Completed Event: Swimming and Diving versus Big 12 Duals on January 16, 2026 , , 5th, 781 points
Final
Swimming and Diving
Big 12 Duals
5th, 781 points
.png&width=70&height=70&type=webp)
Iowa State University Athletics
Swimming and Diving Faces Minnesota Saturday
10.14.2010 | Swimming and Diving
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State swimming and diving team opens its regular season slate Saturday when they travel north to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The meet begins at 1 p.m.
“It is our first competition outside of our own team,” Iowa State head coach Duane Sorenson said. “It is an opportunity for our women to step up and race. We are looking at this that if we want to make strides in the Big 12 Conference, we have to take on top quality opponents like the University of Minnesota. We are going to see better swimmers at Texas and Texas A&M so it is an opportunity for our women to race against one of the better teams in the country.”
The Gophers are lining up to be one of the favorites in the Big Ten this season, returning all of their team members that competed at the 2010 NCAA Championships, finishing 12th at the meet. Minnesota also returns 94 percent of its team points from its second-place Big Ten Championships team.
“We always tell our women that other fast swimmers give you permission to swim fast,” Sorenson noted.
The meet should feature plenty of top-tier competition for the Cyclones. The breaststroke group will face-off against reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Jillian Tyler. A senior, Tyler posted NCAA 'B' cuts in the 100 breast (1:00.86) and 200 breast (2:13.59) on Minnesota's opening weekend trips to Michigan and Michigan State. Sophomore Haley Spencer is another strong competitor for the Gophers, finishing fifth at the 2010 NCAA Championships in the 200 breast.
“They have one of the top swimmers in the country in Jillian Tyler,” Sorenson remarked. “She is a Canadian National Team member and posted some great times last weekend when they swam at Michigan. Spencer is right behind her and is no slouch. It is going to give our breaststrokers a chance to swim against some top-quality competition.”
The distance swimmers will also get a chance to see some top competition as they compete against Golden Gophers junior Ashley Steenvoorden. Steenvoorden took the Big Ten titles in the 500 and 1650 free last season and finished ninth in the 1650 at the NCAA Championships.
The meet also marks the first dual meet competition for the new Cyclones.
“We want them to do the best that they can and to give their best effort,” Sorenson stated. “We want them to look at it as a chance to race and get some good experience. We are in the transition phase of going from early-season training to more quality training. It is hard to say how they are going to adjust to this but we expect them to compete like they have been.”
The divers will see plenty of good competition as well. The NCAA 3-meter diving champion resides in Minneapolis in Kelci Bryant. The Gophers feature plenty of other talented divers with sophomore Katie Grunawalt and freshman Maggie Keefer posting NCAA Zone Diving Championships qualifying scores on both boards last weekend.
“It is a good chance to see some great diving from another team,” diving coach Jeff Warrick said. “Kelci Bryant, the national champion on 3-meter, will be there. I don't know if she will be diving this weekend but it would be great to see her.”
Warrick sees the meet as a chance for his divers to measure themselves against other top divers in their zone and to help prepare them for future meets against top-tier competition.
“I want our divers to know that this is the level they are striving for,” Warrick said. “I hope it brings the best out of them.”
There will be plenty of competition after the top-tier divers as well. Gophers freshman Sarah McCrady posted a score of 261.23 on 3-meter against Michigan last weekend.
“It is our first competition outside of our own team,” Iowa State head coach Duane Sorenson said. “It is an opportunity for our women to step up and race. We are looking at this that if we want to make strides in the Big 12 Conference, we have to take on top quality opponents like the University of Minnesota. We are going to see better swimmers at Texas and Texas A&M so it is an opportunity for our women to race against one of the better teams in the country.”
The Gophers are lining up to be one of the favorites in the Big Ten this season, returning all of their team members that competed at the 2010 NCAA Championships, finishing 12th at the meet. Minnesota also returns 94 percent of its team points from its second-place Big Ten Championships team.
“We always tell our women that other fast swimmers give you permission to swim fast,” Sorenson noted.
The meet should feature plenty of top-tier competition for the Cyclones. The breaststroke group will face-off against reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Jillian Tyler. A senior, Tyler posted NCAA 'B' cuts in the 100 breast (1:00.86) and 200 breast (2:13.59) on Minnesota's opening weekend trips to Michigan and Michigan State. Sophomore Haley Spencer is another strong competitor for the Gophers, finishing fifth at the 2010 NCAA Championships in the 200 breast.
“They have one of the top swimmers in the country in Jillian Tyler,” Sorenson remarked. “She is a Canadian National Team member and posted some great times last weekend when they swam at Michigan. Spencer is right behind her and is no slouch. It is going to give our breaststrokers a chance to swim against some top-quality competition.”
The distance swimmers will also get a chance to see some top competition as they compete against Golden Gophers junior Ashley Steenvoorden. Steenvoorden took the Big Ten titles in the 500 and 1650 free last season and finished ninth in the 1650 at the NCAA Championships.
The meet also marks the first dual meet competition for the new Cyclones.
“We want them to do the best that they can and to give their best effort,” Sorenson stated. “We want them to look at it as a chance to race and get some good experience. We are in the transition phase of going from early-season training to more quality training. It is hard to say how they are going to adjust to this but we expect them to compete like they have been.”
The divers will see plenty of good competition as well. The NCAA 3-meter diving champion resides in Minneapolis in Kelci Bryant. The Gophers feature plenty of other talented divers with sophomore Katie Grunawalt and freshman Maggie Keefer posting NCAA Zone Diving Championships qualifying scores on both boards last weekend.
“It is a good chance to see some great diving from another team,” diving coach Jeff Warrick said. “Kelci Bryant, the national champion on 3-meter, will be there. I don't know if she will be diving this weekend but it would be great to see her.”
Warrick sees the meet as a chance for his divers to measure themselves against other top divers in their zone and to help prepare them for future meets against top-tier competition.
“I want our divers to know that this is the level they are striving for,” Warrick said. “I hope it brings the best out of them.”
There will be plenty of competition after the top-tier divers as well. Gophers freshman Sarah McCrady posted a score of 261.23 on 3-meter against Michigan last weekend.
Thursday, July 22
Monday, January 27
Wednesday, December 19
Monday, December 10
