AMES, Iowa – Following a three-week hiatus, the Iowa State swimming and diving team (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) is back in the water for its 2015-16 home opener Friday night against Omaha (2-2, 2-1 Summit League).
The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Beyer Pool and admission is free.
The Cyclones own a 13-0 record against the Mavericks in the all-time series, which began in 2002. Iowa State's average margin of victory in those 13 wins is more than 64 points.
Last Time Out
Iowa State opened the 2015-16 season at Nebraska, falling to the Cornhuskers, 187-113. The Cyclones were led by sophomore Kasey Roberts, who claimed first in three individual events and one relay to bring her career total to 21 event wins. In the diving well, it was junior Julie Dickinson who led Iowa State on both the one-meter and three-meter boards en route to being named the season's first Big 12 Diver of the Week.
Diving Deeper with Omaha
The Mavericks make the trip Ames on the heels of a 179-121 win over South Dakota – Iowa State's next opponent – on Oct. 24. Both of their victories this season have come at home, while both losses have come on the road.
Natalie Renshaw and Morgan Stepp stand out across the board for the Mavericks, combining for nine event-best times on the year for Omaha. The pair has also swam on the team's top 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay squads of the season. On the boards, Miranda Knipfer and Annika Clinton have earned the team's five highest scores on one-meter and four of the five highest scores on three-meter.
Keep Your Eye On…
The backstroke events, where Cyclones of all experience levels are contributing. Freshman Guy Shilon has the top ISU time in the 100 backstroke, followed closely by senior Marissa Engel. In the 200 backstroke, it's Engel leading the pack with Shilon in second place on the year. Iowa State finished in the top two spots of both events against Omaha last year and Engel, Shilon and the other Cyclone backstrokers are in position to repeat their performance this time around.
On deck for the Cyclones is the Big 12 opener against TCU, which comes in the form of a double-dual meet along with South Dakota on Nov. 5. The TCU and South Dakota men's teams will also be competing in a dual meet, alternating events with the women's double-dual. The meet will begin at 5 p.m. at Beyer Pool.
The following morning, Iowa State, TCU and South Dakota will compete in a Pentathlon at 10 a.m., also at Beyer Pool.
Fans can follow the meet on the Iowa State swimming and diving team's Twitter account (@CycloneSD) and check cyclones.com after the meet for a full recap and results.
