University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Purple & Gold Intrasquad
Panther swim and dive hosts Purple & Gold Intrasquad on Saturday
9/28/2023 11:59:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
UNI swimming & diving at Purple & Gold Intrasquad
- 11 a.m. CT | Saturday, Sept. 30
- Glen F. Henry Pool | Wellness-Recreation Center
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI swimming and diving will get its first opportunity to hit the pool on Saturday morning as the Panthers hold their annual Purple and Gold Intrasquad at 11 a.m. CT at the Glen F. Henry Pool inside the campus' Wellness-Recreation Center.
The intrasquad competition will give UNI its first opportunity to compete before traveling for its regular season opener next Friday at Iowa.
UNI returns a strong core from a team that took fourth place at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships last February in Iowa City. The Panthers won a program-record 12 dual meets last winter, led by head coach Nick Lakin, who set a new program coaching record with his 55th career dual win.
Twenty-two athletes return to the Panther roster, including reigning MVC 50-yard freestyle champion Faith Larsen, who set a new school record in the event in the finals of the event at the conference championships. Larsen's top 50 free time of 22.50 seconds marked the first time in program history that a swimmer clocked a time in the top-100 nationally in an event.
Also returning for her third season at UNI is Olivia Chambers, fresh off winning six medals at the Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester, England over the summer. The two-time U.S. Paralympic Swimming national champion, who is also training to potentially qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, ranks in the top-ten in program history in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle events.
Other key returners include 2023 All-MVC selections Amber Finke, who claimed silver in the 200-yard backstroke and bronze in the 100-yard backstroke at the MVC Championships, as well as Hallory Domnick, Sydney Aird, Scout Bergwall, Abby Lear, Clare Christensen, Abby McCorkle, Hannah Nedder and Ema Lavigne.
The Panthers added seven new faces to the roster in the offseason, including swimmers Jenna Breitbach, Halle Grimm, Cali Prochaska, Rachel Rolow and Nikki Walters. In the diving well, UNI added a pair in Avery Hogan and Trista Thompson. Hogan, the sister of 2022 MVC Diver of the Year Taylor Hogan, was a three-time state qualifier and the 2021 IGHSAU state champion. Thompson set pool diving records in three different venues during her prep career, and finished as state runner-up to Hogan in 2021.
Players Mentioned
