The regular season is over, and the Iowa men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are buckling down for the upcoming championship season, which includes the Big Ten meet on Feb. 24-27 and the NCAA meet March 24-27. The diving zones will begin March 8.
The Iowa men’s team heads into championship season boasting six dual-meet victories and has some momentum after trouncing Western Illinois in its final tune-up of the regular season.
“Even though the regular season is over, it’s still a really important time of the year for us,” junior Jackson Halsmer said. “These couple weeks before championship season is a chance to really rest up and relax and focus on the smaller details in practice. These couple weeks are all about resting up to swim fast.”
The Hawkeye men have a solid core group of swimmers on the roster with Big Ten and NCAA experience under their belts.
Senior Roman Trussov competed at the NCAAs last year in the 100 breaststroke and finished 24th in the nation.
Trussov, along with sophomore Jerzy Twarowski and Halsmer, also competed in the 200-medley relay at the NCAA Championships in 2015, placing 18th.
However, the Hawkeyes also have a few key contributors who have not had championship experience.
Freshman Jack Smith has been one of the best freestylers for Iowa this season, and he is set to take on his first Big Ten Championship. Redshirt freshman Kenneth Mende has posted the team’s top times in the 100 and 200 backstroke. He will also compete in the NCAAs for the first time.
Senior Charles Holliday, who is heading into his final championship season with the Hawkeyes, said the mix of rookies and veterans has grown together well.
“I can see that our team has shown incredible growth over the past few months,” he said. “With every passing meet, the guys have raced with more and more confidence. We’ve developed a great competitive attitude that will serve us well at Big Tens.”
The Iowa women picked up eight dual wins and head into championship season with the same momentum as the men after beating Western Illinois, 147-71.
Junior Emma Sougstad is the lone swimmer on the roster with NCAA experience heading into championship season.
Sougstad competed in the 200 breaststroke at the NCAAs in 2015, placing 29th overall and breaking an Iowa record in the process.
“I am happy with where the team is sitting going into Big Tens,” Sougstad said. “This is the fun part is to remember all the hard work over the past six months and let the performance come out.”
One of the best things about this time of the year is sending the seniors on the team out on the right note. For many, this will be the last time the athletes swim competitively in their careers.