03-27-24

CHAMP

/ 4x Big 12 Champion

/ 4x All-American

/ Perfect 31-0 season

/ National Champion

Parker Keckeisen

Panther Esports boots up for the future

MVC opens new opportunities for competitive esports

News Editor

From the Panther Esports gaming lounge in the tunnel between Maucker Union and Lang Hall, students gather in between classes for a quick game of Rock Band or NBA 2K. However, freshman and Panther Esports social media manager Cade Bonnette is dreaming of competing on a bigger stage.

LAN events, standing for Local Area Network, emphasize the competitive, in-person aspect of gaming. All of the esports competitors are in the same venue, computers connected to the same network.

“It’s not just, you know, five nerds at a keyboard in this room right here,” Bonnette said.

NORTHERN IOWAN

L011 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, IA 50614 www.northerniowan.com northern-iowan@uni.edu 319.273.2157

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN

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SOPHIE HOFFMEIER

Managing Editor hoffmeis@uni.edu

515.795.6066

“You’re on a stage in front of a live crowd and your opponents are across from you. And you can yell and scream at each other and get in each other’s heads. The crowd will get in your head — it’s a moment.”

Panther Esports currently has several competitive teams for various games, including Overwatch, Valorant, Rocket League and Call of Duty. However, the teams don’t get to travel to LAN events often due in part to the cost of transportation. Many esports competitors hope that one recent development could change some of that.

This spring, esports was officially added to the Missouri Valley Conference. While UNI did not register for the very first season, nine Valley schools are currently competing in an eight week long season. Indiana State, Missouri State, Evansville, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Valparaiso, Murray State, Bradley and Belmont are currently in week five of competition, and the season will conclude with an in-person LAN conference tournament, site to be determined.

Panther Esports plans to

EDITORIAL STAFF

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor schmimbt@uni.edu

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Campus Life Editor klinkbaa@uni.edu

CADEN SHEA Sports Editor sheacad@uni.edu

ANTONIA GOODWIN Copy Editor goodwaab@uni.edu

KARINA ORTIZ Spanish Editor ortizkac@uni.edu

join the league in the fall, and they’re looking forward to more opportunities to compete and especially more options for LAN events in the Missouri Valley. In the meantime, their teams are keeping busy competing with other schools in the NECC, a conference for collegiate esports teams from all across the nation.

“Because of our location we get put in a Midwestern kind of league, so we’ll compete against schools not only from Iowa but Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan,” Bonnette said. The Call of Duty team plays in a separate conference, the Call of Duty League, and has played teams from as far away as Louisiana and Canada.

I know these teams will perform, and people are going to hear Northern Iowa across the nation and the Missouri Valley Conference.

to play on a team, Bonnette says it’s a serious commitment. Players try out to be placed on a team, and in some games, Panther Esports has a varsity, JV and JJV team. Once on a team, the players practice each week to improve their game and how they work together as a team.

Cade Bonnette Panther Esports Social Media Manager

“You’re representing UNI, you want to do the best you can,” Bonnette said. “It’s not just representing UNI. You’re representing your team and you’re representing yourself, so you want to put in the best effort you can.”

For the students who choose

Aside from the competitive aspect, Panther Esports also wants to be a space of community for everyone. Students

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are encouraged to stop by the esports lounge for some casual gaming or to socialize.

“I would love to always see people in here. I love seeing their faces and, you know, I love talking to people,” Bonnette said. “I love our casual gamers. I love our esports gamers. We’re just one big family.”

The esports lounge is open for anyone to stop by 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. They also host a weekly Super Smash Bros tournament at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

However the esports environment may change in the coming years, Bonnette has high hopes for UNI.

“I’m really excited to see where our teams will do because I know our teams are going to make that LAN, and we’re gonna kill it,” he said. “I have very strong faith in Panther Esports. I know these teams will perform, and people are going to hear Northern Iowa across the nation and the Missouri Valley Conference.”

More information on Panther Esports can be found on their Instagram @unipantheresports and online at esports.uni.edu.

MALLORY SCHMITZ

NI ARCHIVES

With the inclusion of esports in the Missouri Valley Conference, Panther Esports looks forward to more chances to engage with competitors in person.

100 years ago, a former Northern Iowan editor exposed political scandal

A century ago, a UNI alum and former editor of UNI’s student newspaper entered a congressional hearing room, met the skeptical eyes of the senators seated around the table, and blew the lid off the Teapot Dome affair.

The man was Carl Magee, and his exposure of the corruption scandal — the biggest in the nation’s history up to that point — was just one of his many claims to fame.

He began his career at the University of Northern Iowa — then known as Iowa State Normal School — serving as editor of the student paper, then called the Normal Eyte because students called themselves Normalites.

Throughout the 1893-94 school year, Magee crusaded for change, attacking the condition of the campus of the poorly-funded school and demanding better maintenance of the wooden sidewalks in front of the nearby businesses.

He fell in love, too, with a fellow student, Grace Griffin. Years later, when they were married and had three children, he would remember strolling the campus with her under elm trees and drifting on the Cedar River while she played the guitar.

After graduation, Magee was an educator, serving as Carroll County superintendent at age 23.

But Iowa’s winters took a toll on Grace’s health, and Carl wanted new challenges. He studied law, and the family moved to Tulsa, where he hung out his shingle as a lawyer.

As oil strikes turned Tulsa into the “Oil Capital of the World,” Magee succeeded in business and the legal profession. He also led an anti-corruption movement that got the mayor and police chief indicted, and he championed a campaign to build the water system that

still supplies Tulsa to this day.

Grace developed tuberculosis, though, so the family moved to Albuquerque, where the desert climate offered the best chance for recovery. There Magee pursued his longheld dream of publishing a “truth-telling” newspaper.

He bought the Albuquerque Journal and began attacking New Mexico’s widespread corruption.

That threw him into conflict with Albert Fall, the U.S. senator who ran the Republican political machine. Their feud continued after Fall became U.S. secretary of the interior. In that role, he cut secret deals to allow two oil tycoons to drill in the Navy’s Teapot Dome and Elk Hills petroleum reserves.

As the journal raised questions about the arrangements, Fall lashed out, forcing Magee to sell the journal. The editor responded by launching a new newspaper, which would evolve into the Pulitzer Prize-winning Albuquerque Tribune.

Eventually, Magee was called to Washington to share what he had learned about Teapot Dome.

His testimony before the Senate Public Lands Committee in late 1923 and early 1924 turned a humdrum political controversy into a scandal that rocked America.

Investigators would uncover some $400,000 in payments the oil millionaires made to the interior secretary, equivalent to about $6.5 million today. Fall was convicted of bribery and sent to prison.

