Molly Lembezeder jersey retirement set for September 26

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Molly Lembezeder, one of the UNI swimming and diving program's all-time greats, will be recognized on Saturday morning with a jersey retirement ceremony prior to the Panther's Purple and Gold Intrasquad Scrimmage at 11 a.m. CT inside the Glen F. Henry Pool at the Wellness-Recreation Center.

A Dubuque, Iowa native, who swam for Northern Iowa from 2014 to 2018, will be celebrated with a permanent display inside the facility, as well as a banner plaque.

"Molly embodies everything we want to stand for as a program," said UNI head coach Nick Lakin. "She was an incredible student and heavily involved on campus and giving back to the Cedar Valley. She continues to give back through her work as a teacher and coach locally making our community a better place every day."

"In the pool, Molly taught our team how to win," Lakin added. "Prior to her arriving on campus in 2014, our program only had two Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles on the women's side. Since then, our program has won 36. She helped usher in a modern era for our team by being willing to compete with anyone. Her competitiveness in everything she did laid the groundwork for everything we have accomplished since. I am so proud of Molly and looking forward to a chance to honor her on Saturday!"

The ceremony for Lembezeder will be the sixth of several planned jersey retirements for UNI Athletics this year following the announcement of the department's jersey retirement program as part of UNI's sesquicentennial celebration. The Panthers have to date retired the jerseys of Bill Smith (wrestling), AJ Green (men's basketball), Jacqui Kalin (women's basketball), Patty Stockman (softball) and Kurt Warner (football).

Northern Iowa will retire multiple jerseys at its All-Sport Reunion during homecoming weekend on Oct. 10, including Joey Woody (men's cross country/track & field), Paige (Knodle) Bohannon (women's cross country/track & field), Nancy Land (women's tennis), as well as six other sports no longer sponsored by the university, including former men's swimmer Jacob Stall.

Panther soccer will retire former goalkeeper Anne Marie Witko's jersey the day following the All-Sport Reunion on Oct. 11 prior to its home match against Valparaiso. Jordan Weber (men's golf) and Hannah Bermel (women's golf) will be celebrated at UNI's Oct. 31 home football game against Indiana State, while Molly O'Brien (volleyball) will be honored in 2027.

A record breaking and program defining swimmer, Lembezeder spent four years rewriting team history under coaches Doug Humphries and Nick Lakin. A three-time All-MVC performer, she captured nine conference titles during breakout sophomore and junior seasons with the Panthers, including back-to-back titles in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle and 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays in both 2016 and 2017, as well as a MVC title in the 200-yard medley relay as a sophomore. Her speed as a sprinter and mid-distance freestyler helped Northern Iowa to consecutive third place team finishes at the 2017 and 2018 MVC Championships, the two best finishes for the program in team history.

Lembezeder finished her collegiate career with eight school records, including the 500, 100 and 200-yard freestyle, and the 200 and 400-yard freestyle and medley relays. She remains a part of UNI's current school record in the 800-yard freestyle relay to this day.

She was also recognized as a three-time MVC First Team Scholar-Athlete (2016-18) and a four-time conference swimmer of the week during her career.

Lembezeder currently resides in Cedar Falls and teaches kindergarten at Janesville Elementary.

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.

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