Iowa Hosts Northwestern Saturday

Jan. 23, 2013

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team returns to action Saturday hosting Northwestern at 11 a.m. (CT) inside the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Pool.

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 won their fourth straight dual, downing Illinois, 196-102, on Jan. 19 in Champaign. Iowa won 13-of-16 events and posted four 1-2-3 finishes. The Hawkeyes are now 5-1 in dual competition on the year.

EVENT PROMOTIONS
Saturday is Camper Reunion Day, UI Athletic Department Day (athletics staff can register to win a $50 gift card), fans can register to win a pair of Iowa goggles, and the first 50 fans will get a free smoothie from Tropical Smoothie. The Iowa pep band will also be in attendance.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern is 2-4 on the regular season, and 1-3 in the Big Ten. Head coach Jimmy Tierney and the Wildcats last saw Iowa when they participated in the Hawkeye Invitational. Senior Taylor Reynolds and freshman Karen Turner collected NCAA `B’ provisional qualifying times during the invite. The Wildcats finished fourth overall with 472.5 points; Iowa was third with 559.5 points.

CHRISTY NAMED B1G CO-DIVER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt sophomore Joelle Christy was selected as the Big Ten Co-Diver of the Week on Jan. 22 after winning the 1 and 3-meter springboard events in the dual victory at Illinois. The Springfield, Ill., native won the 1-meter with a collegiate best score of 313.35, and she finished with a score of 322.20 to win the 3-meter. It is Christy’s second weekly honor of the season.

DOMINATING THE BOARDS
Sophomore Joelle Christy and juniors Lauren Kelba and Abby Grilli finished 1-2-3 in the 1-meter springboard in the competition against Illinois on Jan. 19. The three divers posted personal-best scores in the event. Christy won the event with 313.35 points, while Kelba and Grilli placed second and third, with scores of 295.95 and 289.35, respectively. The scores rank sixth, seventh and eighth in school history.

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 TIMES IN THE DIVISION I RANKINGS
Iowa ranks in the top-40 in seven events:
20th – 500 free (4:43.20) – Becky Stoughton
23rd – 1,650 free (16:22.42) – Becky Stoughton
29th – 1,000 free (9:57.58) – Becky Stoughton
34th – 800 free relay (7:20.85) – Hovren, Stoughton, Seemann, Kabacinski
38th – 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

NEXT EVENT
The Hawkeye return to action on Feb. 1 when they travel to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the Northwestern Invitational. Participating teams include host Northwestern and Nebraska.