It couldn’t have been a more successful home-opener for the Iowa women’s swimming and diving team.

The AquaHawks dominated their opponents in the Field House this past weekend, taking first in 24 of the 32 events.

The squad defeated Michigan State as well as Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Oct. 23 in its first double-dual meet of the year. The team then woke up the following morning and defeated Missouri State, 188-112.

The three victories improved Iowa’s record to 4-1 on the year.

The style of meet is something Iowa head coach Marc Long said is necessary in order to prepare for both the Big Ten championships and the peak parts of the season yet to come.

“We need the experience to do that, and we stepped up and raced well,” he said. “We’re happy with where we are at, but it’s only October. We’re looking toward February and March.”

The AquaHawks had a grocery list of successful races, with many of Iowa’s veteran swimmers finishing first in numerous events over the weekend.

Seniors Christine Kuczek and Julie Feingold scored numerous first-place finishes: Kuczek tallied four, and Feingold had three.

While extremely happy with her individual performance and the team’s performance, Kuczek said there is always room for improvement.

“[These wins] give us some good confidence,” she said. “We came in and defended our pool in our last year in the Field House. That’s one of our goals for this year.”

Sophomore Daniela Cubelic swept the backstroke events, also taking first in four races.

Other swimmers with numerous individual wins included juniors Verity Hicks and Kelsie Neubauer.

The relay teams also swept their events, taking first in all four relay races.

The 200 relay team is made up of junior Katarina Tour, sophomores Danielle Carty and Daniela Cubelic, and redshirt freshman Grace Borchers. Cubelic and Carty are also members of the 400 relay team.

Some of Iowa’s less-experienced swimmers also scored well over the weekend. Freshman Lauren Eytalis managed a first-place finish and a pair of third-place finishes, and diver Mary Sue LeMay scored a second-place finish in one-meter diving.

“The team did really well, both [Friday] and [Saturday],” Hicks said. “I think being able to step up after such a long meet on [Oct. 23] shows that we’re really tougher than we think. It’s really positive for the team.”

Iowa’s next meet will also be at home against Minnesota on Nov. 6.

This being the home-opening weekend, the AquaHawks placed much of its focus on defending their home water. It is the 83rd and final season of swimming at the Field House, and although the pool is antiquated to say the least, the Iowa swimmers want to leave the pool on a good note.

“This is our home, and we love it,” Feingold said. “It’s old school, and when we swim at home, we always bring it.”