Olivia Cook of the Rochester Orcas Swim Club gave her verbal commitment to swim with Iowa next fall, bringing talents in the backstroke, fly, and IMs.
In her best events, Cook is just off what it took to make C-finals at last year’s BIG 10 Championships, her closest event to making it being the 400 IM. Last year, it took a 4:27.60 to make the C-final and Cook swims a 4:28.50.
Although the 400 IM doesn’t seem to be her primary focus, it seems as though she could have a lot of potential success in it at Iowa. Last season Iowa didn’t have one swimmer qualify for a second swim in the 400 IM at the BIG 10 Championships meaning that there’s a spot open for an IM swimmer that Cook could fill.
Cook could also play an important role in the fly portion of the program. Her 100 fly is a 56.20 making it arguably her best event. It took a 54.16 to make the B-final at the BIG 10 Championships last year, a mark that is clearly achievable for Cook. She’s had a plateau in the event for about a year now, and the transition to college swimming could be what she needs to make that sort of a time drop.
Other than the 400 IM and 100 fly, Cook swims a pretty decent 100 backstroke holding her personal best at 58.71. Her 200 fly is a 2:07.08 and her 200 IM is a 2:07.10.
Cook clearly has talent in a wide range of events and is just on the cusp of being competitive in them at a collegiate level. With another year to train before she joins the team at Iowa, she should be even more prepared to step on the blocks as a Hawkeye come fall next season.