University of Northern Iowa
University of Iowa
Panthers Make History with Win Against the Iowa Hawkeyes
10/1/2021 8:51:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
CEDAR FALLS – The University of Northern Iowa Swimming and Diving team made history by defeating in-state rival Iowa for the first time ever on Friday night. The Panthers claimed wins in five individual events and the final relay en route to a 159-133 victory.
"Today was a great day to be a Panther," Head Coach Nick Lakin said. "Our energy was amazing and it ramped up when Amber, Lily, and Faith won three-in-a-row heading into diving."
Sophomore Amber Finke led the Panthers scoring 22 individual points and freshman Faith Larsen followed with 13 points to help secure the first team win after 21 previous attempts.
"We are thankful for all the previous coaches from Glen Henry to Jim Hall and those before us for creating the foundation and we hope we made them and all former Panthers proud tonight," Lakin said, about the win.
The Panthers found a string of wins before the first break, starting with the 100 Backstroke. Finke took first, followed by sophomore Scout Bergwall and junior Payton Hall to notch a 1-2-3 finish. Next, sophomores Lily Ernst and Sydney Hall claimed the top two spots in the 200 Butterfly and Larsen won the 50 Freestyle with a 23.98.
"I think the 100 Backstroke set the team up with the energy for the rest of the meet," Finke said. "We carried the momentum really well towards picking up a big win."
Finke finished first in the 200 Backstroke (2:04:88) and second in the 200 Individual Medley (2:11:64). Hallory Domnick won the 100 Butterfly as part of the Panthers claiming the top four times. Ernst took second, followed by Bergwall and freshman Abby McCorkle.
Larsen took second in the 100 Freestyle and junior Mia Savicevic finished second in both breaststroke events. Domnick picked up a second place swim in the 200 Freestyle.
Taylor Hogan led UNI on the boards, finishing fourth on both the 1-meter and 3-meter. She scored 242.25 on 1-meter and 245.05 on 3-meter, narrowly missing third place.
To close the meet, the Panthers team of Natalia Verastegui, Abbie Bangs, Taylor Short, and Larsen won 400 Freestyle Relay with a time of 3:34:16.
"We love working with this group every day and are looking forward to our next meet against another really tough opponent next Saturday against Iowa State," Lakin said.
The Panthers will host the Cyclones on Saturday, October 9 at the Glen F. Henry Pool. The meet begins at 2:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
