Iowa women’s swim and dive splits up, competes in two events
The Hawkeyes will split up to compete in their first invitationals in two seasons.
Iowa’s Aleksandra Olesiak competes in the 200 Breaststroke during a swim meet at the CRWC between Iowa and Rutgers on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. Olesiak finished first with a time of 2:18.85.
November 18, 2021
Iowa women’s swim and dive will split up this week to compete in two events.
Hawkeye divers will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete in the Georgia Tech Diving Invitational. Meanwhile, the swimmers will head to Miami, Florida, for the Miami Invitational.
Both events begin on Nov. 18 and run through Nov. 20.
The Hawkeyes currently hold an 0-3 overall and 0-2 Big Ten record. Iowa’s last meet was Oct. 23, when the Hawkeyes were defeated by Nebraska, 193-59, in Lincoln.
Despite the winless record, the shorthanded Hawkeyes look to impress with individual performances at their first invitational since the 2019-20 season.
Junior swimmer Aleksandra Olesiak from Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be competing in her first swim invitational since her freshman year.
After having over a month off from any scheduled meets, Olesiak has taken time to focus on her physical health — including her diet and performance in the pool.
“I make sure to eat healthy, stay focused at practices, continue to focus on small details, and improve my endurance,” Olesiak said. “Just getting into a mentally prepared state to compete against really fast girls.”
The Hawkeyes couldn’t compete in any invitationals in the 2020-21 season because of COVID-19. Olesiak expressed the importance of these events as the Hawkeyes get deeper into the season.
“It’s really important, because it allows me and the team a chance to compete up against other girls and great competition to see if we can get ready, physically and mentally, prepared for Big Ten,” Olesiak said.
Olesiak added that her approach doesn’t change from head-to-head meets to invitationals, despite the limited number of swimmers on the roster.
“I mean, both during dual meets and invitationals, I try to keep my mindset positive as much as possible,” Olesiak said. “Just go out there, compete as much as I can in the pool.”
The Miami and Georgia Tech Invitationals are the last the Hawkeyes will participate in this season. Iowa’s next meet that will feature more than two teams is the Big Ten Championships, which will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, Feb. 16-19.