Freya Jensen is one of the few familiar faces Iowa State is bringing back, and that alone gives her a chance to matter in ways that won’t always show up in the box score. She is one of just three players who wore the cardinal and gold last season and returned, which puts her in a different spot than most of the roster as the Cyclones sort through a wave of newcomers.
Jensen did not play heavy minutes last year, but her value may grow off the court as much as on it. With so many players needing to adjust to Bill Fennelly’s system and to life in Ames, she has already lived through that transition herself. Jensen made the jump from Aarhus, Denmark, to Ames, Iowa, USA, so she knows exactly what that adjustment feels like.
Before Iowa State, Jensen spent significant time with the Aabyhoj IF Senior Women’s Team while only 18 years old. In that setting, she averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, often as one of the youngest players on the floor. That is still meaningful experience, even in a smaller league, because it meant real minutes against players who knew how to play.
At Iowa State, her court time was limited mostly to late-game appearances in non-conference games, plus a few minutes against Oklahoma State when injuries thinned out the lineup. Still, she showed two traits that can translate: speed and a willingness to shoot from deep.
For now, there is no strong reason to expect her on-court role to change dramatically. The transfers coming in have logged more minutes elsewhere and arrive with more defined skill sets that fit more naturally into a traditional Fennelly setup. Even so, Jensen could become important in another way by helping steady the group around her.
There are already established voices on the roster in Arianna Jackson, Evangelia Paulk, and redshirt senior Ashleigh Connor. But Jensen can still provide something useful from the bench. A player who stays engaged, keeps the energy up, and helps teammates through the rough patches can shape the feel of a team.
That kind of presence may not show up in the final numbers, but it can matter. A bench that works, cheers, and keeps the room moving in the right direction can help a team with plenty of new faces come together faster. Jensen may not carry the biggest workload, but she can still be part of the glue.
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Arizona has its own pieces in place, from quarterback Noah Fifita to running back Kedrick Reescano, wide receiver Isaiah Mizell and linebacker Taye Brown, all of whom have been part of the Wildcats recent push. For Iowa State, the bigger question is still hanging over the roster: the injury report has not yet been settled, leaving a little uncertainty around how the Cyclones will look when they finally line up against a team playing with a celebratory backdrop and plenty of momentum. [Read more 🡒]
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The absence was not tied to eligibility, but to a prior injury, and the approach has been to build him back up carefully rather than rush the process. Otzelberger is hoping Lipsey can get into the upcoming game against Northwestern, which would offer a meaningful next step in his return and give Iowa State a better sense of where things stand. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State's Thanksgiving Tournament Path Could Get Interesting Fast
The Thanksgiving week trip to Las Vegas is becoming a familiar one for No. 18 Iowa State, which will return to the Players Era Festival for a second straight year. This time, the Cyclones are slotted into the Players Era 16 bracket and open against San Diego State on Nov. 24, with the event again offering a chance to test themselves away from home against a deep, high-profile field.
What makes the draw intriguing is the built-in path the tournament creates. Iowa State is guaranteed at least three games, and if things break right, Tennessee and Maryland could be waiting on the other side, with the championship game set for Nov. 28. For a team trying to build momentum early in the season, that is the kind of holiday slate that can reshape the national conversation in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]