pentathlon, Joey Perry became the third straight Panther to claim the conference indoor title, winning with 3,856 points. Perry used second-place finishes in the shot put, long jump and 800 meters to secure the victory by more than 200 points. Katy Hand also took fifth for UNI with 3,373 points.

Morton also took second in the men’s pole vault with a best

leap of 5.20 meters. Freshman Jacob Yoerger grabbed fourth with a 4.90-meter leap, with Carter Pheifer coming in sixth with an identical vault. For the women, Erica Miner earned runner-up honors by clearing 3.98 meters. Sydney Scott also placed sixth with a best attempt of 3.78 meters.

Morton again walked away with a conference title in the men’s long jump, flying 7.57 meters. Fellow senior Parker Kiewiet came second with a 7.53-meter leap, and Hardin rounded things out in fourth by jumping 7.22 meters. Josey Dunbar and Maleah Walker finished third and sixth on the women’s side, respectively. Dunbar leaped 5.93 meters, while Walker marked 5.72 meters.

Josie Morland repeated as the MVC women’s high jump champion, becoming the only athlete to clear 1.72 meters. She joined Morton on the men’s side for a Panther sweep in the event. Morton cleared 2.11 meters in his third individual MVC victory of the championships.

A trio of UNI weight throwers placed in succession on both the men’s and women’s sides. For the men, Justin Olson, David Russell and Carson Lienau took third, fourth and fifth places, respectively. Olson launched the 35-pound weight 20.02 meters, with Russell following at 19.75 meters and Lienau at 19.01 meters. For the women, Brylie Lorence, Lauren Kounkel and Lexy Foster finished ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively. Lorence led the way with a 17.31-

meter heave of the 20-pound weight, followed by Kounkel at 16.76 meters. Foster was not far behind with a 16.69meter effort.

Moving to the track, the distance crew saw success in both the women’s and men’s 5,000 meters. Millie Hill took third in the women’s field with a time of 16:44.60. Freshman teammate Meghan Wheatley placed seventh in 17:04.78, with Melody Ochana backing her up in eighth at 17:12.16. Collin Lille ran 14:32.08 for the men, which landed him in eighth place.

The distance medley relay units concluded the first day of the championships by racing the unconventional, indoor-only event. The relay features a 1,200-meter starting leg, followed by a 400-meter, 800-meter and anchor 1,600meter leg. Northern Iowa took third in the men’s field in 9:59.77, with the women finishing fifth in 12:04.53.

Monday’s segment of the competition also opened in the field, where Breanna Hackman took third in the women’s shot put with a throw of 14.61 meters. Lorence doubled back from the weight throw with a sixth-place, 13.86-meter effort. For the men, Lienau and Russell claimed first and second, one day after their weight throw performances. Lienau won the title with an 18.50-meter toss, with Russell posting a best mark of 18.39 meters.

Kaylee Woolery was the lone Panther in the women’s mile, where she advanced from Sunday’s preliminary rounds to earn eighth place

in Monday’s final. She ran 4:55.82.

Sticking to the track, Carter Accola finished fifth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 8.11 seconds. Teammate Ashton Hogrefe was sixth in 8.39 seconds. Olivia Kramer ran 8.89 seconds, which was good for eighth place on the women’s side.

Two trios of Panther athletes took the track for the 400-meter final, but freshman Emma Randecker stole the show. Randecker ran 54.64 seconds for a victory in the women’s field, with Jersey Jones taking fifth in 55.97 seconds and Darci Wiseman claiming seventh in 56.42 seconds. Kiewiet returned from the long jump to run 47.49 seconds for third on the men’s side, with teammate Zach Fall just a step and place behind at 47.55 seconds. Jordan Townsley rounded things out for UNI over the long sprint with a 48.08-second, seventh-place outing in his first MVC championships.

Kramer doubled back from the 60-meter hurdles to take seventh in the 60-meter dash. She sprinted 7.79 seconds. Tinashe Chigudu ran 6.75 seconds in the same event for the men, finishing third for Northern Iowa.

Sarah Feddersen and Derek Woods represented the UNI mid-distance group in the 800 meters, with Feddersen claiming seventh on the women’s side. The freshman ran 2:14.74 in a tight field. Similarly, Woods earned fourth in a pack where less than a second separated the champion and Woods. He covered the dis-

tance in 1:51.26. Randecker followed up her 400-meter victory with a third-place finish in the 200 meters, clocking 23.90 seconds. Chigudu and Kiewiet also returned for the men. Chigudu sprinted 21.14 seconds for fourth, and Kiewiet 21.56 seconds for sixth.

The same group of Panther distance runners laced up their spikes for Monday’s 3,000 meters after Sunday’s 5,000 meters. Hill produced another stellar outing for the women, taking fifth in 9:40.59. Wheatley was 14th in 10:01.59, and Ochana claimed 18th in 10:09.67. On the men’s side, Lille finished 14th with a time of 8:21.89.

The 4x400-meter relay concluded the championships Monday afternoon. The UNI men took second, as the tandem of Fall, Chigudu, Woods and Kiewiet finished in 3:11.19.

Ultimately, the MVC coaches’ predictions proved correct. The Northern Iowa men repeated as team champions with 157.5 points, narrowly beating Illinois State, which scored 151.5. The women comfortably took third place with 100 points, topping fourth-place Bradley, which earned 84.

Morton will compete at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, scheduled for Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14. Morton ranks fourth in the nation’s heptathlon standings, earning him a spot among the 16 qualifying competitors for the season’s pinnacle meet.

CROSSWORD

BY RYAN SALES

Across

1) Lip ___

5) Up to the task

9) Defame in print

14) Opera solo

15) Regretted

16) Ham it up

17) Actor who was allegedly cloned

19) It stirs things up

20) Suffix with lemon

21) "Geez!"

22) City near Naples

24) Stocking stuffer?

26) Fallen space station

27) Most unprincipled

30) Company whose stock was targeted by a 2021 short squeeze

35) Blueprints

36) Met ___ (annual fundraiser)

37) Killer whale

38) Dryer residue

39) Extraterrestrial

40) Small complaints

41) Addict

42) Addition column

43) Occupied, as a desk

44) Highlights 46) Agree out of court 47) "___ whiz!" 48) "Voilà!" 50) Everlasting 54) Bran source 55) Heel 58) Flower holders 59) Slightly better than 62) Fill with joy 63) Bouquet holder 64) "Preach!" 65) Grinch creator 66) Mimicked 67) Towel word Down 1) ___ Blast (Mountain Dew flavor) 2) Dry 3) Key ___ Pie 4) PC alternative 5) Extreme 6) Charred 7) Director Spike 8) Ice cream brand 9) WNBA legend Lisa 10) Copy 11) Barbarian

SUDOKU ANSWERS

12) George Orwell's alma mater 13) Fallon's predecessor 18) Gain 23) Jordan's capital 24) Begged off formally 25) Touching 27) Good grade 28) Elite 29) More reasonable 31) Pub orders

32) Country singer Travis 33) In base eight 34) Ctrl+V command

36) ___ club

39) Befuddled

43) Sealy competitor

45) Has a feeling

46) "Please be ___"

49) Put up

50) Nights before 51) Dragon ____ (old mobile game) 52) Jacob's twin 53) Word before bucket or chicken

55) Arrive 56) Maintain 57) Lairs 60) Baseball hat 61) "Phooey!"