Feb. 14, 2011
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Big Ten Championships Postseason Guide in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The Iowa women’s swimming and diving team will compete at the Big Ten Championships, Wednesday thru Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. All events will be held at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center on the Indiana University campus. Preliminary events will begin Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. Finals are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. (CT) each evening. All-session tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for students. Tickets are available from the Indiana Athletic Ticket Office at 1-866-IUSPORTS.
ONLINE VIDEO AND RESULTS
Live video and complete results can be found throughout the championships at hawkeyesports.com on the women’s swimming and diving schedule page or Indiana’s official website iuhoosiers.cstv.com.
TELEVISION BROADCAST
The Big Ten Championships will be televised tape delayed on the Big Ten Network Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. (CT). Steve Schlanger will handle the play-by-play while Molly Sullivan and Kimiko Soldati provide analysis.
2010 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW
The Hawkeyes placed ninth with 120 points at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. Hawkeye diver Veronica Rydze was Iowa’s top individual scorer – scoring the most points on the team for her efforts on the 1 and 3-meter board. Rydze placed eighth on the 1-meter (281.10) and 12th in the 3-meter (284.95). Katarina Tour was Iowa’s top individual swimmer, finishing 10th in the 100 breast with a time of 1:01.72. The 200 free relay team of Christine Kuzcek, Daniela Cubelic, Danielle Carty and Julie Feingold posted a ninth-place finish with a time of 1:32.91. The team’s time marked the second fastest in school history. Caitlin Polz was honored with the Sportsmanship Award for the Hawkeyes. The award is given to those who have demonstrated the ideals of sportsmanship, which are fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.
IOWA IN BIG TEN HISTORY
The Hawkeye women have crowned 13 Big Ten champions in the program’s 35-year history. Iowa’s highest finish at the Big Ten Championships came in 1986 when the team tied for second after crowning eight champions. Nancy Vaccaro won Iowa’s first title in the 50 fly in 1983. Iowa’s last Big Ten champion was Melissa Loehndorf in the 200 fly in 2001. Kelly Johnson was named Big Ten Diver of the Year in 1986, and head diving coach Bob Rydze has been named Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year three times (1985, 1986, 1995). Kerry Stewart (1983), Jennifer Skolaski (2005) and Nancilea Underwood (2006) are Iowa’s Big Ten Medal of Honor winners for women’s swimming and diving.
IOWA SWIMMING HISTORY & TRADITION
Since its first season in 1975, the Hawkeye women’s swimming and diving team has posted 111 NCAA qualifiers, 39 all-Americans and 16 Big Ten championships. The Hawkeyes have a dual meet record of 188-161-2 in their 36-year history.
HEAD COACH Marc Long
Marc Long is in his seventh season as head coach for the University of Iowa swimming program. It’s his sixth year as head coach of the combined programs. During his tenure as head coach of both programs, 26 school records have fallen and 70 Hawkeyes have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships. Under Long, the men’s team has a 33-19 record, while the women’s squad has a 44-38 mark. As a Hawkeye swimmer (1987-89), Long was a multiple NCAA finalist, six-time All-American and three-time Big Ten Champion, winning two conference titles in the 100 fly and one as part of the 400 free relay. He was voted a team captain in 1989 and helped lead the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten runner-up finish, and their highest team placing (eighth) in modern day history at the NCAA Championships. Long swam on Iowa’s Big Ten and NCAA record setting 200 freestyle relay that year. Frannie Malone (Iowa, 2000) was named to the position of associate head coach Oct. 11. Malone had served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator since joining the Hawkeye coaching staff in 2004. Long is assisted by Kirk Hampleman (Auburn, 2002) and Nathan Mundt (Tampa, 2001).
DIVING COACH Bob Rydze
Bob Rydze is in his 36th year as diving coach of the Hawkeye men and women’s teams. Rydze served as Team Leader for the USA Diving team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. During his tenure with the Hawkeyes, Rydze has coached 31 All-Americans, nine Big Ten and one NCAA Champion.
CAMPUS RECREATION & WELLNESS CENTER
The Hawkeyes started off the 2010-11 season in their new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, which opened in August 2010. Ground was broken for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in October, 2007. The facility is located at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and estimated to have cost $69 million.
NEXT COMPETITION
Iowa’s divers will compete at the NCAA Diving Qualifier March 17-19. Swimmers and divers who have met qualifying standards will compete at the NCAA Championships March 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn.