Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — Feb. 2017 | Complete Results (PDF)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sophomores Kenneth Mende and Jack Smith broke two University of Iowa men’s swimming and diving school records during the final day of the 2017 Big Ten Championships.
Mende tied Grant Betulius’ top time in the 200-yard backstroke during the morning prelims when he touched in 1:42.19 seconds — the third-fastest time. He finished seventh in the finals, touching in 1:44.32.
Smith, meanwhile, broke Paul Gordon’s record in the 100 freestyle with a prelim swim of 43.15 seconds. The England native finished 12th overall in the event, finishing with a time of 43.29 seconds in the finals.
Junior Jerzy Twarowski also scored in the 200 fly, placing 14th with a time of 1:47.23. Iowa also had two student-athletes place in the 200 back; junior Thomas Rathbun finished 10th with a time of 1:43.46, while freshman Forrest White placed 23rd with a time of 1:46.72.
Freshman Joe Myhre finished 21st in the 100 free (43.85), while sophomore Will Brenner was 23rd off the platform; finishing with 259.60 points.
The Hawkeyes closed out the championships with a sixth-place finish in the 400-freestyle relay. Smith, Myhre, senior Jackson Halsmer, and sophomore Matt Kamin swam a 2:54.39 — the third-fastest time in program history.
Mende was selected as Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient. The distinction is presented to student-athletes who display sportsmanship and ethical behavior, are in good academic standing, and demonstrate good citizenship outside of athletics.
Iowa finished eighth in the team standings with 424 points. Indiana was the team champion with 1,504 points, followed by Michigan (1,382) and Ohio State (1,382).
