Swimming & Diving 2016-17 Season Preview

Swimming & Diving 2016-17 Season Preview

09.28.2016 | Swimming and Diving

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State swimming and diving team is set to kick off its 47^th season this Friday when Cyclones are pitted against one another for the annual Alumni Cardinal & Gold Meet. The intrasquad-style meet will see the 2016-17 team split in half to give both student-athletes and coaches a feel for the dual meet setting and help round out various event lineups.

The alumni portion of the meet will feature nine former Iowa State swimmers and divers competing in events that alternate between the current team's.

Head Coach Duane Sorenson, who's entering his 20^th season at the helm of the program, said he sees a balance across events this season and predicts some new names will be pushing familiar faces for scoring positions this season.

Freestyle

The Cyclones return scorers and a couple podium finishers from the 2016 Big 12 Championship from the 50 and 100 yard sprints all the way up to the 1,000 yard and mile races. Seniors Savanna Townsend and Maddie Rastall are expected to lead the way in the sprints, much like they did many times last season.

In the middle distance races, the Cyclones return four swimmers who contributed consistently throughout last season and often carried the team in the events. Team captain Brooke Evensen, Silqi Luo, Mary Kate Luddy and Haley Ruegemer make up the veterans of Iowa State's middle distance group. Newcomers are Emma Ruehle, Keely Soellner, Kat Jones and Jessica Storer.

Ruegemer, a 2016 All-Big 12 second teamer in the mile, Storer and other freshmen will look to lead the Cyclones in distance races.

"We think we're pretty solid in our sprint events… and in middle distance we've got those events well covered," Sorenson said. "We think in dual meets in the 1,000 free we've got a lot of options and we'll have a lot of variety with people trying different events and seeing what they can do."

Backstroke

Much like the freestyle events, the Cyclone coaches are looking for a mix of experience levels to contribute in backstroke this season. Sophomore Guy Shilon and junior Harper Emswiler are set to hold down the backstroke fort, while sophomore Evan Hundley has started to dabble in the event alongside some freshmen.

"We're going to play around with Evan in the backstroke this year because she showed something in the Last Chance Meet [last season]," Sorenson said. "Kat Jones and Emma Ruehle both come in with some pretty good 200 backstroke times, so we're thinking that they're going to be able to help there."

Breaststroke

Breaststroke will be the same old story for the Cyclones in the 2016-17 season. Fortunately, that story gets better every time it's told. Childs, a senior, and juniors Roberts and Delaquis represent a load of experience and scoring returning in the event. Both Roberts and Delaquis swam to All-Big 12 honors in the 100 breaststroke last season.

"It's going to be our reliable three," Sorenson said of the trio. "As far as quality and dual meets, that's been kind of our tradition – to be strong in that race and I think we're going to continue to be that this year."

Butterfly

Townsend, a second-year team captain, will swim alongside Kenzie Goudreau to lead Iowa State in the 100 butterfly, while Luddy returns with the school record and eight top-20 times in school history in the 200. Sorenson said Storer and freshman Kami Pankratz have trained well in the 200 in the preseason and both have a shot to add depth for the Cyclones.

Individual Medley

Roberts and Luddy will also lead Iowa State in the IM events, as Roberts holds the Cyclone record in the 200 and Luddy sits at No. 2 in record book in the 400. Beyond those two, Iowa State still has plenty of depth in both races. Ruegemer, Luo, Delaquis, Childs and Shilon are all expected to vie for spots in the IM lineup, as is freshman Ali Basel.

"Newcomer Ali Basel from South Africa we think has a pretty good shot at being a good 200 and 400 IMer," Sorenson said. "We have a lot of good IMers and so we have a lot of choices there."

Diving

For the first time in school history, Iowa State returns four divers with NCAA Zone Diving Championship experience on their resumes. Team Captain Julie Dickinson, Becky Stochl and Maggie James all competed at the postseason meet last year, while Ronald did so in 2015 before redshirting last year. The outstanding depth has diving coach Jeff Warrick set up for another phenomenal year in the diving well – his 19^th at Beyer Pool with the Cyclones.

"I think they're looking good so far," Warrick said of his group. "It's obviously the early part of the season, but attitudes are good and health is good, so those are definitely huge factors. I'm expecting big things out of this group."

Katherine Mueller, who hails from Fairfield, Iowa, is the lone newcomer of the group and Warrick thinks she'll not only fit in instantly, but has a bright future ahead in Cardinal and Gold.

"I think she's going to do well," Warrick said. "She has a great attitude and really works hard. It'll be fun to watch her progress."

Iowa State's Alumni Cardinal and Gold Meet starts at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Beyer Pool. The regular season kicks off eight days later when rival Nebraska comes to Beyer Pool for an 11:00 a.m. showdown on Oct. 8. Admission to both meets is free.