Oct. 30, 2012
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEKThe University Iowa men’s swimming and diving team travels to Minneapolis on Friday to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The meet will take place at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center beginning at 5 p.m (CT).
LAST MEETThe Hawkeyes opened their regular season with a 185-108 victory over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes won 10 events to claim the Big Ten victory over the Spartans.
SCOUTING MINNESOTAMinnesota, ranked 10th in the CSCAA poll, opened the 2012-13 season with a 170-124 loss to No. 2 Michigan. The Gopher men posted wins over the Wolverines on the boards. Senior Mikey Ross won the 3-meter with a mark of 368.86, followed by freshman Manny Pollard claiming second and sophomore Jordan Lesser in third. Lesser took first place (333.60) in the 1-meter, while Pollard came in second with a score of 311.40.
Lesser earned Big Ten Diver of the Week honors on Oct. 9 for his performance at Michigan, where he won the 1-meter and claimed third place in 3-meter (334.88). Both scores are NCAA Zone Diving qualifying marks.
Last season, the Gophers finished fourth at the 2012 Big Ten Championships and 24th overall at the NCAA Championships.
IOWA IN THE RANKINGSThe Hawkeyes rank 19th in the first College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) NCAA men’s Division I rankings. Iowa is one of nine Big Ten Conference teams in the first rankings along with Michigan (2), Indiana (8), Minnesota (13), Penn State (17), Purdue (18), and Wisconsin (25). Michigan State and Northwestern are receiving votes.
RETURNEES BREAK THREE-YEAR OLD POOL RECORDJunior Dustin Rhoads, sophomore Korey Schneider, sophomore Grant Betulius and senior Jordan Huff kicked off the meet against Michigan State with a victory in the 200 medley relay (1:30.02), breaking a three-year old pool record (1:30.37) at the 53-year old McCaffree Pool.
HUFF LEADS HAWKEYESSenior Jordan Huff posted a pair of first place finishes in the 100 and 200 free in the dual meet against Michigan State. He swam the top time in the 100 in 45.49 seconds before winning the 200 free in 1:39.62. He leads the team in both events.
FRESHMAN FIREFreshman Roman Trussov posted two first place finishes in the 100 and 200 breast Oct. 19 against Michigan State. Trussov posted the top time in the 100 breast in 55.73, edging out teammates Korey Schneider (56.05) and junior Andrew Marciniak (57.43). Trussov completed the breast stroke sweep by winning the 200 in 2:04.46.Trussov posted a time of 55:04 in his first swim as a Hawkeye at the Black and Gold Intrasquad meet. The time is sixth fastest in school history and an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
DOMINATING DUALSSince the 2008-09 athletic year, the UI men’s team has been dominating dual competition. The Hawkeyes have posted a 35-6 dual meet record, which includes a 10-1 mark in 2009-10, the second best record in school history. Last season, the team went 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten duals, which included a 160.5-139.5 win over Minnesota.
The men’s squad returns senior Jordan Huff and junior Gianni Sesto who earned All-America recognition last season. Huff earned honorable mention All-America honors as a part of the 400 and 800 freestyle relays, while Sesto was an honorable mention All-American in the 200, 400 and 800 free relays.
B1G RELAYSThe Hawkeyes are coming off the 2011-12 season where they captured two relay titles and finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships, their highest finish in 16 years. Iowa won the relay titles in the 200 free (1:17.61) and 400 free (2:52.53) — the first Big Ten title since 1995.
OLYMPIC TRIALSTwelve Hawkeyes competed in the 2012 U.S Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb. The men’s team returns eight of these qualifiers — Grant Betulius, Byron Butler, Brian Donatelli, Jordan Huff, Tyler Lentz, Andrew Marciniak, Dustin Rhoads, Gianni Sesto and Mike Vinyard. Returnee Manuel Belzer qualified internationally. Belzer competed at the German Trials. Roman Trussov, a freshman, swam in the 100 and 200 breast for his native Kazakhstan.
FAMILY TIESWhile most programs cite family team atmospheres, it goes a little bit further for the University of Iowa swimming and diving team. Iowa has two sets of siblings on the 2012-13 roster. Former Hawkeye All-American Paul Gordon is serving as a student assistant coach, while his sister, Haley Gordon, and brother, Jack Gordon, are UI student-athletes. Iowa also has three Weigands on the current squad in senior Patrick Weigand along with sophomore Hillary Weigand and freshman Jennifer Weigand.
ACADEMIC HONORSThree members from the 2011-2012 men’s team were honorable mention Scholar All-Americans including returnees Byron Butler and Manuel Belzer and graduate Kyle Noser. The Scholar All-America award is presented to swimmers and divers who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher during the semester or as their cumulative average, and those who have qualified for their respective national championship.
HEAD COACH Marc Long Marc Long is in his ninth season as head coach for the University of Iowa swimming team. It’s his eighth as head coach of the combined program. During his tenure as head coach of both programs, 54 school records have fallen and 93 Hawkeyes have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships.
COACHING ADDITIONSTodd Waikel is in his first season as diving coach for the Hawkeyes. Waikel replaces long time UI diving coach Bob Rydze after serving as the assistant diving coach at Indiana for seven years. Kristy Brager joins program as an assistant coach, after coaching two seasons at George Mason University. She helped lead the men’s team to a pair of runner-up finishes in the Colonial Athletic Association.
CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTERGround was broken for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in October 2007. The facility opened in August 2010 and is home for the Hawkeyes. It is located at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and cost approximately $69 million. The facility includes a 50-meter competition pool, a separate diving well, a leisure pool with lap lanes and 24,000 square feet of fitness space.
IOWA SWIMMING AND DIVING TRADITIONIowa 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 10 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.
NEXT EVENTIowa will return home Nov. 30 to host the Hawkeyes Invitational. The competition will be prelims/finals format, with prelims starting at 10 a.m., and finals beginning at 6 p.m.