The ISU swimming and diving team will start off its season with the annual Intra Squad meet Friday.

Most teams start seasons with high hopes and expectations, but this year’s team is taking it to a whole new level.

“I think we are looking towards having the best season Iowa State’s ever had,” said senior Alex Gustafson, team captain on this year’s squad.

In order to accomplish this goal, the team had to revamp its summer training program. Iowa State began following a new weightlifting regimen to increase its strength and agility, and had two-a-day practices throughout the summer in preparation for the season.

Last season, Iowa State was in the top half of the Big 12 rankings until the last few events on the very last day of competition.

The Cyclones simply didn’t have enough individuals competing in the finals of their respective events, and the team finished outside of the top half of the conference.

This season, ISU coach Duane Sorenson wants to be in a position to remain in the top half of the conference on that final day.

“We want everybody to go out and swim lifetime bests,” Sorenson said. “If we do that a lot of our team goals will take care of themselves.”

The team returns a host of Big 12 All-Conference winners and school record holders to pace the team.

Senior Imelda Wistey, owns the school record in 200 breaststroke and has the second fastest 100 breaststroke in school history as

well. 

Junior Bre Loeschke, was an All-Big 12 performer in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes and senior captain Emily Wiltsie, owns the school record in the 200 breaststroke.

Also returning is junior Amanda Paulson, who holds the school record in the 50 freestyle and has seven of the top 20 times at that distance in school history.

Paulson was also selected as the team’s most valuable swimmer in both her freshman and sophomore seasons and will look to break her own record in the 50 freestyle as well as continue to improve in the 100 freestyle.

“We’re hoping they all go out and break their own records again this season,” Sorenson said.

In diving, the team returns sophomore Elyse Brouillette, who was selected as the team’s most valuable diver and was the only diver to qualify for the NCAA Zone Diving last season.

As a freshman, she qualified in the 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform, and also etched her name into the record books in each event, with the fifth, fourth and fourth, best performances in school history in each event, respectively.

She was an All-Big 12 performer in both the 1-meter and platform dives.

Joining Brouillette on the diving team is two time captain senior Jessica Henderson, who qualified for NCAA Zones as a sophomore, and freshman diver Julie Dickinson.

Brouillette said the team’s diving goals are simple.

“I would really love to see all 3 of us divers make it to [NCAA] Zones this year,” Brouillette said.

The Intra-Squad meet is at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 in Beyer Hall.