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THE SCENE
The University of Iowa swimming and diving team opens the 2017-18 season hosting Michigan State and Northern Iowa at the UI Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium. Meet times are scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Oct. 5, and 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Iowa swimming and diving the Hawkeyes will host an alumni meet beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday.
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HAWKEYES RETURN EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Iowa men’s and women’s swimming and diving program returns 21 letterwinners each and welcomes a total of 16 freshmen to the 2017-18 season. The Hawkeyes return four all-time top performers — Jack Smith (100 Free), Jerzy Twarowski (100, 200 Fly), Hannah Burvill (100 Free), and Will Brenner (1-Meter).
Smith received men’s Big Ten Freshman Swimmer of the Week honors on Oct. 5, 2016, last season. Burvill also received women’s Big Ten Freshman Swimmer of the Week recognition three times last season (Oct. 5, 2016)(Dec. 14, 2016)(Jan. 25, 2017), while two returning divers noched Big Ten Diver of the Week honors in 2016 — Jacintha Thomas (Oct. 5, 2016), and Thelma Strandberg (Dec. 14, 2016).
LAST TIME OUT
The Iowa men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams hosted its annual intrasquad meet on Sept. 30. The Hawkeyes split into two seperate squads — the Black team, and the Gold team. The intrasquad meet serves as a warm-up for the 2017-18 season. Winning a total of 12 events, the Gold team defeated the Black team, 104-86. The Gold squad closed out the meet winning the women’s and men’s 200-freestyle relay. Sophomore Allyssa Fluit, senior Tereysa Lehnertz, freshman Sarah Schemmel, and sophomore Hannah Burvill clocked 1:34.76, while sophomore Joe Myhre, junior Matt Kamin, and seniors Jerzy Twarowski and RJ Hemmingsen touched in at 1:23.96 to solidify the victory for team Gold.
CELEBRATE ME HOME
The Hawkeyes will celebrate 100 years of Iowa swimming and diving this weekend. Iowa’s program started in 1917 with David Armbruster as head coach and has had five head coaches since. The Hawkeyes will welcome back alums from all across the world when they open the 2017-18 season hosting Michigan State and Northern Iowa at the UI CRWC Natatorium on Thursday and Friday.
SMITH CARRIES POST SEASON EXPERIENCE INTO 2017-18
Junior Jack Smith broke the 100 freestyle record with a prelim swim of 43.15 seconds at the 2017 Big Ten Championships. The England native finished 12th overall in the event, finishing with a time of 43.29 seconds in the finals.
RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIER
The Iowa swimming and diving program returns one NCAA qualifier from last season. Sophomore diver Thelma Strandberg returns for her second season following her debut performance at the 2017 NCAA Championships. The Norway native qualified via a 11th-place finish at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships while recording a career-best score of 242.30 during the prelims at the Zone meet.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Eight newcomers are set to join the men’s swimming and diving program this year, including Michal Brzus, Anton Hoherz, Jackson Kuhlers, Thomas Pederson, Jonatan Posligua, Jacob Rosenkoetter, Tom Schab, and Daniel Swanepoel. The eight freshmen come from four different countries — Africa, Ecuador, Poland, and the United States — and four different states, including Iowa, California, Texas (2), and Minnesota.
The women’s program welcomes eight newcomers for the 2017-18 season. Kelsey Drake, Mallory Fox, Morgan Grout, Lexi Horner, Jayah Mathews, Sage Ohlensehlen, Claire Park, and Sarah Schemmel each begin their freshmen campaigns this year. Five newcomers hail from Iowa, while Fox is from Wisconsin, Grout is from Indiana, and Mathews is from Australia.
13 HAWKEYES COMPETE AT U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Seniors Jerzy Twarowski, Thomas Rathbun, RJ Hemmingsen, juniors Jack Smith and Tanner Nelson, and sophomores Joe Myhre, Weston Credit, Will Scott, and Steve Fiolic represented the Iowa men’s team at the 2017 U.S. Open Championship Series at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in East Meadow, New York this past summer. Women’s competitors included seniors Meghan Lavelle, Tereysa Lehnertz, and Mekenna Scheitlin, and sophomore Hannah Burvill.
IOWA SWIMMING AND DIVING HISTORY
Iowa was one of the first schools in the nation to compete on a collegiate level, and in 1937, the Hawkeyes competed at the first NCAA Championships. From 1937 to 1960, Iowa placed in the NCAA top 10 a total of 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.
UI CAMPUS RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER
The University of Iowa’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center has been home to the Hawkeyes since August of 2010. The 69 million dollar facility is located at the corner of Burlington and Madison streets and was named the third-best campus student recreation center nationally by Best College Reviews in 2013. 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.
FORMER HAWKEYE ASHLEY DELL JOINS COACHING STAFF
University of Iowa graduate and former volunteer assistant coach Ashley Dell was named an assistant coach with the University of Iowa swimming and diving program this past June. Dell rejoined the staff following stints at George Washington (2011-14) and Southern Methodist (SMU)(2014-17). Dell also spent two seasons as a volunteer coach at the University of Iowa from 2009-11. A member of the Iowa women’s program from 2005-2009, Dell was a two-year team captain for the Hawkeyes. She is an all-time top-10 performer in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650-yard freestyle events.
ON DECK
The Hawkeyes return the UI CRWC Natatorium for Senior Day on Oct. 27, hosting Minnesota at 5 p.m. (CT), before taking a road trip to Purdue on Nov. 3.
