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THE SCENE
The University of Iowa swimming and diving team is back in the water this week, traveling to Minneapolis to compete at the Minnesota Invitational. The three-day meet begins Thursday with prelims starting at 9 a.m. (CT) each day, followed by finals at 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa swimming and diving program and access to exclusive coverage, “like” Iowa Swimming and Diving on Facebook and follow @IowaSwimDive on Twitter and @hawkeyeswimdive on Instagram.
LIVE RESULTS
Fans can follow this weekend’s action by visiting the live stats link on the swimming and diving schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
LAST TIME OUT
The Iowa men’s and women’s diving team competed at the Minnesota Diving Invitational from Nov. 9-11. Jayah Mathews dove to a second place finish off the 1-meter with a score of 282.80, while Thelma Standberg and Morgan Rafferty placed seventh and eighth in the event, respectively. Anton Hoherz placed fourth off the 3-meter with a score of 364.00. The swimmers last competed on Nov. 3, with the men’s squad downing No. 23 Purdue, 152-148.
QUICK START
The Hawkeye men are 3-0 — all in Big Ten action this season. They defeated Michigan State (195-100), No. 21 Minnesota (162-138), and No. 23 Purdue (152-148). The last time the Hawkeyes got off to a 3-0 start was in 2009, when Iowa downed Truman State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Missouri State to start the season 5-0.
HAWKEYES IN THE POLLS
The Iowa men’s swimming and diving team is ranked 20th in the latest College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division I team rankings announced Nov. 8. This is the first time the Iowa men have been ranked since Jan. 22, 2015. The Hawkeyes were ranked as high as 19th during the 2014-15 season. The Hawkeyes are one of three Big Ten schools in the top-25 rankings, alongside No. 1 Indiana, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 16 Ohio State.
SETTING RECORDS
Against Michigan State and Northern Iowa, Jacintha Thomas won the 1-meter with a career-best score of 307.60 — the seventh-best score in school history, while Jayah Mathews took her first career win off the 3-meter with a 315.00 — a performance that ranks 10th all-time. Both divers posted qualifying standards off both the 1-meter and 3-meter.
Anton Hoherz dove to victories with NCAA standards off the 1-meter (340.50) against Michigan State and 3-meter (387.50) against Purdue. The 3-meter score is third in school history, while 1-meter ranks seventh. Will Brenner’s 3-meter score of 366.35 against Purdue ranks eighth all-time in the UI record books.
IOWA’S NCAA STANDARDS
Men
Jack Smith – 50 free (20.17)
Jerzy Twarowski – 100 fly (47.85)
IOWA’S NCAA ZONE DIVING STANDARDS
Men
Will Brenner – 1-meter (353.65), 3-meter (366.35)
Anton Hoherz – 1-meter (340.50), 3-meter (387.50)
Matt Mauser – 3-meter (353.15)
Jonatan Posligua – 3-meter (320.20)
Women
Jayah Mathews – 1-meter (296.40), 3-meter (315.00)
Thelma Strandberg – 1-meter (293.95)
Jacintha Thomas – 1-meter (307.60), 3-meter (304.00)
Morgan Rafferty – 1-meter (288.70), Morgan Rafferty (297.50)
B1G ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
On Oct. 11, three Hawkeyes received Big Ten Weekly honors. Junior Jacintha Thomas was named Big Ten Diver of the Week, while sophomore Joe Myhre was tabbed as the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week. Freshman Anton Hoherz received both the Big Ten Diver of the Week and Freshman of the Week. On Nov. 1, Jayah Mathews earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after she led the Hawkeyes against Minnesota on Oct. 27, posting a score of 305.70 off the 3-meter to finish third.
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 notched Big Ten Diver of the Week honors in 2016 — Jacintha Thomas (Oct. 5, 2016), and Thelma Strandberg (Dec. 14, 2016).
SMITH CARRIES POSTSEASON 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. He posted a NCAA “B” qualifying time in the 50 free, touching in at 20.17 in the home dual meet against Minnesota.
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.
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 Iowa women’s swimming and diving team travels to Ames, Iowa, for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series dual against Iowa State on Dec. 8. The meet will begin at 6 p.m. (CT).
