AMES, Iowa ? In similar fashion to a year ago, the Cyclone swimming and diving team wrapped up its season with a strong performance at the Big 12 Championships. Iowa State earned all-conference performances from Lauren Breunig, Haley Haynes and Abby Glaser, as well as school record times from Breunig, Glaser, Chelsey Walden and Lindsay Wegner on its way to a sixth-place finish in what ended up being a very close competition.
The Cyclones started the year out hot, winning their first five dual meets, including a key win against intrastate rival Northern Iowa. However, an injury-plagued second half of the year proved difficult for the team as they fell to their final four opponents.
Iowa State graduates three seniors that were very valuable in helping the Cyclones to their second consecutive winning season.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to have all three of these seniors on the team,” said head coach Duane Sorenson.
Lauren Breunig, a native of Mazomanie, Wis., leaves Iowa State after rewriting the record books with top-ten times in nine different events, including school record times in the 100 free (49.79), 200 free (1:47.97) and 200 IM (2:00.31). She was also a member of the fastest 400 medley relay team in Iowa State history (3:44.29). In her senior campaign, Breunig captured 22 victories, 18 of which were individual titles, to bring her career total to 52 total wins. She also earned back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championships her junior and senior seasons, placing 30th in the 100 free (49.82) and 38th in the 200 free (1:48.56) in her final competition as a Cyclone.
“Lauren rewrote the record books at Iowa State and was a great leader in the pool with workouts,” said Sorenson. “She will really be missed by our team.”
Chelsey Walden, from Madison, Wis., also earned her place in Iowa State history as she set the school record in the 1,650 free (16:41.16) and the 500 free (4:52.30) during her senior year. She also ranks in the top ten in the 200 free (eighth, 1:52.68) and the 1,000 free (fifth, 10:15.96), which she set in the 2006-07 campaign. Walden was also a three-time academic all-Big 12 first team selection.
“Chelsey is an example of a really hard worker. She kept working the whole time she was at Iowa State and leaves after breaking three school records,” Sorenson said.
Rounding out this year's senior class was Cassandra Nelson. A native of West Des Moines, Nelson is a member of the second fastest 400 free relay team (3:24.89) in Iowa State history and the fifth fastest 200 free relay team (1:34.02). She also holds the sixth fastest 100 backstroke time at Iowa State (57.63).
“Cassandra was a very beneficial member to our team in both sprint and relay events,” added Sorenson. “She always gave 100 percent and her efforts at ISU are greatly appreciated.”
Iowa State will return a solid core of young, talented swimmers and divers that will be asked to carry the load for the team.
Among the key returnees for the Cyclones will be freshman diver Tien Tran. A native of Greenwood, Ind., Tran won her first six events on the year and qualified for the Zone Diving Championships with a 288.37 in the 3-meter event in the Cyclones first dual meet of the year.
For the swimmers, the return of Marni Benson, Lindsay Wegner and Abby Glaser will prove essential as the Cyclones look to improve upon last year's 5-4 record.
Sophomore Marni Benson captured 12 victories on the year despite battling injury throughout much of the second half of the season. Benson will be asked to be the primary swimmer in the breaststroke event. Originally from Winona, Minn., Benson holds the third fastest 100 breast (1:04.12) and fourth best 200 breast time (2:19.45) in Iowa State history.
Lindsay Wegner, sophomore from Hutchinson, Minn., set the fifth fastest 200 backstroke time (2:03.99) in the 2006-07 season and is also holds the seventh best 100 back time (57.75) in Iowa State history. Wegner earned 12 first-place finishes on the year and is expected to be the top backstroke swimmer for the Cyclones in the 2007-08 season.
The Cyclones will also welcome back freshman Abby Glaser, who became the first true freshman swimmer to earn all-Big 12 honors since Susanne Notbohm and Petra Plaminkova each did so during the 2000-01 season. Glaser earned all-Big 12 honors at the Big 12 Championships with her 100 fly time of 55.28, which is also the fourth fastest in Iowa State history.
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