Northwestern, Iowa Swim and Dive Teams Split Big Ten Match-Up

Iowa's Roman Trussov swims the breast stroke leg of the 200 yard medley relay during their meet against Michigan and Nebraska Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 at the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)

Photo Courtesy: Brian Ray

IOWA CITY – The Northwestern and Iowa swim and dive teams split their dual meets Saturday at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, with the Northwestern women (152-142) and Iowa men (171-129) coming out ahead in the Big Ten match-up.

Northwestern Women’s Press Release

Traveling to Iowa City without its divers due to injury and illness, Northwestern entered Saturday’s meet against No. 21 Iowa with an automatic 32-point deficit. Not deterred, the Wildcats proceeded to dominate all over the pool to erase that margin and more for a 152-142 road victory over their ranked Big Ten foes.

NU now is 7-4 on the dual-meet season after the victory.

Northwestern began to erase its early deficit immediately with a dramatic come-from-behind win via a 1:43.12 in the 200 medley relay. Lacey Locke (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), Julianne Kurke (Atlanta, Ga./Parkview) and Julia Pratt (Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes Rivet) trailed after three legs thanks in most part to Iowa’s breaststroke school record holder Emma Sougstad surging to the front. NU’s freshman phenom sprinter Mary Warren (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) entered the water trailing by .48 of a second and erased the entire deficit with a sizzling 22.59 50 free split to out-touch Iowa’s anchor by six one-hundredths of a second at the wall.

Iowa got the individual victory in the 1,000 freestyle followed by a host of Wildcats in second through fifth to mitigate the loss. Lauren Abruzzo (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) was second for NU followed by Sydney Modeas (East Amherst, N.Y./Clarence) in third, Megan Purdy (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City) in fourth and Ellen Anderson (Montgomery Village, Md./Gaithersburg) in fifth.

NU shook off the loss with a commanding 1-2-4 result in the 200 freestyle led by Annika Winsnes (Singapore/United World College) and her two-second margin of victory via a 1:50.69. Purdy came back just one event after taking fourth in the 1,000 to finish second in the 200 with a 1:52.43, holding off a late charge from Iowa’s top entry. Anna Keane (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) finished fourth for the ‘Cats.

Locke went out hard and never looked back in winning the 100 back for Northwestern in a time of 55.63. Melissa Postoll (Acworth, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) grabbed two big points with a fourth-place 57.52.

In the 100 breast, Sougstad took first with NU’s Kurke coming in third behind another Iowa swimmer by just two one-hundredths of a second despite swimming the fastest final 25 yards in the pool. Katie Branch (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) placed fourth for the Wildcats.

Sophomore Ellen Stello (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood) led a 1-3-5 Northwestern finish in the 200 fly to grab big Wildcats’ points. Stello won comfortably in 2:00.83 while Aja Malone (Acworth, Ga./Allatoona) was third and Emily Launer (DeKalb, Ill./Rosary) fifth.

Heading into the first diving break, Warren, Julia Pratt (Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes Rivet) and Winsnes went 1-3-4 in the 50 free to give NU another big chunk of points. Warren won in 23.31.

Northwestern’s two-headed sprint monster struck again in the 100 free after the break, going 1-2 with both finishing nearly a full second ahead of the fastest Iowa swimmer. This time Winsnes won in 50.97 followed by Warren in second with a 51.17.

The Wildcats continued to build their momentum in the 200 back, dominating again with a 1-3-4 finish led by Locke in 1:59.97. Postoll took third and Keane fourth. Then, in the one stroke Iowa controlled in the meet, the Hawkeyes went 1-2 in the 200 breast to stop NU’s winning streak, if only for a moment.

The 500 free played out nearly identically to the 1,000 free, with Iowa’s Stoughton finishing first followed by four Wildcats. This time, Stello took second with Abruzzo third, Modeas in fourth and Purdy in fifth.

With the final diving break yet to come, Northwestern stepped on the gas to cushion its lead with a 1-2 finish in the 100 fly. Malone won in 55.84 following by Maddy Sims (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove) in second with a 56.69 after Sims zoomed ahead of Iowa’s top entry in the final 25 yards.

After Iowa was awarded its 16 points in the second diving event, Sougstad won her third event of the meet for the Hawkeyes by withstanding furious comeback attempts by Locke and Stello in the 200 IM. Locke touched in second with a 2:04.89 while Stello was third in 2:04.95, just behind Sougstad’s 2:04.55.

