After a long break since its last official meet, the ISU swimming and diving team is traveling to Champaign-Urbana, Ill., to take on Illinois.

Although it has not had an official meet in more than a month, the team has been taking only a few days off for the holidays before getting right back into the grind. 

“I feel we are at our fittest we have been all season because we’ve had about 18 days where we have been really able to get at it and work hard,” said ISU Coach Duane Sorenson.

The team has been doing a variety of workouts along with swimming during practice and switching up daily routines that have helped improve their fitness.

The Cyclones are 2-3 on the season, and the Fighting Illini are 1-2. Iowa State is hoping to find a way back to .500.

“Our whole focus is the Big 12 Championships, but we can’t look past Illinois because last year they beat us by one point, and we have a lot of motivation because of that,” Sorenson said. “We also have a couple of kids from the Chicago area. So, they are motivated to go back home and show what they can do.”

After making it on the ISU all-time top 10 this season in diving, both freshman Elyse Brouillette and senior Marley Dobyns will get another chance to move up on the list.

“It is nice being on the [ISU all-time top 10 diving] list, but it is also motivating seeing names in front of me and how close I am to making my way up higher and eventually hope to be number one on there,” Brouillette said.