That wasn’t the end of

News briefs

Suicide prevention and PTSD conference

UNI Counseling Services will be offering a conference this Wednesday, March 27 in an effort to educate campus and the community about suicide prevention techniques and the science behind PTSD. Registration is required for this event.

Author Colby Martin on campus Colby Martin, author of the book, “Unclobber: Rethinking our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality” and “The Shift: Surviving and Thriving after Moving from Conservative to Progressive Christianity,” will be speaking at Lang Hall Auditorium Sunday, April 7 starting at 6:30 p.m. The Tyler Greene Fund and ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries are primary sponsors of this event.

Magee’s story, though. A vindictive Republican judge tried him on trumped-up charges of libel and contempt, and Magee escaped imprisonment thanks only to gubernatorial pardons.

Later that same judge met Magee in a hotel lobby and attacked him. Sprawled on the floor, the editor grabbed a gun and shot his assailant in the arm. But the gunfire also killed a bystander.

Magee was charged with murder but acquitted.

Eventually, Magee sold his paper and became editor of the Oklahoma News. In that role, he was recruited by the Chamber of Commerce to try to solve Oklahoma City’s downtown parking congestion.

The editor had an idea. He invented the parking meter and patented it. Millions of his ParkO-Meters would be sold around the world.

Throughout his amazing career, Magee remarked often on the importance of his time at the Iowa State Normal School. That was especially true when he spoke at its 50th anniversary, telling the crowd how he was “profoundly influenced” by the institution that would become UNI.

Editor’s Note: Jack McElroy’s biography of Carl Magee –Citizen Carl: The Editor Who Cracked Teapot Dome, Shot a Judge and Invented the Parking Meter – was published recently by the University of New Mexico Press.

CAB Rodeo Night Campus Activities Board (CAB) will be offering a country themed night of food, mechanical bull riding, western-themed games, crafts and line dancing. The event will take place Thursday, March 28 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Maucker Union Ballrooms.

Rialto dining takeovers

UNI’s Dining Services and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) will present the return of the second annual UNI Dining Takeover in collaboration with local food entrepreneurs. From Monday, March 25 to Wednesday, April 3, five local catering companies will showcase their signature dishes from their menus to students, faculty and community members.

Iftar Dinner in celebration of Ramadan

The Office of International Engagement is celebrating Ramadan Friday, March 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries. Join OIE as they break the fast with Muslim students, eat traditional food and have a night filled with fun. Any questions can be directed at Ava Dietrich at deitrica@uni.edu.

JACK MCELROY Guest Columnist

COURTESY/OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

After his time as an editor of UNI’s student newspaper, Magee went on to have an extensive career launching the Pulitzer Prize-winning Albuquerque Tribune. Later on, he invented and patented the parking meter.

NI ARCHIVES

A photo of Magee published in the College Eye in 1926. Magee gave the Campanile dedication address in June that year.

‘Something for everyone’ at RodCon

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor

Superheroes, Storm Troopers and pop culture enthusiasts will unite next Saturday for the ninth edition of Rod Library’s RodCon.

RodCon is a free mini comic book convention that Rod Library Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Melinda Beland says has “something for everyone.”

This year’s convention is Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m.4 p.m. People of all ages will find swathes of activities spread throughout the library, including everything from a Magic the Gathering tournament to sewing lessons.

Beland said that idea from the first RodCon event in 2014 came from a UNI student. It has since grown into a community event that regularly draws in over 3,000 people.

“Originally, it was trying to get people to interact with UNI and really have that community, and then also showcasing student groups and things that we have here

at UNI in a fun and creative way,” she said.

Some of the student organizations being highlighted this year include Panther Tabletop Gaming, Panther Esports and UNI Swordfighting. Other students will be showcasing skills from the classroom. An English class at UNI will be putting on a reading of science fiction and fantasy poems and stories, and students from the College of Education will be using lesson plans to put on activities in the Kids Zone, specifically targeted toward younger attendees.

This year’s convention will also host guest speaker Shakyra Dunn, a voice actor, author and singer, who will be there to talk about worldbuilding, self publishing and getting started in the voice acting industry.

Another crowd favorite is the Artist Alley, a setup of artists and vendors on the main floor of the library. There will also be a costume contest, trivia, board games, an escape room and palm and tarot readings. The group

Cedar Rapids Ultimate Super Heroes will also be there, and they will be accepting donations for the Cedar Bend Humane Society.

The RodCon planning committee starts preparing for the convention in August each year to make sure all of the moving parts come together in time.

“It is a good oiled machine at this point. We have a lot of great people that have been on it for a long time, so that’s helpful and it really does take a group of people to manage it,” Beland said.

Another unique aspect of RodCon: It’s free to attend.

“Not a lot of people can afford to go to pop culture cons,” Beland said. “Because we have it here, we’re limited in how much we can do, but it gives local people and people all across Iowa — and we do have some people come from other states — a chance to interact with other people and pop culture fans.”

Further information and a full schedule for RodCon can be found at rodcon.library. uni.edu/.

‘Algo para todos’ en RodCon

MALLORY SCHMITZ Escritora MONSE HERRERA Traductora

Superhéroes, Storm Troopers y entusiastas de la cultura pop se unirán el próximo sábado para la novena edición de RodCon de la biblioteca Rod

RodCon es una mini convención gratuita de cómics que, según Melinda Beland, especialista en relaciones públicas y marketing de la biblioteca Rod , tiene “algo para todos”.

La convención de este año es el sábado, 6 de abril de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Personas de todas las edades encontrarán una gran variedad de actividades repartidas por la biblioteca, que incluyen desde un torneo de Magic the Gathering hasta lecciones de costura.

Beland dijo que la idea del primer evento RodCon en 2014 provino de un estudiante de UNI. Desde entonces se ha convertido en un evento comunitario que atrae periódicamente a más de 3 000 personas.

“Originalmente se trataba de lograr que la gente interactuara con UNI y realmente tuviera esa comunidad, y luego también mostrar grupos de estudiantes y cosas que tenemos aquí en UNI de una manera divertida y creativa”, dijo.

Algunas de las organizaciones estudiantiles destacadas este año incluyen Panther Tabletop Gaming , Panther Esports y UNI Swordfighting . Otros estudiantes mostrarán habilidades del aula. Una clase de inglés en UNI ofrecerá una lectura de poemas e historias de ciencia ficción y fantasía, y los estudiantes de la Facultad de Educación utilizaran planes de lecciones para realizar actividades en la Zona Infantil, específicamente dirigida a los asistentes más jóvenes.

