3-2-23

CEDAR FALLS, IA

OPINION Opinion Columnist

Abigail Saathoff discusses the recent challenges in visiting national parks.

OPINION PAGE 3

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023

CAMPUS LIFE

“The Jean Project” promotes body acceptance around campus.

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4

VOLUME 119, ISSUE 40

SPORTS

Carter Morton awarded most valuable athlete at MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships

SPORTS PAGE 6

UNI student’s writing takes the international stage

Senior Mykel Townsend to present creative writing at internatonal convention

A UNI student will present his short stories about life in the army to an international and national audience. Mykel

Townsend will be presenting his very first piece from his collection, “Fort Hudson,” a set of short stories about his experience in the army. “Fort Hudson” is based on stories about Townsend’s drill instructor that he made up or heard from others.

“Lots of people were scared of him. But all drill instructors are scary,” Townsend said. “Hudson made a big impact on my life during basic training. He’s like my David Goggins.” Goggins is known to many as an inspirational figure for his heroism as a Navy SEAL, his weight loss of 125 pounds to become a Navy SEAL and is considered to be one of the world’s top athletes for marathons and ultramarathons. “When I ran into Hudson in Alaska during my station, it felt like a full circle moment,” Townsend said.

N.I. EN ESPAÑOL

As a husband, parent and veteran, Mykel Townsend’s college experience has looked different from most. However, he has found his place in Sigma Tau Delta, a worldwide English honor society. With support from faculty, Townsend will be presenting original work at Sigma Tau Delta’s international convention.

Townsend is a senior majoring in teaching with a minor in creative writing. He is a veteran, husband and father. He is also the only UNI student who will be attending Sigma Tau Delta’s international convention in Denver, Colo. from March 30 to April 1. Sigma

Traducción: La exhibición

CAROLINE

CHRISTENSEN Escritora

MIREYA PATINO

Traductora invitada

Nota de la editora: Mireya Patino es estudiante del curso SPAN 3159 Translation for Heritage Speakers, dirigido por el Prof. Juan Carlos Castillo.

Advertencia de contenido

sensible: Este artículo habla de temas sensibles como la agresión sexual y la violencia.

Desde pantalones de chándal, sudaderas y pijamas hasta vestidos formales, la exhibición de la Office of Compliance and Equity Management (OCEM por sus siglas en inglés) “¿Qué llevabas puesto?” muestra ropa usada por sobrevivientes de agresiones sexuales, junto con sus historias, con el propósito de educar a los espectadores

sobre la omnipresencia de la agresión sexual y cómo “el acto de despojarse de la ropa nunca puede brindar suficiente paz o consuelo a los sobrevivientes”.

Isabella Johnson, Asistente Graduada en Prevención de Agresiones Sexuales de UNI, explica que la exhibición se fundó en 2013, y UNI asumió el proyecto en 2018.

“El propósito es básicamente animar a los espectadores y a la comunidad a reconocer que no se trataba de la ropa que llevaban puesta”, dijo Johnson. “Hemos tratado de asegurarnos de que, como comunidad, nuestro campus reconozca que es un problema aquí, y que estamos tomando medidas para demostrar que no se trata solo de mujeres, sino de toda la gente”.

La exhibición estará abierta al público en abril, el Mes de la Prevención de la Agresión Sexual, en Kamerick

Tau Delta is an English honor society that has over 900 chapters both abroad and in the United States. Its main goal is to promote service to society through literacy.

Jesse Swan, an English professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures

sexual

Hall, así como en otras seis ubicaciones satélites en otros edificios académicos. Si usted desea entregar una pieza a la exhibición, visite equity.uni. edu y navegue hasta la pestaña “Prevención y Educación”. Se aceptan entradas anónimas.

Johnson reconoce que esta exhibición puede herir la sensibilidad de algunas personas, pero enfatiza su importancia.

“Esta exhibición le parece abrasiva a mucha gente”, dijo Johnson. “Entendemos eso, pero ese es el objetivo. Habrá ropa de niños, disfraces de teatro y trajes que podrían herir la sensibilidad de algunas personas. El punto clave es darse cuenta de que no estás solo y que está sucediendo. Necesitamos unir a la comunidad, ya sea que se sienta incómodo o no”.

at UNI, leads UNI’s chapter for Sigma Tau Delta. Swan was an instrumental part of Townsend’s journey into applying for Sigma Tau Delta and submitting his piece to the convention.

