The Iowa women’s swimming and diving team will host Michigan State and Northern Iowa today in the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center pool. The meet is slated to start at 4 p.m., and the team wants to pick up its first Big Ten victory of the season.

The Black and Gold looked very sharp in the intrasquad meet Oct. 11, and the Hawkeyes hope to build on that strong showing today.

Iowa won last year’s meet against the Spartans in resounding fashion, a 182-117 beatdown that featured the Black and Gold winning 12 events and Olivia Kabacinski breaking a pool record.

Several other Hawkeyes, including seniors Karolina Wartalowicz and Lindsay Seemann as well as junior Becky Stoughton, are all looking for big days as well. All three swimmers had excellent outings in last year’s meet against the Spartans. Freshman Emma Sougstad also will seek to continue her excellent run so far this season.

The Hawks hope to replicate their success of last year against a young Michigan State team that features seven freshmen. This is Spartans’ first Big Ten meet of the year, with their only other competition being an intrasquad meet very similar to Iowa’s on Oct. 11.

Northern Iowa also brings in a young team, with eight freshmen. Iowa will be the most experienced team at this meet and will try to use that as an advantage.

Today’s meet will be the second time this season that Iowa has faced Big Ten competition, the other being a defeat at the hands of Michigan. It will also be the first time Iowa has faced another team from Iowa this season; it will take on Iowa State on Dec. 13 in Ames.

Iowa’s next meet will be against Minnesota on Nov. 1.

— by Jordan Hansen