Senior seasons are always the toughest goodbyes for athletes of all collegiate levels. They are often emotional, especially when leaving a community that has been tight for years.
The first Iowa State senior being honored is diver Ally Blumenfeld. Blumenfeld has been a strong diver for the Cyclones, achieving a personal best diving score of 290.85 in the 1-meter dive as a junior, and a personal record of 303.68 in the 3-meter dive as a freshman. Blumenfeld also has a personal record in platform diving, with a score of 226.13.
Blumenfeld has also earned multiple zone cuts, achieving two so far this year in both the 1 and 3-meter diving events.
Blumenfeld has also been strong academically, making the Academic All-Big 12 Team in her sophomore and junior seasons, as well as making the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times thus far.
“Iowa State provides so much to help you become an amazing student-athlete,” Blumenfeld said.
Blumenfeld was also very appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of Cyclone swim and dive and left a message for everyone associated with swim and dive at the university.
“Thank you for everything, you can really feel the support of every person you work with,” Blumenfeld said.
Next to honor is Madi Dohrn, who primarily swims in the backstroke events. While swimming for Iowa State, Dohrn has produced personal records in the 100-yard backstroke of 55.81 seconds and a 200-yard backstroke time of 2:00.35. She was also part of a team of the best backstroke swimmers in the Big 12 in 2023. Dohrn also represented some freestyle events, capturing a personal record of 24.40 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle.
Dohrn has also been stellar in the classroom, racking up tons of awards. She recently received the Wallace E. Barron award for excellence in the classroom and in the community. Dohrn has also been on the Academic All-Big 12 Team twice, as well as making four appearances on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Dohrn was also able to share how she has been able to get to these success levels in the pool, classroom and the community through swim and dive.
“I think one of the most valuable lessons would be how important persistence is and how important family and finding a group of people that you can spend 20 hours a week with,” Dohrn said.
The third senior being honored is diver Kate Mitchell. Mitchell has had strong recent performances, setting a personal record in her last home meet in the 3-meter dive with a score of 321.08. Mitchell has a personal record of 282.45 as a score in the 1-meter dive and a platform diving personal record of 245.70.
Mitchell has also been successful in the classroom, joining her fellow senior classmates on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times, along with joining the Academic All-Big 12 Team twice.
“I’m gonna miss Cyclone nation,” Mitchell said, “I’m gonna miss looking up in the stands seeing all of our supporters, hearing them cheer me on before and after each dive. That’s what really gets me through practice through the meets, through the hard days, just knowing that we have such a great fanbase and supporters behind us all.”
The fourth and last senior to show honor to is distance and freestyle swimmer Corinne Guist. Guist has competed in many events, but specializes in the endurance races, achieving a personal record in the 1,650-yard freestyle of 16:55.55, a strong time in Cyclone history, and good enough to put her on the All-Big 12 second team in 2023.
Guist has plenty to show for her academic awards as well, earning two appearances on the Academic All-Big 12 team and also being a five-time recipient of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
“Soak up every moment, the highs and the lows, everything,” Guist said. “The whole team is in it together. It makes it more fun when you celebrate with each other.”
