Women’s swim/dive excited to face off with Cyclones

Women’s swim/dive will travel to Ames to take on Iowa State tonight as part of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.

Iowa+swimmer+Kelsey+Drake+swims+the+100m+butterfly+during+a+swim+meet+against+the+University+of+Northern+Iowa+and+Western+Illinois+University+on+Friday%2C+Feb.+1%2C+2019.+

David Harmantas

Iowa swimmer Kelsey Drake swims the 100m butterfly during a swim meet against the University of Northern Iowa and Western Illinois University on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.

Chris Werner, Sports Reporter

A week after Iowa’s fastest meet of the season at the Minnesota Invitational, the women’s swimming and diving team hopes to continue the momentum.

The Hawkeyes will see Iowa State in the annual Cy-Hawk meet Friday night. The 45th meet between the rivals will begin at 6 p.m. at Beyer Natatorium.

“From the start of the year, we’ve been talking about racing Iowa State,” freshman Millie Sansome said. “This is their meet, they’re tapered for this, they’re suited, we’re suiting up. It’s going to be fast, so I’m looking forward to it.”

The Hawkeye and Cyclone women’s teams come into the contest with identical 3-2 dual meet records.

Both Iowa and Iowa State have faced off with Rutgers in dual meets this season. On Nov. 8, Iowa defeated the Scarlett Knights handily, 199-100. Iowa State fell to Rutgers, 166-134, the next day.

Iowa has also beaten Michigan State and Northern Iowa but has fallen in head-to-heads against Michigan and Minnesota.

Related: Iowa swimming and diving breaks records at Minnesota Invitational

Iowa State has wins over Omaha, St. Catherine University, and South Dakota. Its other defeat came at the hands of Nebraska in nail-biting fashion, 151-149.

A victory tonight would secure Iowa’s 10th straight Cy-Hawk swimming and diving win. The Hawkeyes’ last loss to Iowa State was back in 2009. Last season, the Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State 162-138 in Iowa City.

Sansome, junior Kelsey Drake, and senior Hannah Burvill all set new school-records last week in Minneapolis and are excited to get into the water again for the rivalry meet.

“I’m looking forward to racing Iowa State, because we get to suit up again, and moving off of last week, we have the confidence to do well again,” Burvill said.

Last week, the women finished seventh overall in a field that featured powerhouses like California, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, and host Minnesota. All of those teams were ranked in the TYR Top 25 Dual Meet poll as of Dec. 11. California, Michigan, and Texas were all inside the poll’s top ten.

“[In that meet] you’re racing people, and in the finals, you’re hearing ‘And this is now the fastest time in the country this year.’ It was so fast,” Sansome said. “So, to be in those heats where your racing that sort of level, you’re like ‘Well, this is the best it can get.’

California Senior Abbey Weitzeil swam the year’s first sub-21 50-free, finishing in 20.90 seconds. Weitzeil’s time is the fastest 50-yard women’s time ever, according to SwimmingWorld.com.

A victory in the pool tonight would put Iowa ahead 11-6 in the year-long Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The series began at the start of the 2004 school year. Each head-to-head win counts for two points and football counts for three. Iowa has won the women’s soccer, football, wrestling, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball contests this year.

Iowa State does not have a men’s swimming and diving program.

Next for the Hawkeyes, divers Anton Hoherz and Sam Tamborski will compete in the 2019 USA Diving Senior National Championships from Dec. 15-22 in Minneapolis.

The full teams won’t be back in the pool for competition until 2020.