 See WRITING ON THE ROAD, page 2

Trigger warning: This article discusses sensitive topics such as sexual assault and violence.

From sweatpants, sweatshirts, pajamas and formal dresses, the Office of Compliance Equity Management’s (OCEM) “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit showcases outfits worn by sexual assault survivors along with their stories with the purpose of educating the viewers about the pervasiveness of sexual assault and how, “the act of shedding the clothes can never provide enough peace or comfort to survivors.”

 See “WHAT WERE YOU WEARING”, page 2

El exhibición “¿Qué llevabas puesto?” trata de educar a la gente que las agresiones sexuales pueden pasar a cualquiera en cualquier momento, sin importar lo qué llevan puesto. La foto de arriba demuestra presentaciones de años anteriores.

NKASA BOLUMBU Staff Writer

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer

COURTESY/MYKEL TOWNSEND & FACEBOOK

COURTESY/ISABELLA JOHNSON

“¿Qué llevabas puesto?” tiene el objetivo de difundir la conciencia sobre la agresión

“What Were You Wearing” exhibit aims to spread sexual assault awareness

WRITING ON THE ROAD continued from page 1

“I’ve had a lot of teachers encourage me to keep writing throughout my life,” Townsend said. “Dr. Swan strongly suggested I apply to Sigma Tau, and once I was inducted, he suggested that I submit one of my pieces for the convention. He helped me finish the piece. I really appreciate his approach to writing and teaching. Instead of always focusing on the organization of the piece or mechanizing it to fit a modern standard, we were able to just write whenever I felt like I had something to write about instead of forcing the words out.”

A Veteran’s Journey

Townsend’s “Fort Hudson” collection is about the plight of veteran PTSD conveyed through the mode of creative nonfiction. Creative nonfiction is telling true stories with creative writing techniques.

“It’s playing off the structure of a memory and mixing fictional elements with what really happened,” he said. “I blend in real scenes but mix them with scenarios that happened at another time or are slightly fictional. Oftentimes, my poetry is in objective, third-person perspective— essentially what the reader sees is what they get.”

Townsend is not your traditional student. “I graduated from Storm Lake High school in December 2016 and enlisted into the army. I completed basic training in Fort Benning, Louisiana,” he said.

Townsend’s service took him even further away from Iowa. “I was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska for three years and nine months, basically in the middle of nowhere for four years. The winters are brutal and always dark.

The summers were nice but people would lose sleep when summer came because it’d be sunny all day. It felt like time wasn’t passing,” Townsend said.

During a training deployment in Australia, he suffered an injury that led to his medical discharge. “Yeah, that sucked. So I came back and worked in Des Moines as a plumber. I was bored and didn’t know what to do with my life. Then I met a lovely lady who convinced me to move up here, go to school and now we’re married and we have a kid,” Townsend said.

“As a parent, I don’t have time for extracurricular college activities. I can’t really join a frat so Sigma Tau is the perfect fit for me. It was only 75 bucks to apply. You really just need to meet the academic standards,” he said.

Sigma Tau Delta is inclusive of all non-English majors as well. “This is a really great opportunity to further my career and professional development. “This will open many doors for me in terms of career development and my future,” Townsend said.

When the Muse Speaks to Me

Townsend’s writing process is certainly unique.

“Right now, I’m currently working on the ‘Next Great American Novel’ as UNI English Professor Dr. Jeffrey Copeland said. It’ll be about the meaning of the American dream,” Townsend said.

Writing for Townsend is more than just an academic discipline. “For me, creative writing and poetry is just kind of my thing. I had a high school teacher who really

pushed me to go this route, and it’s greatly impacted my life. Writing is more than a class or an elective,” he said.

Townsend writes what comes to him whenever it comes to him. “I don’t believe in having a mechanized, organized writing system,” he said. “If something comes to mind in the middle of the night, I’ll write it down. If something is weighing on my heart, I’ll sit down and write about it. I even carry little notes for my thoughts.”

 See WRITING ON THE ROAD, page 5

Isabella Johnson, the sexual assault prevention graduate assistant for UNI, explains this exhibit was founded in 2013, and UNI took on the project in 2018.

