The wait to finally compete again has boiled down to a week for ISU swimmers and divers.

The Cyclones will travel to Austin, Texas, on Feb. 26 to compete in the Big 12 Championships. The team will compete in seven different sessions, beginning Feb. 26 and ending March 1.

Practice for the conference championship has been focused on fixing the details. Swimmers have been working on relay starts, turns, and simulation swims.

This time of season is known as “taper” for swimmers. The yardage they swim has been reduced, and morning practices have been eliminated from their schedule.

“The sprinters were done with morning practice last week, and I said this is your last morning practice,” said ISU head coach Duane Sorenson. “One of them said, ‘I’ve been living for this day for the last five years.’ The amazing thing is that probably six months to nine months, they’ll all be back in the water working out because they’re going to say ‘I’m so bored’ or ‘I have to work out.’”

The Cyclones last competed Feb. 8, when they defeated Kansas 163.5-136.5.

“Their whole psyche is they are getting really excited and their energy level is going up,” Sorenson said. “What we’ve got to do now as coaches, is contain that energy, so they explode [Feb. 26].”

Even though the wait for the Big 12 Championship will end up lasting 17 days, swimmers say the layoff has flown by.

“There is definitely a lot of excitement for the Big 12 meet,” said senior Haley Krzeczowski. “This is what we train for all year.”

The Big 12 Championship meet will be the last time the team swims together as a whole.

“I think we’re the closest to [the seniors],” said junior Sarah Deis. It’s really fun swimming with them, and it will be weird without them.

Sorenson said he believes the meet will be a close race for second among Kansas, West Virginia, TCU and Iowa State. Iowa State has defeated both the Jayhawks and Mountaineers this season, but lost its match to the Horned Frogs. 

After the Big 12 Championship, NCAA Zone ‘D’ Diving Championships will take place March 10–12, and the NCAA Women’s Championships will be held March 20–22. Both events will be located in Minneapolis.