La convención de este año también contará con la invitada Shakyra Dunn, actriz de doblaje, autora y cantante, que estará allí para hablar sobre la construcción del mundo, la autoedición y cómo iniciarse en la industria de la actuación de doblaje.

Otro favorito del público es Artist Alley, un lugar de artistas y vendedores en el piso principal de la biblioteca. También habrá concurso de disfraces, trivia, juegos de mesa, sala de escape room, lectura de manos y tarot. El grupo Cedar Rapids Ultimate Super Heroes también estará allí y aceptaran donaciones para Cedar Bend Humane Society

El comité de planificación de RodCon comienza a prepararse para la convención

en agosto de cada año para asegurarse de que todas las partes móviles se unan a tiempo.

“En este momento es una máquina bien engrasada. Tenemos mucha gente excelente que ha estado en esto durante mucho tiempo, por lo que es útil y realmente se necesita un grupo de personas para manejarlo”, dijo Beland.

Otro aspecto único de RodCon : la asistencia es gratuita. “No mucha gente puede darse el lujo de asistir a las convenciones de la cultura pop”, dijo Beland.

“Debido a que lo tenemos aquí, estamos limitados en cuanto a lo que podemos hacer, pero le brinda a la población local y a la gente de todo Iowa (y tenemos algunas personas que vienen de otros estados) la oportunidad de interactuar con otras personas y aficionados de la cultura pop”.

Puede encontrar más información y un calendario completo de RodCon en rodcon.library.uni.edu/.

COURTESÍA/RODCON

COURTESY/RODCON

RodCon 2024 will hold a plethora of events, including special guest speaker Shakyra Dunn, who is a voice actor, author and singer.

COURTESY/UNI SCHOLARWORKS

At RodCon last year, the Cedar Rapids Ultimate Superheroes and the UNI Trooper made a visit.

COURTESÍA/UNI SCHOLARWORKS

El año pasado en RodCon, los Cedar Rapids Ultimate Superheroes y el UNI Trooper hicieron una visita.

El RodCon de 2024 tendrá una plétora de eventos incluyendo la invitada especial Shakyra Dunn, quien es una actriz de doblaje, autora y cantante.

The battle for Iowa’s land

DREW HILL Opinion Columnist

There is an ongoing battle over a carbon-capture pipeline that Summit Carbon Solutions is attempting to get approval to build. Essentially, a carbon-capture pipeline takes carbon dioxide emitted by industrial plants, compresses it into a liquid-form and then transports it deep underground for storage. This pipeline would stretch across five states, including Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota. However, it has raised controversy that has put the project in jeopardy.

This project has faced bipartisan opposition.

Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club of Iowa have joined with the ACLU and House Republicans and Democrats. There are different reasons people oppose these pipelines, from safety concerns to the pipeline not going far enough to address climate change. However, one particular objection to the Summit pipeline has been the main factor uniting all these sides: the use of eminent domain.

A Des Moines Register poll in March of 2023 found that 82% of Iowa Democrats and 72% of Iowa Republicans oppose the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines.

As of Jan. 31, 2024, Summit claims that 75% of landowners along its proposed route in Iowa have signed voluntary easements, according to Jared Strong of the Iowa Capital Dispatch. However, the company has requested the use of eminent domain to complete the route of the pipeline.

Eminent domain is the ability of the government to take private property for public use, provided they give just compensation to the landowners displaced. This is based on part of the Fifth Amendment, which reads, “… nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Summit has claimed their pipeline project would allow for the use of eminent domain because it benefits Iowa economically and reduces carbon emissions. However, opponents have argued that eminent domain should not be

used in this instance, suggesting it has limited public use and its purpose is private gain.

For most of U.S. history, eminent domain was mainly restricted to what we would consider public use, such as roads and parks. Later, exceptions were made for private entities for certain types of projects such as railroads and transmission lines, but with strict regulations.

However, in 1954, the Supreme Court provided a massive expansion to eminent domain in the case Berman v. Parker. It expanded the definition of public use in the Fifth Amendment to public purpose. This may seem like a small change, but it allowed the government to seize property that benefited the public, instead of strictly for public use. Private companies could now redevelop areas using the arm of the government. This led to local governments declaring certain areas as slums or blights in order to redevelop them. The definition of blight was very vague, and essentially gave the government the right to take any property if they could build something that would generate more income for the locale.

In 1981, Poletown Neighborhood Council v. City of Detroit, decided by the Michigan Supreme Court,

There is simply not a great reason why this project for a private entity should have the right to use eminent domain .

allowed Detroit to seize the working-class neighborhood of Poletown to build a General Motors Plant. This decision was later overruled in the decision County of Wayne v. Hathcock, which found that the pursuit of profit by a private company was not a valid reason to use eminent domain, even if it benefited the public.

However, an even more expansive ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court came in 2006. In the decision Kelo v. City of New London, the Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London could take property from landowners for private development if it could benefit the public economically.

Since the Kelo decision, many states have made laws with harsher restrictions on the use of eminent domain, including Iowa. In 2019, the

Iowa Supreme Court rejected the arguments of Kelo in a case involving the use of eminent domain for an oil pipeline called the Dakota Access pipeline. However, they still allowed the use of eminent domain on the grounds that it was a common carrier, similar to a railroad or public utility.

The danger with the expansion of eminent domain in Kelo is that it removes most limits on the government taking private property. Essentially, if they can provide a reason that taking land would benefit the public, they can take entire neighborhoods. While this may seem like it could be a good thing, it doesn’t specify what counts as a public purpose. If the government decides that a neighborhood would be more profitable in the hands of a private developer, they can uproot it. There may be little the landowners can do about it, depending on that state’s laws.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor pointed this out in her dissent to Kelo by saying, “The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.” If the government decides it is in the public purpose to redistribute

land to favored groups or give private land to wealthy corporations, then this ruling would potentially allow it.

Providing the government with this kind of power does not align with the foundation of American liberties. John Locke was a British philosopher who had a tremendous influence on many of our Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson. He believed that people have God-given, inalienable rights to life, liberty and property. These are natural rights that every person has that the government did not give and cannot take away.

John Locke’s rhetoric inspired the Declaration of Independence and is reiterated in the Fifth and 14th Amendments. Recognizing the importance of the right of the people to own property, the Founders limited eminent domain in the Fifth Amendment to public use and required just compensation. The more modern reinterpretation of this as public purpose provides a gateway to government abuse of this right.

Dangers from the abuse of eminent domain allow for crony capitalism, or close relationships between government and businesses. These public-private partnerships thwart the principles of competition and free trade and cause failures in a capitalistic market. They can also lead to monopolies due to government favoritism.

