Iowa men’s swimming captures two wins
The Hawkeye swimming and diving teams took on Wisconsin and Northwestern over the weekend for Iowa’s Senior Day.
Iowa swimmer Devin Jacobs competes during the Northwestern/Wisconsin swim meet at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center on Saturday, January 19, 2019. The men’s swimming and diving team defeated the Badgers, 164-136, and the Wildcats, 194-106. The women’s swimming and diving team fell to the Badgers, 191-109, and the Wildcats, 178-122.
January 22, 2019
The Hawkeye men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams battled two Big Ten squads over the weekend at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center, hosting Northwestern and No. 24 Wisconsin on Jan. 19 for Senior Day.
It was a great day for the men’s team, capturing wins over Wisconsin (164-136) and Northwestern (194-106).
The Iowa women grabbed a couple of golds but fell short in points. The Hawkeye women fell to No. 12 Wisconsin (191-109), and Northwestern (178-122).
“It’s bittersweet that it [was] Senior Day,” senior Devin Jacobs said. “It was a really fun meet, so that kept the energy up, but it is hard going into the end of the season, like when we are all ending our careers.”
What really aided the Hawkeyes was their ability to put swimmers in positions that would help them capture a few golds and maintain dominance on the podium.
In freestyle, junior Hannah Burvill swam her way to a pair of victories in the 200 free (1:49.61) and the 50 free (23.40). She also finished second in both the 100 free (50.78) and as part of the 400-free relay.
Freshman Mateusz Arndt captured a victory in the 500 free (4:27.70) for the men. Arndt also finished third in the 1,000 free (9:25.03), right behind fellow Hawkeye freshman Andrew Fierke, who was runner-up (9:25.03).
Redshirt freshman Aleksey Tarasenko made his début with a win in the 100 free (44.71), while junior Joe Myhre was runner-up (44.89).
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Myhre was also a part of the Iowa men’s podium trifecta in the 50 free. Junior Will Scott (20.09), Myhre (20.21), and senior Jack Smith (20.54) swept the 50 free with a 1-2-3 finish. Those three also helped earn a first-place finish in both the 400-free relay (2:57.41) and 200 medley relay (1:29.77).
Junior Michael Tenney captured two individual wins in the 200 free (1:37.48) and 200 fly (1:48.43). He also placed second in the 100 fly with a time of 48.72.
On the women’s side, sophomore Kelsey Drake finished the meet with a pair of second-place finishes in the 200 fly (1:59.73) and the 100 fly (54.81). Senior Kelly McNamara finished right after Drake in the 100 fly, earning third place (54.98).
Sophomore Daniel Swanepoel took home second in the 200 breaststroke (2:02.98). Freshman Anze Fers Erzen also earned a second-place finish in the 200 individual medley (1:51.35).
Senior Kenneth Mende finished second in the 100 backstroke (49.13) and placed third in the 200 back (1:46.66).
“I think we’re feeling good overall,” Mende said. “I don’t know if we were expecting to win over Wisconsin, so it feels really good. We feel like we are at a really good place. Personally, I feel really good … Getting down to the details is very important. We have built the base by now, so now it’s just start, turns, and finishes that are the last details left.”
In diving, senior Will Brenner dominated the scoreboards on the springboard, earning a first place in both the 1-meter (362.45) and 3-meter (374.95). On the women’s side, sophomore Jayah Mathews and freshman Sam Tamborksi earned second and third, respectively, on both the 3-meter and 1-meter.
Iowa’s real challenge setting it up for the championship season is its meet this weekend: the Shamrock Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, beginning Friday.
“The next [meet] we go on the road [and] it is a real gut-buster,” head coach Marc Long said. “We squeeze basically an entire championship season into a three-session, two-day format, so fewer than two days. We just get a chance to swim everything, and gritty racing is what needs to happen to come out of there with great performances.”
