Men’s Release:
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s swimming and diving team will host the Hawkeye Invitational at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium on Friday through Sunday. Preliminary events will start at 10 a.m. (CT) all three days and finals will be held at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. (CT) on Sunday.
LIVE RESULTS
Up-to-date results will be available on livestats.hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow the meet via Twitter by following @IowaSwimDive.
THE FIELD
The Hawkeyes will host swimmers and divers from all over this coming weekend. Hosting the schools Denver, Drury, Incarnate Word, North Dakota, and Milwaukee.
SENIOR NIGHT
Saturday night is senior night at the pool. This year we will be honoring 12 of the men’s swimming and diving team members as they go to compete in the last of their final season here at Iowa. Seniors include Jackson Allen, Addison Boschult, Matthew Boyd, David Ernstsson, Charles Holliday, Maverick Hovey, Andrew Hull, Mike Nelson, Tyler Nichols, Andrew Parker, Luke Snow, and Roman Trussov.
LAST YEAR AT HAWKEYE INVITE
Last year Iowa pulled through to beat Notre Dame during the last finals to clench the first place finish, finishing with 918.5 points (.5 points ahead of Notre Dame who finished at 918). Breaking two school records in the process, sophomore Jerzy Twarowski set the school record last year in the 100 fly, and last year senior Grant Betulis set the 100 back record.
BACKING INTO FIRST
Redshirt freshman Kenneth Mende showed his best against Big Ten foe, Purdue. The Germany native swam to two wins and a runner-up finish. Mende had a first-place showing in the 100 back (49.03) and 200 back (1:49.11). He also led off the runner-up 200-medley relay, where he had a split of 22.92– the fastest of the meet. Mende’s season-best time of 48.84 in the 100 back is the eighth-fastest in program history.
SPRINGING TO NCAA ZONE STANDARDS
Four Hawkeye divers have posted NCAA Zone diving standards in the first three meets of the 2015-16 season. Addison Boschult (341.55), Brandis Heffner (334.43), Andrew Hull (332.25), and Will Brenner (306.15) have posted qualifying scores off the 1-meter, while Heffner (341.55), Hull (340.80), and Boschult (334.43) have qualifying scores on the 3-meter. Heffner, Boschult, and Hull’s 1-meter scores are career bests. They rank fifth, sixth, and ninth, respectively, in school history.
FIRST PLACE FLYER
Sophomore Jerzy Twarowski flew fast in Iowa’s Nov. 6 meet against Purdue. The Krakow, Poland, native swam to two first place finishes, touching first in the 100 fly in 48.50 seconds and 200 fly in 1:49.28. Twarowski has an NCAA “B” qualifying time in the 100 fly, posting a time of 48.04 in the dual meet against Minnesota.
FRESHMEN SET TO GO THE DISTANCE
Freshman Ben Colin has helped to lead the Hawkeyes in distance freestyle events this season. Colin swam a season-best time in the 1,000 free against Purdue on Nov. 6, touching at a time of 9:36.75, and touched in 4:35.06 in the 500, also a season best. Fellow freshman Drew Eisen leads the Hawkeyes in the 1,650, swimming a time of 16:05.22.
BOUNDING BREASTROKER
Senior Roman Trussov has led the way for the Hawkeyes in breaststroke competition this season. The Kazakhstan native swam to three top-three finishes against Purdue on Nov. 6. Swimming a pair of runner-up finishes in the 100 breast, pushing to a time of 55.49, a season best. He was also second in the 200 breast in 2:01.25. Trussov also tallied a third-place finish in the 200 IM, swimming to a time of 1:53.68.
RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIERS
The Hawkeyes return Roman Trussov Mike Nelson, Jerzy Twarowski and Addison Boschult from the NCAA Championships this season. Trussov placed 18th in the 200 medley relay (1:26.19), 19th in the 400-medley relay (3:10.03), 24th in the 100 breast (53.17), and 28th in the 200 breast (1:55.04), Nelson served as an alternate in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, Twarowski finished 18th in the 200-medley relay (1:26.19) and 19th in the 400-medley relay (3:10.03), and Boschult placed 10th at the NCAA Championships with a score of 386.50 and was second overall off the platform at NCAA Zone D Diving Championships (387.70).
TRUSSOV: 2-TIME NCAA QUALIFIER
Senior Roman Trussov returns for his senior season as a two-time NCAA qualifier (2013, 2015). The Kazakhstan native holds the school records in the 100 breast (52.85), 200 breast (1:54.57) and as part of the 200 (1:25.53) and 400 (3:08.56) medley relays. Trussov placed 24th overall in the 100 breast and 28th in the 200 breast at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
TOP FLYER RETURNS
Sophomore Jerzy Twarowski is back for his second season as a Hawkeye and his second season competing in the yards distances. Twarowski became the first Iowa butterfly swimmer to break the 47-second mark during his first collegiate season, posting a school-record time of 46.70. He also broke a 22-year old school record (Rafal Szukala) in the 200 fly, finishing with a time of 1:44.00.
CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER
Ground was broken for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in October 2007. The facility opened in August 2010 and is home for the Hawkeyes. It is located at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and cost approximately $69 million. The facility includes a 50-meter competition pool, a separate diving well, a leisure pool with lap lanes and 24,000 square feet of fitness space.
IOWA SWIMMING AND DIVING TRADITION
Iowa was one of the first schools in the nation to compete on a collegiate level and competed at the first NCAA Championship. From 1937 to 1960, Iowa placed in the NCAA top 10 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes will travel to Evanston, Ill. to take on the Northwestern Wildcats at the Norris Aquatics Center at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday Jan. 23.
Women’s Release:
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team will host the Hawkeye Invitational at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium on Friday through Sunday. Preliminary events will start at 10 a.m. (CT) all three days and finals will be held at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. (CT) on Sunday.
LIVE RESULTS
Up-to-date results will be available on livestats.hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow the meet via Twitter by following @IowaSwimDive.
THE FIELD
The eight-team field consists of student-athletes from Denver, Drury, Harvard, Incarnate Word, Iowa, Milwaukee, North Dakota, and Northern Iowa. Iowa State, Illinois, and Nebraska will compete only in diving events.
SENIOR NIGHT
Iowa will recognize its seven-member senior class on Saturday prior to the start of the finals. The seniors include: Maddie Bro, Colleen Champa, Ashley Horodyski, Olivia Kabacinski, Allie Orvis, Samantha Wagner, and Jennifer Weigand.
LAST YEAR AT HAWKEYE INVITE
Iowa won the 2014 Hawkeye Invitational, finishing with 1,015.5 points in the three-day competition. Denver was the team runner-up with 793 points. Olivia Kabacinski posted a pair of school records during the invite, posting record times in the 100 free (49.61) and 200 free (1:46.68).
SOUGSTAD SWIMS TO “B” QUALIFYING TIME
Junior Emma Sougstad is leading the Hawkeyes in four individual events early in the 2015-16 season. She paces the team in the 50 free (23.34), 100 breast (1:02.23) (B), 200 breast (2:16.43), and 200 IM (2:06.66). Sougstad swam an NCAA “B” qualifying time in the 100 breast against Purdue on Nov. 6, making it her season-best.
FLYING INTO THE LEAD
Freshman Kelly McNamara has burst on to the scene in the butterfly events for the Hawkeyes. The Villa Park, Illinois, native has posted three individual event victories in the 100 fly this season. She swam a season-best and team-leading time of 54.88 in the dual against Minnesota on Oct. 30.
HOW FAR CAN SHE GO?
Freshman Abbey Schneider is off to a strong start in her first season as a Hawkeye. The Indiana native has shaved off time in every meet this year in the 500 free, and holds season-best times in the 1,000 and 1650. She broke five minutes and swam a time of 4:59.50 in the 500 free against Purdue on Nov. 6, and posted a time of 10:18.12 in the 1,000.
OFF TO A FAST START
Senior Olivia Kabacinski has sprinted her way to the team’s top times in the 100 (50.98) and 200 free (1:51.69) this season. Kabacinski had a field day in the Oct. 16 dual against Michigan State and Northern Iowa, swimming to seven first place finishes — five relays and two individual events.
DIVING TO SEASON BESTS
Sophomore Morgan Rafferty had a career-best performance in Iowa’s dual meet against Minnesota on Oct. 30off the 1-meter. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native posted NCAA Zone qualifying scores on both the 1-meter and 3-meter with career-best scores of 276.30 (1-meter) and 286.58 (3-meter). She then bested her 3-meter mark against Purdue on Nov. 6, finishing with a score of 289.20.
RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIER
Junior Emma Sougstad returns as the leader of the program after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in three events as a sophomore. The Forest City, Iowa, native holds school records in the 100 breast (59.96), 200 breast (2:11.20), 200 IM (1:58.74), 200-free relay (1:30.96), 200-medley relay (1:39.18), and 400-medley relay (3:38.68).
TOP SPRINTER RETURNS
The Hawkeyes have their top sprinter returning to the fold in 2015-16 in senior Olivia Kabacinski. The Indiana native is the school record holder in six events — 50 free (22.70), 100 free (49.61), and 200-free relay (1:30.96), 400-free relay (3:21.07), 800-free relay (7:12.49), and 200-medley relay (1:39.18).
CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER
Ground was broken for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in October 2007. The facility opened in August 2010 and is home for the Hawkeyes. It is located at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and cost approximately $69 million. The facility includes a 50-meter competition pool, a separate diving well, a leisure pool with lap lanes and 24,000 square feet of fitness space.
IOWA SWIMMING AND DIVING TRADITION
Iowa was one of the first schools in the nation to compete on a collegiate level and competed at the first NCAA Championship. From 1937 to 1960, Iowa placed in the NCAA top 10 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes return to action Dec. 11, traveling to Ames, Iowa, for an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup against Iowa State.
Swimming news courtesy of Iowa Swimming & Diving.