Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series

The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series is a branded annual athletic competition involving Iowa State University, whose teams are known as the Cyclones, and the University of Iowa, whose teams are known as the Hawkeyes. Rather than being a single game, the series aggregates the results of regular-season contests between the two universities across sports they both sponsor. It is one of the most visible institutional rivalries in Iowa collegiate athletics and gives the rivalry a season-long structure extending beyond the better-known football matchup. The competition was established in 2004, when it was initially known as the Cy-Hawk Series and sponsored by Hy-Vee. From 2004 through 2011, the event carried the name Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. On April 12, 2011, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Growers Association were announced as sponsors, leading to the current Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series identity. The sponsorship connects the athletic rivalry with Iowa’s corn-growing industry and gives the series a statewide promotional platform. Under the competition format, each regular-season game, match, or meet between the universities counts toward the overall championship. A victory in most sports awards two points to the winning university, while football is weighted at three points. When a contest is tied, the available points are divided. The series also incorporates an academic component: each institution can earn one point when its student-athlete graduation rate exceeds the graduation rate of its overall student body. At the end of the academic year, the school with the higher total receives the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Trophy. The series trophy is distinct from the Cy-Hawk Trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Iowa-Iowa State football game. This distinction is important because the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series measures a broad range of athletic and academic outcomes, whereas the football trophy represents only one contest. If the overall series ends level, the university that won the trophy in the preceding year retains it. The 2015–16 season is identified as an example of this tie-resolution rule. Iowa won the early years of the competition, while Iowa State gained ground during the middle and later periods. The series was paused during the 2020–21 academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Competition resumed in 2021–22. According to the cited series record, Iowa State held 11 titles to Iowa’s 9 after clinching the 2025–26 title, with one season recorded as a tie. The property therefore functions both as a rivalry championship and as a sponsorship platform built around collegiate sport, regional identity, and competition between Iowa’s two major public research universities.

The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series grew out of the athletic rivalry between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. The two institutions regularly compete against one another in sports that both universities sponsor, but the series formalized those separate contests into a cumulative annual championship. The inaugural trophy competition took place in the 2004–05 academic year. From 2004 through 2011, Hy-Vee sponsored the event, which was called the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. The arrangement gave the rivalry a commercial identity while preserving its focus on competition between the Cyclones and Hawkeyes. On April 12, 2011, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Growers Association were announced as sponsors. The event subsequently became known as the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, associating the competition with Iowa’s agricultural economy and corn industry. The series is calculated across regular-season head-to-head athletic events in shared sports. Most victories are worth two points, while football is worth three. A tied contest results in a division of points. The competition also recognizes academic performance: each school may receive one additional point when the graduation rate of its student-athletes is higher than the graduation rate of its overall student body. At the end of the academic year, the school with the highest aggregate score is awarded the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Trophy. This trophy should not be confused with the Cy-Hawk Trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual Iowa-Iowa State football game. The series trophy represents the broader rivalry across multiple sports and includes the academic measure. A tied overall score is resolved by allowing the previous year’s champion to retain the trophy; the 2015–16 season is recorded as an example of this rule. Iowa won the first competition in 2004–05 and also captured several of the early titles. The results alternated or ended level in a number of subsequent seasons. Iowa State first moved ahead in the recorded title count with the 2014–15 competition and continued to add titles in later seasons. The 2020–21 series was cancelled or paused because the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted collegiate athletics. It returned for 2021–22, which ended level according to the cited record. The competition’s later record shows a closely contested rivalry. Iowa won the 2019–20 series, after which the pandemic interruption was followed by a tied 2021–22 result. Iowa State then won in 2022–23, the 2024–25 season, and the 2025–26 season, while 2023–24 ended tied. The cited record therefore lists Iowa State with 11 series titles, Iowa with 9, and one tied season after the 2025–26 championship. The property remains an annual athletic and promotional platform centered on the rivalry between Iowa’s two major public universities.

1. 2026Iowa State reaches 11 series titles

   The cited record credits Iowa State with the 2025–26 championship, giving it 11 titles to Iowa’s 9, with one tied season.

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2. 2022Competition resumes

   The series returned in 2021–22 after the pandemic-related pause; that season ended tied.

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3. 2020Series paused during the pandemic

   The 2020–21 competition was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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4. 2011Iowa Corn sponsorship announced

   The Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association were announced as sponsors on April 12, 2011.

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5. 2004Cy-Hawk Series Trophy established

   The multi-sport rivalry championship began with the 2004–05 academic year.

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6. 2004Hy-Vee sponsorship begins

   The competition operated under the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series name from 2004 through 2011.

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A statewide collegiate rivalry property that combines athletic competition, academic achievement, regional identity, and agricultural sponsorship.

• Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk SeriesCollegiate athletic competition2004

  The core offering is an annual championship aggregating regular-season head-to-head results between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa in every shared sport. Most wins count for two points, football wins count for three, and tied contests divide the available points. The series also includes one academic point for each school when its student-athlete graduation rate exceeds its overall student-body graduation rate.

• Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series TrophySports trophy2004

  The series trophy is awarded to the university with the highest aggregate score at the end of the academic year. It represents the overall multi-sport and academic competition and is separate from the Cy-Hawk Trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football game.

• 2020Pause during COVID-19 disruptionOther

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted collegiate athletic schedules during the 2020–21 academic year.

  What changed. The Cy-Hawk Series was paused and no 2020–21 series championship was recorded.

  Aftermath. The competition resumed in 2021–22.

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• 2011Transition to Iowa Corn naming sponsorshipStrategy

  The competition had been sponsored by Hy-Vee and was known as the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series from 2004 through 2011.

  What changed. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association became the announced sponsors, establishing the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series name.

  Aftermath. The series continued as a branded statewide collegiate rivalry associated with Iowa’s corn industry.

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• 2026Iowa State clinches the 2025–26 series title

  The cited series record states that Iowa State won the 2025–26 competition, bringing its recorded total to 11 titles compared with Iowa’s 9, alongside one tied season.

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• 2020Cy-Hawk Series paused during the COVID-19 pandemic

  The series did not operate during the 2020–21 academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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• 2011Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association become series sponsors

  The Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Growers Association were announced as sponsors of the competition, replacing the earlier Hy-Vee naming association and establishing the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series identity.

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1. Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
2. Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series official website