America was built on the principles of individualism. One of the reasons the U.S. has been so successful is because the rights of the individual supersede the whims or desires of the collective. However, when whatever a government deems as serving the public purpose is allowed to triumph over the right of the individual, our republic suffers and becomes more centralized.

In regards to the Summit pipeline, there is simply not a great reason why this project for a private entity should have the right to use eminent domain. While it may bring economic benefits, it doesn’t demonstrate any public use. Eminent domain can be necessary in rare cases, but its use should be limited. The abuse of it can have perilous consequences.

COURTESY/Iowa Public Radio

Landowners across Iowa gather in the capitol to ask legislators to stop the use of eminent domain in the construction of a carbon capture pipeline.

‘It’s about the art and the connections’

UNI flutist Emily Paul makes meaning through music

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Executive Editor

For Emily Paul, music means more than just performing.

Double majoring in flute performance and performing arts management, she said she loves music for the connections it can make between people.

“I value music now for it’s the way that music can help people - it really connects you with others. When an audience member is like, ‘Oh my God, you moved me,’ it’s really a powerful feeling. I think it makes it all worth it.”

Emily first picked up the flute the summer before fifth grade, and she hasn’t put it down since. She has performed with several ensembles during her time at UNI, including the UNI Wind Ensemble, Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, the UNI Flute Choir and a quintet: the Pavo Winds.

“I love performing for people and getting in the flow,” Emily said. “When you perform for an audience, you really have to empty your brain completely. You have to completely focus on the music. It’s very powerful.”

Emily has earned several awards and accolades,

receiving top placements in the Des Moines Women’s club, the Schubert Club and the UNI Emerging Artist Scholarship competitions. She was the winner of the 2023 UNI Instrumental Concerto Competition, and was the UNI School of Music Presser Scholar in 2023. Despite all these awards, Emily says they

are not what drive her to be a great musician.

“I think what makes me more proud is not the awards themselves, but just getting through a good evening when you think you couldn’t have done better. It’s so rare to have those moments, so whenever that happens it’s the best.”

Off the stage, Emily holds

positions as the music librarian for the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, organizing hundreds of music pieces and communicating with principal players. As librarian for UNI’s orchestra, she has taken on the process of revamping the music library in the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center by sifting through numerous unused pieces of equipment and boxes, while helping fundraise for new music storage through Sigma Alpha Iota, the international music fraternity on campus.

Emily is the president of the fraternity this year, and has aimed to “get things back on track” after COVID-19 disrupted some of the fraternity’s policies and procedures. But her main goal as president and as a leader is to lead “with empathy and kindness.”

She said, “I always try to make sure that I get everyone’s input whenever I make a decision. I want everyone to have a good experience and everything that they need. Putting people first and their mental health and well-being is important for me.”

With minors in psychology and women and gender studies, Emily said combining her love of music with psychology and advocacy has helped her grow as a musician.

“I realized that I was really passionate about other things besides music, and I wanted to try to expand my horizons. I also started caring a lot about musician wellness, which is why I wanted to add psychology and for me that it’s changed my perspective on how I look at music as a whole.”

She continued by saying being able to make music more accessible is one of her biggest aspirations.

“It’s really been a goal to kind of save the classical music industry and revamp it so that the elitism and the classism that’s ingrained in classical music is changed. How do we use what was used as oppression as advocacy to make people’s lives better? How do we expand access for music education? How do we make it more equitable?”

Emily also has a minor in performing arts management - a minor she added after COVID-19 impacted the performing arts world significantly.

“Musicians don’t have a lot of options if they can’t perform. I knew that having a performing arts management degree would give me business skills that I would need to be an entrepreneur and as a freelance performer, but also teach me a lot about the music industry.”

Emily is also the lead peer educator for the School of Music and has been the flute instructor for the UNI Community Music School. She teaches flutists anywhere from 10 to 65 years old.

Ultimately, Emily said she credits her mom’s decision to put her in private lessons in fourth grade, which she says set her up for the success she has as a musician today.

“I’m so grateful for my mom for thinking so far ahead,” she said. “I love the idea of performing and having a job where it’s not about the money, it’s about the art and the connections. That’s what it’s about.”

Understanding color in “Breaking Bad”

CALLEE FAIR Film Critic

“Breaking Bad” is known to many as one of the greatest shows of all time, and for good reason. With each shot, there is so much purpose and meaning that weaves the genius of this show together.

The brilliance of the critically acclaimed show altered the brain chemistry of many when it first aired in 2008, and continues to do to this day with Netflix reporting “Breaking Bad” was watched for a total of 505 million hours in 2023. There are so many things that make this show monumental and stand out from the rest of typical TV shows. Between the compelling characters, stunning performances, perfectly writ-

ten story, breathtaking cinematography and even down to the details as little as color, every aspect of the show is driven with purpose to give “Breaking Bad” its honorable reputation.

The creator of “Breaking Bad,” Vince Gilligan, always had a vision in mind when placing different colors for characters to wear and to overall move the scenes from the beginning of the show. Gilligan went on to say in an interview with Vulture, “Color is important on ‘Breaking Bad’; we always try to think in terms of it. We always try to think of the color that a character is dressed in, in the sense that it represents on some level their state of mind.”

Out of all of the colors used

in “Breaking Bad,” yellow is used quite frequently in the series as a symbol for involvement with the meth business. It reveals who a character is while also being used to color the story itself. For example, the infamous showrunner of the cartel, Gustavo Fring, manages to hide in plain sight from the DEA, playing the role of a generous and wealthy restaurant owner. His staple yellow shirt embodies his title as the drug kingpin while playing his daytime role. Flashback scenes involving drug lore in Mexico use a yellow tint because crystal meth is what is driving the scenes. Even yellow props are used throughout the series are used as symbolism to what in going on inside the character.

In season one episode

three, White uses a yellow plate to bring food to a prisoner as a sign of charity. This yellow plate represents his good intentions with his secret life, getting into the meth business to provide for his family. Later in the episode, the plate shatters and is used against the prisoner representing the corruption he experiences with his original intent with meth. White is not cooking crystal meth anymore out of need, but out of want. His accomplice, Pinkman, is often associated with yellow in the beginning of the series representing his deep entanglement with the meth trade. This choice was done purposefully so that subconsciously the viewers associate the drug with the color yellow. As Pinkman is affected

more by Walt’s twisted mind, his clothing choices become darker and is seen wearing patterns more suggesting his moral conflict. On the opposite end of the scale, yellow is the furthest color away from purple which is the color of White’s sister-in-law, Marie Schrader, who has no connection to the meth business at all. Schrader wears purple throughout most of the show, however, it is extremely important when she doesn’t wear purple. After her husband, Hank, special agent with the DEA, discovers a huge turning point in the meth trade in season five, she is wearing yellow during the revelation.