That race cut NU’s lead down to the narrowest of margins, 139-138, to set a dramatic stage for the final 400 free relay and the Wildcats’ team of Warren, Keane, Malone and Winsnes. In that race, Iowa held a .53 of a second edge entering the final leg to create a frenzy in the pool. Swimming anchor for the ‘Cats, Winsnes entered the water and cut her way through to a 49.83 split against a 52.68 split for Iowa’s anchor to not only give Northwestern the win, but a 2.32-second margin of victory as well with a 3:24.48.

Northwestern returns to action in its final dual meet of the season when it faces Minnesota and Purdue in a two-day meet Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, in Minneapolis.

Iowa Women’s Press Release

The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team finished Saturday’s Big Ten dual against Northwestern on the wrong end of a 152-142 decision at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes benefitted with wins in 7-of-16 events but were unable to complete the comeback.

UI senior Becky Stoughton picked up Iowa’s first win in the 1,000 free touching in with a time of 9:56.81. Stoughton also led the field in the 500 free (4:52.58) and finished second in two events — the 200 fly (2:02.00) and the 400 free relay (3:26.80).

Trailing by 18 points, a 1-2 finish from Emma Sougstad (1:03.23) and Colleen Champa (1:04.56) in the 100 breast helped narrow the deficit to nine. Sougstad won 3-of-4 events tallying additional wins in the 200 breast (2:18.07) and 200 IM (2:04.55) and a runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay (1:43.18).

Iowa closed out the final race with a runner-up showing in the 400 free relay. The quartet of Lauren Leehy, Becky Stoughton, Nikol Lagodzinska, and Meghan Lavelle touched out with a time of 3:26.80.

Due to an injury-plagued roster, the Wildcats were unable to compete in Saturday’s diving competition leaving the Hawkeye divers to run the show.

Lauren Kelba was the first-place finisher on the 1-meter with a score of 272.40, finishing well ahead of the rest of the field and second-place Abby Grilli (234.60). Kelba Finished third on the 3-meter (266.85).

Leading the way on the 3-meter was UI sophomore Lydia Lehnert who dove to a score of 266.85. Lehnert finished fourth on the 1-meter (230.55).

Joelle Christy also had a strong showing in the diving well with a runner-up finish on the 3-meter (270.53) and a third-place showing on the 1-meter (231.00).

“It’s great to get the wins and the points but I would have liked to have seen a little more out of the girls today,” said UI diving coach Todd Waikel. “It’s been a busy week for everyone with intense training over break, the meet last weekend, and classes starting up but we’re going to continue to work and battle and keep getting ready for the Big Tens.”

The Hawkeyes return to action Jan. 30-31, in South Bend, Indiana, competing in the Shamrock Invite.

Iowa Men’s Press Release

The University of Iowa men’s swimming and diving team won its third-straight outing Saturday, posting a 171-129 Big Ten win over Northwestern at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early lead in the opening 200 medley relay. The foursome of Grant Betulius, Roman Trussov, Jerzy Twarowski, and Jackson Halsmer paced the field touching in with a first-place time of 1:30.06.

Betulius shined throughout the meet picking up wins in all four of his events with top times in the 100 back (48.49), 200 back (1:48.34), 400 free relay (3:01.32), and the 200 medley (1:30.06).

Roman Trussov kept the Black and Gold in front with a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke touching in with a time of 54.98. Trussov was victorius in 3-of-4 events with additional wins in the 200 medley relay and 200 breast (2:01.77). The Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, native also swam to a third-place finish in the 400 free relay alongside Brandon Farnum, Brian Donatelli, and RJ Hemmingson. The foursome touched out with a time of 3:05.19.

In the 200 butterfly, Twarowski swam to his second win on the day with a time of 1:48.85. The freshman native of Krakow, Poland, finished the meet winning 3-of-4 events with top times in the 200 medley, 100 butterfly (48.50), and 200 butterfly. Twarowski also finished second in the 200 IM (1:53.76).

The quartet of Jackson Halsmer, David Ernstsson, Chuck Holliday, and Betulius solidified the win in the 400 free relay, swimming to a first-place finish in a time of 3:01.32.

In the diving well, Brandis Heffner dove to a first-place finish on the 3-meter with a career-best 339.90. Heffner, a Bloomington, Illinois native also added to the scoring with a fifth-place score of 260.70.

“Brandis was great today and it’s good to see,” said UI diving coach Todd Waikel. “He’s such a hard worker in practice and it’s paying off in meets. Coming out today and diving to a career best was huge for him.”

