Friday: Alumni Meet
Cyclone swim and dive kicked off a busy schedule in the month of October. On Oct. 3, the annual Cardinal and Gold exhibition served as a stepping stone for the team, as many returning swimmers dominated while other newcomers impressed early on.
The Cyclones will start the weekend at 5 p.m. Friday, with the Alumni Meet. This will be a chance to bring back former Iowa State swimmers and divers to Beyer Pool. The meet will offer up a fun and low-pressure environment for the current athletes to connect with alumni as well as compete in a spirited scrimmage.
The Cyclones swim and dive social media account announced this meet back in August and urged all alumni to return for “our first ever alumni meet.” Expect a mix of friendly competition and nostalgia as former Cyclones return to either compete or be represented.
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Leach is in just his second year with the program, and he and his staff have already put together an Alumni Meet event. It is clear Leach wants to emphasize the importance of building a community while also honoring the program’s legacy.
Saturday: Regular season opener vs. Nebraska
The action will quickly ramp up for the Cyclones as they host Nebraska for their first official dual meet of the season at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Nebraska officially started its season on Oct. 3, taking down Omaha 200-99 and South Dakota State 223-77. Standout performances from junior diver Abby Baxter and senior All-American Gena Jorgenson helped lead the way for the Cornhuskers.
As Iowa State will be hosting its Alumni Meet on Friday, Nebraska will be competing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, against South Dakota and Minnesota. The Cyclones may look to use that to their advantage and create some separation on the scoreboard early Saturday.
Nebraska was victorious in last year’s matchup, 202-94, claiming 15 of 16 events. This year, Iowa State will look to flip the script at Beyer Pool.
Senior Corinne Guist, a distance freestyle standout for the Cyclones, will need to be a key contributor to help close the gap against Nebraska.
Rising talents like freshman Kendall Mallers and sophomore Lili Neisser, who impressed in the recent Cardinal and Gold intrasquad meet, will be looked upon again to step up as underclassmen this early in the season.
If there was one thing to take away from the Cardinal and Gold meet, it was the freshman who unexpectedly stepped up and showed they could carve out a serious role on this team. Many Cyclone swimmers seem to be ahead of where they were last year, which could make the meet this year more competitive.
Last season, against the Cornhuskers, the Cyclones did not come out on top in either of the diving events. The diving threats of seniors Ally Blumenfeld and Kate Mitchell will need to be at their best on Saturday to help the Cyclones win the diving events and add to the team’s total score.
With alumni returning on Friday night and Nebraska coming to town Saturday morning, the Cyclones are set for a weekend that honors the past and tests the future, all taking place in the waters of Beyer Pool.
The Cyclones will be back in action at Beyer Pool against Illinois at 5 p.m. Oct. 17 and 11 a.m. Oct. 18.
