University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Purple & Gold Intrasquad
UNI swim and dive holds competitive Purple & Gold Intrasquad to open new season
9/26/2026 1:30:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI swimming and diving team opened its 2026-27 season on Saturday morning with a competitive Purple & Gold Intrasquad meet inside the Glen F. Henry Pool at the Wellness-Recreation Center, with the gold team claiming victory over the purple team by a score of 129.5-118.5
Prior to the meet, the Panthers honored former standout swimmer Molly Lembezeder (2014-18) with a jersey retirement ceremony, with Lembezeder becoming the sixth former Panther great to be celebrated with the honor this year, joining Bill Smith (wrestling), AJ Green (men's basketball), Jacqui Kalin (women's basketball), Patty Stockman (softball) and Kurt Warner (football).
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday's action started with the 200-yard medley relay that saw the gold team of Elyse Brayton, Nikki Walters, Neriah Giedrys, and Olivia Gustafson take the edge over the purple team. The action continued with the 500-yard free, which saw Sam Oeltjen and Natalie Kuboushekk take first and second, followed by Julia Eastman in third for the purple team.Â
In the 200-yard individual medley, Brayton and Walters took first and second place for the gold team, with Aspen Cole taking third for the purple team. The 200-yard freestyle saw Gustafson coming out with the top spot for the gold team, with Crystal Benjamin and Natalie Harris taking second and third for the purple team. In the 50-yard freestyle, the purple team swept the top three spots on the podium with Charlotte Sander, Payton Hultgren and Morgan Raether taking first, second and third, respectively.
The 100-yard butterfly saw Walters of the gold team finish first, followed by Harris in second for purple, and both Benjamin and Eastman tying for third for the purple team. In the 100-yard freestyle, Gustafson and Averie Bilskemper would take first and second for the gold team, with Hultgren taking third for the purple team. The 100-yard Backstroke would see a tie for first between Brayton of gold team and Raether of purple team, as third place would go to Hultgren of the purple team.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Neriah Giedrys took first place for the gold team as Avery Duerr finished in second for purple and Jenna Breitbach secured third for gold. In the final relay of the day, the 200-yard freestyle relay saw the gold team of Brayton, Bilskemper, Magnuson, and Gustafson take the top spot.
In the diving well, Trista Thompson took the top spot in the combined one and three-meter diving competitions, as reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Diver of the Year Avery Hogan took second for gold and Camryn Russell third for purple.Â
To cap off the meet in an entertaining finish, members of the Panther diving squad would take part in a 50-yard freestyle sprint that saw Eva Coonrad of purple team lead the way, with Francesca Dehl placing second for gold and Thompson taking third for purple. UNI swimmers also took to the boards in a one-meter competition, with Gustafson out on top for the gold team followed by Eastman and Sander of purple.Â
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UP NEXT
The Panthers will open the 2026-27 regular season with a two-dual road trip beginning Friday, Oct. 9 when they face off against the Marquette Golden Eagles in their inaugural dual in program history at 4 p.m. CT at the Wellness & Helfaer Recreation Center in Milwaukee.
UNI will also face Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rival UIC for the first time in a dual since the Flames joined the league on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. CT at Flames Natatorium in Chicago.
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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.Â
