The 2025 Simpson College basketball intramurals came to a close last Monday after their big night of finals. Cowles Fieldhouse hosted the women’s 5-on-5, coed 5-on-5 and men’s 5-on-5 championship games, along with the dunk and 3-point contests.
The women’s league started the night off with the face-off between “Nemo’s bench warmers” and the “Advil Addicts.” The bench warmers took an early lead and ended the first game with a blowout score of 43-20. Besides bragging rights, there are a few more perks to winning an intramural matchup.
Each member of the first-place team is awarded one of the iconic brightly-colored T-shirts that displays which intramural sport they were the champion of. The team also gets their picture displayed in the intramural wall of champions trophy case located in the hallway between Kent Campus Center and the athletic facilities until the next champions are crowned.
The bench warmers’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) was junior Tori Knight.
“Since I’ve played basketball my whole life and just recently quit the [Simpson College] team, playing intramurals was a great way to get back into the sport and have fun playing again since my love for the game was lost,” Knight said.
Knight has taken part in basketball, softball, dodgeball and flag football intramurals.
“I highly recommend anyone who wants to try out a sport they’ve always been interested in to do intramurals because it really is such a fun time and great experience for students at Simpson,” Knight said.
The MVP of each team is awarded customized socks, a tumbler and a $75 Amazon Wish List credit.
The next event of the night was the dunk contest. The winners of this event and the 3-point contest are also awarded a $75 Amazon Wish List credit, while second place is awarded a $40 credit. Although only three brave individuals put their skills on display, it gave everyone the opportunity to browse the free food, drinks and various souvenirs provided by Simpson Intramurals and other sponsors.
Any event with free food or merchandise is sure to draw in a crowd on a college campus, and this one did not disappoint. Some highlights were sandwiches, chips and cookies provided by Jimmy John’s, commemorative cups provided by Bob’s Custom Trophies and even more T-shirts and snacks supplied by Simpson Intramurals.
After giving a first-place award to Matt Schubert in the dunk contest, the coed 5-on-5 championship game was next. “Hoes and Bros” took the title over “Team USA” in a nail-biter finish of 29-28. The male MVP was Blake Perrin, and the female MVP was Claire Schmitz.
The 3-point contest saw the biggest turnout of the night with 14 contestants. In the end, sophomore Isaac Oswald took home the title and the $75.
To end the night, “Blow My Backboard” and “Tru Catz” competed in the men’s 5-on-5 championship game. The coaches on both sides were fired up during the close, low-scoring game. In a buzzer-beater 3-point basket, “Blow My Backboard” won 26-23. The team’s MVP of the night was senior Akol Atack.
“I like how they [intramurals] provide a fun way to stay active, relieve stress from my current sport and connect with others outside of classes,” Atack said.
Atack enjoys getting involved and taking advantage of what Simpson intramurals has to offer.
“I try to compete in as many intramurals as I can, whether it’s sand volleyball, football or whatever is happening at the time. You can find a sense of community while getting the chance to be involved in different sports or games,” Atack said.
“Blow My Backboard” now gets to travel to Wells Fargo Arena to play Des Moines Area Community College’s intramural men’s 5-on-5 championship team in an extramural matchup. The teams will play on Feb. 18 to see if the golden basketball trophy will stay in Indianola or go home with the Bears.
