The Hawkeye swimming and diving teams beat Illinois-Chicago
By Blake Dowson and Jake Mosbach
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The Iowa men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both opened up competition with wins this past weekend, taking on Illinois-Chicago.
On the men’s side Iowa swam laps around the Flames, winning by a score of 155-57. The Hawkeyes swept every event.
Iowa claimed the top four spots in the 200-medley relay. The winning team of sophomore Colter Allen, senior Tyler Nichols, senior Jackson Allen, and freshman Matt Kamin finished in 1:33.91.
In the 200 freestyle Iowa boasted the top three finishers, with junior Jackson Halsmer winning in a time of 1:42.60.
Iowa again placed the top three in the 50 freestyle. Freshman Jack Smith touched the wall first in 21.13.
The Hawkeyes placed four in the top five in the 100-individual medley, with senior Roman Trussov taking the title in 52.36.
Allen outswam the field in the 100 butterfly, winning in 50.30.
The next men’s event was the 100 freestyle, with junior Brandon Farnum touching the wall in 46.75.
Senior Matt Boyd won the 100 backstroke in a time of 51.90.
Sophomore Logan Samuelson earned the top spot in the 500 freestyle, winning with a time of 4:43.29.
In the 100 breaststroke, the winner was senior Michael Nelson in a time of 58.48.
The Hawkeyes also swept the diving events, taking the top two spots in both the 1- and 3-meter events.
The strong showing by the Hawkeyes is a good sign for things to come for the young squad.
Their dominant performance against Illinois-Chicago is a good first step toward realizing their ultimate goals this season.
The Hawkeye women opened held their own against the Flames as well, dominating from start to finish. The Hawkeyes grabbed the victory 146-72.
There were numerous stout individual performance that sparked the Hawkeye victory.
A pair of freshmen shone in the season-opening meet. Katie Wells earned two individual titles, winning the 100 back and the 100 breast. Wells also helped the team win the 200-freestyle relay.
Freshman Kelly McNamara placed first in the 100 fly to add to the Hawkeye lead.
The wins kept on coming for head coach Marc Long’s squad, as sophomore Tereysa Lehnertz took first in the 50 freestyle. Junior Taylor Flummerfelt scored a win for the team in the 100 freestyle.
When it came to diving, there was no shortage of wins for UI, either. Sophomore Morgan Rafferty and senior Samantha Wagner combined to win the 1-meter competition to seal the win for the Hawkeyes.
On Sept. 23, Long said that the weekend’s competition would prove to be a great early test for his talented squad, and it appears that the Hawks stood up to the challenge.
The Hawkeye swimming and diving teams will return to action on Oct. 9 as they compete in an intrasquad meet at home. As usual, the home meet will be held at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. It will get underway at approximately 6 p.m.
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