Iowa sophomore Tereysa Lehnertz competed in the Pan American games for Puerto Rico over the summer

By Jake Mosbach
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Tereysa Lehnertz began the 2015-16 season with the Iowa swimming and diving team shortly removed from some of the most important races she has swum in her career.

Lehnertz, a sophomore from Iowa City, competed for the Puerto Rican National Team in the 2015 Pan American Games, held in Toronto. The games are held every four years, taking place the year before the Summer Olympics. This year’s games were held from July 10-26.

Advancing to the “B” finals in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, Lehnertz finished sixth and fourth.

She competes in the butterfly, freestyle, and individual medley events for Iowa head coach Marc Long’s team. Last season as a freshman, she was a letter-winner, posting 35 top-five finishes. She was also part of the school record-setting 400-medley relay.

She said that through rigorous qualification, she earned the right to compete for a Pan America title.

“I swam in a meet in Puerto Rico in April, and I had ‘A’ cuts and ‘B’ cuts that I had to pass to make the team,” Lehnertz said. “If you pass the ‘B’ cut, the coaches begin to take you in to consideration. If you pass the ‘A’ cut, then you’re on the team. I was fortunate enough to pass both cuts.”

The West High graduate said she was used to competing on small stages such as high school gyms and even in smaller tournaments in Puerto Rico when she was younger.

When she got to Toronto for the Pan Ams, the magnitude of the event almost overwhelmed her.

“I didn’t realize how big of a deal they were until I got to Canada … it was pretty crazy,” Lehnertz said. “I swam for Puerto Rico when I was 12, but it was completely different. It was much smaller. This time, I was kind of expecting the same feeling. But when I got there, there was so much hype.”

Nerves have always been a problem for Lehnertz. She said they are the biggest part of the sport that she doesn’t have a handle on.

The Pan Ams, while giving her excellent international experience, also helped Lehnertz work out the nerves ahead of the Hawkeyes’ season.

“The games really did give me newfound confidence, and they took away a few nervous thoughts I had,” Lehnertz said. “I feel like they helped me race harder and train harder all throughout the summer. Now, I feel like I can make it through a lot more.”

Long noted the importance of Lehenrtz’s Pan Am experience, because any off-season work put in by the swimmers will benefit the program.

“Anything they can do, especially when it’s at the national or international level like Tereysa, is going to be beneficial,” he said. “For [Lehnertz], you could just see that the confidence had grown when she came back from the Games.”

The off-season training appeared to work for the women’s swimming and diving team; the Hawks pounded Illinois-Chicago in their first meet of the season on Sept. 25-26, swimming to a 146-72 victory.

Next summer, the Hawkeyes hope to have more international representation; they’ll attempt to send two potential Olympians to the Olympic trials in Omaha.

“This is a big year … we currently have one male and two female athletes [divers Lydia Lehnert and Callie Head] who are qualified for the Olympic trials,” Iowa diving coach Todd Waikel said.

Lehnertz knows firsthand just how much that international experience can help.

“I have a ton of new trust in my coaches now,” she said. “I feel more comfortable with my training … it really gave me so much more confidence for this season.”

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