Iowa Resumes B1G Action at Illinois

Jan. 16, 2013

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team returns to action Saturday, facing Big Ten foe Illinois at 11 a.m. (CT) at the ARC Pool in Champaign, Ill.

LAST MEET
The Hawkeyes ran their dual record to 5-1 with a pair of victories over Colorado College (60-41) and Austin College (60-18) on Dec. 17 in Colorado Springs. Iowa was in Colorado Springs training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

NCAA PROVISIONAL CUT TIMES
Iowa has posted NCAA “B” cut times in seven swimming events during the 2012-13 season. Sophomore Becky Stoughton and freshman Olivia Kabacinski have a pair of qualifying times. Stoughton posted a times of 4:43.20 in her victory in the 500 free and 16:22.42 in the 1,650 free during the Hawkeye Invitational. Kabacinski qualified in the 50 free and 100 breast, posting times of 22.88 and 1:02.30, respectively.

The Hawkeyes also got “B” times from junior Lindsay Seemann in the 200 backstroke (2:14.83), and junior Karolina Wartalowicz’s in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.83). Sophomore Heather Arseth swam a personal best and “B” cut time of 54.55 in the 100 back in the dual victory against Iowa State.

Iowa divers Lauren Kelba, Abby Grilli and Joelle Christy, meanwhile, have each posted NCAA Zone Diving qualifying scores.

HAWKEYE SWEEP WEEKLY B1G HONORS ON DEC. 11
The Hawkeyes swept the Big Ten weekly honors on Dec. 11 with sophomore Becky Stoughton being named the Swimmer of the Week, redshirt sophomore Joelle Christy earning Diver of the Week, and Olivia Kabacinski being tabbed as the Freshman of the Week.

It is the first time in school history that the Hawkeyes swept the three Big Ten weekly awards. (The Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor was instituted during the 2011-12 season.) It is the first time since 2005-06 that Iowa has won two of the weekly awards.

Stoughton earned the Swimmer of the Week honor after posting three event wins against the Cyclones. She broke the school record in the 200 fly, while also winning the 500 and 1,000 free. It was Stoughton’s second career honor.

Christy earned her first career accolade after winning and posting personal bests in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events against Iowa State. Her scores of 303.29 points in the 1-meter and 327.08 in the 3-meter are both NCAA Zone Diving qualifying marks.

Kabacinski earned her first career honor after swimming to four wins in the dual victory. The LaPorte, Ind., native was a part of the winning 200 medley and 400 free relays, while also sprinting to titles in the 50 and 100 free.

STOUGHTON TAKES DOWN 200 FLY RECORD
Sophomore Becky Stoughton became the first UI swimmer to break the two-minute mark in the 200 fly in the dual against Iowa State. The Peoria, Ill., native won the event with a time of 1:59.68, breaking the previous record of 2:00.14, which was set by Melissa Loehndorf in 2001.

Stoughton now owns five Hawkeye school records, posting the top times in the 200 free (1:47.09), 500 free (4:40.82), 1,000 free (9:39.44), 1,650 free (16:03.42), 400 IM (4:12.34) and the 200 fly (1:59.68).

KABACINSKI SPRINTS TO 50 FREE RECORD
Freshman Olivia Kabacinski sprinted to the Iowa school record in the 50 free during the preliminaries of the 2012 Hawkeye Invitational. The LaPorte, Ind., native posted a time of 22.88, becoming the first UI swimmer to break the 23 second mark. Kabacinski broke Stacey Wertz’s record of 23.08, which had stood since 2000.

Kabacinski also ranks second in school history in the 200 free (1:48.32) and 100 breast (1:02.30) and third in the 100 free (50.43). She also swam as a member of the 200 and 400 medley relays and 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays that rank in the top-four in the UI record books.

CHRISTY DIVES TO 2 WINS
Redshirt sophomore Joelle Christy posted a pair of career bests during the 190-108 dual victory over Iowa State. The Springfield, Ill., native finished with 303.29 points in the 1-meter and 327.08 in the 3-meter. Both scores rank as the sixth-best in school history.

ARSETH POSTS PERSONAL BEST IN 100 BACK
Sophomore Heather Arseth swam a personal best and NCAA “B” cut time in her 100 back victory in the dual against Iowa State. The Plymouth, Minn., native swam a time of 54.55, which stands as the fourth-fastest time in school history. Arseth also swam a personal best in the 100 free, touching out in 50.54.

HAWKEYE TIMES IN THE DIVISION I RANKINGS
Iowa ranks in the top-40 in seven events:
20th – 500 free (4:43.20) – Becky Stoughton
22nd – 1,650 free (16:22.42) – Becky Stoughton
33rd – 1,000 free (9:57.58) – Becky Stoughton
34th – 800 free relay (7:20.85) – Hovren, Stoughton, Seemann, Kabacinski
37th – 400 medley relay (3:42.52) – Arseth, Wartalowicz, Tuchscherer, Kabacinski
38th – 200 medley relay (1:41.89) – Arseth, Wartalowicz, Tuchscherer, Kabacinski
40th – 400 free relay (3:22.61) – Kabacinski, Hovren, Arseth, Klunk

WARTALOWICZ SWIMS TO 2 PRS
Junior Karolina Wartalowicz swam personal bests in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke during the 2012 Hawkeye Invitational. The Oswego, Ill., native posted the fourth-fastest time in the record books in the 100 breast (1:02.52) and clocked the second-best 200-breast time of 2:14.83, which is an NCAA “B” cut time.

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.

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.

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.

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
The Hawkeyes will return to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Pool on Jan. 26 when they host Northwestern beginning at 11 a.m. (CT).