Iowa State swim and dive fell to Nebraska in its first regular-season meet, 197-103. The Cyclones have now lost 22 straight dual meets to the Cornhuskers, with their last win coming in 2003.
The meet results displayed the depth and experience that is on the Nebraska roster, but also highlighted many bright spots for the Iowa State squad that features a mix of veteran leadership and young talent.
While 197-103 doesn’t appear to be close, Iowa State had several standout performances that energized the home crowd early. Sophomore Grace Swoboda led the charge first for the Cyclones with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke event. Junior Abbi Crum and freshman Matilde Geromin were right behind Swoboda, allowing the Cyclones to earn a 1-2-3 sweep of the event.
In the 200-yard breaststroke event, the Cyclones would lock up another event sweep with Geromin leading the way and clocking a personal best time of 2:20.77, with sophomores Anja Peck and Swoboda locking up second and third.
In the 100-yard backstroke, junior Emma Kuhn, with a time of 58.02, and sophomore Lili Neisser, with a time of 58.08, placed second and third, narrowly losing to Nebraska’s sophomore Virginia Consiglio.
On the diving boards, senior Kate Mitchell earned a third-place finish in the 3-meter event with a score of 290.95.
The Cornhuskers dominated, winning 12 of the 16 events and sweeping both diving competitions.
Nebraska senior and All-American Gena Jorgenson was a triple event winner, taking home wins in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.47, 500 freestyle with a time of 4:57.14 and 400 IM with a time of 4:26.95.
Junior Beatrix Tanko showcased her sprint swim abilities with wins in the 50 freestyle, clocking in a time of 24.03 and 100 butterfly with a time of 56.87.
Consiglio added a victory in the 200 backstroke event with a time of 2:04.57, as well as a win in the 100 backstroke with a time of 57.07.
Nebraska opened the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay, clocking a time of 1:44.73, which was just ahead of the Cyclones’ time of 1:45.87. The Cornhuskers concluded the meet by taking home a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay, finishing with a time of 3:30.49, while the Cyclones’ top relay time came in at 3:32.61.
Despite the loss for Iowa State, the team still showed resilience throughout the meet. Veterans like senior Corinne Guist placed third in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, doing her best to provide some leadership to the team, while the underclassmen, specifically the freshmen, gained valuable experience in their season debuts.
It seems as if the Cyclones are already ahead of where they were at the start of last season, and if they can continue to keep up the high energy and continue to fight in the meets, they will be able to swim with anyone.
The Cyclones will look to build on their strong individual performances and bring them together as a team. Iowa State will return to the water quickly as it prepares to host Illinois on Friday and Saturday at Beyer Pool.