COURTESY/EMILY PAUL

Emily Paul, a flute performance and performing arts management double major at UNI, is involved in several ensembles and leadership positions on campus. She is also the music librarian for UNI’s orchestra and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony.

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Campus Life Editor

En garde with UNI’s sword fighting club

HOPE JACOBS Staff Writer

The University of Northern Iowa is home to many extracurricular clubs –– one of which is the university’s Swordfighting Club. Created around 2012, UNI’s sword fighting club has grown in the past 10 years to a group of 25 members.

“Our Swordfighting club has been a part of UNI for a long time. It has been a part of a national organization called Belegarth for around 10 years now,” Club Secretary Nickolas Graham said.

Held on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in UNI’s Wellness and Recreation Center, the Swordfighting Club is one of many sword fighting clubs around the nation. Like many other organizations, the club was affected in 2020 when the COVID19 pandemic hit causing it to struggle with getting more people involved.

“We just renewed our membership after COVID, having struggled due to lapsing membership,” Graham said. Having renewed mem-

BREAKING BAD

continued from page 6

Hank Schrader begins the series wearing orange, which is made up of yellow and red. The mix of colors means that he is associated with the meth business while simultaneously taking on the violence that comes with it. As Schrader is taken away from his case trying to figure out who the anonymous “Heisenberg” is that is cooking the 99.1% almost chemically pure crystal methamphetamine, he wears beiges and browns. He slowly starts to wear orange again as he is remerged into the case. Orange means that something is a danger to Walter White. Being that Schrader is trying to figure out who the infamous Heisenburg is, A.K.A Walter White, of course orange is the color Schrader represents. He is constantly a threat to White.

Producer, writer, and director of the show, Thomas Schnauz, revealed that they drew inspiration from “The Godfather’’ when playing with this color. “The Godfather’’ uses the fruit oranges to signify that there is a death or violent scene coming up. “Breaking Bad” does the same thing using the fruit in two key scenes in the show. In season four episode eleven, Ted Beneke, Skyler’s boss, becomes paralyzed after attempting to run from a few henchmen who confronted him about tax fraud. Oranges

bership, the club grew with more members while electing brothers Nickolas and Magnus Camp as their president and vice president. With 25 members in total, the club has grown, offering a friendly place for sword fighting.

“I think it’s unique because

there’s nothing like that here at UNI. We are more here to participate, have fun, and encourage active participation from everyone.” Graham said.

The Swordfighting Club has grown by having open arms to interested newcom-

ers. Along with sword fighting, the club branches into other related craftings areas like making armor or clothes, leatherworking and metalworking while offering a friendly environment for anyone to hang out.

“My friend Magnus and I

placed on the counter above him fall onto Beneke’s lower half as he lays suffering on the ground.

White’s wife Skyler represents the color blue, which is usually associated with sadness. “Breaking Bad” uses blue to also symbolize loyalty and purity in the context of family. Blue perfectly encapsulates Skyler’s loyalty to White despite his crimes while also feeling sad to witness the person that she married disintegrate. Like Pinkman, her color palette turns dark once she discovers her husband’s hidden life-

style and gets more involved with it. Funnily enough, blue is the opposite of orange which is the color of Skyler’s brother, Schrader. This connection represents that while Schrader wants to overthrow White’s empire, Skyler feels the opposite as she becomes an important asset sticking by her spouse’s side.

The most famous use of color in the series lies in season two and episode 13 titled, “ABQ.” Pink plays a powerful role within itself. The beginning of the episode features a jarring shot of a pink teddy bear in White’s pool. The

were walking around campus after welcome week in August of last school year. Then we saw two people walking with some foam swords and we were curious so we followed them. That was how we were introduced to it. It was kind of right away we knew it sounded like a lot of fun,” Graham said.

From one small moment of interest, Graham and Camp found a club that welcomed them while allowing them to explore their interests in sword fighting with other members. With an ever-growing group, the group leaders President Camp, Vice President Camp and Secretary Graham plan for the future.

“We recently developed an Instagram, @ NANBELEGORN, where we will post more regularly with pictures of events. There is a national side of things with events nationwide that we would encourage our newbies to go to, ” Graham said.

With their growing numbers, the club is hoping to be able to have more on-campus events and travel to national events around the country.

wears beige, which is pretty frequently towards the beginning of the show, it signifies his plain, boring and simple life.

Switching to his secret business, he wears a yellow hazmat suit when cooking meth, representing the meth trade. However, the color that he represents is green, meaning greed and money. As White starts cooking meth, he does it for the money. The reason he continues to cook is out of greed and power. Green is made up of yellow and blue, which represents both his meth business and Skyler’s blue. Anyone want to guess what color his car is? Green, representing the transportation between both lives.

pink bear fell from a plane crash that White inadvertently caused. White himself wears a pink sweater allowing the audience to mirror the color and representation of it to the character. Pink represents the tragedy of his actions and a visualizer of all the collateral damage he has laid upon his loved ones because of his corrupted greed.

The infamous meth cook himself, Walter White, has a very telling wardrobe color choice that visually lets the audience know what “world” he is in: his family life and his crime life. Whenever he

Color theory isn’t a stranger to film and TV shows, however, when it is flawlessly executed it makes the meaning behind the story so much more impactful. The creators of “Breaking Bad” understood this, and creatively used color as a way to communicate with the audience to better understand the characters and the story. All of the detail and purpose put into the story allows for fans to go back and pick new things up even after they have finished the entirety of the series. A good show is entertaining to watch, but a great one rewards the audience for watching it. Perhaps that is why “Breaking Bad” is one of the most rewatched shows of all time.

HOPE JACOBS

Members of UNI’s sword fighting club prepare for battle on Lawther Field. The club was established on campus in 2012 and has grown in the past couple of years to 25 members.

COURTESY/WALLPAPER ABYSS

Film critic Callee Fair writes about how color grading in the hit show “Breaking Bad” contributes to the depth of the story.

Sweet Sixteen preview

MICHAEL SPAHN Sports Writer

March Madness has officially arrived. The best time of the year for basketball fans kicked off with 64 teams competing on Thursday and Friday. The field shrunk to 32 by Saturday, now only 16 teams remain in the national title hunt. Here are my predictions for the Sweet 16 matchups.

