Iowa State University’s women’s swimming and diving team is preparing to compete in the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City this week. The invitational, which will be held at the University of Iowa Recreation and Wellness Center from Tuesday, November 18 through Friday, November 21, marks the Cyclones’ first invitational meet of the season.
Participating teams include Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, UNI, and Washington State. This event provides an opportunity for Iowa State to face familiar opponents such as Illinois and Nebraska and renew in-state rivalries with Iowa and UNI.
The Cyclones enter the meet following back-to-back road victories over South Dakota and South Dakota State in October. During those meets, the team demonstrated strong performances across various events. In Vermillion against South Dakota, sophomore Anja Peck won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. Carlotta Gazzola claimed two wins in distance races while Kendall Mallers secured victories in both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events.
In diving competition during those meets, Kate Mitchell swept both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards while Maggie Bendell finished second twice. Additionally, at South Dakota State, Iowa State set new pool records in the 400 freestyle relay—swum by Emma Kuhn, Grace Swoboda, Piper Hagen and Corinne Guist—and in the 1650 freestyle with a performance by Gazzola.
Looking ahead to this week’s competition at the Hawkeye Invitational, attention will focus on several key areas: “The Cyclones have been competing with strength across multiple event groups, with the breaststroke, backstroke and distance freestyle events continuing to stand out.” The press release notes that “the breaststroke squad has consistently placed in the top three in dual meets,” highlighting Carlotta Gazzola’s four consecutive victories in distance races.
Backstroke specialists Lili Neisser and Emma Kuhn are also expected to contribute solid results in both sprint distances. On diving boards, Kate Mitchell—who has already achieved NCAA Zone-qualifying scores—and Maggie Bendell are anticipated to continue their strong showings.
After completing this invitational meet, swimmers from Iowa State aim to qualify for the US Open Championships scheduled for December 4–6 in Austin, Texas. Meanwhile divers will compete at Minnesota Invitational during those same dates.