“The purpose is to basically encourage viewers and the community to recognize that it was not about the clothes they were wearing,” Johnson said. “We’ve really just tried to make sure that as a community our campus recognizes that it is a problem here, and that we are taking some action to show that it is not just women, it is everyone.”

The exhibit will be showcased in April, Sexual Assault Prevention Month, in Kamerick Hall as well as six other satellite locations in other academic buildings. If one would like to submit an entry to the exhibit, visit equity.uni.edu and navigate to the “Prevention and Education” tab. Anonymous submissions are accepted.

Johnson acknowledges

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this exhibit may be triggering for some people, but emphasizes its significance.

“This exhibit seems abrasive to a lot of people,” Johnson said. “We understand that, but that is the

point. There is going to be some children’s clothes, theater costumes and outfits that might be triggering for some individuals. The whole point is to realize you are not alone and it is happening. We

need to bring the community together whether or not it is uncomfortable.”

“WHAT WERE YOU WEARING” continued from page 1 “¿QUÉ LLEVABAS PUESTO?”

In addition to the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit, the Office of Equity and Compliance Management (OCEM) has been working to increase sexual assault prevention resources and support for survivors on UNI’s campus. Currently they are working with Green Dot, a sexual assault preventiveness program, and the Riverview Center, which provides free support and resources for sexual assault survivors in the Cedar Valley. Throughout the month of April, OCEM will be collaborating with student organizations to bring awareness to sexual assault, and the resources available for survivors on and off-campus.

Email equity@uni.edu or call (319) 273-2846 for any questions regarding sexual assault resources or questions about the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit.

Además de “¿Qué llevabas puesto?” en esta exhibición, la Office of Compliance and Equity Management (OCEM) ha estado trabajando para aumentar los recursos de prevención de agresiones sexuales y el apoyo a sobrevivientes en el campus de UNI. Actualmente están trabajando con Green Dot, un programa de prevención de agresiones sexuales y el Riverview Center, que brinda apoyo y recursos gratuitos para sobrevivientes de agresiones sexuales en el Cedar Valley. Durante el mes de abril, la OCEM colaborará con organizaciones estudiantiles para crear conciencia sobre la agresión sexual y los recursos disponibles para los sobrevivientes dentro y fuera del campus.

Envíe un correo electrónico a equity@uni.edu o llame al (319) 273-2846 si tiene cualquier pregunta acerca de los recursos sobre la agresión sexual o preguntas sobre la exhibición “¿Qué llevabas puesto?”

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extendida de página 1

COURTESY/ISABELLA JOHNSON The “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit aims to educate people that sexual assault can happen to anyone at any time, no matter what they may be wearing. The photo above shows submissions from previous years.

COURTESY/FACEBOOK

Sigma Tau Delta is an English honor society open to all majors. The faculty and students pictured above celebrated the UNI chapter’s induction ceremony in October 2022.

When the muse speaks to me, I write.

MYKEL TOWNSEND

Alcohol abuse and March Madness

fans attend tailgate events, bar viewing parties, and postgame celebrations to have a drink.

While the tournament has a significant positive effect on every school involved, it exposes countless students and fans to excessive alcohol consumption.

Fortunately, there are practical ways to avoid the pitfall of binge drinking, stay sober, or take part in the festivities responsibly.

Editor’s note: Nickolaus Hayes is a healthcare professional in the field of substance abuse and addiction recovery. He strives to provide current, up-to-date facts about drug and alcohol abuse to his readers. His primary focus is spreading awareness by educating individuals on the topics surrounding substance abuse.

For every tip-off during March Madness, one can bet students and fans will consume excessive amounts of alcohol.

Significant dangers are associated with binge drinking and excessive alcohol use, especially among underage adults. During the NCAA tournament, students and

Initially, if you know someone struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction, it is vital to intervene and get them help. Any substance use problem becomes worse with time.

“Binge drinking is more common among men than women and among younger adults aged 18 to 34,” said Marcel Gemme of addicted. org.

Unfortunately, for many people within this age group, there is a lack of awareness or preventative information about the dangers of overconsumption of alcohol.

Binge drinking is a pattern of consuming alcohol to increase blood alcohol concentration rapidly. Generally, among men, this is five drinks or more within two hours, and among women, four drinks or more within two hours.

There are severe consequences that include: alcohol poisoning, suicide attempt, health problems, injuries,

unsafe sexual behavior, driving under the influence, involvement with police, sexual assault, assault and even death.

