Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
- February 1, 2025
- Rutgers, Piscataway, New Jersey
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Double Dual
- Full Meet Results (PDF)
- Team Scores
- Nebraska 223 def. Iowa 130
- Nebraska 201 def. Rutgers 143
- Iowa 182.50 def. Rutgers 170.50
In a late-season Big Ten battle that saw Nebraska (8th), Rutgers (10th), and Iowa (11th) jockey for position ahead of the Big Ten Championships.
The Nebraska women dominated the meet, while Iowa snuck out a nailbiter over Rutgers by 12.
Nebraska First Team All-American Gena Jorgenson grabbed two individual wins, including a 16:19.02 in her best event, the 1650 free; she added a 4:46.89 in the 500 free. That time in the mile was about two seconds ahead of where she was at this same meet last year.
That sends her into the postseason with a whopping 23 wins already in her junior season. That includes eight multi-win meets.
She was one of several multi-event winners for the Huskers. Anna Vlachou won the 100 free (50.19) and 100 fly (53.38), both of which are new lifetime bests – by about a second each. The Greek-born sophomore had a best finish of 21st in the 100 fly at last year’s Big Ten Championships, and her time from Saturday gives her a chance at scoring again this year – even with the expanded field that includes newcomers USC and UCLA.
She also swam a lifetime best in the 50 free (23.12) as an exhibition entry; that would have placed her 2nd.
Other Individual Multi-Winners for Nebraska:
- Maia Hall won the 100 breast in 1:00.85 and the 200 breast in 2:11.90, both of which are dual-meet bests this season. The 100 is a dual meet lifetime best.
The meet was an unusual schedule and included four relays rather than the usual two. Nebraska swept all four relays including a meet-ending 3:20.12 in the 400 free relay led by a 49.62 split from Vlachou.
Maisie Gilford also had a big meet for the Huskers, winning the 50 free individually in 23.03 ahead of Iowa freshman Rachel Dildine. She also split 22.80 anchoring the Huskers’ winning 200 medley relay, 22.36 anchoring their winning 200 free relay, 50.36 anchoring their winning 400 medley relay, and 49.95 anchoring their winning 400 free relay.
In the ‘other battle’ between Rutgers and Iowa, the two teams split the relays; while Olivia Swalley of Iowa was the best swimmer of the two teams, Rutgers had more depth, especially across the 200 yard stroke events.
Swalley swept the 200 IM (1:58.44) and 400 IM (4:11.87), winning the 200 by more than three seconds and the 400 by almost four. She was 1:57.8 in the 200 IM mid-season, but this 1:58.44 is the second-best time of her career, including .03 better than she swam at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships last season as a freshman.
The same is true of her 400 IM, though her previous best time in that race was from high school.
Rutgers sophomore Blanka Berecz won the 200 fly in 1:57.69, leading a 1-2 finish for the Scarlet Knights. That was a lifetime best for Berecz.
Rutgers grad student Shannon Meadway won the 200 back in 1:57.72. That 200 back was a nailbiter – she and the aforementioned Jorgenson were tied going into the last 50, but Meadway was able to get her fingers on the wall first.
All three teams will travel to the Big Ten Championships, held from February 19-22 at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.