Kansas to Host Iowa State in Final Dual of the Season
After seven months of training and 12 competitions, Kansas swimming and diving will put it all to the test as it hosts Big 12 rival Iowa State in the last dual meet of the season beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The two teams have wrapped up the regular season together in a two-day dual since 2005, with the standings 7-2 in favor of the Jayhawks, who look to avenge a 2014 road loss.
This is the second time Kansas will see its conference foe this year, and first since the Jayhawks took the Kansas Classic crown and finished nearly 200 points ahead of the Cyclones. This season’s face-off will be split with the first eight events on Friday and the final eight on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. With the Big 12 Championships just three weeks down the road, the split dual mimics the time format of the league meet.
“Iowa State is a really good Big 12 rival that we respect a lot,” Kansas head coach Clark Campbell said. “This is something that—if we perform well—we can carry the momentum into Big 12s.”
With both teams holding a 7-3 dual meet record, racing both days will be vital to coming out on top.
“We have to have a good second day,” Campbell said. “We are strong the first eight events, but Iowa State is really strong the second eight. No matter what happens on Friday, wherever the points may be, Iowa State could still win the meet on Saturday.”
Yulduz Kuchkarova and Bryce Hinde will need to respond to the competition in their specialty events. Kuchkarova will face Marissa Engel in the 200-yard backstroke, who is ranked fourth in the Big 12—behind Kuchkarova. Hinde will square up with Alicia Stearns in the 200-yard breaststroke on Saturday.
“Bryce has had a really solid season,” Campbell said. “Each meet is steadily getting better and I’d like to see her have two really good breaststroke races but be really ready for the 200 breaststroke on Saturday. Haley Molden has been solid this winter, but we’d like to get her back to her times that she was before we went to the Kansas Classic in the fall.”
Last weekend the Jayhawks faced Arkansas in one of their toughest match-ups of the season. Although the Razorbacks came out on top, Kansas saw several time drops among its team.
“We want to continue the progression that we’ve seen all winter and through this phase that we had in January, and race really well,” Campbell said. “Our goal is always to go for in-season best times, we had a few against Arkansas and we’d like to do that again this weekend.”
All home meets in Robinson Natatorium are free and open to the public.
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