Myhre brothers combine for success in Iowa’s pool
Brothers Joe and Will Myhre help each other be successful at the University of Iowa on and off of the pool deck.
Iowa’s Joe Myhre (JR) prepares to swim 50 freestyle during the second day of the 2019 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the CRWC on Thursday, February 28, 2019.
October 23, 2019
Senior Joe Myhre has certainly left his mark on the Iowa swimming and diving program as he qualified for the NCAA championships in multiple events, earned honorable mention All-American recognition, and posted top-10 all-time school records in two races.
So, it was no surprise when freshman Will Myhre decided to come to Iowa City and follow in his brother’s footsteps.
“[Having Joe here] played a huge factor,” Will said. “I look up to him so much, and he’s really put his name on this program and really established himself as a top guy, and he is a top guy, and I honor that in having him lead me to nothing but success.”
Joe gives Will advice on getting through the college swimming season by looking at the big picture for motivation.
“I try to give him as much advice as I can,” Joe said. “The biggest thing is just enjoying the process. It’s a very long season. I know when I was a freshman, I didn’t really grasp that right away. I think that the sooner I would’ve grasped that, it would’ve been a lot better. So, when times get rough, especially early on in the season, I kind of remind him that our goal is Big Tens at the end of the season and placing high there.”
Joe also helps Will with the academic transition to Iowa from St. Charles North High School in Illinois, where both brothers went to school.
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“I told [Will] that college classes are a lot different than high school’s and that there’s a lot of support out there, a lot more than we had at our high school, so I just tell him to take advantage of those while he can,” Joe said.
The two brothers push each other to swim at a higher level.
“In the pool, he pushes me, and that’s just normal,” Will said. “It’s what we’ve been doing for the past couple of years, and it always works. We like our results and we keep doing it.”
In high school, both Joe and Will were stars as they combined to earn 22 All-American selections, 11 school records, and over 18 IHSA state qualifications. Will was also the 2019 Illinois Swimmer of the Year among other impressive achievements.
Joe and Will each contributed to the Iowa men’s win over Michigan State in the first meet of the season. Both were part of the victorious 200-medley relay team; Joe helped capture a win in the 400-free relay, and Will won the 100-breast individually.
Head coach Marc Long has enjoyed watching the relationship between Joe and Will.
“They’re obviously very close,” Long said. “What a great experience to have your brother on the team like that. It’s our goal to get them to perform at the highest levels together. It’s just a really cool experience for both of them and for the program.”
It’s safe to say that the Myhre name will remain in the lore and record books of Iowa swimming for a very long time.
