Courtesy: Iowa Athletics
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa swimming and diving team hosts Western Illinois in its dual finale Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. The Hawkeyes will hold Senior Night festivities prior to the start of the dual.
The Iowa men are ranked 18th in the TYR/CSCAA rankings poll and 19th in the College Swimming rankings.
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- Live results will be on Meet Mobile andhawkeyesports.com.
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LAST TIME OUT
- Sergey Kuznetsov (100 fly), Hannah Burvill (200 free), Anze Fers Erzen (200 back), Aleksey Tarasenko (100 free), and Michael Tenney (200 fly) all notched individual wins in the 2020 Shamrock Invitational.
- Millie Sansome broke her own school record in the 200 back in 1:55.94.
- Julia Koluch, Kennedy Gilbertson, and Macy Rink all entered the all-time record books with top placings in the backstroke events and Rink’s 500 free.
HEARING FROM SENIOR ALLYSSA FLUIT
“I’m excited to reflect on the past four years of swimming, which is a happy moment. I’ve worked toward Senior Night and my final Big Ten trip, so I’m going to live in the moment and look back and enjoy the moments I’ve had these past four years.”
HEARING FROM HEAD COACH MARC LONG
“This meet is our last competition in preparation for the Big Ten Championship season. We’re looking forward to that, but we want to celebrate our seniors as we head into their final couple of months. We also get to swim some different events. It’s a mixture of a lineup and we get to see some racing that we normally don’t see.”
GONE IN 50
The men’s 50 free sprint group continues to dominate for the Hawkeyes, contributing key points in the Shamrock Invitational and continuing their streaks from prior competition.
- At the Shamrock Invitational: Tarasenko (20.16), Fiolic (20.39), and Scott (20.48) tallied second, third, and fourth-place finishes among the field in the 50 free.
- Against Notre Dame: Myhre (20.18), Tarasenko (20.28), Fiolic (20.59), and Scott (20.80) dominated and secured the top four spots in the 50 free.
- At Northwestern: Tarasenko (20.39), Myhre (20.40), Fiolic (20.45), and Scott (20.80) secured the top-four spots in the 50 free, keeping the sprint events hot.
FRESHMAN PROVIDE STRONG BACKBONE
- On the men’s side, of only three freshmen swimmers, the trio has placed one person in the top-five of every event among the team’s roster placings. On the women’s side, freshmen dominate the top-five in every event, with a freshman holding the top position in six events.
- New freshmen additions Kennedy Gilbertson and Sergey Kuznetsov quickly ascended with Kuznetsov holding the top spot among the team in the 100 fly (47.97) and 10th all-time in program history and Gilbertson finishing top-10 in program history in the 200 back (1:58.75) at eighth all-time. Both Gilbertson and Kuznetsov have also become members of the ‘A’ Hawkeye medley relay teams.
- Macy Rink has also shown capability for the Hawkeyes, placing highly in mid-distance and distance events this season. Rink sits eighth all-time in the 200 free (1:49.06) and 10th in the 500 free (4:52.53).
- Julia Koluch came off the blocks strong at the Shamrock Invitational, breaking into the Iowa record books in the 100 back (54.63) and 200 back (1:57.46).
- Aleksandra Olesiak sits sixth in school history in both the 100 breast (1:02.39) and 200 breast (2:15.62), while holding the top spots among the team.
- Millie Sansome has left the biggest impact on the program so far, tallying top-10 placings in school history in the 200 back (1st), 400 IM (3rd), 500 free (5th), 1,000 free (6th), and 1,650 free (6th).
AMONG THE B1G: MEN
The Iowa men are littered throughout the top-10 across the Big Ten Conference.
- Sophomore Aleksey Tarasenko (6th), seniors Steve Fiolic (7th) and Joe Myhre (9th) all rank in the top 10 of the 50 free, with Tarasenko also holding a top spot in the 100 free (4th) and 200 free (6th).
- Sophomore Mateusz Arndt holds prestige in the 500 free (4:19.89), placing sixth overall.
- Iowa boasts two top-10 times in the 200 back from sophomore Anze Fers Erzen (5th, 1:42.64) and freshman Ryan Purdy (10th, 1:44.64).
- Freshman Will Myhre ranks 10th in the 100 breast (53.32), followed directly by junior Daniel Swanepoel at 53.35 (11th). Swanepoel also sits at seventh in the 200 breast (1:55.46).
- Senior Michael Tenney sits seventh in the B1G field in the 200 fly (1:45.76). Fers Erzen rounds out Iowa’s individual placings at fifth in the 400 IM (3:47.51).
AMONG THE B1G: WOMEN
- Senior Hannah Burvill currently is the top 200-yard freestyle sprinter in the Big Ten Conference. She is the only Big Ten swimmer to break the 1:45:00 barrier this season, swimming a 1:44.92 at the Minnesota Invitational. Burvill is also fourth in the 100 free and eighth in the 50 free this season.
- Junior Kelsey Drake stands at fifth in the 200 fly (1:57.87) and 10th in the 100 fly (53.28).
- Freshman Millie Sansome ranks ninth in the 200 back (1:55.94).
COLIN EARNS OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFYING STANDARD
Senior backstroker John Colin notched an Olympic Trials time standard of 56.47 in the 100 back on Dec. 8 in Minneapolis. Iowa’s leading backstroker in the 100, Colin got the cut the second time around after narrowly missing it in the morning session.
