A group of Iowa swimmers will compete at the U.S. Open Championships at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif., beginning today and running through Saturday.
Fourteen Hawkeyes will compete in a field comprising American and international athletes. The competition will take place in an Olympic-sized pool, and it will feature club swim teams.
“It is exciting to take the Hawkeyes to one of the premier swimming competitions in the world,” Iowa swimming coach Marc Long said in a release. “It is a continued expectations that our athletes compete at the highest levels. We’re looking forward to outstanding racing this week.”
Ten members from the men’s team will compete at the event. Seniors Manuel Belzer, Tyler Lentz, Andrew Marciniak and Dustin Rhoads will all be the oldest members. Juniors Grant Betulius and Brain Donatelli join them, along with sophomores Matthew Boyd, Mike Nelson, Quillan Oak, and Andrew Parker.
The women’s team features the other four Hawkeyes. Junior Becky Stoughton and sophomore Olivia Kabacinski will join seniors Emily Hovren and Karolina Wartalowicz.
For Betulius, Nelson, and Hovren, the U.S. Open Championships will be the second national event of the summer. The three all swam at the 2013 Phillips 66 National Championships last month in Indianapolis. Betulius and Nelson both advanced to the finals, finishing 16th in the 50-meter backstroke and 13th in the 50-meter breaststroke, respectively.
Edwards selected to Hall of Fame
Michelle Edwards, a former All-American for the Iowa women’s basketball team, was recently selected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Edwards joins the Class of 2014 — Lin Dunn (coach), Mimi Griffin (contributor), Yolanda Griffith (player), Jasmina Perazic (player), and Charlotte West (contributor) — which is the Hall’s 16th group of inductees.
Edwards is one of the most decorated players in Iowa women’s basketball history. The 5-9 guard amassed a career record of 102-22 from 1984-88. Edwards earned the nickname “Ice” and led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA Tournament appearances and two Big Ten titles.
The three-time first team All-Big Ten selection is the only Hawkeye to have her jersey retired (No. 30). Edwards still ranks high in several Iowa statistical categories, including second in career assists (431), fourth in career scoring (1,821), and third in career steals (235).
Edwards was named the Champion Products National Player of the Year in 1988. It is the highest honor in women’s college basketball.
The Class of 2014 will be formally inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 14, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Brickman joins Iowa baseball coaching staff
Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller announced on Monday that Scott Brickman has been named the interim pitching coach for the Iowa baseball program. Brickman joins the Hawkeyes after serving as the head coach at Belmont Abbey University (Division II) for the last four years.
“Scott will be a great fit for our program and the University of Iowa,” Heller said in a release. “He is an excellent pitching coach, tremendous recruiter, and wonderful person. I know our players will enjoy working with him.”
Brickman led the Crusaders to a 104-82 record in four years, including a 2012 Conference Carolinas Western Division Championship and a pair of top-25 national rankings – the first in school history. He leaves Belmont Abbey with the best winning percentage in the program’s 22-year history.
Brickman and Heller have a history of working together. The two teamed up at Northern Iowa for two seasons, where Brickman coached five pitchers who were drafted or signed by Major League Baseball organizations.
“There are very few jobs that I would have left Belmont Abbey for, and this is one of them,” Brickman said in a separate release. “… This was a very difficult decision, but my wife and I felt like it was the best thing for us to do professionally at this time and to be near our families in the Midwest.”
