Reivers Impress in Back-to-Back Meets Against UNO, CSM, Sterling, and Morningside
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa
The Iowa Western Reiver Swim Team showcased their depth and determination in two consecutive meets over the weekend, competing first at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) on Friday, October 10, and then hosting Sterling College and Morningside University on Saturday, October 11.
UNO/College of Saint Mary Duals
Facing NCAA Division I competition, the Reivers rose to the challenge. On the women's side, Sammy Diaz led the charge with strong performances, including a 1,000 freestyle time of 11:06.03 and a 500 freestyle of 5:21.15. Kaylee Johnson added solid swims in the breaststroke events, clocking 1:19.36 in the 100 and 2:50.04 in the 200. Onye Onovo sprinted to a 25.72 in the 50 freestyle, and Allison Elings contributed key relay legs throughout the meet.
The women's relay teams showed consistency, posting 1:58.85 in the 200 medley relay (Diaz, Johnson, Onovo, Elings) and 1:44.68 in the 200 freestyle relay (Walters, Onovo, Diaz, Elings).
On the men's side, the Reivers picked up several big wins against UNO. Sam Brunel captured both the 200 and 500 freestyle titles, while Bernat Marsol dominated the butterfly events, winning the 100 and 200. Cesar Guerrero battled to a tie for first in the 200 breaststroke. The 200 freestyle relay team of Brunel, Jimmy Koch, Ryan Lane, and Marsol finished with an impressive 1:25.90.
Despite the outstanding performances, the Reivers ultimately fell short in the team standings against UNO and College of Saint Mary, but the meet highlighted the Reivers' competitive potential against top-level programs.
IWCC Tri-Meet vs. Sterling College and Morningside University
The following day, Iowa Western hosted Sterling and Morningside at the Titan Hill Pool. The men's team swept both opponents, while the women earned a win over Sterling and a narrow loss to Morningside.
Diaz once again led the women with a 2:00.95 in the 200 freestyle and a relay-start 57.13 in the 100 freestyle. The women's 400 freestyle relay of Diaz, Elings, Onovo, and Walters posted a strong 3:52.76.
For the men, Brunel continued his dominant weekend with a 9:44.91 in the 1,000 freestyle, one of the top times nationally at this point in the season. Marsol added wins in the 100 backstroke (53.30) and 200 IM (1:58.97), while Koch sprinted to a 21.70 in the 50 freestyle.
"We had some fast swimming back-to-back this weekend, and it was great to see the things we've been working on start to show up in competition," said Head Coach Mykenzie Liston. "This weekend created a great foundation for where we want to go as a program. Competing against a Division I school like UNO and turning around the next day to perform well again says a lot about our athletes' toughness and focus. We're starting to see national-level times from swimmers like Sam Brunel, which shows the progress we're making."
Results for both meets can be found here.
Up Next
The Reivers will return to action on November 1st when the team travels to Coe College for their next competition.