Sorenson Claims 125 Coaching Victories at UNI

Saturday, October 9

Cedar Falls, Iowa

2:00 PM

Iowa State

183.5

113.5

UNI

Sorenson Claims 125 Coaching Victories at UNI

10.09.2021 | Swimming and Diving

Iowa State vs. UNI

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa. – The Iowa State swimming and diving team (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) picked up a season-opening win against the UNI Panthers (1-1, 0-0 MVC) by a score of 183.5-113.5. With the victory, Head Coach Duane Sorenson picked up his 125^th career coaching victory to now own 54 percent of overall program wins.

The Cyclones began regular season with a win in the 200 medley relay as they went on to win 12 events. The team of Emily Haan, Martha Haas, Carley Caughron and Maddie Ziegert bested their intrasquad time to 1:44.59.

Four successive event victories followed beginning with the 1000 free. Sydney Jackson picked up her first season victory, firing off a 10:38.92. Madison Rundell touched next with 10:45.92.

Brinley Horras and Ashley Bengtson battled ahead to grab first and second in the 200 free with times of 1:53.68 and 1:54.57, respectively.

Emily Haan provided the next Cyclone victory taking first in the 100 back with 57.37, .39 seconds ahead of the Panther's Amber Finke.

Iowa State overpowered the 100 breast as they took the top four spots. Lehr Thorson (1:04.73), Martha Haas (1:04.90), Paige Hanley (1:06.58) and Alaina Breitbach (1:07.18) kept the Cyclones ahead.

Winter Craig took her first swim as a Cyclone, battling for second in the 200 fly with a time of 2:10.68. Captain Lucia Rizzo (2:11.57, 3rd) and freshman Mallory Miller (2:12.02, 4th) touched next.

In the 50 free, Carley Caughron contended fiercely in her first collegiate swim to tie for first with UNI's Faith Larsen. The freshman duo simultaneously stopped the clock nearly sub-24 seconds at 24.07.

Bengston flew to the wall in 52.94 in the 100 free to secure both sprint free titles for the Cyclones. The sophomore touched .59 seconds ahead of the Panther's Larsen.

Elizabeth Richardson returned to competition for the first time since early February as she grabbed second in the 200 back with 2:04.60. The neck-and-neck race featured a time difference between first and second of a mere .11 seconds.

The 200 breast saw another Cyclone sweep as Haas touched first with 2:23.06 and Thorson (2:24.14) and Alaina Breitbach (2:25.36) finished next.

Horras swam to her second title of the day in the 500 free with a strong time of 5:02.52, over 10 seconds before the next finisher. Horras concluded the meet as the top scorer of either team with 18 points.

On the boards, Joscelyn Buss topped the three-meter with 272.02, a personal record. The score came within 7.98 points within the Zone qualifying mark.

"I was really pleased with the attitude of our women," Sorenson said. "They got up and raced after a very strenuous week of training and I thought we were extremely competitive in every race and we're way ahead of where we were last year and even during the year before when life was normal. Outstanding effort with Lucia Rizzo in all her races and Brinley Horras really took control of both the 200 and 500 and pulled away from everyone in the pool."

ON DECK- South Dakota State and South Dakota

Iowa State continues their road stint beginning with SDSU on Friday, Oct. 15th at 5 p.m. followed by South Dakota on the 16th at 1 p.m. The first chance to catch a dual at Beyer Pool is Saturday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. where the Cyclones take on Nebraska.

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.