Oct. 13, 2008
THIS WEEK — The Iowa men and women’s swimming and diving team will begin its conference season Friday, hosting the Wisconsin Badgers. The meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in the Field House Pool.
ON WISCONSIN —The Badgers opened their regular season last week against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Wisconsin swept all of the men and women’s events to earn decisive victories over the Panthers. The Badger men posted an impressive 156-70 victory, while the Wisconsin women won 147-74. The Hawkeye men boast a winning all-time record against the Badgers. Since the two teams first met in 1924, Iowa has a 46-34 series lead over Wisconsin. The Hawkeye women have an 11-20 all-time record against the Badgers.
LAST WEEK —The Hawkeyes opened their regular season with a decisive win over Truman State at home. The Iowa women defeated the Bulldogs 176-84, and the Iowa men posted a solid 203.5-56.5 win. It was a combined score of 379.5-140.5 A highlight of the meet, for Iowa, was its top finishes throughout the night. The Hawkeyes took first place in every event, with the exception of one. The Iowa women dominated the 200 Free, taking the top three spots. Christine Kuczek took first with a time of 1:53.15. Kuczek had standout performances in two other events, taking first place in the 100 Free (52.39) and 500 Free (5:03.55). The Iowa men also posted multiple first place finishes. Conor Dwyer finished first in the 50 Free with a time of 21.31 and also captured the top spot in the 500 Free (4:46.99). Dwyer also posted the best time in the 200 IM, with a 1:54.31. Sean Hagan dominated the men’s breaststroke events, finishing first in the 100 (59.38) and the 200 (2:12.21).
NEXT WEEK —The Hawkeye men and women will travel to East Lansing, MI to face Michigan State. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (CST) at the McCaffree Pool.
HEAD COACH Marc Long — Marc Long is in his fifth season as head coach for the University of Iowa swimming team. It’s his fourth year as head coach of the combined program. During his tenure as head coach of both programs, 10 school records have fallen and 39 Hawkeyes have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships.
DIVING COACH Bob Rydze —Bob Rydze is in his 34th year as diving coach of the men and women’s teams at the University of Iowa. Rydze returns to Iowa this season fresh from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China where he served as Team Leader for USA Diving. During his tenure with the Hawkeyes, Rydze has coached 31 all-Americans, nine Big Ten and one NCAA Champion.