Cyclones In Second After Day One

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Iowa State swimming team (3-2, 1-0 Big 12) ends their evening in second place with 195 points. The Cyclones received a solid day from their sprint freestylers, earning three top-eight finishes and a second-place 200 freestyle relay time.

The 200 freestyle relay kicked things off for the Cyclones. Iowa State put two teams in the top-five, including the second-place finisher. That squad of Elynn Tan, Anna Andersen, Evan Hundley and Emily Haan posted the fifth-fastest time in school history. Tan's leadoff of 23.37 beat her career-best set during prelims, moving into 10^th on Iowa State's performer list and second among freshmen.

Lucia Rizzo and Haley Ruegemer paced the field in the 500 free 'B' final. The duo led nearly the entire race. Rizzo took ninth overall with a 4:56.54, good for 14^th on the performer list. Ruegemer ended 10^th thanks to her fastest time of the year. Polina Shynkarenko notched a new personal best in the non-scoring final. In the 200 IM, Emma Ruehle was the lone 'A' final competitor, taking seventh. Kami Pankratz wrapped up in 11^th after a furious charge to the front, with Thorson wrapping up 16^th.

In the 50 free, three Cyclones competed in the top final. Tan and Andersen both tied for fifth, Andersen moving to 13^th all-time with a personal record. Haan etched her name in the record book with a 23.50, putting her in seventh place, 17^th in Iowa State history and fourth among Cyclone freshmen. Hundley also scored for the Cyclones, finishing 14^th. Martha Haas broke a PR in the non-scoring final.

"It felt like practice out there, just another day, Anna and Elynn doing our thing," Andersen said following the meet. "I looked over at Elynn after the meet and was like 'Hey, nice time!'"

The 400 medley relay capped off a solid day for the Cyclones. Iowa State's top relay squad finished fourth, while the 'B' squad ended in sixth. Haan's 100 back split pushed her to 14^th all-time, while a PR from Wyli Erlechman to lead off the 'B' squad landed her in 16^th all-time. Iowa State finished the day in second place with 195 points, with North Texas and Northern Iowa lurking behind.

"It was a good learning experience for a lot of our women," head coach Duane Sorenson said following the meet. "Our IMers were pretty good. We asked them to work on a few things and they did a good job. Our 50 freestylers came through and swam outstanding."

PRELIMINARY NOTES

The Cyclones qualified nine swimmers into scoring finals, including four into the top heat … four PRs were set in the preliminary round, all of which placed inside the top-20 overall … Tan and Andersen joined the Iowa State top-performers list, checking in at no. 13 and 17 respectively in the 50 free … both Tan and Haan moved into Iowa State's top-five freshmen in the 50 free, joining Laura Miksch, Amanda Paulson and Kim Schmugge.

HAWKEYE INVITE

The Cyclone divers took to the three-meter boards on Friday afternoon. Dana Liva led the way, finishing in 16th place with a 247.35. She scored three dives above 40 points in the effort. Alex Aaberg followed with a solid day of her own. The redshirt-junior had her best three-meter score as a Cyclone of 210.00, including her best dive at a championship-style meet; a forward 2.5 somersault pike that netted her 43.20 points. Jessica Coffin had her best three-meter performance of her young career, scoring 176.05 points.

"This has been a good experience for the divers," diving coach Jeff Warrick said. "I am looking forward to seeing how they do on platform. It should be an exciting event!"

SWIMMERS OF THE MEET

The 50 free relay squad was composed of four scoring finalists, Andersen, Haan, Hundley and Tan. The quartet combined to earn four top-20 times in finals, including the fifth-fastest 200 free relay in Iowa State history. Their performance was essential for Iowa State to hold second place after day one.

"They definitely have the potential to break the school record," Sorenson said. "There's a lot of things we can clean up, and this group is hungry."

ON DECK

Both the swimmers and divers continue their championship-style meets on Saturday. The divers are wrapping up the Hawkeye Invite on the platform, while the swimmers will compete in the second day of the Kansas Classic. Follow the team on Twitter (@CycloneSD) or on Facebook at facebook.com/cycloneSD for in-game updates, post-meet recaps and results throughout the season.

Players Mentioned

Alex Aaberg

Anna Andersen

Jessica Coffin

Wyli Erlechman

Emily Haan

Martha Haas

Evan Hundley

Dana Liva

Laura Miksch

Kami Pankratz

Lucia Rizzo

Haley Ruegemer

Emma Ruehle

Polina Shynkarenko

Elynn Tan

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