Addison Boschult also had a strong showing on the 1-meter with a second-place score of 290.48. Boschult finished fourth on the 3-meter (328.88).

“Addison had another good meet on the 1-meter finishing second,” said Waikel. “It’s been a busy week for these guys with intense training over break and classes starting up but they’ve continued to work hard and it’s paying off.”

The Hawkeyes return to action Jan. 30-31, in South Bend, Indiana, competing at the Shamrock Invite.

Northwestern Men’s Press Release

Northwestern traveled to Iowa Saturday for a dual meet against the 19th-ranked Hawkeyes at the site of the 2015 Big Ten Championships, fighting tooth-and-nail against the hosts before eventually falling, 171-129.

Northwestern falls to 7-4 on the dual-meet season following its loss.

NU started the meet in a hole after its `A’ 200 medley relay was disqualified for an early takeoff to allow Iowa to grab the win. Still, the Wildcats’ `B’ team of Alex Snarski (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville), Aaron Sears (Neenah, Minn./Neenah), Jack Morris (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) and Nick Petersen (Thiensville, Wis./Homestead) out-touched Iowa’s `B’ team by .14 of a second with a 1:32.19 to take the runner-up position in the event.

Junior Jordan Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif./Malibu) did what Jordan Wilimovsky does in the 1,000 free, building a huge advantage before cruising into the finish with a 9:20.93 to claim the individual win for Northwestern. Freshman Jonathan Blansfield (Westport, Conn./Staples) took fourth place to earn a pair of points for the Wildcats.

Sophomore Charlie Cole (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) made it two wins in a row for the Wildcats with a 1:39.48 in the 200 free to win by over a full second. Sophomore Jonathan Lieberman (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) came out on the short end of a three-way race for second, touching in fourth with a 1:41.13 that was just .13 of a second away from the runner-up spot.

In the 100 back, Iowa’s Grant Betulius won with an NCAA `B’ cut time, but Northwestern fought for second, third and fifth place to mitigate the damage. Mark Ferguson (Perth, Australia/John XXIII) took second followed by Snarski in third and Petersen in fifth. The Hawkeyes then got another `B’ cut in the 100 breast to top NU’s second place Uula Auren (Helsinki, Finland/Mäkelänrinteen Lukio), while junior Van Donkersgoed (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) had a season-best 57.14 to take fourth.

The Hawkeyes earned a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 fly before freshman Almog Olshtein (Haifa, Israel/Haifa) got Northwestern back on track with a winning 20.53 in the 50 free heading into the first diving break. Andy Jovanovic (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) was third in a season-best time of 20.76.

Northwestern got a big boost from its divers on the 1-meter board, led by sophomore Andrew Cramer (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), who edged Iowa’s top entry by just over two points to win with a 292.73. Senior John Andrade (Avon, Conn./Notre Dame) was third via a 287.55 and Reed Dillon (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) took fourth after earning 272.33 points. That result made Iowa’s lead 81-69 entering the second half of the meet.

Coming out the break, Northwestern cut its deficit down to five points when Olshtein and Jovanovic went 1-2 in the 100 free. Olshtein swam a 45.35 while Jovanovic was right on his heels in 45.57.

Iowa used a top three sweep in the 200 back to stymie NU’s momentum, then Donkersgoed and Auren finished 2-3 for the Wildcats in the 200 breast, with Donkersgoed turning in his second season-best time of the meet via a 2:02.81.

Wilimovsky and Cole recorded a stellar 1-2 sweep of the 500 free to swing momentum back toward Northwestern. Wilimovsky won in 4:31.33 while Cole erased a deficit to Iowa’s top swimmer midway through the race to touch in 4:32.34 and pick up runner-up points by .31 of a second.

In the 100 fly, Ferguson swam a season-best 48.78 to take second place followed by Petersen in third and Jovanovic in fifth. The result made Iowa’s lead 132-113 entering the second diving break.

Iowa grabbed the victory on the 3-meter diving board to take a nearly insurmountable lead. Andrade led NU with a second-place, season-best and NCAA Zone qualification score of 334.73 while Cramer was third with a 329.10. The Hawkeyes then secured the win with a 1-2 finish in the 200 IM.

NU’s 400 free relay team of Olshtein, Ferguson, Petersen and Auren swam a 3:01.34 in the final event, falling to Iowa by a mere two one-hundredths to conclude the meet.

Northwestern returns to action in its final dual meet of the season when it faces Minnesota and Purdue in a two-day meet Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, in Minneapolis.

Northwestern vs. Iowa Dual Meet – Results

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