IOWA STATE VS NORTHERN IOWA VS ST. THOMAS (WOMEN)
- January 10, 2026
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Iowa State Athletics
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Cyclone swimming and diving team opened its road dual against UNI and St. Thomas on Saturday with a dominant performance on the boards before turning its attention to the swimming events. The Cyclones diving group put them in an early lead, which produced multiple podium finishes to set the tone for the meet.
“Our first meet in 2026 is under our belt and coming off a tough training block I think we responded well,” said head coach Matt Leach. “We have more work to do but I feel like we are seeing the technical changes that we have been working on. This is a solid step for us into the new year and we have a lot more growth and development to come!”
How it Happened –
Iowa State opened the competition with a strong showing in 1-meter diving, where the Cyclones claimed three of the top five spots. Maggie Bendell led the way with a win, scoring 278.40, while Kate Mitchell followed close behind in second with a score of 261.35. Jade Hazes earned a fifth-place finish with 251.55, giving Iowa State an early advantage.
The Cyclones continued to produce on the 3-meter boards, as Mitchell took first place with a score of 288.05. Bendell added another podium finish, placing third with 276.05, while Ally Blumenfeld and Hazes rounded out the scoring for Iowa State by finishing fifth (261.20) and sixth (255.40), respectively.
Iowa State carried its momentum from the boards into the swimming events, opening with a strong showing in the 200 medley relay as the Cyclone “A” squad of Piper Hagen, Grace Swoboda, Kendall Mallers and Emma Kuhn finished second in 1:46.09, with the “B” relay of Lili Neisser, Anja Peck, Keirlyn Mullica and Megan Marquardt close behind in fourth (1:47.72).
The Cyclones continued to score early in the 200 freestyle, led by Corinne Guist, who placed third in 1:56.59, followed closely by Hagen in fourth (1:56.71) and Carlotta Gazzola in seventh (1:57.67).
Distance events were also a major strength for Iowa State, as Gazzola placed first in both the 1000 and 500 freestyle, where Guist placed second and third. Gazzola claimed the 1000 in 10:30.73 with Guist right behind in 10:33.23, and the pair showed a similar performance in the 500, with Gazzola winning in 5:08.82 and Guist third in 5:10.84.
The Cyclones also found success in the breaststroke events. Grace Swoboda delivered a standout performance in the 100 breaststroke, winning the event in 1:02.47, while Anja Peck followed with a runner-up finish in 1:04.47. This success continued in the 200 breaststroke, with Peck leading Iowa State in the event.
Event Winners
- 200 Medley Relay: UNI, (Brayton, Giedrys, Sander, Lear), 1:45.73
- 1000 Freestyle: Carlotta Gazzola, Iowa State, 10:30.73
- 200 Freestyle: Morgan Meyer, UNI, 1:53.45
- 100 Backstroke: Jordyn Davis, St. Thomas, 56.68
- 100 Breaststroke: Grace Swoboda, Iowa State, 1:02.47
- 200 Butterfly: Kendall Mallers, Iowa State, 2:05.85
- 50 Freestyle: Abby Lear, UNI, 23.78
- 1M Diving: Maggie Bendell, Iowa State, 278.40
- 100 Freestyle: Morgan Meyer, UNI, 52.49
- 200 Backstroke: Lili Neisser, Iowa State, 2:04.24
- 200 Breaststroke: Anja Peck, Iowa State, 2:18.56
- 500 Freestyle: Carlotta Gazzola, Iowa State, 5:08.82
- 100 Butterfly: Nikki Walters, UNI, 57.08
- 3M Diving: Kate Mitchell, Iowa State, 288.05
- 200 IM: Emma Kuhn, Iowa State, 2:05.69
- 200 Freestyle Relay: UNI, (Sander, Lear, Raether, Meyer), 1:35.26
On Deck
The Cyclones will be on the road again on January 16-17 where they will head to Houston to compete in the Big 12 Duals.
Courtesy: UNI Athletics
the wall with times of 1:07.37 and 1:07.45, respectively. Aird finished in third place with Giedrys in fourth against the Tommies.
Nikki Walters was first in the St. Thomas dual and second in the Iowa State dual in the 200-yard fly with a time of 2:06.78, the seventh-fastest time in Panther history. Sam Oeltjen was second in the Panthers’ dual with the Tommies with a time of 2:09.97 while Crystal Benjamin was third against St. Thomas with a time of 2:13.51.
