By Michael McCurdy
The Iowa men’s swimming and diving team traveled to Minneapolis on Oct. 28 for a dual meet against a talented Minnesota squad, and the Hawkeyes came away in defeat.
Minnesota won the match by a score of 185.5-113.5, a wide margin to say the least.
The Gophers had a stranglehold on the score for most of the meet, and the outcome was hardly in question, but there were some areas where the Hawkeyes shone.
The 200-medley relay for Iowa, which had so much success last season, opened up the meet victorious with a time of 1:30:68. Sophomore Kenneth Mende helped the relay team with a fast start, and he was followed by freshman Isaak Webb and junior standout Jerzy Twarowski. Then, sophomore anchor Jack Smith secured the victory for the Hawkeyes in one of the brighter spots of the night.
In the 100 backstroke, Iowa was able to place 2-3-4 and was led by Mende with a time of 49.14. Right behind Mende were freshman Forrest White and Steve Fiolic with times of 50.28 and 50.87.
As the short races winded down, Twarowski was able to help the Hawkeyes improve their overall point total with two great races in the 100 and 200 fly. He received second place in both races with times of 49.11 and 1:49.85.
Overall, the swimmers who were expected to perform well did just that for the Hawkeyes. Mende and Twarowski were able to execute in their individual races and the highly respected 200-medley relay team reminded people why the quartet is a force to be reckoned with.
As for the diving team, the Hawkeyes were to no surprise led by the tremendous performance of sophomore Will Brenner. He was runner-up on the 3-meter dive, achieving an NCAA Zone standard and career best 353.70. His 3-meter score also happens to be the seventh best in program history, a good mark for a second-year athlete.
For the 1-meter dive, senior Brandis Heffner placed second, while Brenner was right behind, snatching third place. Heffner dove for his career best 350.93, while Brenner penciled in a 321.83.
The Hawkeyes did not get the win against the Gophers, but they performed well in areas that can only create confidence for the future of the season and program.
Iowa will compete at home this weekend in its first meet again competition other than itself.
Follow @MMccurd for more updates on the Iowa men’s swimming and diving team.