Feb. 6, 2015
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IOWA CITY, IOWA — The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team posted a pair of wins on Friday night at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won all 13 events solidifying dual wins over Northern Iowa (177-46) and Western Illinois (184-36).
“It was great to get the wins and we appreciate all the teams that came and raced tonight,” said UI head coach Marc Long. “We need to take care of some things and we had an opportunity to switch around some lineups. This was our last opportunity to swim fast before Big Tens and we were able to do that”.
Newcomer Meghan Lavelle put the Hawkeyes in front early with a first-place finish in the opening 50 free, touching in with a time of 23.79. Lavelle added on with a pair of top finishes in the 200 free relay (1:35.68) and 400 medley relay (3:55.51).
Freshman Lauren Leehy also added on with a trio of wins tonight with top finishes in the 100 free (51.74), 200 free relay (1:35.68), and 400 medley relay (3:55.51).
UI sophomore Emma Sougstad was also a key factor in the Black and Gold’s success winning 2-of-3 events. Sougstad was victorious in the 50 fly (25.57) and 100 IM (58.40) while finishing second in the 200 free relay (1:36.92).
The Hawkeyes had a strong finish to the swimming events with a 1-2-3 finish in the 400 medley relay. The quartet of Jo Jekel, Shea Hoyt, Meghan Lavelle, and Lauren Leehy posted the top time coming in at the 3:55.51 mark. Nikol Lagodzinska, Pamela Breitrick, Mekenna Scheitlin, and Sarena Wanasek finished second (3:57.54) and Rowan Hauber, Elaine Boosalis, Hannah Maher, and Serena Wanasek took third (2:59.53).
Iowa held control of the meet in the diving well with first place finishes on all three levels.
“I was very pleased with the results, especially on the tower,” said UI diving coach Todd Waikel. “It’s very important for our tower divers to get a meet in before Big Tens. The fact we were able to compete on the tower and gain that experience was great — not to mention we scored well in doing so.”
On the 1-meter, the Hawkeyes were led by senior Abbi Grilli who dove to a score of 292.55. Joelle Christy finished second with a score of 290.50 and Lydia Lehnert finished third (270.50).
In 3-meter competition, Christy led the field with a score of 312.90. Grilli was a close behind diving to a score of 304.50.
Lehnert was the top finisher on the platform, diving to a score of 270.05. UI sophomore Calli Head finished third (230.60).
The Hawkeyes return to action Feb. 18-21, at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