The fastest race in the pool, the 50-yard freestyle, saw Abby Lear swim a 23.78 to take first place in both duals while teammate Charlotte Sander was third in each matchup with a time of 24.33.
UNI stacked the podium in the 100-yard freestyle with first and second-place finishers in both duals. Morgan Meyer finished with a time of 52.49 to claim the crown while Averie Bilskemper was a half second behind with a second-place finish time of 52.91.
Morgan Raether, Elyse Brayton, and Rachel Rolow finished the 200-yard backstroke within two seconds of one another with second, third, and fourth-place finishes in both duals. Raether finished with a time of 2:06.98, Brayton with a time of 2:07.37, and Rolow came in at 2:08.62.
With a time of 2:24.69, Aspen Cole was UNI’s first finisher and picked up first place against St. Thomas and third place against Iowa State. Sydney Aird was second in the St. Thomas dual with a 2:26.70 swim.
In the 500 free, Sam Oeltjen led the Cats with a time of 5:09.00 and a first-place finish in the St. Thomas dual. Oeltjen picked up a second-place finish against Iowa State.
Nikki Walters came in first in the 100-yard fly with a time of 57.08 while Hannah Nedder and Natalie Harris were second and third in the St. Thomas dual with times of 58.83 and 59.50, respectively.
With a time of 2:11.29, Elyse Brayton was second against St. Thomas and fourth against Iowa State in the 200-yard individual medley. Nikki Walters and Natalie Harris were third and fourth against the Tommies with times of 2:12.03 and 2:12.82.
The final swim of the day was the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Panther A team of Charlotte Sander, Abby Lear, Morgan Raether, and Morgan Meyer were first with a time of 1:35.26.
On the one-meter board, Avery Hogan took first place against St. Thomas and third place against Iowa State with a score of 257.40 while Erica Peters took third in the dual against St. Thomas with a score of 248.60. On the three-meter board, Erica Peters recorded the third-best score in Panther diving history and a personal-best with a 283.30 to take first place against St. Thomas and second place against Iowa State. Avery Hogan finished with the Panthers’ eighth-best score and was just 2.35 points off a personal-best with a 274.50. She was second against St. Thomas and fourth against Iowa State.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the pool next weekend for a two-day dual at Illinois State, Jan. 16-17 at the Horton Pool in Normal. Live coverage of the dual can be found on the Meet Mobile app (swimming) and Dive Meets (diving).
Courtesy: Tommie Sports
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA – The University of St. Thomas women’s swim and dive team continued its strong start to the second half of the 2025-26 season. The Tommies traveled to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on Northern Iowa and Iowa State in a three team triangular Saturday afternoon. While St. Thomas did not leave Cedar Falls with a team victory, the Tommies saw several swimmers and divers put on strong individual performances Saturday afternoon.
WOMEN’S RESULTS: ST. THOMAS vs. UNI vs. IOWA STATE
The Tommie women impressed in the pool Saturday, with multiple individual wins and PR times over the course of the meet.
- Maya Kelly (Lake Elmo, Minn. / Stillwater) opened the day with two top-10 finishes on the boards. The first year earned a fifth place finish in the 1-meter, six five competition thanks to a college best score of 253.45. Kelly also finished 10th in the 3-meter competition with a six-dive score of 243.20.
- Jordyn Davis (Cambridge, Wis.) was the lone Tommie to win an individual race Saturday afternoon, winning the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.78. She also finished second in the 200 with a time 2:05.86.
- Mary Selden (Davenport, Iowa / Central) claimed second place in the 200 freestyle thanks to a time of 1:55.44. She also earned a top-5 finish in the 100 with a time of 53.95.
- Ellie Undem (Chisago City, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) continued to dominate the sprint races. St. Thomas’ top finisher in the 50 free, Undem claimed third with a time of 24.20 and also finished third in the 100 with a time of 53.28.
- Sophia Hayes (Naperville, Ill. / Central) earned top-5 finishes in both the 500 and 1000 freestyle. She finished third in the 1000 with a time of 10:37.93 and fourth in the 500 with a time of 5:12.39.
- Reigning Summit League Peak Performer of the Week Brooke Gothard (Golden, Colo. / Wheat Ridge) finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:07.28 and sixth in the 200 with a time of 2:28.18. Gothard’s best finish was in the 100 IM, where she finished fourth with a time of 2:10.88.
- Several other St. Thomas swimmers and divers earned top finishes Saturday. Click here for full results.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to the pool on Thursday, January 15. The Tommies will host Augustana in their final home dual of the regular season. Events are slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
