Karyl Clarete and Danica Delaquis never imagined the opportunity to be on a team at the collegiate level. The two swimmers from Winnipeg, Manitoba have a rich history of competitive swimming in the great white north, as they competed at the club level in Canada prior to swimming together at Iowa State.

Clarete, a sophomore, and Delaquis, a freshman, first met in 2009 at the Western Canada Games. They were on different club teams at that point but came together for Team Manitoba.

“We swam together for three years and just got really close in those three years,” Delaquis said.

As Delaquis partook in her college search, she didn’t imagine attending a school where she would know anybody else. Clarete had been in contact with her about the fact that Iowa State was losing some of its top breaststrokers and urged her to contact the coaching staff on competing for the program.

“I did that, and [assistant coach] Kelly [Nordell] called me,” Delaquis said. “It was really easy to talk to her on the phone, and I really liked the coaches, so when they invited me to take a visit I didn’t hesitate and took the visit.”

The bond as friends and competitors for these two has strengthened at Iowa State. Clarete was crucial in the addition of Delaquis to the ISU swimming team, and she is confident in the transition from Canada for both herself and Danica.

“Our coach back home has a very similar style to how Kelly and [head coach] Duane [Sorenson] coach,” Clarete said. “It was definitely an easy transition for me, and I think it has been for her, too.”

Iowa State is known for having a tight-knit team for this season, which has helped for the foreign competitors and the incoming freshmen as well. Coach Sorenson admires his two Canadian swimmers both inside and outside of the pool.

Sorenson acknowledged the importance for Delaquis to transition from the different distances of the pool between the U.S. and Canada. That is important for Delaquis specifically because in her event, the breastevent, it is very important to have a stroke count down and to have a good rhythm.

“Danica is a really fierce competitor,” Sorenson said. “She feels like she has her rhythm down pretty good. She has a bubbly personality and is very intense.”

Sorenson noted the competitive habits of Delaquis and Clarete to be very similar. Clarete performs in the freestyle events and is the top distance swimmer for the Cyclones.

“Karyl is also a fierce competitor,” Sorenson said. “She always wants to come out and do the best she can for the team. She has a great sense of humor, laughs a lot and you can joke around with her. She likes to please other people, and that’s another neat thing about her.”

The Canadian bond and the continued success for these two swimmers lives on at Iowa State both inside and outside of the pool.

“She swims different events than I do, but we always had a bond inside and outside of the pool,” Delaquis said.