Coming off an exciting weekend at the Hawkeye Invitational, the Iowa women’s swimming and diving team will welcome Iowa State to the pool at 6 p.m. today.

“Another emotional meet coming up, but we are ready for it,” head coach Marc Long said. “It’s another challenge for us.”

Iowa State enters the clash with a 5-1 dual meet record. The Hawkeyes have taken eight of 10 against the Cyclones, including the most recent four duals.

This season, Iowa State leads the Cy-Hawk series 11-2. The Hawkeyes still have the opportunity to get ahead in the series if they win six of the next seven events. A win in the pool is the first step in that quest.

However, both teams are competing at a high level coming into the matchup, and the Hawkeyes couldn’t be better prepared after coming off a record-breaking meet Dec. 6.

“We just have to keep working hard to get those A cuts,” sophomore Emma Sougstad said after earning two NCAA B cuts this past weekend. “We have to remember to keep a blank mind and just race.”

There is room to celebrate from the memorable meet this past weekend — but not too much. The Hawkeyes don’t plan for the short turnaround to interrupt their energy they built up during the invitational.

“This weekend was a great indicator of what is to come,” Long said. “There was great energy, and as you are trying to build these teams together, this is the environment that you want to swim in.”

The meet’s excitement will be enhanced by a “friendly” competition between Iowa wrestling coaches and brothers Tom and Terry Brands. They will race in a 50 freestyle during the intermission.

“Neither one of us has been training for it,” Tom Brands said. “It is going to be a cold-turkey race. If you have ever seen us swim, you know it’s going to be comedy; there’s going to be a lot of splashing but no speed.”

These two former world champions will test their swimming abilities during what should be one of the most intense dual meets held at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center so far this season.

Despite some of the inexperienced Hawkeyes taking the water this weekend, the talented Iowa swimmers remain focused in the fight to win bragging rights.

“It is a part of the excitement of the meet,” Long said. “That meet is so exciting anyway between our two schools, and then to add that kind of energy will make it a fun meet to go to.”

Cody Goodwin contributed to the reporting for this story.

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