AMONG THE RANKINGS
- The Iowa men remained steady at their position in the Collegeswimming.com rankings at No.19. with 792.40 points. The Hawkeyes are 3-3 in dual meets on the season. The Iowa women rank just outside the top-25, sitting 26th, with 766.25 points.
- The Iowa men are also 18th in the TYR/CSCAA Top 25 with 87 points as of Jan. 22.
MEET-BY-MEET
- The Hawkeyes opened the season with three wins over Michigan State and Northern Iowa on Oct. 3. The men defeated the Spartans, 182-112, while the women pulled out the double victory over Michigan State and UNI in identical fashion, 183-113.
- At the season’s first invitational, nine Hawkeyes took to the water at the SMU Classic and finished fourth out of six total teams with 242 points.
- The Hawkeye men captured a win against Minnesota, 156-144 , at the CRWC, hoisting the team’s second Big Ten win of the season. The Hawkeye women put up strong times against a ranked Minnesota team, narrowly falling 157-143. The Iowa men got its first win against Minnesota since 2017.
- The Iowa women swam well against the third-ranked Michigan, posting seven individual wins. Despite a strong showing, Iowa fell 173-127. The 19th-ranked Iowa men’s team dropped its contests against No. 1 Michigan (218-82) and fell to No. 6 Indiana (245-55) in Bloomington, Ind.
- The Iowa women swam well against third-ranked Michigan, posting wins in seven events, but ultimately lost 127-173.
- The 19th-ranked Iowa men’s team dropped its Big Ten duals against No. 1 Michigan (218-82) and No. 6 Indiana (245-55) in Bloomington, Ind.
- The Iowa women dominated Big Ten opponent Rutgers, 199-100, in Iowa City on Nov. 8, the team’s final dual before its midseason invitational.
- The Hawkeyes went north to compete in the Minnesota Invitational for a midseason showdown and they posted several school records from Hannah Burvill, Millie Sansome, and Kelsey Drake. The Hawkeye men placed fifth among the field, while the women were seventh.
- The Iowa women posted a dominating victory over Iowa State for the 10th year in a row, 179-121, in Ames on Dec. 13. The team’s victory clinched the overall win in the 2019 Iowa Corn CyHawk Series between both schools.
- The Hawkeye men captured another ranked win, downing No. 17 Notre Dame, 159.50-140.50, this past weekend. The Hawkeye women tabbed a B1G win over Illinois, 223-86, for its largest margin of victory this season. Iowa fell short of Notre Dame, 209.50-99.50.
- The Hawkeye men fell to Northwestern, 157-143. The Hawkeye women lost to Northwestern, 199-101.
- The Hawkeye men completed the 2020 Shamrock Invitational with a second-place finish, boasting 917 points, followed by a fourth-place finish from the women with 629.5 points.
B1G HONOREES
The Hawkeyes have earned 10 Big Ten Conference weekly honors during the 2019-20 season.
- Big Ten Men’s Swimmer of Week: Anze Fers Erzen (Oct. 9)
- Big Ten Men’s Diver of the Week: Anton Hoherz (Oct. 9)
- Big Ten Men’s Freshman of the Week: Michael Huebner (Oct. 9)
- Big Ten Women’s Diver of the Week: Sam Tamborski (Oct. 9, Oct. 16)
- Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Week: Millie Sansome (Oct. 9)
- Big Ten Women’s Diver of the Week: Jayah Mathews (Nov. 6)
- Big Ten Women’s Diver of the Week: Jayah Mathews (Nov. 13)
- Big Ten Women’s Diver of the Week: Jayah Mathews (Dec. 18)
- Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Week: Millie Sansome (Dec. 18)
- Big Ten Women’s Swimmer of the Week: Kelsey Drake (Dec. 18)
MAKING THE CUT
The men’s team has nine swimmers that have posted NCAA “B” qualifying standards in nine events during the 2019-20 season, while the women’s team has three swimmers notch “B” times in seven events.
Three men’s swimmers have standards in multiple events; they include sophomore Aleksey Tarasenko (50 free, 100 free, 200 free), senior Steve Fiolic (50 free, 100 free), and sophomore Anze Fers Erzen (200 back, 400 IM). Senior Joe Myhre (50 free), sophomore Mateusz Arndt (500 free), freshman Ryan Purdy (200 back), freshman Will Myhre (100 breast), junior Daniel Swanepoel (200 breast), and senior Michael Tenney (200 fly) have standards in a single event.
On the women’s side, senior Hannah Burvill has four NCAA “B” cuts in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, and 100 back, while junior Kelsey Drake has two standards in the 100 and 200 fly. Freshman Millie Sansome also has a “B” cut in the 200 back.
NCAA ZONE DIVING QUALIFIERS
Five Hawkeyes have posted NCAA Zone Diving standards this season.
1-Meter Women: Jayah Mathews (324.85), Sam Tamborski (294.30), Thelma Strandberg (272.25)
3-Meter Women: Jayah Mathews (362.25), Sam Tamborski (341.55)
1-Meter Men: Mohamed Neuman (334.00), Anton Hoherz (320.10)
3-Meter Men: Anton Hoherz (347.10), Mohamed Neuman (347.05)
ON DECK
After hosting the Big Ten Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships in 2019, the women are coming to Iowa City in 2020. The Hawkeyes will host the 2020 Big Ten Championships at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center from Feb. 19-22. It is the first time the women’s championship has been in Iowa City since 2012.