Just like a starting pistol, the Iowa State men’s swimming and diving team is ready to start the 1999-2000 season off with a bang.

The Cyclones will give the university a glimpse of the team when they hold an exhibition intra-squad meet tonight at 6:30 at the ISU pool in Beyer Hall.

The team will open up the regular season when it hosts the Big 12 Relays on October 22.

Iowa State is looking to improve on last year’s fourth place at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Big things may be expected from ISU.

“This is one of the most focused groups that I’ve had at ISU,” said Cyclone head coach Trip Hedrick. “This is a well balanced group.”

The Cyclones seem to have a good mix of experience and newcomers. There are 19 returning letter-winners on the team and three swimmers that were red-shirted last season. To complement this experience, there is a promising group of eight freshmen.

“We should be an exciting team this year,” senior All-American Brian Rogers said. “It’s a team with a lot of fun personalities, and that should show in the meets.”

Six of the returning letter-winners have been recent qualifiers for the NCAA Championship Meets. Last season senior Mitch McGinty qualified for the 100 butterfly. Sophomore Dylan de Bruin also made last season’s NCAA Championship field.

He participated in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. Four swimmers were participants in the 1998 NCAA Championships two seasons ago. Lovrenco Franicevic, a senior, was a participant in the 200 butterfly. Juniors Jeff Gahan and Henrik Ingesson, both All-Americans, and Rogers were members of the 200 medley relay team that qualified.

Coach Hedrick plans to look to his seniors to take a collective leadership role. McGinty, Franicevic, and Rogers along with Rob Breshears, Bjorn Brooks, Evan deSzoeke, Steve Mohabir and Jim Sheehan make up the team’s senior class.

The Iowa State swimmers and divers make an impact in more places than the pool.

Some members are strong in the classroom.

The Cyclones have four Academic All-Americans on this season’s roster. Gahan, deSzoeke, Ingesson, and Josh Nogar all have earned greater than a 3.5 grade-point average.

According to Hedrick, one of the goals for this season’s team is to move up in the Big 12 Conference standings and compete for a conference championship.

However, there is one goal that overshadows winning a Big 12 Championship. The team wants to send as many team members as possible to the NCAA Championship to be held in Minneapolis in March.

The team is prepared to face the challenge. “We seem to have a fire burning beneath us,” said Rogers. “We all want to improve and get faster.”

Iowa State has to face a fairly tough schedule ahead. “Our home dual meet schedule is terrific this year. It should be a lot of fun,” Hedrick said. Hedrick cited the Big Twelve meets and the meet against Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., as having significance.

ISU has home meets against Iowa on December 10, North Dakota on January 28 and 29, and Kansas on February 5.