The Iowa women’s swim and dive team made waves at the Hawkeye Invitational over the weekend, delivering a strong performance with record-breaking events and personal bests.
On the opening day, the Hawkeyes established their presence, racking up 229 points after the first six events. Iowa head coach Nathan Mundt was quick to hail his team’s impressive start and their commitment to high standards throughout the season.
“It was an excellent start for our team to come out and expect to perform well on the first day,” said Mundt. “That’s the standard they’ve been setting all season, and to come into our home pool and continue to raise the bar even more was a lot of fun.”
Freshman Jenna Kerr kickstarted the Hawkeye’s record-breaking spree, claiming the eighth-fastest 500 free with a time of 4:48.63. The momentum continued as three Hawkeyes, Olivia Swalley, Scarlet Martin, and Kennedy Gilbertson, broke their all-time records in the 200-individual medley and 50-free, securing top spots in Iowa’s record books.
The relay team of Gilbertson, Kerr, Swalley, and Martin also etched their names into the record books in both the 200-free relay (1:31.46) and the 400-medley relay (3:38.28), ranking sixth and seventh, respectively.
Moving into day two, the Hawkeyes extended their lead to 517 points after 14 events. Mundt emphasized the importance of grit and understanding individual contributions in a longer meet like this one.
“You have to be gritty, especially when it comes to day three,” noted Mundt. “You really have to understand what you have to do to perform on the last day.”
The team added four more top-10 performances, including a fifth all-time 200-medley relay (7:21.21) by Gilbertson, Swalley, Martin, and Kerr. Swalley’s standout performance continued with the third-fastest 400-individual medley in the preliminaries and a second all-time ranking in the finals (4:14.72). Kerr made her mark in the 200-free, securing the eighth all-time position with a time of 1:48.86.
Iowa’s divers excelled in the finals, with senior Sarah Ballard achieving a career-best score of 319.55, securing second place. Freshman Simone Beinlich also impressed, finishing fourth with a season-best score of 291.80.
The Hawkeyes concluded the invitational in second place with 712 points, following closely behind Nebraska with 784. Despite the second-place finish, Mundt expressed his satisfaction with the team effort and growth witnessed over the three days.
“Overall, I was really impressed by our team effort, top to bottom,” said Mundt. “We have learned so much about our team at this midway point of the season.”
Day three added five more top-10 rankings to Iowa’s collection, with Jenna Kerr contributing significantly with her 10th all-time 1650-free time of 16:46.86. Swalley continued to shine, achieving the fourth-best performance in program history in the 200-breaststroke (2:12.92), her second NCAA “B” cut time of the weekend.“B” standards are calculated using a three-year average of the top 125 times.
The Hawkeyes closed the event on a high note with the 400-free relay, featuring Sabina Kupcova, Kerr, Swalley, and Martin, posting the ninth-fastest time in program history at 3:20.47. Over the three days, the Hawkeyes amassed 15 top-10 all-time ranks, with Swalley contributing to eight and Martin to six.
Looking ahead, Mundt expressed excitement for the upcoming Cy-Hawk dual against Iowa State on Dec. 8. He urged his team to maintain focus and positivity, carrying the momentum from the Hawkeye Invitational into what promises to be a highly competitive meet.
