A loaded senior class of Hawkeyes helped deliver incredible success across several major sports.
University of Iowa commencement ceremonies conclude today, which means it's the perfect time to look back at some standout student-athletes.
There's plenty of star players across Iowa's 20 varsity sports, but in order to conserve time and keep you all engaged, this exercise will be limited to football, men's basketball, and women's basketball.
This is not a rating of the best seniors, it's simply just looking back at some of the best seniors from your favorite Hawkeye teams. Again, there's so many players I can name, so beware in advance if some players don't make the list.
Let's get into it.
Football
QB Mark Gronowski: Iowa lacked good quarterback play for years, but Gronowski was finally the replacement Kirk Ferentz was looking for. Gronowski struggled badly early in the year against Albany and Iowa State, but his dual-threat ability helped the Hawkeye offense find some consistency, especially in the ReliaQuest Bowl win over Vanderbilt. Gronowski completed 16 of his 22 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
C Logan Jones & G Gennings Dunker: In typical Iowa fashion, our next two football senior standouts are both offensive lineman. It would be stupid not to mention Jones and Dunker, as they both were crucial anchors of the Hawkeyes' Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line. Both were Day 2 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, with Jones landing on the Chicago Bears and Dunker going to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
WR Kaden Wetjen: Wetjen, a former walk-on, put together one of the most electric seasons by a return specialist in college football history. Wetjen is the only player in Hawkeye history to score a rushing, receiving, kickoff return, and punt return touchdown in the same season and his 26.8 yards per punt is an NCAA Division I and Big Ten single-season record. Wetjen single-handedly was the reason Iowa beat Michigan State on Senior Day and will always be compared with Tim Dwight as the greatest return specialist in Hawkeye history.
Men's Basketball
PG Bennett Stirtz: Stirtz had high expectations almost from the moment he transferred to Iowa, and it's safe to say he exceeded them. The senior led Iowa in scoring with 19.8 points per game and was the always-steady presence needed to run the Hawkeyes' offense. Point guard has been an inconsistent position for Iowa over the years, but Stirtz's performance under Ben McCollum may have been the best by a Hawkeye point guard since B.J. Armstrong. The Liberty, Missouri native is currently participating at the NBA Draft Combine and is likely a first round selection in the upcoming draft.
G/F Tavion Banks: Though Banks played a hybrid position, his play on the court was usually consistent. He was often undersized against larger opponents in Big Ten play, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the Hawkeyes' most reliable players. Most of Banks shot attempts came from inside the arc, but the most surprising aspect of his game was an improved three-point jumper (44.2%). His 20-point output spurred Iowa to a historic second round upset over top-seeded Florida, and he also made 30 consecutive free throws at one point during the season, which was four shy of the late Chris Street and Jordan Bohannon's record. Banks is currently applying for a waiver to return to Iowa for a fifth season, so his career may not be done.
Women's Basketball
F Hannah Stuelke: Stuelke helped guide the Hawkeyes to consecutive national title games in her first two seasons as a role player, but blossomed into more of a primary role both on and off the floor for a young Iowa team in 2026. Stuelke recorded 13.4 points and a team-high nine rebounds per game to vault the Hawkeyes to 27 victories and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Though the season ended in disappointment with a loss to 10th-seeded Virginia at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Stuelke will always go down as one of the most beloved players of the golden age of Iowa women's basketball.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io