Game one: 1-seeded Uconn versus 5-seeded San Diego State

A national title rematch from this past season, San Diego State is looking to avenge their heartbreaking loss in the Sweet 16. They survived a close game against UAB in the round of 64 by a score of 69-65, and dominated Yale in the round of 32. UConn is on the hunt to become the first back to back champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007. They looked invincible in their first two games defeating Stetson 91-52 and Northwestern 75-58. Prediction: Uconn defeats San Diego State

There’s nothing I want more than a revenge story for the Aztecs, but it looks like no one is stopping this UConn team anytime soon. I do think the Aztecs defense will give the Huskies a run for their money, but UConn will pull away at

SOFTBALL

the end. The Huskies will dominate you with their depth and get out and run in transition. Tristen Newton has been consistent all year at point guard while Cam Spencer is a dangerous 3-point weapon. Down low, Donavan Clingon is a rebounding machine while also being a strong finisher inside. Head coach Dan Hurley has installed a championship-level mentality in his team, and they will continue to chase that back-to-back title with a win versus San Diego State.

Game two: 2-seeded Iowa State versus 3-seeded Illinois

It’s been a stunning revival for the Iowa State Cyclones under head coach TJ Otzelberger. The Cyclones finished the regular season with a 27-7 record earning a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Clones rolled past South Dakota State in the round of 64 by a score of 82-65, and outlasted Washington State 67-56 in the round of 32. Illinois had another phenomenal season under coach Brad Underwood finishing the regular season as Big 10 Tournament Champions. The Fighting Illini held off Morehead State in the round of 64 by a score of 85-69 and blew out Duquesne 89-63 in the round of 32. Illinois is looking for their first Sweet 16 victory since 2005.

Prediction: Illinois defeats Iowa State

The headlined story of this game is the matchup between two great point guards in the Cyclones Tamin Lipsey and the Illnis’ Terrence Shannon. I think this is an even matchup on paper and will end up coming down to the wire. However, it’s hard to pick against the hot hand in Terrance Shannon, who is averaging 23.3 points per game. Marcus Domask’s ability to get hot from beyond the 3-point line will also be a major threat. The Cyclones defense has been playing well as of late, but Illinois has too many weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Give me the Illini in a close one.

Game three: 11-seeded NC State versus 2-seeded Marquette

It’s been a remarkable stretch for head coach Kevin Keatts’ Wolfpack, as of two weeks ago they weren’t even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament. They won five games in five days, winning the ACC Tournament title and securing a bid into March Madness. The Wolfpack pulled away late from Texas Tech in the round of 64, and defeated the Cinderella Oakland Golden Grizzlies 79-73 in the round of 32. The Marquette Golden Eagles have finally reached the

Sweet 16 under coach Shaka

Smart after losing a heartbreaker to Michigan State in the round of 32 last season. The Golden Eagles defeated Western Kentucky in the round of 64 and escaped against Colorado with a 81-77 victory in the round of 32. Prediction: NC State defeats Marquette I think the glass slipper will continue to fit for another game, as I like the Wolfpack defeating Marquette in this one. There’s an aura around this team that doesn’t want to

lose. While the Golden Eagles have two solid defensive forwards in Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin, they will be no match for 275 lb center DJ Burns for the Wolfpack. It’ll be a good matchup between the Pack’s DJ Horne and the Golden Eagles’ Tyler Kolek at the guard position, but I like Hornes’ athleticism a little more. This team just continues to find a way, and I think they do it again in the Sweet 16. Find the full article at northerniowan.com

UNI kicks off conference play with 2-1 record

BRADEN ELTON Sports Writer

The Northern Iowa softball team started their conference play during a threegame slate in Nashville, Tenn. against the Belmont Bruins. The Panthers won their first two games on Friday, Mar. 15 and Saturday, Mar. 16, before losing the final game the following day.

The Panthers were able to get their first conference victory of the season in exciting fashion as they outlasted the Bruins 3-1 in a game that was decided in the 10th inning. Samantha Heyer pitched a career-high 10 innings in the Panthers’ victory, while UNI added an explosive three-run inning in the top of the 10th to secure the win.

It was the longest game the Panthers have had to play all year, marking their first game in extra innings. It was also their most drawnout game since the 2018 season.

Throughout the first nine

innings it was a pitching battle between the two teams until UNI got on the scoreboard first. In the top of the 10th inning the lead off hitter struck out when UNI’s Alexis Pupillo and Madison Parks were walked. Panther pinch hitter Savanna Jemilo was the third consecutive batter to reach base via walk, which resulted in the bases loaded.

Kate Lappe continued the trend of getting walked and gave UNI the opening run of the game. Parks scored on the next at bat courtesy of a passed ball from the pitcher. Taylor Hogan then laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring Jemilo home and give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 10th, Belmont loaded the bases after two singles and a walk. Heyer continued to battle on the mound and only gave up one run before ending the night with a strikeout on her 165th pitch to give the Panthers a 3-1 victory.

In the second game UNI handled their business as they defeated Belmont 8-4. Pupillo had a team high three RBI’s while Parks added two of her own to help lead the Panthers to victory.

UNI took a commanding 8-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning when Belmont tried to muster up a comeback. After a homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning the Bruins trailed 8-3. Belmont added in another run from a sacrifice fly out to cut the Panther lead to four.

Anna Wischnowski stayed in the game and forced backto-back fly outs to retire the inning and give UNI the 8-4 victory.

The victory was Wischnowski’s fourth complete game of the season, and notched her seventh win of the year.

The final contest of the three-game slate went in Belmont’s favor as they beat UNI 4-0. The Bruins amped up their defense for this final matchup as they held the Panthers to just one hit throughout the game.

The defeat marked UNI’s fourth loss in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play in the last three seasons. The Panthers now sit at 13-10 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

UNI’s next game will be against Illinois on Tuesday, Mar. 26 in Champaign, Ill. Opening pitch is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcasted via the Big Ten + Network.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

The dugout cheers on their teammates as they enter conference play this season.

COURTESY/US SUN

DJ Burns has become one of the stars of this year’s March Madness tournament.

UNI falls in second round of

NICOLE WATERS Sports Writer

The Panthers faced the Saint Louis Billikens in the second round of the Women’s NIT Tournament in Saint Louis. The Panthers and the Bilikens fought backand-forth for most of the game. The Billikens started out scoring in the game but Kayba Laube quickly responded with a 3-pointer to take the lead. A layup from the Billikens was quickly answered with a jump shot from Grace Boffeli.

