University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Iowa State
Panthers honor seniors in a double dual against Iowa State and St. Thomas
1/10/2026 5:11:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Panther swim and dive splits duals with Iowa State and St. Thomas.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The Glen F. Henry Swimming and Diving Pool saw an eventful Saturday as the UNI swim and dive team hosted duals against Iowa State and St. Thomas. The Panthers celebrated six seniors in Sydney Aird, Abby Lear, Morgan Meyer, Hannah Nedder, Erica Peters and Cali Prochaska. UNI was victorious in a dual against St. Thomas, 206-94, but fell to Iowa State, 171-129.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The meet opened with a bang with the UNI 200-yard medley relay A team storming to a first-place finish against both Iowa State and St. Thomas with a time of 1:45.73. The Panthers claimed third place against St. Thomas with a time of 1:48.18. The Panthers A team consisted of Elyse Brayton, Neriah Giedrys, Charlotte Sander, and Abby Lear while the B team saw Morgan Raether, Aspen Cole, Hannah Nedder, and Averie Bilskemper.
In the longest race of the day, Abigail Barkhurst finished the 1000-yard free with a time of 10:44.10 in second place against St. Thomas and third place against Iowa State. Cassidy Miklos was just over a second slower than Barkhurst with a time of 10:45.42 in third and fourth place, respectively.
Morgan Meyer led the way in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:53.45, edging out second place by close to two full seconds. Jennifer Barajas was the second Panther to touch the wall as she finished with a time of 1:57.37 while Averie Bilskemper finished close behind with a time of 1:57.45. Barajas was third in the dual against St. Thomas and fourth against Iowa State while Bilskemper claimed fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the 100-yard backstroke, Elyse Brayton was second in both duals with a time of 57.08. Morgan Raether and Rachel Rolow were third and fourth in the duals with times of 57.59 and 59.55, respectively.
With a time of 1:06.23 in the 100-yard breaststroke, Aspen Cole finished in first place in the dual against St. Thomas and third against Iowa State. Sydney Aird and Neriah Giedrys were the next two Panthers to touch the wall with times of 1:07.37 and 1:07.45, respectively. Aird finished in third place with Giedrys in fourth against the Tommies.
Nikki Walters was first in the St. Thomas dual and second in the Iowa State dual in the 200-yard fly with a time of 2:06.78, the seventh-fastest time in Panther history. Sam Oeltjen was second in the Panthers' dual with the Tommies with a time of 2:09.97 while Crystal Benjamin was third against St. Thomas with a time of 2:13.51.
The fastest race in the pool, the 50-yard freestyle, saw Abby Lear swim a 23.78 to take first place in both duals while teammate Charlotte Sander was third in each matchup with a time of 24.33.
UNI stacked the podium in the 100-yard freestyle with first and second-place finishers in both duals. Morgan Meyer finished with a time of 52.49 to claim the crown while Averie Bilskemper was a half second behind with a second-place finish time of 52.91.
Morgan Raether, Elyse Brayton, and Rachel Rolow finished the 200-yard backstroke within two seconds of one another with second, third, and fourth-place finishes in both duals. Raether finished with a time of 2:06.98, Brayton with a time of 2:07.37, and Rolow came in at 2:08.62.
With a time of 2:24.69, Aspen Cole was UNI's first finisher and picked up first place against St. Thomas and third place against Iowa State. Sydney Aird was second in the St. Thomas dual with a 2:26.70 swim.
In the 500 free, Sam Oeltjen led the Cats with a time of 5:09.00 and a first-place finish in the St. Thomas dual. Oeltjen picked up a second-place finish against Iowa State.
Nikki Walters came in first in the 100-yard fly with a time of 57.08 while Hannah Nedder and Natalie Harris were second and third in the St. Thomas dual with times of 58.83 and 59.50, respectively.
With a time of 2:11.29, Elyse Brayton was second against St. Thomas and fourth against Iowa State in the 200-yard individual medley. Nikki Walters and Natalie Harris were third and fourth against the Tommies with times of 2:12.03 and 2:12.82.
The final swim of the day was the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Panther A team of Charlotte Sander, Abby Lear, Morgan Raether, and Morgan Meyer were first with a time of 1:35.26.
On the one-meter board, Avery Hogan took first place against St. Thomas and third place against Iowa State with a score of 257.40 while Erica Peters took third in the dual against St. Thomas with a score of 248.60. On the three-meter board, Erica Peters recorded the third-best score in Panther diving history and a personal-best with a 283.30 to take first place against St. Thomas and second place against Iowa State. Avery Hogan finished with the Panthers' eighth-best score and was just 2.35 points off a personal-best with a 274.50. She was second against St. Thomas and fourth against Iowa State.
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UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the pool next weekend for a two-day dual at Illinois State, Jan. 16-17 at the Horton Pool in Normal. Live coverage of the dual can be found on the Meet Mobile app (swimming) and Dive Meets (diving).
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UNI swimming and diving action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Swimming and Diving), X (@uniswimdive) and on Instagram (@uniswimdive). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
