Heiden, Stirtz Named November Student-Athletes of the Month

IOWA CITY, Iowa - University of Iowa student-athletes Ava Heiden (women’s basketball) and Bennett Stirtz (men’s basketball) have been named November’s Student-Athletes of the Month, the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee announced on Thursday.

Heiden, a sophomore from Sherwood, Oregon, earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career on Nov. 24, followed by being named the USBWA National Player of the Week on Nov. 25. Heiden posted dominant performances in the WBCA Showcase Championship in Orlando, with wins over No. 7 Baylor and Miami (FL). Throughout November, she nearly averaged a double-double with 16 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both of which were team highs. Heiden leads the Hawkeyes in field goal percentage at 64 percent, which ranks 10th nationally, and she sits atop the Big Ten with five double-doubles this season. 

Stirtz, a senior from Liberty, Missouri, led the men’s basketball team to a perfect 7-0 start this season, which is the best opening to a season since 2021-22. He was named the Acrisure Classic Most Valuable Player, averaging 21 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and knocking down seven 3-pointers in victories over Ole Miss (Nov. 25) and Grand Canyon (Nov. 26), while playing all 80 minutes across both contests. Stirtz reached double figures in six games during the month, including three 20-point outings. He leads the team with 38 assists and 12 steals, and has posted 5+ assists in five games and 3+ steals in two games, while going turnover-free in three contests. In the Hawkeyes win over Ole Miss on Nov. 25, he secured a season-high 29 points, shooting 9-of-20 from the floor and 6-of-8 from 3-point range, tying a career high with six made triples. Stirtz netted 24 points with seven assists against Western Illinois (Nov. 7) and scored 21 points with eight rebounds in the team's win over Xavier (Nov. 14). In his Hawkeye debut, he tallied 19 points and four steals, which is tied for the most by a Hawkeye newcomer in 30 years. He closed the month with 13 points, five assists, and three steals in the Acrisure Classic championship win over Grand Canyon.

The Hawkeye basketball teams are back in action on Saturday with the men returning to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to host Maryland and the women on the road at Rutgers.