The calendar has turned to September, which means Hawkeye sports are fully back in action. The Hawkeyes closed out a strong 2023-24 season just a few months again and are already competing again as the 2024-25 season gets underway.

It's only been a few weeks, but the new season of Hawkeye sports looks poised to continue building on last year's momentum.

Let's dive right in.

Iowa soccer came into the 2024 season with high expectations. Coming off a Big Ten Championship, the Hawks were ranked in the preseason coaches poll for the first time ever, coming in at #25. Iowa earned multiple individual honors as well.

Graduate goalkeeper Macy Enneking was named to the Hermann Trophy Watchlist, given annually to the NCAA's best soccer player, and was named a 2024 United States Coaches Player to Watch, the first Hawkeye to earn either honor. Enneking, Sofia Bush, and Millie Greer were named B1G Players to Watch as well.

The Hawkeyes kicked off their season on 8/15 with a match against Oregon State that was postponed in the 46th minute with the Hawkeyes up 2-0. Freshman Berit Parten scored in the 10th minute and then followed it up with a second goal just 30 seconds later. Inclement weather forced the game to be postponed. The Beavers opted not to make up the second half at a later date, even though both teams were in Montana for a tournament through the weekend, rendering the game a no-contest.

Iowa took out some of its frustration towards the Beavers on Colorado College later that week, routing the Predators 4-1. Colorado scored first in the 15th minute, but Iowa responded with an equalizer from Sofia Bush before the break.

The second half was all Hawkeyes. Iowa took the lead on a Berkley Binggeli 57th-minute goal and Binggeli added a 2nd in the 81st minute to give the Hawkeyes some breathing room. Meike Ingles put away an 84th capper to seal the Hawkeye win.

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The Hawks moved up to #24 the following week and again went undefeated, tying Western Michigan 1-1 and #12 Texas 0-0. Against Western Michigan, Ingles once again propelled the Hawkeyes, scoring in the 3rd minute to give them an early 1-0 lead. The Broncos equalized in the 30th minute and even though Iowa outshot the Broncos 17-4, they couldn't find the winner. Enneking notched four saves in the match.

Iowa took a major step up in competition against #12 Texas and passed the test with flying colors, battling the Longhorns to a 0-0 draw. Texas outshot the Hawkeyes 12-4, but Enneking was again perfect in goal, saving six shots. The Hawkeyes earned more corners than the Longhorns and put two second half shots on goal, but couldn't break through. The ten-save week earned Enneking Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

Iowa fell out of the Coaches Poll last week, but continued putting up good results, picking up a pair of wins, 3-0 over Florida Gulf Coast and a big 2-0 win over #18 Wake Forest.

Thursday's win over FGCU marked head coach Dave Dianni's 100th win as a Hawkeye and the team made sure to do it in style. Berit Parten scored in the 24th minute to give Iowa a 1-0 lead. The Hawks pelted the Eagles with 16 first-half shots but only came away with one goal.

Iowa kept up the pressure after halftime and quickly broke through. Kenzie Rolling scored in the 47th minute and Maya Hansen picked up her first goal as a Hawkeye in the 81st minute to put the game away. The Hawks registered a whopping 26 shots in the game while allowing just three.

Iowa's best win of the young season came Sunday night when they blanked the #18 Demon Deacons 2-0. Parten again led the way offensively for the Hawkeyes, scoring twice to give the Hawkeyes the win. Parten gave Iowa the early lead, scoring in the 17th minute on a beautiful curling shot after an incredible hustle play to keep the ball in, and then added an insurance goal in the 54th minute off a rebound to give Iowa some breathing room. Wake Forest peppered the Hawkeyes with five shots in each half, but Enneking and the Iowa defense were more than up to the task, registering three saves.

Parten has been a revelation for the Hawkeyes in the early going. She leads the team in points and goals, netting three already in the young season, and would have five if the match against Oregon State counted. Adding a productive scoring freshman to a team that was one of the best in the country on the defensive side last season and boasts one of the nation's best goalkeepers is a potentially explosive recipe for the Hawkeyes.

Coach Dianni has slowly but surely built the Hawkeyes into a perennial contender for B1G Championships, from a Cinderella postseason run in 2020 to a pair of NCAA berths and now a nationally ranked team in the preseason for the first time ever.

