Iowa vs. Minnesota
- November 8, 2024
- Minneapolis, MN
- 25 Yards (SCY)
- Score: #23 Minnesota, 192 – NR Iowa, 108
- Full Results
After suffering their first dual meet loss of the season last week against Wisconsin, the Minnesota women got back to their winning ways, beating Iowa 192-108 at home.
The first event of the day, the 200 medley relay, produced one of the most exciting races of the meet. Three relays, the Minnesota ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays, along with the Iowa ‘A’ relay, were in the hunt for the win.
Paula Rodriguez Rivero gave the Minnesota ‘B’ relay the lead after the backstroke leg with a 55.89. But Iowa’s breaststroke ace Olivia Swalley split 1:01.74 to give the Hawkeyes the lead at the halfway point. Freshman Rachel Dildine kept the lead for Iowa (56.30), though both Minnesota relays closed the gap. The Golden Gophers caught Iowa on the freestyle leg, and all three relays came to the wall together. At the touch, the Minnesota ‘B’ relay of Rivero, Ava Goodno (1:04.59), Morgan Thomas (54.90), and Mina Kaljevic (49.85) came out with the win, swimming 3:45.23. Minnesota’s ‘A’ relay clocked 3:45.32, out-touching Iowa by three-hundredths.
From there, the Golden Gophers just kept rolling. They won 11 events on the day, including the 400 medley relay. Their nine individual event wins came from nine different swimmers. Eliot Kennedy won the 1000 freestyle in 10:08.19, holding off a late charge from Iowa’s Alex O’Brien (10:08.62). Hannah Cornish led a 1-2-3 sweep for the Golden Gophers in the 200 freestyle with a 1:49.61, and Rivero pulled away from the Hawkeyes’ Ainsley Gavin on the back half of the 100 backstroke to win 56.12 to 56.41.
Swalley stopped Minnesota’s win streak by winning the 100 breaststroke. The sophomore is the second-fastest 100 breaststroker in program history with a 1:01.02, and she took the win at Minnesota with a 1:03.48. It was her first of three event wins at the meet; she picked up the breaststroke sweep with a 2:17.51 in the 200 breast, then won the 400 IM in 4:17.46.
Diver Makayla Hughbanks, sweeping the diving boards, won Iowa’s other two events at the meet. She beat NCAA finalist Viviana Del Angel by 16.43 points on the 3-meter board (325.43), then led an Iowa 1-2 finish on the 1-meter, scoring 282.90 points.
The Golden Gophers won the rest of the events; freshman Livi Wanner, fresh off setting lifetime bests in the 50/100 freestyle against Wisconsin, won the 50 freestyle in 23.50. Elise Jacobs led another 1-2-3 finish for the Golden Gophers, this time in the 200 backstroke (2:01.67).
Minnesota closed out the meet by winning the 200 freestyle relay. Morgan Thomas (23.21), Cornish (23.50), Wanner (23.15), and M. Kaljevic (23.49), all individual event winners on the day, combined for a season-best 1:33.35 to win.
Other Event Winners:
- 100 freestyle: Morgan Thomas, Minnesota — 50.80
- 500 freestyle: Katie McCarthy, Minnesota — 4:56.55
- 100 butterfly: Mina Kaljevic, Minnesota — 55.83
Up Next
The Golden Gophers are off until they and the men’s squad host the Minnesota Invitational from Dec. 4-7. Iowa next competes at their own Hawkeye Invitational from Nov. 21-23.
What’s happened to Minnesota’s breaststroke group!? Holy shambles