These consequences are avoidable by making responsible decisions. Suppose you are of legal age and a casual drinker. Stick to one or two alcoholic beverages during the game and drink water in between. Have a full meal to avoid having an empty stomach. Even if you do not feel drunk, do not drink and drive.

In contrast, if you are in recovery from addiction or choosing sobriety, focus on avoiding relapse triggers and managing negative emotions healthily—for example, bars, parties, negative influences or environments, and set clear boundaries. Bring non-alcoholic drinks and go to the celebrations with sober like-minded friends. Have an exit plan if things become too much to manage. Finally, have support available, such as meetings, friends, family or school peers.

March Madness is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. Yet, the fun of the tournament should not cost you your health or future. Alcohol abuse is avoidable; everyone can make responsible choices with the correct information.

National parks deserve better treatment

When I was younger, my family and I went on a vacation to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It was our first vacation to a National Park, we had been to a few local state parks and Disney World of course, but never something like this. For the full week, we were there, my family and I stayed in a cute little cabin, and spent our time climbing the huge (and beautiful) rock formations, going on hikes, and screaming with excitement every single time we saw a bison. The park was incredible, and it was one of my favorite experiences of my life. Most of the time, it seemed as though we had the park to ourselves,

and we couldn’t help but enjoy every moment. Now, nearly 15 years later, you often hear stories of people approaching the bison, the parks being ridiculously overcrowded, and a lot of litter being left.

When the pandemic hit, national parks began booming. Suddenly, this secret gem that I felt like only a few special families knew about was everyone’s perfect vacation. The chill and relaxing experiences at national parks were no longer the status quo, people struggled to find parking at the parks, trails became crowded, and parks began to make people prepay for parking to hopefully reduce the overconsumption of the parks. According to Sen. Angus King (I-Maine),

who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, “We can accidentally love our parks to death.” King includes that the rise in visitation is incredible, but also has distinctive impacts on the parks themselves, vandalism, littering, traffic and overcrowding which leads to stressing the park’s natural resources and negative impacts on wildlife.

At Arches National Park, they had to close their gate 158 times, most of those times for hours at a time, to prevent the parks from being too overcrowded, so that people have room for parking. In 2022, the park required reservations for the first time. All of this has left employees of the parks struggling with how

to adapt, even considering taking wait times and cues from the theme park world. Even worse, I found myself reading an article with a list of national parks to avoid, beautiful parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion that people are suggesting we avoid based on the distinctive impacts of overcrowding. Seeing this I couldn’t help but be a little upset. From the time after that first trip, my family went to the Grand Canyon, the Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, and more. Each of these came with unique and beautiful experiences, it’s a shame that the overcrowding has changed things so much. According to the New York Times, on one of the

days they visited “by late morning, the wait to enter the park was about 30 minutes — and growing,” wait times more reminiscent of Walt Disney World rather than the Grand Canyon.

Finally, I love national parks. They quickly became my favorite vacation, as they had all the benefits of a fun vacation with family without the stress of busy places and long wait times, but with all of the changes, visiting a national park has begun to turn into a hassle rather than an enjoyable and relaxing trip. Hopefully, as time passes, more and more vacation spots will emerge, and visiting the national parks will be streamlined so that the process is enjoyable.

PEXELS

With March Madness around the corner, Nickolaus Hayes encourages people to enjoy the tournament in a responsible and safe manner.

NICKOLAUS HAYES Guest Columnist

ABIGAIL SAATHOFF Opinion Columnist

UNI SHAC presents “The Jean Project”

MEG GROVE Staff Writer

UNI’s Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) is hosting “The Jean Project” from Monday, Feb. 27 to Friday, March 3 at Maucker Union. This project encourages students to accept and celebrate their body.

Jeans of all different sizes are up for display in Maucker Union. “It’s about accepting who you are in your jeans, accepting your size, accepting yourself in general,” said Kayla Kellogg, SHAC President. Uplifting messages such as “All bodies are beautiful” and “Beauty is on the inside” are written on the jeans as a reminder to viewers.

SHAC’s goal is to promote body acceptance, body positivity, body neutrality and body liberation. “Just really having students focus on what they love about themselves rather than what they think they need to improve,” said Kellogg.

