Six members of the Spencer girls swim team will compete at the Iowa High School State Meet in Marshalltown Friday and Saturday against the best in the state. Lily Gross pre-qualified ahead of last week’s regional competition in Mason City; while Brooklyn Ferguson earned a spot at state in the 100 breaststroke. Both Gross and Ferguson will be joined by teammates Emily Quanbeck, Emma Storms and Ella Kasperbauer as the Tigers qualified in all three relay events.

ESTHERVILLE — Iowa Lakes Community College head softball coach Katie King, announced the signing of Morgan Fine to the 2024-25 recruiting class. Fine is the daughter of Todd and Mandy Fine and attends Spirit Lake High School.

ESTHERVILLE — The Iowa Lakes men’s basketball team moved to 2-1 on the season with a 112-76 win over Dordt’s JV Tuesday evening.

The Lakers were led by Kai Evans with 20 points. Blake Kooiman added 18 and Ashton Hermann finished with 10.

William DeJong was Dordt’s top scorer with 14 points.

ILCC will travel to Overland Park, Kansas, on Friday to take on 11th-ranked Johnson County. Tip for that game will be at 7 p.m.

MASON CITY — Brooklyn Ferguson and Lily Gross will represent the Spencer Tigers in four events next weekend at the IGHSAU State Swim Meet in Marshalltown. Prelims begin at 11 a.m. Friday with finals set to start at noon Saturday.

Emily Quanbeck earned a spot in three races, Emma Storms will compete in two and Ella Kasperbauer will appear in one for the Tigers.

Senior Kamdyn Van Gelder will accompany the team to step in as an alternative if required.

Despite finishing their Lakes volleyball campaign winless this year, a pair of Spencer Tigers were recognized for their individual efforts. Junior Addison Hobben, expected to lead the Tigers again in 2024, was named to the Lakes Conference Second Team and Tyrianna Vail, a senior, was placed on the Lakes Honorable Mention squad in her final season.

ESTHERVILLE — The 10th-ranked Iowa Lakes men’s basketball team split its home openers over the weekend. The Lakers fell to 1-1 after a 90-86 loss to defending national champion Milwaukee Area Technical College Sunday.

In popular culture, bats are creatures to be feared, especially this time of year with their association with Halloween and all things spooky. It’s perhaps not surprising that they have this reputation. Bats are only active at night and usually appear as indistinct shapes fluttering in the moonlight. Or they are huddling together in dark, dank places like caves, and abandoned buildings. Or perhaps, they’ve taken up residence in your attic.

The Iowa DNR is asking trappers for help with a study on Iowa’s gray fox population.

It’s at this time of year when many anglers are putting their open water fishing gear away. But there are some, more than you might think, that are looking forward to going fishing. They know that right now, in rivers throughout Walleye Country, there are many places that provide an opportunity to catch walleyes. And the number of places to catch walleyes is growing.

With the 2023 furharvester season now open, let’s take a look at furharvester data and population trends, which is monitored by Iowa Department of Natural Resources through three different ways: 1) Annual Furharvest Reports, 2) the Spring Spotlight Survey and 3) the Iowa Bowhunter Observation Survey. The result is an annual report entitled “Trends in Iowa Furbearer Populations and Harvest.”

The Spencer girls swim squad will head to Mason City Saturday with the intention of punching tickets to the state meet the following weekend. Tiger Lily Gross has already earned her spot with a state qualifying effort earlier this season. The Tigers last swim meet was Oct. 17.

The Spencer Tigerettes dance team brought six soloists to compete in Class 8 Solos at Newton High School on Saturday, Oct. 28. Faith Klatt, Jill Moser, Aubrey Larson, Isabelle Young, Peyton Kelley and Zarah Zahrt all received a Division 1 rating scoring between 80-100 points.

"We had a great day Saturday,” coach Kaylene Mortensen said. “The girls had some of their strongest performances yet and improved in not only their skills but overall showmanship."

The Iowa Lakes women's basketball team fell in their home opener to Briar Cliff JV 67-71. The Lakers were led by Emma Kanz with 18 points and Arriana Smith with 15 points.Iowa Lake s is 0-1 on the season and host Dordt JV on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 p.m.

Briar Cliff JV 16, 11, 23, 21 — 71

Iowa Lakes 12, 14, 17, 24 — 67

ESTHERVILLE — Jason McKinney, head men’s basketball coach at Iowa Lakes Community College, announced and released the team's 2023-24 schedule. This year’s slate features 30 contests, including 14 at Laker gymnasium in Estherville. The Lakers will also play three multiteam classics throughout the first month of the season.

Peyton Morey’s 28th place finish in the Class 3A Girls State Cross-Country field was highlighted by

a season’s best time of 19:47.2.

Likewise, in the boy’s race, fellow Tiger Nathan McCusker produced a personal best effort of 17:04.6 for 55th overall.