Iowa State swim and dive dropped to 0-3 on the young season, losing both meets to Illinois this weekend. 

Friday:

The Cyclones came into the meet with high expectations and good energy, looking to pick up a win, but ultimately came up short, 121-65. A spirited performance nonetheless, the Cyclones still continued to showcase promising talent and resilience across all events. 

The meet opened with the 200-yard medley relay, where Iowa State’s A team, led by sophomore Lili Neisser, freshman Matilde Geromin, junior Keirlyn Mullica and sophomore Grace Swoboda, clocked in a time of 1:46.62, just narrowly missing second place by 0.03 seconds. 

In the 1000-yard freestyle, freshman Carlotta Gazzola led the Cyclones with a strong second-place finish in 10:23.29. Senior Corinne Guist added valuable points with a fourth-place finish while sophomore Miray Abay rounded out the event for Iowa State in sixth. 

In the 100 fly, freshman Kendall Mallers helped Iowa State to three points with a third-place finish. Maller’s time of 57.64 marked a new personal best for her in the event. 

Iowa State’s diving squad made a splash in the 3-meter event, led by sophomore Maggie Bendell, who secured a first-place finish with a score of 305.40, edging out Illinois’ junior Matilda Garcia. Teammates freshman Iona Moffat and senior Kate Mitchell followed close behind in third and fourth, contributing crucial points to the Cyclones’ total. 

While Illinois took the win on day one, Iowa State’s performance highlighted several bright spots and emerging talent. 

Saturday:

Iowa State dropped day two of the meet as well, with a score of 123-82.