DAVENPORT, Iowa (December 3, 2015) - For a fourth straight year, the Quad Cities River Bandits will have a running start to the baseball season. On Saturday, April 23, 2016, the River Bandits will host the fourth annual bi-state Bandits Race to Home 5K presented by Palmer Chiropractic Clinics to benefit the Bandits Scholars program.

Early race registration is available at getmeregistered.com/bandits through April and costs $25. The registration fee includes a T-shirt and a ticket to a 2016 River Bandits game. All participants who register before December 25, 2015, can save an extra $5 off with coupon code "BANDIT" and will be entered into a drawing for a free suite rental for 16 people at an April or May Monday through Thursday home game.  More than 700 runners and walkers competed in the third annual Bandits Race to Home 5K and Fun Run presented by Palmer Chiropractic Clinics and finishing inside Modern Woodmen Park on Saturday morning, helping raise more than $15,000 toward the Bandit Scholars program.  The program annually awards Bandit Scholarships to cover the entire first year of college tuition for three Quad Cities-area students.

The unique race route will again cross two bridges and incorporate two states. It will begin near the ballpark on West Second Street between Gaines Street and Western Avenue in downtown Davenport, cross the Centennial Bridge to Rock Island, head over to the Rock Island Arsenal, then back across the Arsenal Bridge before finishing at home plate inside Modern Woodmen Park.

A Kids Fun Run for children 12 years and younger, with River Bandits mascot Rascal, will take place at 10 a.m. on April 23. Contestants will race Rascal from near the party plaza to the field, then around the warning track of Modern Woodmen Park to finish at home plate. Each contestant will receive a Kids Fun Run ribbon. Registration for the Fun Run costs $10 and includes a T-shirt and a ticket to a 2016 River Bandits game.

The full schedule of registration fees for the 2016 Bandits Race to Home 5K presented by Palmer Chiropractic Clinics is as follows:

Rate                                   Date of Registration                   Registration Fee (includes T-shirt)

Holiday Special                  Through December 25                $20 (with coupon code "BANDIT")

Early Bird                           Through April 1                          $25

Standard                              April 2 - April 22                        $30

Day of Registration             April 23                                 $35

Packet pickup at Modern Woodmen Park will be Friday, April 22 from 8:00am-6:00pm as well as Saturday, April 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Following the race will be music and an awards presentation. Individual prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers, as well as to the top three males and females in each age group, each of the 12 age groups - 19 & under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and 70-plus.

Further race information will be available at www.riverbandits.com, by calling 563-324-3000 or by emailing Denise Clark at Denise@riverbandits.com.

Northern Iowa vs. Akron and Illinois State vs. Northern Illinois

Women's Basketball Doubleheader

Moline, Illinois - The iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, welcomes two Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) women's basketball teams, Illinois State and Northern Iowa, for a doubleheader against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams of Akron and Northern Illinois on Sunday, December 13, 2015.

As part of the MVC/MAC Challenge, the Northern Iowa Panthers take on the Akron Zips at 1:00 p.m. while the Illinois State Redbirds face the Northern Illinois Huskies at 3:30 p.m.  Games are also be available live on ESPN3.

Tickets are just $7.00 for both games and all seats are general admission.  Tickets are available at the iWireless Center box office, by phone at 800-745-3000, and online at www.ticketmaster.com.  For more information, visit www.iwirelesscenter.com

The University of Northern Iowa and Illinois State University are each hosting pre-game alumni gatherings at the iWireless Center before their respective games.

Both Northern Iowa and Illinois State were originally slated to host Akron and Northern Illinois in their own venues, but agreed to move these previously scheduled home games to the iWireless Center to help create an Missouri Valley presence in the Quad Cities in advance of the upcoming MVC that will be played, for the first-time, at the iWireless Center on March 10-13, 2016.

**SPECIAL DISCOUNT** With your ticket stub from the December 13 games, 2 for 1 tickets can be purchased for the tournament in March at the iWireless Center box office.  This offer expires on 12/31/15.  Tickets for the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament go on sale on December 12.

"We are very excited about playing Akron in the iWireless Center," Northern Iowa Coach Tanya Warren said. "To have the opportunity to play there as part of the MVC/MAC Challenge is great for our players and fans.  It serves as a preview for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in March and we're honored to be a part of it."

"Being a part of the inaugural MVC/MAC Challenge is very exciting for Illinois State University.  Our fans will get a sneak peak of what's in store for them come March.  The iWireless Center will be a great venue to see what I think will be two very competitive games between the MVC and MAC Conferences.  It will also be an electrifying MVC tournament atmosphere that our team and staff are really looking forward to being a part of," said Illinois State head coach Barb Smith.

About Northern Iowa
The Panthers finished last season with an overall record of 17-15 and a MVC record of 12-6 to place in the top-half of the conference for the sixth year in a row. UNI also appeared in its fifth postseason appearance in the last six years, hosting Missouri in the first round of the WNIT.

UNI has now had 17 or more wins in six consecutive seasons, all under the direction of head coach Tanya Warren. The Panthers will bring four starters back to the lineup during the 2015-16 season, along with MVC Sixth Player of the Year Stephanie Davison and 2014 MVC All-Conference first-team selection Jen Keitel coming back after an injury last season.

About Illinois State
Illinois State returns two starters and four letterwinners after recording a 2-28 overall record and a 2-16 Missouri Valley Conference record in 2015-16. Led by third-year head coach Barb Smith, the 2015-16 Redbirds also feature six newcomers. Included among ISU's returners is Octavia Crump, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. Crump ranked seventh in MVC field goal shooting (47.1 percent) and eighth in offensive rebounding (2.3 per game).

About MVC Women's Basketball Tournament

Last July, the Missouri Valley Conference announced it had entered into an agreement with the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament to the iWireless Center through at least 2018.  The MVC Presidents Council, following a recommendation of the league's Joint Committee, voted to place the tournament in the Quad Cities after considering bids from multiple sites.

Starting in 2016, the 10-team event will take place at the iWireless Center, March 10-13.  The championship weekend begins with two opening-round games on Thursday. Four quarterfinal games will tip-off at noon on Friday, with the semifinals on Saturday afternoon and the championship title game on Sunday afternoon. All nine games will be available on ESPN3. www.mvcquadcities.com

About the iWireless Center

The iWireless Center is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in Moline, Ill.  The arena has garnered numerous architectural industry awards since its construction.  The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities.  The arena has hosted NCAA Division I college basketball games (including the Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament from 1996-99) in addition to several NHL and NBA exhibition contests. www.iwirelesscenter.com

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