Boffeli responded to a Saint Louis field goal with a layup to put the Panthers up 7-6. The Panthers then went on a six point run and a 3-pointer from Maya McDermott helped boost the Panthers to a 13-8 lead. UNI closed the quarter out on a small run and a buzzer-beater shot from Cailyn Morgan helped them to a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Keeping the momentum going, Shateah Wetering knocked down a 3-pointer

OPINION

at the start of the second quarter to extend to a double-digit lead of 20-10. The Billikens would then go on a 8-1 run to gradually close in on the Panther lead with a score of 23-20. The Panthers answered and helped their lead back to seven with backto-back buckets from Ryley Goebel and Taryn Wharton. Saint Louis answered back to that with back-to-back 3-pointers to close the half and cut the Panther lead to one. The second half started with another back-andforth opening from both teams. The Billikens started out with a bucket, but McDermott answered with some free throws to extend UNI’s lead 34-30. Saint Louis then answered with a 6-2 run to tie the game at 36-36. Wharton then knocked down some free throws before the Billikens went on a fourpoint run to take the lead at 40-38. McDermott answered with a 3-pointer to put the Panthers back in the lead before yet again Saint Louis

went on a five-point run and gave them a four-point lead. The Billikens would end the third quarter with a 49-44 lead.

Saint Louis started out the fourth quarter with a run, before the Panthers answered with eight points including two 3-pointers from Laube to cut the lead to 54-52. The Billikens answered with another 5-2 run to take an eight-point lead. Laube answered again with two more 3-pointers and Wharton with another jumper, but it wasn’t enough to outlast the Billikens. They answered every Panther bucket with one of their own to obtain the lead and go on to win the game 68-64.

Laube led the UNI offense with 15 points on five 3-pointers. Wharton was the other Panther in double-digits with 10 points. Boffeli and Goebel both finished with team-high seven rebounds.

Have we let NIL go too far?

BRODY LOVELL Sports Writer

Since going into effect in July 2021, the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy has been subject to an ongoing debate among athletes, administrations and sports fans. On one hand, NIL has provided athletes with the opportunity to capitalize on the notoriety they gained from their respective sports. However, the amount that athletes are earning has led to skepticism of the policy itself,

as it can give an upper hand to certain programs in terms of recruiting.

Recently, former Iowa football player Kadyn Proctor has garnered attention from the media about his recent decision to transfer back to Alabama after transferring home to Iowa earlier this year. Hawkeye fans quickly bashed Proctor on social media, claiming that he came to Iowa to collect funds from the team’s collective NIL funds, “The SWARM”, just to transfer back to Alabama

after.

However, a recent statement from SWARM CEO Brad Heinrichs countered these accusations, as Heinrichs stated, “Hawkeye fans out there that have given to the SWARM should rest easy. Kadyn Proctor hasn’t gotten a dime of their money.”

Despite Proctor’s innocence, NIL has played a role in the impact of how fans are viewing the game, with constant speculation of deals being made that are dictating where and why players are transferring.

It’s not just the fans, as coaches are aware of it too.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has been outspoken about his criticisms of the policy, as he recently said in an interview with ESPN, “Maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?”

As the policy is still in its relatively early stages, the NCAA has not made much in terms of further regulation of NIL and what it has produced in college sports. Some absolutely loathe the policy

as it brings a sense of “business” into college sports, specifically with the players, where it was not previously. Conversely, defenders of NIL will say the policy finally allows the student-athletes the compensation they have deserved for years.

In my opinion, both sides make complete sense. Yes, in recent years college sports have felt more like an extension of a professional sports league because of NIL, and the “college feel” of sports has felt less apparent because of it. But also, nobody can argue that student-athletes should be able to use their platform for compensation like every other college student, regardless if they play a sport or not.

As a student-athlete, I have seen all sides of the NIL policy. I have seen teammates get something as small as a free case of energy drinks or a 30% discount for a brand, and I have also heard of deals going in the six digits for many high-level, well-known athletes.

While I am mainly reserved about my beliefs and participation in NIL, there is a limit that I believe must be placed in the future. Naturally, bigger schools have more money, specifically more money from

donors. More money from donors, more opportunity for athletes to score massive NIL deals. If left completely unchecked, my biggest fear would be seeing practically every big-name athlete flock from the smaller schools to the bigger “Power Five” ones with much deeper pockets.

I am not ignorant that bigger schools will always have a leg up on the mid-majors, and that even without NIL there will always be a massive financial gap between the two. However, in NIL I believe a “cap” should be in place in the future — that is, a limit to which student-athletes can earn by team. Much similar to how the NFL and NBA use “cap space” to ensure a more level playing field in terms of salaries given to athletes, instituting something similar into college athletics could be beneficial.

Regardless, there is still much to be seen out of NIL and what it will do for college sports in the long run. It may be more automated than people think, and the claim of believing it will be detrimental to college sports as we know it could be just as wrong.

Kadyn Proctor has recently become a figure of interest for Iowa sports fans after reports of him transferring back to Alabama surfaced.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

The team met in a huddle before the game to get on the same page.

Keckeisen: King of 184 lbs.

COHEN KAMAUS Sports Writer

After three years of falling short of an NCAA wrestling national championship, Parker Keckeisen finally sits atop the podium.

Keckeisen etched his name in the University of Northern Iowa’s record book, becoming the 23rd Panther wrestler to win an NCAA Division I national championship, the first since Drew Foster’s 2019 national title. Undeniably, Keckeisen has been one of the most dominant wrestlers in the country for the entire season.

“That’s one of the best guys in the country,” said UNI coach Doug Schwab. “Nothing against anyone else, but that was the most dominant guy to me in the tournament.”

Keckeisen brought his unbeaten record into the NCAA finals, facing Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott. Both Keckeisen and Plott earned four bonus-point wins on their way to the final match, setting up a match featuring an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Keckeisen struck first, scoring a takedown in the first 35 seconds of the match. He doubled down on takedowns in the opening frame, getting one right before time expired, carrying a 6-1 lead. Plott fought back, earning a pair of escapes that cut the lead to just three points. Keckeisen escaped to open the third period and kept being aggressive on his offense, securing two more takedowns. Keckeisen said it was all a part of the game plan.

“My offense is better than his defense so I just tried to get to his legs,” Keckeisen said.

“The amount of finish work I’ve done, we’ve done, is a lot, so (I) had to get to where (I was) good at.”

He also amounted one minute and 11 seconds of riding time, giving him a 14-5 major decision win.

The UNI redshirt junior added a 184 lb title to his already illustrious collegiate career, cementing himself as one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace this campus. He capped off one of the most dominant seasons of all time, finishing with a 31-0 record and earning bonus points in all but three of them. He is the first UNI undefeated national champion since 1963, when Bill Dotson won the 137 lb. title. The best part: Keckeisen has already announced he will be back for next season.

