Notes: at Purdue

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on Purdue in the third meet of the season. The matchup will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. (CT) inside the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center. The Boilermakers received votes in the CSCAA October top 25 poll.

FOLLOW ALONG 
Results will be accessible via multiple platforms. Follow the official Iowa Swimming and Diving ‘X’ account for live updates of the meet. Fans can also follow along through MeetMobile and a static webpage on Purdue’s swimming and diving schedule page. Diving results can be found on DiveMeets. 

SERIES HISTORY - PURDUE
Iowa trails the series, 16-5.  The Hawkeyes’ most recent win was in 2003, when Iowa won, 154-144. During the last meeting in 2024, juniors Olivia Swalley (400 IM) and Jenna Kerr (500 free) claimed second-place finishes. 

LAST TIME OUT
University of Iowa swimming and diving fell to No. 24 Minnesota, 190-109. Freshman swimmer Payton Flowers collected two of the Hawkeyes three individual wins (50 free and 100 fly) and landed on Iowa’s top-10 list in both. Junior Olivia Swalley (200 breaststroke) accounted for the team’s third individual win. Iowa’s divers collected seven season-bests. 

FRESHMAN IMPACT
A pair of freshmen are making big impacts to start off their collegiate careers. Swimmer Payton Flowers from DeForest, Wisconsin, has tallied four individual wins  (50 free (x2), 100 free, 100 fly) through the first two meets of the season. Additionally, she has appeared twice on the top-10 list for the Hawkeyes (8th in the 100 fly and 9th in the 50 free). Diver Zita Bernatsky from Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada, collected season-bests on both the one- (287.15) and three-meter (321.80) dives against No. 24 Minnesota. 

HAWKEYE INVITE 2025
The annual Hawkeye Invitational will take place Nov. 18-21. A loaded field will be coming to the CRWC for the 2025 edition of the event. Iowa will host Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Miami (FL), Nebraska, UConn, UNI and Washington State. Miami (FL) received votes in the October top 25 poll. Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas and UNI return to the meet after attending last season. A year ago, Iowa placed fifth out of nine teams and scored 879 points. Olivia Swalley won the 400 IM with a school record 4:10.54 last season. She won the 200 IM title and set Iowa’s second-fastest time. Former diver Makayla Hughbanks won the three-meter dive. 

B1G ATHLETES TO WATCH
Diver Geneva Pauly and swimmer Olivia Swalley were named the Big Ten Athletes to Watch before the 25-26 season. Pauly, a senior from Colorado, returns to the diving well after placing 10th at the 2025 NCAA Zone Diving Championships. Pauly’s 278.65 points in the platform dive ranks second all-time in school history. From the 1-meter springboard, Pauly holds Iowa’s ninth-best total (312.95). Swalley returns for her junior year after leading the team in four events a season ago. The Iowa native is the school record holder in the 400 IM (4:10.54). Swalley is second in the 100 breast and 200 IM, while holding the fourth-fastest time in the 200 breast. In total, Swalley won 21 individual races and was a part of three winning relays during the 2024-25 season.

MAKING MARKS
The Hawkeyes have combined for three top-10 program performances so far in the 2025-26 season.  

• 50 Free - Payton Flowers (23.02) - 9th all-time
• 100 Fly - Payton Flowers (54.20) - 8th all-time
• 200 Fly - Olivia Swalley (2:01.21) - 10th all-time

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
The Hawkeyes are welcoming eight newcomers to the team, including six freshmen. Rookies Zita Bernatsky from Winnipeg, Canada, and Kamila Swanson from North Liberty, Iowa, join the diving team. Freshmen swimmers Payton Flowers from DeForest, Wisconsin, Faith Frantum from Johnston, Iowa, Willa Hage from Urbandale, Iowa, and Ella Jean Kelly from Western Springs, Illinois round out the incoming freshman class. Two transfers join the Hawkeyes: sophomore swimmer Emilie Mosner from Lititz, Pennsylvania, who previously swam at Monmouth and sophomore swimmer Audrey Olen from Elm Grove, Wisconsin, who previously swam at Auburn.

HAWKEYE RETURNERS
Of the 26-person roster, 18 are returning Hawkeyes. With six seniors and six juniors, the upperclassmen have a strong leading presence. Olivia Swalley returns as the school-record holder in the 400 IM. Geneva Pauly leads the divers. During the Big Ten Championships, three returning Hawkeyes updated the Iowa top-10 list. Junior Hope Schimming in the 200 back prelim notched the 6th-all time, sophomore Rachel Dildine in the 100 free reached 4th all-time, and junior Josie Hood recorded a 10th-best during the 200 fly. 

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year’s roster includes six freshman, seven sophomores, seven juniors and six seniors. Of those student-athletes, eight are from Iowa, five from Illinois, three from Wisconsin, two from Nebraska, and one from each of the states of Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. There are two international Hawkeyes who come from Canada and Turkey. 

UP NEXT 
Iowa will host the annual Hawkeye Invitational from Nov. 18-21 in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.