Minnesota’s women’s swimming and diving team will take a nonconference team after a dominant performance last weekend at Michigan.
The Gophers will host Iowa State in a homecoming meet Friday and are expected to record another convincing victory.
Iowa State has only had home alumni and intrasquad meets so far this season, so the defending Big Ten champion Gophers will be its first real test.
Although Minnesota won every event against the Wolverines, sophomore Becca Weiland said it can never underestimate its competition.
“They definitely have a few standout swimmers,” Weiland said of Iowa State.
Weiland won the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, as well as the 200-yard medley relay last weekend.
She said the whole team can continue the momentum from the Michigan meet.
“We had great team leadership [last] weekend,” Weiland said. “If we can keep that momentum, that energy, that motivation that we had at Michigan … we’re going to have a great season this year.”
Junior diver Sarah McCrady was a double-champion last weekend when she won both 1- and 3-meter diving. She garnered the Big Ten Diver of the Week award for her performance.
“I think it gave me a lot of confidence for the season,” McCrady said. “And even into championship season.”
McCrady’s teammates Katie Grunawalt and Maggie Keefer followed her in second and third on both events. McCrady said Minnesota’s women’s divers are a force to be reckoned with.
“I think we’re one of the best diving teams going into the Big Ten [championships],” McCrady said. “In the conference, we’re probably some of the top divers.”
Head diving coach Wenbo Chen said while his divers have had early success, there are still teams that can compete with them.
“They definitely have some good opportunity to [give us] competition,” Chen said.
As for the men’s divers, Chen said they will compete against themselves in the intrasquad meet, which shouldn’t be too hard.
Sophomore Big Ten Diver of the Week Jordan Lesser said he was excited to beat his senior teammate Mikey Ross in 1-meter diving at Michigan and likes to compete with his fellow divers.
