IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving hosts in-state foe Iowa State for its Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup on Friday, Dec. 9. Competition begins at 6 p.m. (CT) in the CRWC Natatorium and will be live streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
FOLLOW LIVE
• Live results for the meet will be available on hawkeyesports.com (via the schedule page) and Meet Mobile.
• Fans can also follow the Hawkeyes on Twitter/IowaSwimDive for live meet updates.
• The meet will be live streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Iowa kicked off the 2022-23 season with a 192-107 victory against UNI.
• Six Iowa athletes performed top-ten times/scores in program history during the Hawkeye Invitational.
• The Hawkeyes enter the season returning seven athletes and welcoming 14 newcomers, including three transfers.
• Amongst the returners are junior divers Sarah Ballard and Claire Hartley and sophomore Makayla Hughbanks, who all qualified to compete in last season’s NCAA Zone D Diving Championships.
ETCHED IN THE BOOKS
Nine performances were added to the Iowa top-10 records at the Hawkeye Invitational on Dec. 1-3.
• 50 Free – Kennedy Gilbertson (22.83) – 5th all-time
• 100 Free – Sabina Kupcova (50.26) – ties 6th all-time
• 100 Breast – Sheridan Schreiber (1:02.38) – 8th all-time
• 100 Fly – Scarlet Martin (53.84) – 5th all-time
• 3-Meter Dive – Makayla Hughbanks (355.40) – 5th all-time
• Platform Dive – Geneva Pauly (257.10) – 3rd all-time
• Platform Dive – Claire Hartley (233.90) – 6th all-time
• 400 Free Relay – Gilbertson, Kupcova, Molly Pedersen, Martin (3:20.08) – 5th all-time
• 200 Medley Relay – Gilbertson, Schreiber, Martin, Maddie Black (1:40.75) – 10th all-time
HIGHLIGHTING HUGHBANKS
Sophomore Makayla Hughbanks came away with a career-best 355.40 total to score 20 points in the 3-meter dive finals during the Hawkeye Invite, ranking fifth all-time in program history. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native also leads the team in the 1-meter dive score, posting a zone-qualifying total of 290.17 at Minnesota.
READY FOR RELAYS
The Hawkeyes brought back four swimmers, seniors Kennedy Gilbertson and Aleksandra Olesiak and juniors Maddie Black and Anna Pfeiffer, who led the team in all five relay squads during the 2021-22 season. Gilbertson was a part of four top teams, while Olesiak and Pfeiffer competed on three respective quartets.
THRIVING NEWCOMERS
Iowa has had 15 individual wins amongst its freshmen and transfers. Denison University transfer Alix O’Brien has contributed to four of those victories, her latest coming from a career-best performance in the 1000 free against no. 25 Minnesota. Freshman Scarlet Martin has accounted for four wins, including her three (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) in Iowa’s season opener and 100 fly at the Hawkeye Invitational. Both the TCU graduate transfer Sheridan Schreiber and freshman Sabina Kupcova also have added multiple wins as well. Schreiber was Iowa’s second in its meet with the Golden Gophers, notching first place with a season-best time in the 100 breast.
REPPING SLOVAKIA
Freshman and Levice, Slovakia, native Sabina Kupcova traveled to the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis to compete in the FINA World Cup. Kupcova raced in the 400 free, 200 free, and 200 individual medley for a chance to qualify for the FINA Championships.
VETERAN PRESENCE
Senior Kennedy Gilbertson took home gold in the 50 free and 100 back against Nebraska, and also won the 100 back against UNI in the season-opener. Gilbertson has also headed off Iowa’s season-fastest 200 free, 400 free and 200 medley relay squads — all timing top-ten in program history. Senior Aleksandra Olesiak also has a 2022-23 individual victory under her belt. The Colorado native posted first place in 200 back against UNI.
HAWKEYE COACHING STAFF
• Nathan Mundt returns for his second stint with the Hawkeyes and he is the seventh head coach in program history. The Indiana native served as an Iowa 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.
• Diving coach Todd Waikel enters his 10th season with the program. Waikel has coached five All-Americans during his tenure in Iowa City and 15 NCAA Championship qualifiers.
• Mona Groteguth-Garcia also returns for her second season on the Hawkeye coaching staff, joining the Hawkeyes in 2021 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.
BREAKING RECORDS
The Hawkeyes broke four Glen F. Henry Pool records in the 2022-23 opener at UNI, including Schreiber’s 100 breast (1:04.16) , Martin’s 50 free (23.55) and 100 fly (54.60), and the 400 free relay (Kupcova, Gilbertson, Pedersen, Martin).
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes have a month-long break from competition before hosting Illinois on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 13-14.