University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Marquette
UNI swim & dive travel to Milwaukee, Chicago for first duals of the season
10/8/2026 9:09:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
UNI swimming & diving (0-0 / 0-0 MVC) at Marquette (0-1 / 0-0 Big East)
- Friday, Oct. 9, 2026
- 4 p.m. CT
- Wellness + Helfaer Recreation Facility | Milwaukee, Wisc.
UNI swimming & diving (0-0 / 0-0 MVC) at UIC (0-0 / 0-0 MVC) & Southern Indiana (0-0 / 0-0 Summit)
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
- 11 a.m. CT
- Flames Natatorium | Chicago, Ill.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI swimming and diving team will hit the road to open its 2026-27 dual schedule on Friday in Milwaukee against Marquette, as well as Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rival UIC and Southern Indiana in a triangular meet on Saturday in Chicago.
Competition is slated to begin Friday at 4 p.m. CT at the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation Facility in Milwaukee, and 11 a.m. CT on Saturday at Flames Natatorium in Chicago. Live coverage of both meets can be found on the Meet Mobile app (swimming) and Dive Meets (diving).
Northern Iowa will be in search of its first dual wins of the season and look to play spoiler in Marquette's first home meet. Marquette, in its first season as a collegiate program, is coming off its first ever dual, a 189-70 loss last week at Iowa. Saturday will also mark UNI's first-ever dual matchup with the Flames as MVC opponents, as well as its first all-time meeting against Southern Indiana.
Head coach Nick Lakin, who begins his tenth season at the helm of the program, is UNI's all-time leader in dual victories with 60.
The Panthers return to the pool for the first time in two weeks following the team's annual Purple and Gold Intrasquad Meet on Sept. 26, narrowly won by the Gold Team by a score of 129.5-118.5.
Northern Iowa returns multiple accomplished athletes from last year's roster, including reigning MVC Diver of the Year Avery Hogan, who placed first in the three-meter competition and qualified for the NCAA Zones. Also returning is Morgan Raether, the standout sophomore, who received an All-MVC Honorable Mention and holds seven top-ten times in the UNI record books.
Other noteworthy returning swimmers include senior Sam Oeltjen, who holds three spots in the program's top-ten list and received an All-MVC Honorable Mention and senior Nikki Walters and Abigail Barkhurst, a junior who holds two spots.
UNI also adds five new faces to the program on the swimming side in Avery Duerr, Olivia Gustafson, Payton Hultgren, Malea Johnson, and Chloe Magnuson.
In the diving well, UNI returns three key divers alongside Hogan, including All-MVC Honorable Mention performers Addison Bausman and Trista Thompson. Sophomore Eva Coonrad returns for UNI with the addition of freshman Iowa high school state champion Camryn Russell and Francesca Dehl.
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.
