Iowa Ready for Hawkeye Invitational

Nov. 27, 2012

Complete Release 11/27

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team hosts the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday through Sunday at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Pool. The competition will be prelims/finals format, with prelims starting at 10 a.m., and finals beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Prelims will begin at 10 a.m. and finals at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free of charge. The spectator entrance to the CRWC will open 90 minutes before the start of each session.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
A total of seven teams will compete in the women’s portion of the Hawkeye Invitational. Along with host Iowa, the field will include Denver, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Washington State, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Michigan was ranked No. 22 in the CSCAA poll that was released Nov. 13.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES
Concessions will be available at the Tropical Smoothie Café, which is located near the main entrance of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Additional concessions will be provided by Iowa Memorial Union on the spectator level. As a reminder, all glass containers are prohibited in the University Aquatic Center.

LIVE STATS
For live results from your computer or smart phone, visit: http://livestats.hawkeyesports.com. Free WiFi is available at the CRWC for all students and faculty.

LAST MEET
The Hawkeyes dropped a Big Ten dual at 12th-ranked Minnesota, 192-103. Iowa won a pair of events in the dual. The Hawkeyes are now 1-1 on the season.

EVENT PROMOTIONS
Friday, Nov. 30 is “Hawks Nest Night”. The first 100 fans will receive Iowa t-shirts. Additionally, the first 25 fans can participate in the duck toss contest. The first contestant to get the duck in the inner tube will receive a $50 Visa gift card. Saturday Dec. 1 is “Junior Hawk Club Party and Elementary Night”, which will take place during the prelims at 10 a.m. The first 100 fans will receive Hawkeye sunglasses. Hawkeye fans can participate in the sponge pass to win a free pizza from Pizza Hut. Sunday, Dec. 2 is the “Gold Rush”. Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear gold to the meet. The first 100 fans will receive gold poms. Hawkeye fans can register to win an Iowa swim cap autographed by coach Long.

IOWA RECEIVING VOTES
The Hawkeyes were receiving votes in the Collegeswimming.com/CSCAA Coaches poll that was releases on Nov. 13. Six Big Ten teams — Minnesota (8), Indiana (14), Ohio State (16), Purdue (20), Michigan (22) and Wisconsin (25) — are in the rankings, while Iowa and Penn State were receiving votes.

HAWKEYE TIMES IN THE DIVISION I RANKINGS
A pair of Iowa women’s swimmers rank among the top-52 nationally in two events. Sophomore Becky Stoughton posted an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 4:47.77 in the 500 free in the dual at Minnesota on Nov. 2. The time is 23rd nationally. Freshman Olivia Kabacinski has the 52nd-best time in the 50 free at 23.12. The time is the second fastest in Iowa history.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
In two collegiate duals, Iowa freshman Olivia Kabacinski has already made her mark on the Iowa record books. The Minnesota native posted the second-fastest time in school history in the 50 free (23.12) in the dual at Minnesota on Nov. 2. She also has the fourth-best 200 free time (1:49.23) and the fifth-fastest 100 free (50.73) in school history. The 50-free time in an NCAA `B’ qualifying mark.

YOUTH-FILLED RELAY POSTS TOP 10 TIME
The 200 medley relay consisting of freshmen Maddie Bro, Olivia Kabacinski and Maggie Hofstadter and sophomore Heather Arseth posted the ninth-fastest time in Iowa history in the dual meet at Minnesota on Nov. 2. The quartet clocked a time of 1:43.75.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN
The women’s squad returns sophomore All-American Becky Stoughton in 2012-13. The Peoria, Ill., native finished ninth in the 1,650 free (16:03.42) at the NCAA Champoionships last season — the highest Hawkeye NCAA swimming finisher since Jennifer Skolaski placed 14th in the 100 back at the 2005 NCAA Championships. The last swimmer to place higher than ninth place was Skolaski in 2003 when she placed eighth in the 100 back.

2011-2012 MVP
Becky Stoughton returns to lead the Hawkeyes after earning team most valuable player honors as a freshman. Stoughton is the first Iowa swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Jennifer Skolaski in 2005, also the first Hawkeye freshman to qualify since Skolaski in 2001-2002 season. Stoughton was named 2012 Big Ten Freshman Swimmer of the Year, making her the first Hawkeye to earn the distinction.

HAWKEYE OLYMPIANS
Iowa has two former Olympians on the 2012-13 roster in sophomore Heather Arseth and junior Lindsay Seemann. Arseth competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the 200 free, while Seemann swam for Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 15, making her the youngest Olympian for Canada in the ’08 games.

THIRD BEST GPA NATIONALLY
The Hawkeyes posted a 3.59 team grade point average during the 2011-12 season, which was tied for the third best mark in the country with fellow Big Ten foe Northwestern. The following swimmers earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors: Becky Stoughton, Danielle Carty, Daniela Cubelic, Joelle Christy, Abby Grilli and Karolina Wartalowicz.

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 ADDITIONS
Todd 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. Iowa also added a pair of former Hawkeye All-Americans to the coaching staff in Paul Gordon and Ryan Phelan. Gordon is a student assistant, while Phelan is a volunteer coach.

CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER
Ground 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 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 10 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.

NEXT EVENT
Iowa returns to action Dec. 7 to host Iowa State in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup. The meet will take place at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center beginning at 6 p.m.