Rick Hartzell, Vice President for Athletics

"Upper Iowa Athletics embarked on our journey into the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the fall of 2023. I believe that we have found a great fit in the NCAA Division II through the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Our teams have been given the ability to battle with schools, many of which are private, like Upper Iowa, based out of great metro areas such as Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. This truly will be a landmark moment in the history of Upper Iowa and a time we will all look back on with fond memories as the foundation of our future success as a whole athletics department. We want you to be a part of that success. We promise to include anyone and everyone who provides the resources that our department and University need on our journey through communication and a sense that we are all in this together as one Peacock family."

Jake Hilmer, Class of 2023/Pursuing Graduate Degree at UIU, Men's Basketball Career Scoring Leader with 2,552 points

"When I think about my time at Upper Iowa, the first thing that comes to mind is the quality of people we have on campus in Fayette. The small town and small campus provide an everyone-knows-everyone feel, and I always enjoyed that. In May, my time at Upper Iowa will come to an end, but I will be able to take away the lasting connections I've made that will help me in the future as I transition into the real world. The generosity of Upper Iowa's donors has been evident every day at basketball practices and games, as well as in our training with strength and conditioning. My NCAA Division 2 experience was great, and the resources we were given allowed us to reach the heights of success we have, like reaching the second round of the NCAA Championships in two of the last three years. When I'm in a position where I can donate back to Upper Iowa and Peacock Athletics, I look forward to doing just that. I think I owe it to everyone who donated to enhance my experience here at Upper Iowa and make a future Peacock's experience just as great."

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