Photo Courtesy: Iowa State Athletics Communications
FORT WORTH – Thanks to a .19-second win in the final 400 free relay, the Iowa State swimming and diving team edged the Texas Christian Horned Frogs by 14 points, 157-143, in the two teams’ Big 12 dual meet Friday night in Fort Worth.
Iowa State Press Release
In dramatic fashion, the Iowa State swimming and diving team (5-1, 1-0 Big 12) rallied to beat TCU (3-2, 0-2 Big 12), 157-143. Senior Amanda Paulson mounted a late comeback in the 400 freestyle relay to claim a win in the race and ultimately the meet.
“They had the lead for probably 385 yards until Amanda was able to catch their anchor swimmer and pull it out in the end,” Iowa State head coach Duane Sorenson said. “The noise was pretty deafening. It was just an exciting college atmosphere.”
The Horned Frogs got off to a fast start, taking five of the first seven events, leaving Iowa State in a significant deficit heading into the first diving break. After the 50 freestyle, however, the momentum shifted into ISU’s favor.
“We were swimming well during the first half of the meet but not outstanding. TCU, to their credit, was really prepared for us and stepped it up,” Sorenson said. “We had a talk after the 50 free, and I told them, ‘We can take this on or roll over.’ They decided to take it on.”
A strong performance in the diving well by Iowa State proved vital for the win. Junior Elyse Brouillette took first-place on both the one and three-meter boards with scores of 306.97 and 303.46, respectively.
Brouillette’s one-meter performance is a new career best for the team captain and a team-best score on the season.
“In my recent memory, this is one of our best Big 12 road meets for many reasons,” head diving coach Jeff Warrick said. “We have gone to many meets when we knew it was going to be close, and underperformed. Tonight I was happy with how all of our divers did.”
Sophomore diver Julie Dickinson took second-place on the three-meter board with score of 285.00, qualifying her for the NCAA Zone 5 diving meet.
Tonight’s win over TCU was the first conference opener the Cyclone have won since the 2011-12 season. Iowa State will look to build on the momentum.
“When you get a win, especially a close one like this, you can’t help but get excited,” Warrick said. “We can use that to help us, but we can’t rely on that only. We have to keep working.”
Next up for the Cyclones is the Kansas Invitational on Friday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 23 at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Lawrence, Kan. Iowa State took third-place at the event last year.
TCU Press Release
The TCU women’s swimming & diving team lost a heartbreaker to Iowa State, 157-143, on Friday, Nov. 7, at the University Rec Center Natatorium. The dual came down to the final race, which was decided by 0.19 seconds.
The Horned Frogs finished with six first-place times in their second conference bout of the season.
“I’m proud of the way our team battled tonight,” coach Richard Sybesma said. “Just like how our football team won last week on a field goal, we lost tonight on a field goal. It came down to the final race and we were just an inch short. Our team doesn’t like losing, and that’s the important thing as we move forward.”
TCU opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay, clocking in at 1:44.86. The squad consisted of Lyndsie Gibson, Devin Newton, Emily Gibson and Julia Sanders, their second of the year. It’s the fastest time set this season by the group, beating their time set in Lawrence, Kan., of 1:45.20.
Iowa State won the 1000 free, but juniors Sara Brzozowski and Carley Stevens earned second and third-place times, respectively, to tie the score at 11.
The Frogs won the next two events to take the lead.
Junior Mikayla Winkler claimed a victory in the 200 free, her second of the season in the event, with a time of 1:51.68, which was her top time this season.
In the 100 back, junior Lyndsie Gibson recorded a time of 56.39 en route to the win. It was also her second win of the season in the event and a new season-best.
Freshman Devin Newton finished second in the 100 breast with a time of 1:04.97. However, the Cyclones would earn the win in the event.
Senior Ali Bleasdell posted a time of 2:04.35 in the 200 fly to earn the win. Her second win of the season in the event beat her previous season-high time by 1.83 seconds.
Sophomore Julia Grace Sanders picked up her third of win of the season in the 50 free with a time of 23.76. It was also the second time this season she had set her best mark of the season in the event.
In the 3-meter dive, junior Kristen Connolly posted a third-place score of 265.80. Seniors Courtney Cheek and Lauren Mikulecky finished fifth and sixth in the event.
Connolly recorded the team’s top score in the 1-meter dive, a second-place mark of 280.87. Mikulecky and Cheek flipped their results from the 3-meter dive, placing fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Frogs would record second-place finishes in the next four events. Sanders in the 100 free, Lyndsie Gibson in the 200 back, Lindsay Shabet in the 200 breast and Winkler in the 500 free.
The four-straight wins gave the Cyclones the lead, 130-115, but TCU took the next two events to set up a thrilling finish.
The Frogs would close the gap thanks to Emily Gibson’s 100 fly win with a time of 55.85. It was her second-straight win in the event and best mark of the season.
In the 200 IM, Newton and Bleasdell placed first and second, with times of 2:04.85 and 2:05.08, respectively. The scores trimmed the lead to 144-139, with the dual to be decided on the final event, the 400 free relay.
The final race was decided by 0.19 seconds, as TCU’s relay squad posted a second-place time of 3:27.82. The team consisted of Sanders, Schuler, Winkler and Bleasdell.
Up next for the women’s team is the Aggie Invitational from Nov. 20-22 in College Station. The men’s squad is back in action against SMU on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Mansfield at 7 p.m.