THIS WEEK The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team begins its championships season, traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 2016 Big Ten Championships from Wednesday through Saturday at the Canham Natatorium. Action begins Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Prelims begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday and finals start at 5:30 p.m. each evening.
B1G COVERAGE The first six sessions of the 2016 Big Ten Championships will be shown live via BTN Plus (subscription required). Saturday’s finals will be tape delayed, airing at 6 p.m. (CT) on Feb. 22 on BTN. Saturday’s finals will be live on BTN2Go.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Finals – 5:30 p.m. (CT) 200 Medley Relay 800 Freestyle Relay Thursday, Feb. 18 – Prelims – 10 a.m. (CT) 500 Freestyle 200 Individual Medley 50 Freestyle 1-Meter Diving – Prelims/Consolation Final (1 p.m.) Finals – 5:30 p.m. (CT) 200 Freestyle Relay 500 Freestyle 200 Individual Medley 50 Freestyle 1-Meter Diving Friday, Feb. 19 – Prelims – 10 a.m. (CT) 400 Individual Medley 100 Butterfly 200 Freestyle 100 Breaststroke 100 Backstroke 3-Meter Diving – Prelims/Consolation Final (2 p.m.) Finals – 5:30 p.m. (CT) 400 Medley Relay 400 Individual Medley 100 Butterfly 200 Freestyle 100 Breaststroke 100 Backstroke 3-Meter Diving Saturday, Feb. 20 – Prelims – 10 a.m. (CT) 200 Backstroke 100 Freestyle 200 Breaststroke 200 Butterfly Platform Diving – Prelims/Consolation Final (1 p.m.) Finals – 3:15 p.m. (CT) 1,650 Freestyle – All but last heat Finals 5:30 p.m. (CT) 1,650 Freestyle (Last heat of timed final) 200 Backstroke 100 Freestyle 200 Breaststroke 200 Butterfly Platform Diving 400 Freestyle Relay
LIVE RESULTS Live results will be available at: http://www.mgoblue.com/livestats/m-swim/index.htm for swimming results, and Dive Meets for diving results. Fans can also follow the Hawkeyes via Twitter by following @IowaSwimDive.
HAWKEYES TO WATCH Four Iowa swimmers enter the 2016 Big Ten Championships with top 10 times in six individual events. Junior Emma Sougstad has top eight times in four events (100 breast (1:00.23), fourth; 50 free (22.63), fifth; 200 IM, fifth (1:59.05); and 200 breast, eighth (2:12.95)); sophomore Meghan Lavelle (54.14) and Kelly McNamara (53.90) have the ninth-best times in the 100 back and 100 fly, respectively, and senior Olivia Kabacinski is 10th in the 50 free (22.84). Iowa’s 200-medley relay has the third-fastest time heading into the championships. The quartet of senior Allie Orvis, Sougstad, McNamara, and Kabacinski swam a time of 1:39.47 at the Hawkeye Invitational in December.
RECAP OF 2015 B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS The Hawkeyes posted 10 school records in swimming competition and one in the diving well at the 2015 Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Iowa posted 11 top-eight finishes and got an individual title from Becky Stoughton in the 1,650 freestyle. Stoughton was Iowa’s first women’s champion since 2001. Junior Emma Sougstad is Iowa’s top returnee from 2015, as the Forest City, Iowa, native posted top eight finishes in eight events. Her highest showing was a fourth-place finish in the 100 breast in 1:00.04. Junior Lydia Lehnert placed sixth off the platform, diving to a score of 292.40. As a team, Iowa placed eighth with 223 points. Minnesota (618.5) and Indiana (591) were the top finishers.
IOWA FINISHES 8-4 IN DUAL COMPETITION The Hawkeyes finished the 2014-15 dual season with eight victories. Iowa has won at least eight duals in each of the past four seasons.
NCAA “B” QUALIFIERS ARE EVERYWHERE Iowa has posted 12 NCAA “B” cuts during the 2015-16 season. Below is a rundown of the Hawkeyes’ performances: 50 Free: Emma Sougstad (22.63), Olivia Kabacinski (22.70) 100 Free: Olivia Kabacinski (49.97) 100 Back: Meghan Lavelle (54.14) 200 Back Meghan Lavelle (1:58.23) 100 Breast: Emma Sougstad (1:00.23), Shea Hoyt (1:02.33) 200 Breast: Emma Sougstad (2:12.95), Colleen Champa (2:15.13) 200 IM: Emma Sougstad (1:59.05) 100 Fly: Kelly McNamara (53.90) 200 Fly: Tereysa Lehnertz (1:59.22).