Keckeisen is no stranger to the bright lights. Two weeks ago, he became the first UNI wrestler to win four Big 12

individual titles. Keckeisen has also sniffed the top of the NCAA podium for the past three seasons. In 2021 and 2022, he finished in third place, losing just one match each year. Last year, Keckeisen fell in the finals to Penn State’s Aaron Brooks, who won his fourth NCAA title the match after Keckeisen won his. While Keckeisen is proud of his accomplishments, he is looking more at the big picture.

“Yeah this is cool but this is just a day on the calendar; how am I gonna be on the other 364 days?”

The UNI Panthers sent five more wrestlers to Kansas City to compete at the three-day national tournament.

At 133 lbs, Julian Farber earned an at-large bid and was seeded 19th. Farber matched up with Nebraska’s Jacob Van Dee, who he beat earlier this year two times. Both wrestlers were making their NCAA debut. Van Dee came out victorious with a 5-1 victory, avenging the regular season losses. Farber’s next matchup was against Indiana’s Cayden Rooks. Unfortunately, after three minutes and 17 seconds of match time, Farber had to injury default the match, ending his season. As just a redshirt sophomore, Farber looks to return for the Panthers next year and bounce back.

At 141 lbs, #7 Cael Happel made his second appearance at the NCAA tournament. Last year, Happel went 2-2 at the tournament in Tulsa. He faced off against Vance Vombaur of Minnesota, who came into the tournament with a record of 19-11. A seven minute match wasn’t long enough to decide the outcome, pushing it to an overtime period. Vombaur secured a takedown in the extra period, earning an 8-5 win. Happel fought back from the opening round loss, earning three straight victories. He defeated Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison, Michigan’s Sergio Lemley, and Pittsburgh’s Cole Matthews on his way to a match that would decide All-American status. That’s where he matched up with Real Woods of Iowa, a reigning national runner-up. Woods came out on top with a 5-2 decision. There’s no doubt that Happel will be back next year and hungry for a podium spot.

At 157 lbs, Big 12 champion and fifth seeded Ryder Downey made his NCAA debut against Jared Hill from Oklahoma. Downey took care of business, winning by a 4-1 decision. Downey took on Virginia Tech’s #12 Bryce

Andonian in the second round. After a long match, Andonian ended up on top, sending Downey to the bloodround. From there, Downey earned two bonus point victories, including a 11-3 major decision of former Panther Michael Blockhus, who now wrestles for Minnesota. Yet again, a Panther took on a Hawkeye for a chance at the podium. This time, it was #6 Jared Franek. Franek was victorious in a 4-2 match, ending Downey’s season. Downey looks to next year and to build off a stellar redshirt-freshman season.

At 165 lbs, #33 Jack Thomsen made his tournament debut after a sixth place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Thomsen defeated Lehigh’s Jake Logan by major decision, 14-3. That set a match with Keegan O’Toole from Missouri, who was the reigning NCAA champion. O’Toole took care of business in two minutes and 55 seconds. His next match up was against

Indiana’s Tyler Lillard. Lillard, like O’Toole, won by fall. Thomsen made a breakthrough in UNI’s lineup late in the season, and a season ending at the national tournament is always a successful one. 174 lbs featured #28 Jared Simma. Simma matched up with Harvard’s #5 Phillip Conigiliaro. Simma pulled off the upset, winning in dominant fashion 7-0. His second round matchup was against Tyler Eischens of North Carolina, the 21st seed. Simma earned his second victory of the tournament, winning a nailbiter 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Simma faced #5 Shane Griffith of Michigan. Griffith took the win by a single point, 8-7. Simma was sent to the backside, matching up with Army’s Benjamin Pasiuk. Simma suffered his second 1-point loss of the tournament, losing a heartbreaker, 9-8.

At 197 lbs, Wyatt Voelker made his first appearance at the NCAA tournament. Voelker faced a tough first

round matchup, facing #14 John Poznanski of Rutgers. Poznanski took the 4-2 decision to advance to the next round. Voelker fought back on the backside, earning a technical fall win over Sam Mitchell of Buffalo. Utah Valley’s Evan Bockman was Voelker’s next opponent. Voelker earned a hard fought 3-2 decision, living to see another day. Jacob Cardenas defeated Voelker in the next round, 11-2. Voelker returns for the Panthers next year, now with another year of collegiate experience under his belt.

With the conclusion of the tournament, the 2023-24 wrestling season has officially come to an end. The good news for Panthers fans is that the future is very bright. Many of the key contributors for this year’s team also come back next year. Doug Schwab and company are in for another successful season in 2024-25.

COURTESY/ALLYSON SCHWAB

Keckeisen makes his entrance for his championship match on Saturday.

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

ANSWERS

Across

1 Trailhead posting

4 Courtroom drama on NBC

from 1986 to 1994

9 Lariat

13 Spring mo.

14 Vague afternoon time

16 Multicolored gem

17 "Gotta __!"

18 Shirts for a coders vs. physicists softball game?

20 Miner concern

22 Water coolers

23 Water movers

24 Break-even transactions involving vintage TVs and turntables?

27 Dead set on

29 Tangy red spice

30 "Jingle Bells" contraction

32 CSNY's "__ House"

33 Making one's hair stand on end?

37 Doesn't take well?

38 One issuing tickets to the over-50 crowd?

40 Mark left by a bumper

42 Afternoon rests

43 Sprint

44 Dudes

45 Romance novelist Dare

49 Make space on the whiteboard

51 Animated image of an apple falling on Sir Isaac?

55 "__ you a barrel of laughs"

57 Nintendo character option

58 Artemis org.

59 Lab work focused on data storage devices?

62 Gov. or sen.

63 Barrel of laughs

64 Big-box shop

65 68-Across restroom

66 Drummer Ulrich

67 "Anything Goes" star Merman

68 U.K. part

Down

1 Focuses in college

2 Brief sketch

3 Comms experts

4 Rock's __ Lonely Boys

5 Opposition parties

6 Hanger-on

7 Teegarden of "Friday Night

Lights"

8 Financial paper, for short

9 "The Jetsons" maid

10 What love is, per a "Frozen" song

11 Earnings report

12 Lapel edges?

15 Take up, in a way

19 Playful "grr" alternative

21 Try to hit

25 Lenovo rival

26 Wireless speaker brand

28 RN workplaces

31 Elton John accomplishment, briefly

34 Basilica alcove

35 Result of angering a wasp, probably 36 Fury

37 Taken up, in a way

38 University of Michigan city

39 Spread out at a cocktail party

40 Rap's Dr. __

41 "1984" superstate

44 Maitre d' offering

46 Paper clip alternative

47 "Time to go already?"

48 Like a watch with hands

50 Factions

52 "You can't stop me"

53 Colin of "1917"

54 Extended family member

56 "No Scrubs" group

59 Clickable link

60 Little piggy

61 Mexican lager