Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams in 12 sports.
The "Cyclones" name dates back to 1895. That year, Iowa suffered an unusually high number of devastating cyclones. In September, the football team from what was then Iowa Agricultural College traveled to Northwestern University and defeated that team by a score of 36–0. The next day, the Chicago Tribunes headline read "Struck by a Cyclone: It Comes from Iowa and Devastates Evanston Town." The article began, "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the Iowa team it met yesterday." The nickname stuck.
Sports sponsored
Iowa State's athletic director is Jamie Pollard. Since his arrival in 2005, Pollard has replaced head coaches in football, wrestling, men's basketball, gymnastics, soccer, cross country/track & field, women's golf, tennis, and softball. Additionally, he has initiated major renovations to Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium, and constructed a basketball practice facility.Men's sports
Men's basketball
The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. T. J. Otzelberger is the current ISU men's basketball head coach. Prior to the 2017–18 season, Iowa State has a 1339–1293 all-time record, and has been to the NCAA Tournament nineteen times including five Sweet 16 appearances, an Elite 8 appearance, and a Final Four appearance. ISU has also won six regular conference titles and six conference tournament titles. Iowa State men's basketball team plays in Hilton Coliseum, part of the Iowa State Center on the south-east side of Iowa State University, and is known as one of the best venues in all of college basketball.Cross country
The Iowa State men's cross country team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. is the current ISU men's cross country head coach.They have 28 conference titles since they first formed a men's cross country team in 1909. Their 25 Big Eight Conference championships were the most in the conference's 84-year history. They have competed in the NCAA tournament as a team 22 times as well as winning the tournament in 1989 and 1994 and finishing as runner up in 1990, 1991, and 2021.
The cross country team hosts their home meets at the state-of-the-art cross country course south of Iowa State's campus.
Football
Iowa State plays NCAA Division I FBS football in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State football team is led by head coach Matt Campbell. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894. The Cyclones have a 512–624–46 all-time record and are 3–7 in post season play.The Cyclones play home games in Jack Trice Stadium. The stadium is named after Jack Trice, a football player who incurred a fatal injury while playing for the Cyclones against Minnesota in 1923. In 1975, the stadium's playing field was named in honor of Trice, Iowa State's first African American athlete and the school's first athlete to die of injuries sustained during a Cyclone athletic competition. Until 1997, the facility itself was known as Cyclone Stadium. Because of persistent requests by the students, the facility was renamed Jack Trice Stadium, making it the only Division I FBS stadium named for an African American individual.
Renovations to Jack Trice Stadium were completed before the 2015 football season. Among the upgrades was the Sukup End Zone, an addition to the south end zone of the stadium. This added an additional 3,000 seats, increasing the total stadium capacity to 61,500.
Golf
The Iowa State men's golf team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Andrew Tank is the current ISU men's golf head coach.They have three conference titles since they first formed a men's golf team in 1935. They have competed in the NCAA tournament as a team 22 times, along with making 18 appearances in the NCAA Championship.
The team practices at the Golf Performance Center that opened in 2013.
Track & field
The Iowa State men's track & field team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Martin Smith is in his 4th year as ISU's Director of Men's and Women's Track and Cross Country.They have 13 conference titles since they first formed a men's track & field team in 1908. They have made 52 appearances at the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships including nine indoor and 13 outdoor individual national titles.
The track & field team hosts their home meets at the Lied Recreation Center for indoor meets and the Cyclone Sports Complex for outdoor meets.
Wrestling
The Iowa State wrestling team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Kevin Dresser is the current ISU wrestling head coach.They have 17 conference titles since they first formed a wrestling team in 1916. They have won the third most NCAA wrestling champions in NCAA history with eight as well as 66 individual national titles. Iowa State has had 15 wrestlers who have participated in the Olympics resulting in six gold and three bronze medals.
The wrestling team hosts their home meets at Hilton Coliseum. The team practices at Lied Recreation Center.
Women's sports
Basketball
The Iowa State women's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Bill Fennelly is in his 22nd season as ISU's head women's basketball coach. Coach Fennelly's record is 465–236 and ISU's all-time record is 677–562.They have earned one regular season conference title and two conference tournament titles since they first formed a women's basketball team in 1973. They have competed in the NCAA tournament 17 times including five trips to the Sweet Sixteen and two trips to the Elite Eight.
The women's basketball team plays their home games in Hilton Coliseum. The team practices at the Sukup Basketball Complex. Attendance at ISU women's games have ranked in the top ten for eighteen consecutive years.
Cross country
The Iowa State women's cross country team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Andrea Grove-McDonough is in her 4th ISU's head women's cross country coach.They have 12 conference team titles and nine individual titles since they first formed a men's cross country team in 1973. Their 8 Big Eight Conference championships were the most in the conference's 20-year history. They have five AIAW national championships as well as finishing the NCAA championship twice as runner-up. They have had one NCAA individual championship, Betsy Saina, who also holds the NCAA 6,000 meter record.
The cross country team hosts their home meets at the state-of-the-art cross country course south of Iowa State's campus.
Golf
The Iowa State women's golf team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Christie Martens is in her 17th season as ISU's head women's golf coach.They have earned one conference championship as a team and one individual conference championship since they first formed a women's golf team in 1972. They have competed in the NCAA regional tournament 14 times as well as the NCAA Championship four times.
The team practices at the Golf Performance Center that opened in 2013.
Gymnastics
The Iowa State women's gymnastics team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Jay Ronayne is in his 10th season as ISU's head women's gymnastics coach. Coach Ronayne's record is 68–120–5 and ISU's all-time record is 518–594–7.They have four conference championships as well as 30 individual conference championships since they first formed a women's gymnastics team in 1977. They have competed in the NCAA tournament as a team eight times including one appearance in the Super Six in 2006 in addition to having 14 individual qualifiers.
The gymnastics team hosts their home meets at Hilton Coliseum. The team practices at the Amy and Dennis Pyle Family Gymnastics Facility.
Soccer
The Iowa State women's soccer team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Tony Minatta is in his 5th season as ISU's head women's soccer coach. ISU's all-time record is 159–200–30.They have yet to earn a conference title but have appeared in the conference championship nine times since they first formed a women's soccer team in 1995. They have made one appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The soccer team plays their home games at the Cyclone Sports Complex that opened in 2012.
Softball
The Iowa State softball team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Jamie Pinkerton is in his 1st season as ISU's head softball coach. ISU's all-time record is 921-1032-6.They have earned two conference championships since they first formed a softball team in 1974. The team has finished as runner-up in two Women's College World Series, in 1971 and 1973. In addition to their collegiate honors the Cyclones have produced two Olympians in Erin Woods and Kristen Karanzias.
The softball team plays their home games at the Cyclone Sports Complex that opened in 2012. The team practices at the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility.
Swimming & diving
The Iowa State swimming & diving team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Duane Sorenson is in his 19th season as ISU's head women's swimming & and diving coach. Coach Sorenson's record is 103–84–1 and ISU's all-time record is 202–179–1.They have earned one conference title as a team and 40 individual conference championships since they first formed a women's swimming & diving team in 1970. They have had 30 AIAW qualifiers and 44 NCAA qualifiers.
The swimming & diving team hosts their home meets at Beyer Pool on Iowa State's campus.