Hawkeyes’ Kid Captains for 2025 announced

The University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital announced its 2025 Kid Captains on Monday — the 16th season of the program. 

It’s a partnership between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the children’s hospital that started in 2009, celebrating pediatric patients and sharing their stories.

“Kid Captains represent the best of us. Through the tough moments of their health care journeys, they remain strong, resilient, brave, and compassionate,” says Jim Leste, MS, FACHE, chief administrative officer of Stead Family Children’s Hospital. “It’s incredibly powerful to see how our care teams connect with our patients and their families every single day. I couldn’t be prouder of the difference our children’s hospital and its care teams make in the lives of all our patients.”

The hospital said almost 200 kids from four states — Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Colorado — were nominated. 

From that list, 12 were chosen — one for each Iowa football game:  

+ Nolan Stevenson of Oskaloosa: Iowa vs. Albany, August 30

+ James Hall of Dyersville: Iowa at Iowa State, September 6

+ Gwendolyn Clouse of Cedar Rapids: Iowa vs. UMass, September 13

+ Liam Bartleson of Altoona: Iowa at Rutgers, September 20

+ Jaxton Engstrom of Waterloo: Iowa vs. Indiana, September 27

+ Lily Sebastian of Cedar Rapids: Iowa at Wisconsin, October 11

+ Micah Norby of Greenfield: Iowa vs. Penn State, October 18

+ Luke Johnston of Dunlap, Illinois: Iowa vs. Minnesota, October 25

+ Harper Atkinson of Wapello: Iowa vs. Oregon, November 8

+ Blake Bonta of Urbandale: Iowa at USC, November 15

+ Ray Walker of Indianola: Iowa vs. Michigan State, November 22

+ Millie Judge of Des Moines: Iowa at Nebraska, November 28

The Kid Captains and their families also will be a part of Kids’ Day at Kinnick Stadium this Saturday. 

Click here for more information on each Kid Captain.