The project was displayed in Maucker Union because of the traffic it gets every day. Many students go to Maucker to do homework, wait between classes and get food. “We wanted to make a statement,” said Kellogg. “We wanted to reach as many

people as possible.”

SHAC set up a table on Monday, Feb. 23 in Maucker Union to inform students about the aim of the project. At the table students could find resources about wellness coaching, intuitive eating, fitness classes and information about the registered dietician on campus, Lisa Smith. Small flyers were handed out containing the message of the project and tips for a more positive body image.

Eva Bowlan, UNI custodian, took a break from her work to check out the project. “It teaches us to be okay with your size,” said Bowlan. “And for us not to judge other people because of their size.” Bowlan thinks this is a great message for students, saying, “I even took some

pictures and sent it to my daughter. She’s a teenager and I told her I really like it and I wish they had this when I was younger.”

Body image refers to a person’s thoughts and feelings about their bodies. Many people, especially college students, struggle with their body image. 62% of women and 54% of men in their first year of college report having body image issues and/or struggled with disordered eating behaviors according to a study published in Eating and Weight Disorders in 2020.

Social media has increased the number of people that struggle with body image issues. People compare themselves to people and bodies they see online, sometimes bodies that aren’t

even real. This can lead to feeling negative about your body and can even lead to disordered eating. It’s important to remember that people present themselves in their best light and many of these photos are edited or have filters.

“It’s a comparison game,” said Kellogg. “You see so many people that are living a life that you potentially want or desire. It’s hard to see the truth in social media.”

Keeping a healthy relationship with social media helps with body positivity and body neutrality. A few tips to achieve a healthy relationship with social media are to unfollow accounts that don’t make you feel good or accounts you compare yourself with, take a break from social media, search for positive and uplifting content and remember that not all of the content online is completely real and unaltered.

Kellogg shared a few tips

on body positivity saying, “Find something every day that you love about yourself.” She also mentioned looking in the mirror and saying five things you love about yourself. “It’s supposed to help change your perception of yourself,” said Kellogg. “Really confirming those beliefs and finding good things that you really like will help overall.”

Follow SHAC on Instagram to stay updated on their events throughout the semester. The project will be up for a couple more days so be sure to stop by Maucker Union to check it out before it’s gone.

Remember, clothes are meant to fit you – you are not meant to fit into clothes.

You see so many people that are living a life that you potentially want or desire. It’s hard to see the truth in social media

MEG GROVE/NORTHERN IOWAN

Inspirational messages are written on different sizes of jeans to help normalize the conversation around embracing body image and size.

MEG GROVE/NORTHERN IOWAN

With the help of social media and many body-positive influencers, discussion about body positivity has become more widespread.

UNI’s Spring clothing drive

PEYTON GUTHRIE Staff Writer

As spring approaches, students may find themselves putting away and clearing out winter clothing in preparation for the warmer weather. When students clear out their closets, it is possible that they will find clothes they are looking to get rid of, including some that they might not have ever worn.

On March 6 - March 8, there will be open bins in each UNI dorm lobby and Maucker Union for people to donate clean, gently used clothing. “It’s that time of year when we joyfully put away the winter sweaters and look forward to pulling out the spring wear,” says Jennifer Bruss, the program and community outreach coordinator of the Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center at UNI. They will be collecting shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, jackets and even shoes as long as they are clean and gently used. They will not be accepting socks, undergarments, swimwear or anything in poor condition, as these items will be used again by other people.

On Monday, April 3, from noon to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, April 4, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. the clothes will be put

WRITING ON THE ROAD

continued from page 2

“My best stuff comes from doing meaningful work or just spontaneous middle of the night thoughts. I get inspired by thinking about the world, my lived experiences, building a brooder box for raising hens and tending to chicks. When the muse speaks to me, I write,” he said.

Teaching has always been on the back of Townsend’s mind when it comes to his future. “I thought about becoming a police officer or firefighter, but teaching is another kind of the same service,” he said.

Townsend chose writing as part of his minor because, “I’ve always really liked to read and free-write. I did a lot of that in the army with poetry. I also had a very impactful teacher who helped me feel confident with being in a leadership position. As long as I know what I’m talking about, I know I can teach well. I want to pursue my education further and teach college kids one day too.”

Creating Spaces for Creative Writing Students

In the coming future,

on sale in Maucker Ballroom

A at very affordable prices. All proceeds from this sale will go to the Panther Pantry. The Panther Pantry is an organization dedicated to serving students impacted by food insecurity, or lack of access to healthy and nutritious food needed.

