Feb. 27, 2006
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THIS WEEK — The Iowa men and women’s swimming team will be hosting the Iowa Senior Championships Friday through Sunday at the Fieldhouse Pool. Prelims will start at 9:30 all three days, with finals starting at 5:30 on Friday and Saturday, and 5:00 on Sunday.
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS — The following are the scheduled events for this weekends Iowa Senior Championships:
FRIDAY:
400 IM
100 Breast
200 Free
100 Fly
1,000 Free
800 Free Relay
Saturday:
200 IM
50 Free
200 Breast
100 Back
200 Free Relay
500 Free
Sunday:
200 Back
100 Free
200 Fly
200 Medley Relay
1,650 Free
400 Free Relay
LAST COMPETITION — The men and women’s swimming teams last competed at the Big Ten Championships. The women’s were held at Ohio State, February 15-18, and Iowa finished tenth with 163.5 points. The men’s were held at Indiana, February 23-25, and Iowa finished ninth with 127 points.
Senior diver Nancilea Underwood placed second in the one-meter with a collegiate-best 322.75 and was named second team all-Big Ten. The 200 freestyle relay team of Mindy Schulte, Katie Martin, Chelsea Hoff and Karen Kelly earned a NCAA `B’ time of 1:33.46. Senior Kelly Werner placed fourth in the 100 backstroke and earned a NCAA `B’ time of 55.53. Werner also earned a NCAA `B’ time and a seventh place finish in the 200 backstroke with 2:00.74. Katie Martin earned a NCAA `B’ time in the 100 freestyle with 50.93. The team of Martin, Werner, Robin Samples and Karen Kelly earned a NCAA `B’ time in the 400 freestyle relay with a 3:24.51.
Sophomore Dragos Agache set a new school record and earned a NCAA `B’ time of 53.94, while placing fourth, in the 100 breaststroke. The 200 medley relay team of Andrej Lenert, Agache, Nathan Keeling and Seth Tweedy placed seventh with 6:41.78. On day three of the Championhsips, Agache earned another NCAA `B’ time in the 200 breaststroke with 2:00.31.
HEAD COACH Marc Long — Marc Long is in his second season as head coach for the University of Iowa women and first for the men. He served two seasons as the Iowa women’s assistant coach (2003-04) before taking over. He also served as a Hawkeye men’s assistant from 1998-2001.
DIVING COACH Bob Rydze — Bob Rydze is in his 31st year as diving coach of the men and women’s teams at the University of Iowa. He is dean of Big Ten swimming and diving coaches. During his tenure with the Hawkeyes, Rydze has coached 29 all-Americans, nine Big Ten and one NCAA Champion.
FIELDHOUSE POOL — Iowa’s Fieldhouse Pool was built in 1927 and was, at the time, the world’s largest indoor swimming pool. In 1979, the pool underwent a $400,000 renovation. Diving platforms were added in 1980. The pool is 150 feet long and 60 feet wide, with eight lanes. Diving facilities include a pair of one and three meter springboards, plus five and ten meter platforms.
IOWA SWIMMING HISTORY AND TRADITION — Iowa was one of the first schools in the nation to compete on a collegiate level and competed at the first NCAA Championship. From 1937 to 1960, Iowa placed in the NCAA top ten 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten Champions.
The Fieldhouse Pool was the birthplace of the butterfly stroke and was first used in Iowa City in a dual against Wisconsin on February 25, 1935. Iowa hosted the NCAA Championships in 1927. The Iowa men’s team has produced 17 Olympians, 26 NCAA champions, 382 all-Americans and 163 Big Ten champions. Three Hawkeye men’s teams have won Big Ten team titles. The women’s team has produced 109 NCAA qualifiers, 37 all-Americans and 16 Big Ten champions.