COLLEGESWIMMING.COM HONORS 2 HAWKEYES Junior Emma Sougstad and senior Olivia Kabacinski were honored as TeamUnify/CollegeSwimming.com Swimmers of the Week on Dec. 15. Sougstad was named the Division I Women’s Swimmer of the Week after finishing first in four events in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series victory at Iowa State. Kabacinski was tabbed as CollegeSwimming.com’s Big Ten Swimmer of the Week after helping two relays to victories against the Cyclones and finishing first in two individual events.
SOUGSTAD SWIMS TO 3 SCHOOL RECORDS Junior Emma Sougstad swam to three school records during the 2015 Hawkeye Invitational. The Forest City, Iowa, native was a member of the record-setting 400-free and 400-medley relays. Sougstad teamed with Olivia Kabacinski, Nikol Lagodzinska, and Carly O’Brien to set the 400-free relay record with a time of 3:20.58. In the medley, Sougstad swam the breaststroke leg, while teaming with Meghan Lavelle, Kelly McNamara, and Kabacinski. The quartet finished with a time of 3:38.62. Individually, Sougstad swam to the school’s top time in the 50 free, leading off the 200-free relay with a time of 22.63 seconds.
BYE-BYE BEYER POOL RECORDS The Hawkeyes swam to seven pool records in its sixth straight Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series victory over Iowa State on Dec. 11. The 200-medley relay consisting of Allie Orvis, Emma Sougstad, Kelly McNamara, and Olivia Kabacinski swam to a pool record of 1:40.29, Kabacinski also swam to a record in the 100 free (50.01), Sougstad set three records in the 100 breast (1:00.50), 200 breast (2:12.95), and 200 IM (2:01.39), and Tereysa Lehnertz had a top time in the 200-fly (1:59.22). The final record came in the 400-free relay when Meghan Lavelle, Jennifer Weigand, Carly O’Brien, and Kabacinski touched in 3:22.84.
B1G SWEEP The Hawkeyes swept the Big Ten Conference weekly honors Dec. 16 following its 198-101 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series victory at Iowa State. Junior Emma Sougstad was the Swimmer of the Week after swimming to four first place finishes and setting four pool records, sophomore Morgan Rafferty was the Diver of the Week after tallying a pair of top two finishes and posting two NCAA Zone Diving scores, and Abbey Schneider was the Freshman of the Week after winning the 500 and 1,000 freestyle events.
FLYING INTO THE SCHOOL RECORD Freshman Kelly McNamara has burst on to the scene in the butterfly events for the Hawkeyes. The Villa Park, Illinois, native has held the top time in the 100-fly all season. At the Hawkeye Invitational, McNamara shattered the 100-fly school record, finishing with a time of 53.90.
HOW FAST CAN SHE GO? Freshman Abbey Schneider got off to a strong start in her first season as a Hawkeye, leading the Hawkeyes in distance events. The Indiana native holds season-best times in the 1,000 (10:03.34) and 1,650 (16:48.14). She broke five minutes, swimming a time of 4:59.50 in the 500 free against Purdue on Nov. 6.
OFF TO A FAST START Senior Olivia Kabacinski has sprinted her way to the team’s top times in the 100 (50.15) and 200 free (1:48.14) this season. Kabacinski had a field day in the Dec. 6 Hawkeye Invitational, swimming to five first place finishes — four relays and one individual events. She also swam to a pair of runner-up finishes.
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).
PERFORMING ON THE PLATFORM Senior Calli Head posted a runner-up finish on the platform at the 2015 Hawkeye Invitational, diving to an NCAA Zone Diving standard of 270.00. Junior Lydia Lehnert also posted a NCAA Zone diving score of 256.90 during the meet. It was Iowa’s first platform competition of the 2015-16 season.
IOWA ADDS 7 FOR 2016-17 Iowa signed seven high school preps to National Letters of Intent for the 2016-17 season. The class consists of Amelia Armstong-Grant (Ypsilanti, Michigan), Hannah Burvill (Pyrford, Great Britain), Olivia Dopkiss (Rockford, Mich.), Allyssa Fluit (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), Meghan Hackett (Cedar Falls, Iowa), Amy Lenderink (Parker, Colo.), and Samantha Sauer (St. Charles, Ill.).
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 Hawkeye divers will be in action at the 2016 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships from March 7-9 in College Station, Texas.
Swimming news courtesy of Iowa Swimming & Diving.