Notes: Hawkeyes Open 2021-22 Season on Friday

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team opens the 2021-22 season hosting Northern Iowa on Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Admission is free.

FOLLOW LIVE
• Live results for Friday’s dual will be available on hawkeyesports.com.
• Friday’s meet will be streamed live on BTN+ — a paid subscription service.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Nathan Mundt is in his first season as head coach after spending six years as head coach of the Iowa Flyers Club. Mundt previously was an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes from 2008-16.
• Iowa returns 10 letterwinners from last season’s squad, including senior diver Sam Tamborski, who was a 2021 NCAA qualifier.
• The Hawkeyes return their top competitors in five events and members of four of the top relays from a season ago.
• Iowa has two of its top free 50-freestyle sprinters — junior Kennedy Gilbertson and sophomore Maddie Black — back on the blocks.

RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIER
Senior Sam Tamborski is a three-time NCAA qualifier off the 3-meter springboard. The Colorado native finished ninth in the event at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and she was seventh in 2020.
• Tamborski enters her senior season with the fifth-best 3-meter score in school history at 355.05.

KEY RETURNEES
• Junior Kennedy Gilbertson returns after leading the team in the 100-yard backstroke last season with an NCAA “B” qualifying time of 53.92 seconds. Gilbertson’s time ranks fifth in the school record books. The Wisconsin native also had the second-fastest 50-freestyle time (23.38) while also being a member of the team-leading 200 and 400-freestyle relays. Gilbertson ranks in the top 10 in school history in the 50 free, 100 back and 200 back and as part of five relays.
• Junior Anna Brooker paced the team in the 200-back as a sophomore with a time of 1:57.70 — a time that ranks eighth in school history. She also was third on the team in the 1,000 free (10:23.59) and fourth in the 500 free (4:58.28).
• Junior Aleksandra Olesiak was one of the team’s top breaststrokers a season ago, leading the team in the 200 breast (2:16.19) while ranking second in the 100 breast with a career-best time of 1:02.06. The Colorado native was also a member of the team-leading 200 and 400-medley relays. Her 100 and 200 breaststroke times rank sixth in school history.
• Junior Georgia Clark led the team in the 400 IM in 2021, posting a time of 4:25.60 at the Big Ten Championships. She was also third on the team in the 100 back (55.43).
• Sophomore Sarah Ballard led the team off the 1-meter springboard in her first season as a Hawkeye, finishing with a season-best score of 294.15. Ballard posted NCAA Zone qualifying scores off both the 1-meter and 3-meter as a freshman.

HUGHBANKS JOINS HAWKEYES
Freshman Makayla Hughbanks is the lone newcomer to Iowa’s roster for the 2021-22 season. Hughbanks joins the Hawkeyes from Bettendorf, Iowa, where she was a first-team all-state selection in the diving well. She holds Bettendorf High School’s six and 11 dive records.

MUNDT RETURNS TO HAWKEYES
Nathan Mundt returns for his second stint with the Hawkeyes and he becomes the seventh head coach in program history. The Indiana native served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2008-16 where he coached 33 All-Americans and 42 NCAA qualifiers and helped the Hawkeyes to six top 40 NCAA finishes and 115 school records.

WAIKEL’S BACK
Diving coach Todd Waikel enters his ninth season with the program. Waikel has coached five All-Americans during his tenure in Iowa City and 15 NCAA Championships qualifiers.

GROTEGUTH-GARCIA JOINS PROGRAM
Mona Grotegth-Garcia completes the Hawkeye coaching staff, coming to Iowa City following a two-year stint at TCU. She helped the Horned Frogs to back-to-back third-place Big 12 Conference finishes — the best for the program since 2012-13. Groteguth-Garcia also coached at the University of Indianapolis from 2017-19 and she swam collegiately at North Texas.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will host their final home meet of the 2021-22 season on Oct. 8, welcoming Minnesota to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center for a Big Ten Conference dual.