AMES — The UNI swimming and diving team returned to the pool for the first time since November, falling to the Iowa State Cyclones at Beyer Hall on Saturday afternoon in dual competition by a score of 180-116.
Northern Iowa won five events in its first duals since facing Iowa in October, headlined by Erica Peters winning the one-meter springboard competition and qualifying for the NCAA Diving Zones.
On the one-meter boards, Peters topped the field with a career-best score of 269.95, punching her ticket to the NCAA Zones in Iowa City in March. Trista Thompson meanwhile would place fourth in the event (255.05), while Peters also finished fourth in the three-meter competition (264.50).
Morgan Meyer picked up a pair of individual first-place finishes in both the 100-yard freestyle (52.24) with Faith Larsen placing second (52.77), as well as the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.67). Hallory Domnick meanwhile would follow Meyer in second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.28).
Larsen, the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) 50-yard freestyle champion, would clock a time of 23.98 to top the field in the event with Abby Lear placing second (24.41). The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Lear, Larsen, Meyer and Waren Graeve finished in first in 1:36.21, followed by the team of Natalie Harris, Hannah Nedder, Elyse Brayton and Domnick took second (1:40.83). Ema Lavigne, Peyton Pasqualicchio, Jenna Breitbach and Josie Parton placed third in the relay (1:42.66).
Other top finishes included Olivia Chambers placing second in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:49.69) and 400-yard individual medley (4:43.24), with Nedder finishing as runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly (58.91) and Larsen in third (58.93). Domnick also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:18.91), as Crystal Benjamin placed third in the 400-yard I.M. (4:43.55), with Abigail Barkhurst finishing fourth in the 1,000-yard freestyle (11:03.16).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the pool Jan. 17-18 for its final home competition of the season with a two-day dual against Illinois State at the Glen F. Henry Pool in Cedar Falls. Diving competition will begin at 3 p.m. CT on Jan. 17 followed by swimming at 5 p.m. CT, with the second day of diving beginning at 9 a.m. CT on Jan. 18 with swimming at 11 a.m. CT.