When I first started writing for the Northern Iowan in the fall of 2018, I had no idea what was to come. I’ve always heard the saying “if you want to know what you want to do when you grow up, think about your dream job when you were 10 years old.” For me, my dream job at that age was to be a sports writer for a publication like Sports Illustrated or ESPN.com. And here I am, finishing up my last issue as the sports editor for this newspaper that I’ve been proud to be a part of for the entirety of my college career. 

During my time covering sports for the University of Northern Iowa, I’ve been able to witness and be a part of so many incredible accomplishments that our athletics teams have done. I’ve seen our men’s basketball team win two regular season Missouri Valley Conference Championships, our best player be recognized for MVC Player of the Year two separate years, our football team light up the UNI-Dome with thrilling games, upset victories and multiple appearances in the FCS Playoffs, along with taking Iowa State into three overtimes in Ames during the 2019 season. I’ve been able to cover the successes of our volleyball team as they won multiple conference titles and made two NCAA Tournament appearances as some of the best players in program history have made their way through. I’ve been able to cover our wrestling team as they took down Iowa State in the West Gym in 2019 and had an NCAA national champion Drew Foster in the same year. Our women’s basketball team has routinely been competitive and made two Women’s National Invitational Tournament appearances during my time, including the 2019-20 season when they defeated Iowa, Iowa State and Drake all in one year. And most recently, I’ve been able to witness the dominance of our softball team this season as they clinched the MVC regular season title for 2022 and broke the program record for longest winning streak. I don’t want to leave out all of the amazing hard work and dedication that our athletes in track & field, tennis, golf, soccer, cross country and swimming & diving have done over my time here – but the list would be too long for me to write about here.

To all of the sports writers who have been a part of the sports page during my time as an editor, thank you. We had to traverse through the COVID-19 pandemic during which we had an entire semester of no UNI sports being played – how we managed to fill up the sports page is a mystery to me! To the sports writing staff this year: David, Hunter, Drew and Caden – you guys are the best sports writing staff any editor could ask for. While the sports pages are listed under my name, you guys deserve much of the credit for making such a quality publication every Monday and Thursday. We could not have done it without your hard work, diligence and dedication to covering UNI athletics.

During my time as an editor for the NI, I’ve had the privilege of going to so many amazing places. My job as a sports editor took me to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, the MVC men’s basketball tournament in St. Louis, or “Arch Madness,” and so many exciting UNI sporting events like UNI’s thrilling overtime victory over Loyola to win the MVC regular season title this year. And of course, I can’t forget the trip we took as an editorial staff to Long Beach, California in March to attend the Associated Collegiate Press summit. Moments like these are ones that I will remember for years after my time in college.

While my time as the sports editor is ending, I still intend to be a sports writer for the Northern Iowan. I will be enrolling in graduate school next fall here at UNI and simply am not ready to end working for this publication quite yet. I’ve had a pleasure working with all of the editors I’ve had a privilege, and a special thanks to Professor Chris Martin and Professor Anelia Dimitrova for being the most dedicated and supportive advisors we could have asked for as a staff. Your work and commitment to the NI is unparalleled and greatly appreciated.

To David Warrington, the next sports editor, I have the utmost confidence that you’ll do amazing things in the role. Always know that you have me in your corner if you need a hand or help with anything – I won’t be far away.