Shoppers at the clothing sale are encouragwed to use cash for this event.

There are many benefits to donating your clothes. By clearing out any of the clothing that you no longer need or wear, you can reduce the amount of clutter in your home. Oftentimes,

people buy clothing that is not needed, and sometimes they never even wear it.

Donating clothing is much easier than selling them online, and the clothing collection happening on March 6 through March 8 is a perfect opportunity to free up some closet space. Not

only is donating your extra clothes good for you as an individual, it is also a good way to protect the planet.

Instead of throwing them away, you can ensure they do not end up in a landfill through donation. “On average, the typical American throws away more than 80 pounds of clothing a year. When you consider that college aged students are usually prone to following fast fashion trends, that number could be much higher due to trends turning over at such a rapid pace,” says Bruss.

This is also a great way to help your community. There are many who are in need of basic items such as clothing, food and more, and donating your own can be an easy and very effective way to help them achieve that.

With this opportunity, students can help out their community and themselves through either donating, purchasing the donated clothes or both. Bruss says, “We would like to be able to offer an opportunity for people to thin out their closest with the built in bonus of helping others in the process.”

Townsend wants to work and inspire high school kids to write their feelings. He did his Level 1 student teaching at Waterloo East High. “I’ve lived their life and I know what it’s like. I want to give kids a safe space to write,” he said. “I hope to inspire kids to express themselves honestly through writing instead of hiding themselves. It’s a lot easier to break s— than to write about how you feel. I don’t want to put barriers between them and expressing themselves through writing.” Townsend will be student teaching in the fall and will soon be applying to UNI’s graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in writing.

Townsend has a GoFundMe to help with the costs for the trips that can be found at gofund.me/4bcd5b26. He will be making thank you cards for all who donate. Townsend’s advice to all his fellow students is: “There’s a lot more to do in life than just sitting in your dorm all day for a semester. Go after the things you want to do. Things are only impossible until they’re done.”

PEXELS

If you’re doing a closet cleanout, make sure to set aside your gently used clothing to donate beginning March 6.

Members from around the world will gather at the Sigma Tau Delta convention where Townsend’s writing will be featured.

Morton named most valuable athlete at MVCs

ADAM JOHNSON Sports Writer

The mens and womens track and field teams participated in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Indoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday, Feb. 26 and Monday, Feb. 27 in Chicago, Ill. UNI came out of Chicago with six champions, including the meet’s most valuable athlete, Carter Morton. In the team standings, the men finished in third place, while the women tied for sixth.

The women started out the meet with the pentathlon. In the third event of the pentathlon, the shot put, Katy Stephens finished in third place. In the fifth and final event of the pentathlon, Darci Wiseman got third in the 800-meter run. All around, Stephens placed the highest of any Panther in the pentathlon at fifth.

Next up was the men’s heptathlon. The Panthers were busy in all of these events. The first event was the 60-meter dash, and the top three finishers were Panthers. Morton was in third, Brody Lovell in sec -

ond and Drew Bartels finished in first. The long jump featured two of the same guys in the top two. Bartels finished in second and Morton in first. In the shot put, Morton finished in second and Lovell was in third. Morton won the high jump and the pole vault. Bartels also picked up another victory in the 60-meter hurdles. Morton claimed gold in the heptathlon, Bartels finished third and Lovell came in fourth.

In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, Jack Summers placed in second with a time of 8.02 seconds. In the men’s 400-meter dash, Parker Kiewiet claimed the conference crown with a time of 46.13 seconds. The Panthers got another conference champion when Drake Hanson won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.04.

On the women’s side, the Panthers 4x400-meter relay consisting of Jill Bennett, Auriona Kimbrough, Emily Vos and Erin Kerkhoff finished in third place with a time of 3:46.71. The men’s 4x400 finished in first place. Onal Mitchell, Kiewiet, Hanson and Andrew Feguson ran the race in 3:12.63.

