Hawkeye swimming and diving looks for another Cy-Hawk victory
The Cy-Hawk series continues as the Iowa women’s swimming and diving team takes on Iowa State today.
Amy Lenderink competes in the women’s 200 meter breaststroke during the Hawkeye Invitational Swimming and Diving Meet on Saturday, November 17, 2018. Fifteen university swimming and diving teams competed at this event.
December 6, 2018
The Iowa women’s swimming and diving team will host Iowa State today at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center for another Cy-Hawk Series matchup.
The Hawkeyes have dominated the Cyclones in the recent meetings — they have won the last eight meetings between the two. The last time Iowa State claimed a victory was in 2009, 166-133 in Ames. Last season, Iowa beat Iowa State in 12 of 16 events, outscoring the Cyclones, 172.5-127.5.
This year should be no different from the last few for the Hawkeyes — the Iowa women have put up some strong performances, and they hope to continue.
“We are all really excited just because we are all feeling really strong with the strong performances we have had over the past few meets,” junior Hannah Burvill said. “Going against Iowa State, we are feeling really confident to just get up and race again. We just want to get in there and race as hard as we can.”
If Iowa performs to its abilities, it should have no problem swimming away with the victory. The Hawkeye women look solid in both the swimming and diving events.
Burvill has been swimming lights out all season. She currently has NCAA “B” qualifying times in three events: the 50, the 200, and the 500 free. During the Hawkeye Invitational, she broke the 50-free school record not once but twice (22.62 and 22.55).
RELATED: Hawkeyes swim toward NCAA qualification
Sophomore Kelsey Drake has also swum some great times for this early in the season. She swam a school record, career best, and an NCAA “B” qualifying time at the Hawkeye Invitational in the 100 fly (53.12). She took 0.38 seconds off her best time to beat the record.
Three divers have posted NCAA Zone Diving Standard scores this season.
Sophomore Jayah Mathews and freshman Sam Tamborski have posted qualifying scores in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. Mathews won both the 1-meter (315.75) and 3-meter (335.10) at the Hawkeye Invitational, good enough to earn her qualifying scores and Big Ten Diver of the Week. Tamborski earned a qualifying score of 308 at the Hawkeye Invitational, good enough for third place.
Junior Thelma Strandberg had terrific dive on the platform on Day 3 of the Hawkeye Invitational (254.70). The career-best score was not only good enough to qualify her for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships but also ranks her 12th in the nation in women’s platform diving.
The matchup for Iowa should give the women one final chance before winter training to top their best performances. The performance-based goals for the Hawkeyes this meet seem to be set individually, but they do have some simpler goals they are trying to achieve.
“We just want to beat them,” sophomore Lexi Horner said. “We just want to get closer as a team and be more supportive of each other. We have been working on cheering people on all the time and being more of a team.”
The meet will begin at 6 p.m. at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