Iowa continues to pick and choose when to push forward during games, but they've become more and more comfortable accepting pressure and increasingly dangerous on the counter and in offensive spaces. Experienced contributors like Ingles, Rolling, and Enneking know what it takes to win against top teams, while newcomers like Parten and Hansen are finding ways to contribute early and often. It's an exciting team that looks poised to compete for another conference title and NCAA berth.

The Hawkeyes will be back in action next Sunday against Baylor (9/8, 5:00, BTN+).

Hawkeye Field Hockey began their season last week, once again ranked among the nation's best. The #6 Hawkeyes topped #18 Wake Forest 1-0 before falling 2-1 to #2 North Carolina.

The opening match against the Demon Deacons was a defensive slugfest as the teams played to a 0-0 draw during regulation. Two overtimes did nothing to separate the two teams either and even though the Hawks enjoyed a 13-7 lead in shots, neither could find the back of the net. It took a shootout for Iowa to come away with the win, with sophomore All-American Dionne van Aalsum notching the clinching score.

van Aalsum led the nation in scoring last year and picked up right where she left off to start the year, coming up in the clutch to give the Hawks the season-opening win.

The Hawks faced a tough test on Sunday afternoon, battling the Tar Heels to a close 2-1 loss. North Carolina scored first in the 36th minute and added a second just three minutes later. The young Hawkeyes battled back and cut the lead to one when Miranda Jackson slotted home a penalty corner, but couldn't find the equalizer. UNC controlled much of the game, outshooting the Hawkeyes 24-4.

The Hawkeyes are a much younger group than they have been over the past few years. van Aalsum and goalie Mia Magnotta are great foundational pieces, but coach Lisa Celluci will have her work cut out for her to keep the Hawkeyes competing with some of the nation's best this season. Four Hawkeyes made their collegiate debut over the weekend and performed well, but there was a clear gap between the Hawkeyes and the Tar Heels.

The Hawks will be a threat in every game with van Aalsum's firepower, but the key to the season will be the growth of the underclassmen. It's a testament to the potential of this group and the coaching prowess of Lisa Celluci that even in a "rebuilding" year the Hawkeyes started the season ranked #6 in the country. They'll be back on the field Friday when they host Miami (OH) (2:00, BTN+).

Iowa volleyball started the season with a pair of convincing wins over the weekend, besting Liberty 3-0 and Providence 3-1 in the Puerto Rico Clasico.

Iowa battled the Flames to a pair of 25-23 wins in sets one and two on Friday before pulling away to win set three convincingly, 25-15. Junior setter Claire Ammeraal led the way with 22 assists and 12 kills, a double-double to go along with three aces to start the year. Iowa hit .327 in the match and held Liberty to a .149 hitting percentage.

Not satisfied with her double-double, Ammeraal posted a triple-double in Saturday's match against the Friars. She logged 34 assists, 17 digs, and 11 kills to power Iowa to the 3-1 win. The Hawks won a close set one 25-23, and took a 2-0 lead after a 25-19 set two win. Providence bounced back to take the third before Iowa clinched the match with another comfortable 25-19 set win. Michelle Urquhart reached double-digit kills in the match with 10 and the Hawkeyes again did well to limit the opposition's hitting, holding the Friars to a .184 hitting percentage.

Coach Jim Barnes continues to rebuild this program and has the group off to a solid start to the season after bringing in six freshmen and five transfers. Ammeraal looks like an immediate transfer win, filling up the stat sheet from the jump. The setter is volleyball's quarterback equivalent so bringing in someone new is always a risky proposition, but the Hawks look like they found a good one and the chemistry is clearly there early in the year.

Coming off a winless season in conference, it's important to keep expectations in check (Barnes mentioned the goals for the team this year were to control what they could control), but the group looks to have a bit more talent and depth than they have so far in Barnes' tenure. While Big Ten Championships may not be in the cards in the near term, the team does look like it has the potential to take a substantial step forward this year as they continue to build the program.

The Hawks will be back on the court on Friday when they host San Jose St (12:00, BTN+) and Delaware (6:30, BTN+).

Both the men's and women's Cross Country teams competed in the Hawkeye Invite last week. The women's team finished second, while the men's team finished third.

Three Hawkeye women finished in the top-10, senior Miriam Sandeen (4th), freshman Elena Torres (5th), and senior Amber Aesoph (7th). Will Ryan was the lone top-10 finisher on the men's side, finishing 10th in 18:24.8.

The Hawkeyes will next run in the Big Ten Preview on September 13th in Champaign.