HAWK TALK

February 2018

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163 D aniel Swanepoel is more than 8,600 miles from his hometown of Cape Town, South Africa, but the University of Iowa freshman feels at home with the Hawkeye swimming and diving program. Swanepoel is in his first season in Iowa City aer being a Western Cape Provincial champion in the 15, 16, 17, and 18-year-old age groups. He also was a South African Senior National qualifier, finishing third in the 100-meter breaststroke. "e transition has been smooth, everyone has helped me along the way and the team atmosphere is exciting," said Swanepoel. "e team dynamic has helped a lot. I didn't have a team back home, I would swim mainly by myself. "Our team dynamic helps with missing home, but I do feel at home now." Swanepoel made a quick transition in the pool, where he has established himself as Iowa's top breaststroker. He posted NCAA "B" qualifying times in both the 100-yard (53.74) and 200-yard (1:57.18) breaststroke, and he swims the second leg of the team's top 200 and 400-medley relays. He posted his season-best times — times that rank third all-time in school history — at the Minnesota Invitational in December. He earned his first career Big Ten weekly accolade when he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Dec. 6. "He has adjusted well, he's hard-working, and is dedicated," said Iowa head coach Marc Long. "From his training background and the facilities back home, this is quite the change and step up. "We put him in a star spot right away and he has handled that well and has added a great element of competition to the practices." Heading into the final month before championship season, Swanepoel ranks sixth in the Big Ten Conference in the 100 breast and eighth in the 200. ose times put him in position to contend for a spot in the "A" final, which would score big points for the Hawkeyes in the team standings. "He is doing well," said Long. "He just needs to keep working hard and I know he'll be excited to race. He is competitive and has been a great team player throughout this season." Swanepoel's focus is on little things — details that would put him in position to go faster at the Big Ten Championships later this month. "I know my starts and underwater pullouts are not as good as some of the big guys there," he said. "I am working on the turns, push-offs, and starts are important. My rest and recovery are also key to make sure I am ready. "I want to post solid times and try to score as high as I can to get points for the team." FEBRUARY SCHEDULE Feb. 2 Western Illinois (M/W) Feb. 14-17 Big Ten Championships (W) Feb. 21-24 Big Ten Championships (M)

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