Hawkeyes Hit the Water for the Tampa Relays

Jan. 4, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa’s men’s swimming team will travel to Tampa, FL to compete in the Tampa Relays Jan. 6. The event will be held on the University of Tampa campus starting at 2 p.m. (CT).

LAST EVENT
The team last competed at the ConocoPhillips Short Course National Championship Dec. 3-5 in Federal Way, WA. The Hawkeyes sent Byron Butler, Max Dittmer, Nick Divan, Paul Gordon, Sean Hagan, Jordan Huff, Zane Hugo, Duncan Partridge, Ryan Phelan, and Matt Ryan to the event.

The Hawkeyes finished sixth out of 53 competing teams. Iowa’s highest place finish was a fifth-place finish in the 4×200 free relay. The team of Gordon, Divan, Huff and Partridge posted at time of 6:37.51.

Freshman Jordan Huff earned 12th-place in the 200 free. He posted a collegiate best time of 1:37.62. Sophomore Duncan Partridge placed 16th in the 50 free with a time of 20.57. Finishing right behind Partridge was sophomore Ryan Phelan (17th). Phelan swam a time of 20.48.

HEAD COACH Marc Long
Marc Long is in his sixth season as head coach for the University of Iowa swimming team. It’s his fifth 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 35th year as diving coach of the men and women’s teams at the University of Iowa. Rydze served as Team Leader for USA Diving at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where he served as the Team Leader for USA Diving. During his tenure with the Hawkeyes, Rydze has coached 31 all-Americans, nine Big Ten and one NCAA Champion.

CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER
Ground was broken for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in October 2007. The facility will serve as the new home for Iowa Swimming and Diving upon completion in the spring of 2010. The facility will be at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and is expected to cost $69 million.

FIELD HOUSE POOL
Iowa’s Field House 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 & 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.