Minnesota Posts Pair of Big Ten Wins Over Iowa

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, November 2. AFTER an exciting head-to-head meet, the No. 13 University of Minnesota men's swimming and diving team defeated Iowa, 165.5-132.5, Friday night at the University Aquatic Center. The Gophers won 10 of the 16 events on the night.

“Both sides, women's and men's, we swam great, really a complete meet from start to finish,” head swimming and diving coach Kelly Kremer said. “Especially on the men's side, having dropped this meet a year ago down in Iowa, it sure was nice for them to come back to our pool and for us to pick up the win. That was nice. It was a really great meet on both sides and, for the most part, I'm happy about how things turned out. ”

The meet kicked off with the 200 medley relay where four different disqualifications occurred, including the winning Iowa team. The Minnesota A team made up of Andrew Hartbarger, Jared Anderson, Kyler Van Swol and Derek Toomey received first-place honors as a result, with a time of 1:29.06.

From the first relay to the last, the home and visiting crowd were cheering loud throughout the entire night.

“The crowd was great,” Kremer said. “The Minnesota/Iowa rivalry extends to every sport, and we're no different. It makes it convenient for all the people to get to a facility and cheer us on. It was loud and it was a good atmosphere for a college dual meet.”

CJ Smith beat out all competition to win the 1,000 free with a time of 9:11.63, but the big match-up of the event was between Logan Redondo and Iowa's Manuel Belzer. Redondo beat out Belzer by .51 seconds with the help of the loud cheering coming from both sides of the pool.

Iowa went on to win the next three events, the 200 free, 100 back and 100 breast, before Kyler Van Swol came back to claim the victory in the 200 fly.

Van Swol swam a huge night for the Gophers, winning both the 100 fly and the 200 fly. Van Swol's time of 47.82 in the 100 fly marks the fastest time in the nation right now, while his 1:47.47 in the 200 fly is the sixth fastest in the nation.

Toomey celebrated his 21st birthday with two victories on the night. Along with the relay, Toomey won the 50 free with a time of 20.22 and came in a very close second by .08 in the 100 free.

Senior diver Mikey Ross earned two first-place finishes on the night, scoring a 318.38 on the 1 meter board and a 394.80 in 3 meter. Manny Pollard came in second in 3 meter, with a 302.32.

Carl Newenhouse came back in the final length of the 200 back to give the Gophers an exciting win with a time of 1:48.49. Sean Nesheim and Logan Redondo went 1-2 in the 500 free, as Nesheim won with a time of 4:31.19 and Redondo followed with at 4:32.19.

Towards the end of the night, Brandon Hatanaka came up with a huge victory in the 200 IM for the Gophers, posting a time of 1:50.69.

In the final event of the night, the Gophers and the Hawkeyes went at it in the 400 free relay, getting the crowd yelling loud and on their feet. Iowa's team A won by only .04 seconds to Minnesota's A team.

The Gophers will swim their next competition at home once again as they host the Minneapolis Grand Prix next weekend, November 9-11, at the University Aquatic Center.

“We're very excited,” Kremer said about hosting the Grand Prix. “It's a little smaller meet than last year, but our whole team will be in it. We're going to take a little rest and see if we can put up some fast swims next week. We are really excited to have it in our pool.”

The No. 12 University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team remained undefeated Friday night at the University Aquatic Center, taking down Big Ten foe Iowa, 192-103. The Gophers won all but two events on the night.

“Both sides, women's and men's, we swam great, really a complete meet from start to finish,” head swimming and diving coach Kelly Kremer said. “It was a really great meet on both sides and, for the most part, I'm happy about how things turned out.”

The meet kicked off with the 200 medley relay, where Minnesota's A team made up of Tess Behrens, Haley Spencer, Becca Weiland and Erin Caflisch beat out all others with a new meet record of 1:41.49.

From the first relay to the last, the home and visiting crowd were cheering loud throughout the entire night.

Tori Simenec posted three victories on the night for the Gophers. The sophomore claimed first-place honors in the 200 free with a time of 1:48.25 and followed it up with a win in 200 IM, touching the wall at 2:03.13, a new meet record.

Behrens earned her second title of the night, winning the 100 back with a time of 55.68, while freshman Haley Pietila claimed the title in the 200 back, posting a time of 2:02.08.

Kierra Smith claimed the title in the 100 breast with a time of 1:02.42. The freshman's time recorded a new meet record, beating out fellow Canadian Jillian Tyler's time of 1:03.19 from 2007. Haley Spencer also beat out a long-term meet record set in 2003 with a first place time of 2:16.00 in the 200 breast.

Annalise Colton won the 200 fly with a time of 2:02.76, followed closely behind by teammate Devin Ste Marie (2:03.09).

Maggie Keefer and Katie Grunawalt went one and two on the 3 meter board for the Gophers. Keefer won the event with a mark of 290.78, while Grunawalt scored a 279.82. In 1 meter diving, Keefer also placed first with a time of 290.33.

Caflisch claimed her second title on the night in the 100 free with a time of 50.68, touching the wall just before Lauren Votava at 50.71. Weiland also notched a second victory in the 100 fly with a new meet record of 54.68.

Kiera Janzen battled hard to come back on the final length of the 500 free to earn a victory for the Gophers. Janzen touched the wall at 4:47.74, just .03 seconds ahead of Iowa's Becky Stoughton.

To cap off the night, Minnesota's 400 free relay team of Votava, Weiland, Caflisch and Simenec notched a first place finish, posting a new meet record of 3:22.40.

The Gophers will swim their next competition at home once again as they host the Minneapolis Grand Prix next weekend, November 9-11, at the University Aquatic Center.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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