Going on to the field events, UNI’s Brendan Safley finished second in the men’s pole vault with a height of 15 feet, 11 inches. The men’s long jump was dominated by Panthers. Summers finished in third with a jump of 23 feet, 5.5 inches, Kiewiet placed second with a jump of 23 feet, 11.5 inches and Carter Morton claimed another gold with a jump of 24 feet, 1.75 inches. Morton was once again victorious in the triple jump, securing his third conference championship with a jump of 48 feet, 2.75 inches. The final top placements for the Panthers came in the women’s shot put. Makenna Wilson got third with a throw of 48 feet, 10 inches. Katie Fare claimed second with a throw of 52 feet, 1 inch.

Qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. were released on Tuesday, but no Panthers were selected. This brings the indoor track and field season to an end. The outdoor season will begin on March 31, when the Panthers travel to compete at the Redbird Challenge in Normal, Ill.

Panthers stay hot, winners of 6 in a row

BEN LAHART Sports Writer

The UNI softball team continued their win -

ning streak to close out the Panther Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 26, and into their following game against Mercer University on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

After starting the Panther Invitational 4-0, the UNI Panthers continued their dominance in Georgia with a second matchup against the Western Carolina Catamounts. UNI beat WCU 9-0 earlier in the tournament and looked to finish the sweep of the weekend. The Panthers gave up a run in the first inning off of an error to fall behind 1-0.

UNI responded with a three-run inning of their own with two RBIs from Taylor Hogan and Alexis Pupillo followed by Hogan scoring off of a wild pitch to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Two scoreless innings followed before another four-run fifth inning that ultimately secured a UNI win.

Madison Parks and Mya Dodge both had RBIs before Hannah Kelley capped off the game with

a two-run home run to give UNI a 7-1 lead. Two final scoreless innings finished off the game and gave UNI a 5-0 record in the tournament.

Following the undefeated tournament run, UNI met up with Mercer University. The Panthers started well with a tworun triple from Dodge in the first inning. Mercer responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game 2-2. UNI was able to blow the doors open after this.

A Kylee Sanders RBI in the second inning followed by a Brooke Snider home run in the third was just the start of the Panthers growing lead. The fourth inning featured a Pupillo RBI followed by a tworun Parks home run and a Kelley RBI to give UNI a 9-2 lead.

The Panthers activated

the mercy rule in the fifth inning after an Addison McElrath RBI followed by UNI’s third home run from Pupillo scoring two runs to give the Panthers a 10 run lead, 12-2. Snider’s second inning home run was her fourth of the season and her 14th of her career. Parks accounted for her third home run of the season against Mercer as well.

UNI has now won their last six games after starting off the season with six straight losses. This was exactly the type of stretch UNI needed to get their young season back on track as they look to repeat as conference champions. The Panthers will compete next in the I-75 Tournament where they will match up against Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech and Georgia State University. This tournament will take place

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS Carter Morton claimed three gold medals at the MVC Indoor Championships, walking away with the title of most valuable athlete.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Hannah Kelley was named the MVC Player of the Week after a strong performance over the weekend.

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UNI drops regular season finale to Bruins

DREW HILL Sports Writer

Despite a career-high 21 points from Landon Wolf, the UNI men’s basketball team was unable to win its regular season finale against Belmont, falling 83-75 on Senior Day.

UNI came into the game 13-16 overall and 9-10 in the conference. Belmont came into the game 20-10 and 13-6 in conference play during their first year in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The two teams played on Jan. 14 in Nashville, Tenn., a game that saw Belmont escape with a 76-72 win.

UNI came out firing in this one, as they quickly took a seven-point lead at 13-6 on the first of three 3-pointers for Wolf. The Bruins quickly raced back to tie the game at 13. Wolf answered with another three to regain the lead at 16-13. Belmont took their first lead of the game at 18-17 just before the 12-minute mark of the first half. UNI responded with an 8-0 run to take a 25-18 lead. Once again, though, Belmont

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answered with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game. This is how the half continued to flow, with UNI again going up by seven, but Belmont answering by roaring back to take a 38-36 lead into halftime.

To start off the second half, Michael Duax quickly tied the game at 38 on a layup. However, Belmont started to pull away, going on a 21-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 17-point, 59-42 lead. This was Belmont’s biggest lead of the game, and it seemed like Belmont might run away with this one. The Panthers were not done yet, however, and tied the game over the next seven minutes with a 23-6 run of their own. This knotted the score up at 65 points apiece with just over five minutes to play. Belmont closed the game with excellent free throw shooting, though, and soon rebuilt a 10-point, 79-69 lead.

Ege Peksari hit a late three to give the final score of 83-75 Belmont.

