Iowa’s Becky Stoughton Breaks Two Pool Records in Win Over Illinois

Photo Credit: Iowa Athletics

CHAMPAIGN – Iowa senior Becky Stoughton broke pool records in the 500 free and 1000 free to lead the Hawkeye women’s swimming and diving team to a 165-135 win over host Illinois on Saturday at the ARC Indoor Pool.

Iowa Press Release

The 21st-ranked University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team earned a 165-135 Big Ten win over Illinois on Saturday at the ARC Indoor Pool in Champaign, Illinois. The Hawkeyes won 9-of-16 events and broke three pool records while improving to a 4-2 mark in dual meets this season.

“I’m proud of our team for getting a Big Ten win on the road,” said UI head coach Marc Long. “It was a hard-fought win. I’d like to see improvement in all areas, especially in relays in order to reach this team’s full potential. They’re a hard-working and competitive bunch and I have confidence in their future.”

Becky Stoughton had an outstanding performance claiming three top finishes and a runner-up placing while rewriting the ARC Indoor Pool record books in two events. The Peoria, Illinois, native found success early in the 1,000 free, putting Iowa on top with a first-place finish and a record-setting time of 9:59.58. Stoughton also broke a pool record in the 500 free touching in with a top time of 4:53.65. The senior’s final win came in the 200 butterfly outlasting Illinois junior Sarah Sykstus with a time of 2:04.08.

A back-and-fourth battle left the Hawkeyes trailing by six points entering the fifth event — the 100 yard breast stroke. UI sophomore Emma Sougstad helped regain the lead picking up nine points with a first-place finish (1:04.47) that put Iowa on top, 48-45. The Forest City, Iowa, native was also a top finisher in the 200 breaststroke touching in at the 2:19.36 mark.

From that point on, the Hawkeyes won five straight events and would not return the lead. UI sophomore Taylor Flummerfelt had a pair of those wins swimming to first-place finishes in the 200 fly (2:04.08) and the 100 free (52.70).

In the diving well, the Hawkeyes stole the show finishing 1-2-3 on the 1-meter and 3-meter. Joelle Christy paced the field on the 1-meter diving to a top finish with a score of 316.50. Lauren Kelba finished second with a score of 299.85 and Abby Grilli placed third (289.50). All four of Iowa’s divers achieved season-best scores for the 2014-15 season.

On the 3-meter, Lauren Kelba led the field diving to a score of 332.17. Lydia Lehnert finished second with a score of 312 and Joelle Christy took third (301.58). Kelba, Lehnert and Abby Grilli (278.55) all reached season-best diving scores.

The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday, Jan. 24, hosting Northwestern in a Big Ten matchup at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Illinois Press Release

The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team was back in action on Saturday morning after beating Iowa State on Friday evening. Illinois welcomed Iowa to the ARC Pool for the Orange and Blue’s first dual with a Big Ten opponent this season. The Hawkeyes came away with a 165-135 win over the host Illini.

“Iowa is a strong team,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “They are ranked in the top-25, and we knew that coming in. One of the things we were trying to keep working on is staying calm. You don’t have to be overly exceptional because when you try to do that you tighten up. We had some tight moments, but I thought as the meet went along we started to loosen up a little bit. We were in a lot of those races. It was just a couple tenths of a second either way that could make a big swing. I was proud of the way they hung in there.”

The Illini began the day with a win the 200 medley relay. The quartet of Alison Meng, Samantha Stratford, Lori Lynn and Megan Marchuk took the win with a time of 1:44.59, edging Iowa’s team that swam 1:44.62. Victories by Gabbie Stecker in the 200 free (1:52.28) and Meng in the 100 back (55.99) gave Illinois wins in three of the first four events, but Iowa would win the next five events to establish a lead in the team score.

Meng broke the string of Iowa wins with her 200 back victory, clocking 2:03.34, and Lori Lynn added a win in the 100 fly, finishing in 56.93. In the 200 IM, Sam Stratford earned the win with a new pool record, stopping the clock at 2:04.31. Meng, Stecker, Gabrielle Bethke and Marchuk closed out the dual with a win in the 400 free relay, finishing in 3:29.95. In total, the Illini won four of the final seven events.

In the three-meter dive, Olivia Kassouni scored 290.02, while Erika Murphy totaled 289.04. Both marks meet the qualifying mark for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships on March 12-14.

“We have to take a couple days and take an objective look at today to see where we need to keep working in the pool,” state Novitsky. “It’s always a very emotional meet with Iowa, so we need to be able to step back from that and say `How do I handle myself next time’ because Nebraska is going to be a very close meet, as well. We’re going to be in tight battles, so we need to keep working on maintain our calm, cool and collectiveness so we that we are able to step up and perform as well as I think we are able to.”

The Illini will be back at it next Saturday, Jan. 24, when they welcome Nebraska to the ARC Pool. That meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Results: Iowa vs. Illinois

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