With four-straight Big Ten titles to its credit, Minnesota figures to be a tough match up for the Hawkeyes.
The women’s swimming and diving team will host the Gophers in the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium. The action is set to begin at 5 p.m.
Head coach Marc Long’s squad is coming off of a double dual win against Michigan State and Northern Iowa on Oct. 16, bringing their 2015-16 record to 3-0.
The Golden Gophers will no doubt present the toughest challenge of the season thus far for the Hawks, heading to Iowa City ranked No. 17 in the country.
Long knows just how tough of a battle awaits the Hawkeyes, but he said they’re up for the challenge.
“We’re excited to host them,” said Long. “There’s no need for any extra motivation. They’re ready to go.”
Minnesota pushed the Hawks around the past few years on its way to conference domination, but Long believes that individual performances will be the key to scoring the upset.
“Minnesota is good top to bottom, and they’ve got an expectation to keep their Big Ten streak going,” Long said. “Our success needs to be more on an individual level rather than the meet as a whole.”
After having nearly two weeks since their last competitive action, the team is certainly hungry to attack early and not let up.
Senior Olivia Kabacinski said the break provided the swimmers with a chance to regroup and focus on what it will take to beat Minnesota.
“The break is a time when we can focus on getting our endurance where it needs to be,” Kabacinski said. “It’s a time when we can look at our next opponent and scout them a little bit to see how we can best match up against them.”
“The past couple weeks have been a good time get mentally focused again,” senior Allie Orvis said. “We’ve taken it a little easier in the weight room and in the pool, just preparing for these tough Big Ten meets.”
The 3-0 start for the Hawks is certainly welcome, but they know that this is no time to lose sight of the team’s ultimate goals: to score points in the Big Ten championships and get swimmers to the NCAAs.
Long said that over the break, he reminded the Hawks that they haven’t accomplished anything yet and that the true tests are yet to come.
And those tests begin tonight with the Gophers.
“They know what’s coming in here,” said Long. “The Gopers are the favorites coming in, and it’s been a pretty lopsided affair with them in recent years … we have a lot of work to do to compete with them as a team.”
Long said it’s now up to his athletes to do what they need to do to come away with the win.
“We want to be competitive against them,” he said. “We need people to step up and do what they can to get the win in each event.”
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