UNI was led in scoring by Wolf, who finished with a career-high 21 points on seven-of-13 shooting, including

three 3-pointers. Duax contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. Trey Campbell added six points while leading the team in assists with three and tying Duax for the team lead in rebounds with eight. Bowen Born struggled from the field offensively, shooting two-of-10 from the floor, but was perfect from the line on six-of-six shooting en route to 11 points. Drew Daniel also added the most points he’s scored this season since the opener against Wartburg on a trio of 3-pointers for nine points. Tytan Anderson scored six points and grabbed six boards. Belmont was led in scoring by Ja’Kobi Gillespie off the bench with 24 points.

The loss means that UNI has received the eight-seed in the MVC tournament, better known as Arch Madness, this week in St. Louis. They will face the nine-seed, the Illinois State Redbirds, on Thursday. UNI swept the season series with the Redbirds. If they win, they will face the top-seeded Bradley Braves, who clinched the MVC regular season championship with a win on Sunday over Drake.

Belmont moved up to the four-seed and will face the winner of Indiana State and Evansville.

UNI’s game against Illinois State is at 12 p.m. on Thursday, March 2. If they win, the next game against Bradley is Friday at noon.

Both of those games will be streaming on ESPN+. The semifinals will be on Saturday, televised on the CBS Sports Network, and the championship game is on Sunday, airing nationally on CBS.

Panthers preparing to compete at Arch Madness

PAUL NOBLE Sports Writer

The UNI men’s basketball team is headed to St. Louis, Mo., for the annual Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) men’s basketball tournament. The Panthers have received the eight-seed after posting a 9-11 record in conference play and a 13-17 record overall. UNI also recently received some end of season hardware. Landon Wolf was named to the MVC AllBench Team, while Tytan Anderson was named the team captain of the MVC Most Improved Team.

After winning the regular season title last year, 2022-2023 has been a struggle at times for the Panthers. A lot has changed since last season. Former Panther AJ Green decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at UNI. However, it looks to be paying off as Green inked a two-way contract last June with the Milwaukee Bucks and their G-League team, the Wisconsin Herd. In addition, last

year’s starting forward, Noah Carter, transferred to Missouri, where he is currently averaging 9.1 points per game in the Southeastern Conference.

To make things worse for the Panthers, UNI veteran Austin Phyfe has been sidelined all year due to health issues. All of this left the Panthers with a very young

team, and outside of Phyfe, junior James Betz is the only upperclassman.

The path to the eighthseed was quite the roller coaster for the Panthers. UNI struggled mightily in the season’s first 10 games, losing seven of them. However, in the following 41 days, the Panthers got hot and managed a 9-2 record to bring themselves to 8-3 in the conference and 12-9 overall. However, the gauntlet of the schedule was in February, and UNI had to face off against the top tier of the Missouri Valley. In February, UNI played against Bradley, Belmont, Southern Illinois and Drake twice. The gauntlet proved too much for this young Panther team, as UNI finished the year losing eight of their last nine games.

On Thursday, UNI will face off against nine-seed Illinois State to open the tournament, a favorable matchup for the Panthers. UNI and Illinois State met twice this season, with the Panthers winning 66-60 on Dec. 29 and 65-63 on Jan.

18. The Redbirds have also struggled down the stretch, losing six of their last seven and 10 of their previous 13. If the Panthers can make it through Thursday, they will face the No. 1 seed Bradley. The regular season conference champions, Bradley is the hottest team in the Missouri Valley and enters the tournament on a 10-game winning streak. UNI faced Bradley twice during the regular season, losing 68-53 on Nov. 30 and 77-69 on Feb. 4.

The tournament will likely end the Panthers season, but it is March, and crazier things have happened. If UNI pulls off the improbable and wins the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, they would become the 19th team with a losing record to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the first to do so since Texas Southern in 2018.

The task ahead is enormous, but regardless of the outcome, it is almost certain this young Panther team will return stronger and more experienced next year.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN Landon Wolf (3) scored a career-high 21 points in UNI’s 83-75 Senior Day loss against Belmont.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN

Tytan Anderson (32) was selected as the team captain of the Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved Team after a strong regular season.

4 Classic Pontiac

5 Malay or Mongol

6 Stammering syllables

7 Kettles and kitties

8 Second African-American inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame

9 "There was no other choice" 10