9 Hawkeyes Head to SMU Classic

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2019-20 | Hawk Talk Monthly — October | I-Club Events Page

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa swimming and diving team will travel to Dallas, Texas, for the SMU Classic on Oct. 11-12. Friday’s session will begin at 6:30 p.m. (CT), with the Saturday session set to start at 11 a.m. (CT). Eight Hawkeyes will participate in swimming events and one will dive off the springboards and platform. 

swimming graphicFOLLOW LIVE
• Live results will be on Meet Mobile and hawkeyesports.com.
• 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.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Hawkeyes opened the season with three wins over Michigan State and Northern Iowa over the weekend. The men defeated the Spartans 182-112, while the women pulled out the double victory over Michigan State and UNI in identical fashion, 183-113. 
• Twenty-three freshmen made their collegiate debuts against the Spartans and Panthers,  securing five individual wins. Millie Sansome placed atop the podium in the 1,000 and 500 free, as well as helping her team to wins in the 200-medley relay, 200-free relay, and 400-free relay. Will Myhre won the 100 breast in a blistering 55.25, and Michael Huebner took the 1-meter springboard with a score of 293.70. 

SMU INVITE LINEUP
The Hawkeyes send a mix of experienced upperclassmen and freshmen newcomers to the SMU Classic. Freshmen Millie Sansome, Anna Brooker, and Aleksandra Olesiak join returning sophomores Lauren McDougall and Sam Tamborski, juniors Sarah Schemmel and Kelsey Drake, and seniors Allyssa Fluit and Hannah Burvill. 

HEARING FROM HEAD COACH MARC LONG

On the upcoming SMU Classic…
“We went last year for the first time and we liked it, but it’s a tough meet. Last year they had Olympians there with some high-level competition. It’s early in the season and that exposure helps these athletes as we go on through the season. It’s another awesome field of teams and athletes. We can’t match (the competition experience) in practice against that level of competition. It’s a great experience, but at the end of the day, we’re looking at what this type of competition has on our peak meets at the end of the year.”

On the training period between now and the Oct. 26 matchup against Minnesota…
“We have an intense time period of training as we get going, especially into the end of this week and the next few weeks. October and November are important times of the year to get ready for the end of the year. it’s still the adjustment time period for the team and it’s about preparation and taking care of themselves. We have a stretch of big meets and then we have our peak meets. The Minnesota Invitational is one of our most exciting meets.” 

HEARING FROM FRESHMAN MILLIE SANSOME

On transitioning from meters to yards…
“It was quite difficult for me. I was looking up at the board and normally I’d have an idea of what time I should be going. I’ve never raced in yards before, so  it was more of me trying to win my event. I like the underwaters, but it was hard on the longer distance events with so many turns. It’s something I need to work on and it’s the main thing I learned from last weekend.”

On being selected to travel for the SMU Invitational… 
“It was an honor to hear my name called in the meeting. When I knew I was one of the few that are going, it made my day. I’m excited because Iowa is the only state I’ve been in aside from the city of Chicago, so I’m excited to go out and start competing. We’re suiting up for this one because it is a competitive meet. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do and see if I can drop my times when I compete against some of the best people in the country.”

On the support she has gotten from her teammates…
“I loved having everyone cheering me on from the side of the pool. We didn’t have that in England. When I was on the block and everyone was screaming for me, I felt ready to race.” 

LAST YEAR’S SMU INVITATIONAL
The Hawkeyes return seven of eight athletes that participated in last year’s SMU Classic. Seniors Hannah Burvill, Allyssa Fluit, and Samantha Sauer, juniors Lexi Horner, Kelsey Drake, Jayah Mathews and Sarah Schemmel all return for the team. 

Last year’s squad finished fourth behind No. 8 Louisville, No. 11 Southern California, and No. 10 Virginia. Diver Jayah Mathews posted the highest individual finish for the Hawkeyes, placing third off the 3-meter springboard with a score of 305.80. Mathews placed third off both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards at the classic.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Marc Long is entering his 16th season as the Hawkeyes’ head coach.  Long  has coached 44 All-Americans during his tenure as Iowa’s head coach.
• Long was inducted into the National Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
• The Hawkeyes return four NCAA qualifiers from the 2018-19 season in senior Hannah Burvill, juniors Anton Hoherz and Jayah Mathews, and sophomore Sam Tamborski.
• Iowa also returns Will Scott and Joe Myhre, who both earned honorable mention All-America honors as sophomores in 2018.
• Iowa has 21 letterwinners returning on the men’s team and 17 returning letterwinners on the women’s team.

RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIERS
• Hannah Burvill –  Burvill is a two-time NCAA qualifier, including qualifying in the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free last season.  The England native’s highest finish came in the 200 free, where she finished 28th.  Burvill has been named Iowa’s team MVP the past two seasons.
• Jayah Mathews – Mathews has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her first two seasons as a Hawkeye.  Last season, Mathews qualified off the 1-meter and 3-meter. She placed 26th off the 1-meter at the NCAAs.  The Australia native posted two top-10 finishes at the Big Ten Championships in 2019, placing fourth off the 3-meter and ninth off the 1-meter.
• Sam Tamborski – Tamborski qualified for the NCAA Championships off the 3-meter as a true freshman, where she placed 19th.  The Colorado native also placed 10th at the Big Ten Championships in 2019.
• Anton Hoherz – Iowa’s 2019 team diving MVP qualified for his first NCAA Championships off the platform as a sophomore. He placed 40th overall.

BURVILL BACK FOR FINAL YEAR
Hannah Burvill returns for her senior season with her name littering the Iowa record books.  The England native holds four individual school records (50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 back) and she ranks second in the 500 free.  Burvill also is a record holder in four relays — 400-free relay, 800-free relay, 200-medley relay, and 400-medlay relay.

RECORD HOLDERS RETURNING
The Hawkeyes have seven men’s student-athletes that enter the 2019-20 season as school record holders: Jackson Allmon (800-free relay), Mateusz Arndt (800-free relay), Anton Hoherz (platform), Joe Myhre (200-free relay, 400-free relay), Will Scott (200-free relay, 400-free relay), Aleksey Tarasenko (400-free relay, 800-free relay), and Michael Tenney (800-free relay).
• Along with Burvill’s eight school records, the Hawkeyes have two additional school record holders on the women’s team.  Kelsey Drake holds the record in the 100 fly, while Allyssa Fluit is a record holder as part of the 400-free relay and 800-free relay.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa has 23 newcomers on the roster — 17 on the women’s team and six on the men’s team.  The Hawkeye women have as many newcomers as returning letterwinners on the squad.
• Freshman Will Myhre joins the men’s team as a 19-time high school All-American.  He is the younger brother of senior Joe Myhre.
• Iowa welcomes international student-athletes from Poland (Julia Koluch), England (Millie Sansome), and Egypt (Mohamed Neuman) in 2019-20.
 
HOSTING B1Gs
After hosting the Big Ten Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships in 2019, the women are coming to Iowa City in 2020.  The Hawkeyes will host the 2020 Big Ten Championships at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center from Feb. 19-22.  It is the first time the women’s championship has been in Iowa City since 2012.

COACHING STAFF ADDITIONS
The Iowa coaching staff has two new faces in 2019-20.  Brian Schrader and Emma Sougstad join the program as first-year assistant coaches. Schrader joins the program following a 13-year stint as head caoch for the University of Denver, where he was a 14-time Conference Coach of the Year.  Sougstad, a Hawkeye All-American, joins the program after a two-year stint at the CSCAA.  

ON DECK
The Hawkeyes host Minnesota on Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Admission is free. 

 

42662