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25 T here were PRs, school records, and an NCAA 'A' cut for the University of Iowa swimming and diving team at the 2019 Big Ten Championships. ere are building blocks for future success. e Hawkeyes wrapped up their Big Ten Championship seasons with a 10th-place finish from the women on Feb. 23 — their highest finish in four years — and the Iowa men placed eighth at the men's championships, 33.5 points out of sixth place. "e team raced well," said Iowa head coach Marc Long. "We're proud of how they stepped up and performed. You could pick a few spots where things could have been better, but overall I am proud of how they performed." Iowa set three school records over the course of the two weeks. Junior Hannah Burvill raced to a top time in the 100-yard backstroke finishing in 53.27 seconds, leading off the team's 400-medley relay. On the men's side, Iowa set records in the 800-free relay with freshmen Aleksey Tarasenko, Mateusz Arndt, and Jackson Allmon, and junior Michael Tenney finishing with a time of 6:23.07. e Hawkeyes also closed the championship with a school record and NCAA "A" qualifying standard in the 400-yard freestyle relay with Tarasenko, senior Jack Smith, junior Will Scott, and junior Joe Myhre sprinting to a bronze medal in 2:51.06. "We finished with the "A" cut, something very few teams in the country can achieve," said Long. "When you see Aleksey lead off with a world- class time — a 42.93 (it gives us optimism for the future). Across the board you saw the young guys step up." Individually, Tarasenko narrowly missed the "A" final in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events. He finished 10th in the 200 free in 1:35.10 and 11th in the 100 free (43.22). Freshman Andrew Fierke was 10th in the 1,650 free in 15:10.24, while Arndt placed 12th in the 500 in 4:21.31. While the newcomers give the program optimism looking ahead, Long credited the seniors for staying the course. "To see the seniors, people like Tanner (Nelson), Jack (Smith), and Kenneth (Mende); these guys fought hard and laid it on the line throughout their careers," said Long. "Seeing the seniors finish their careers in a good way makes us feel good. "It's tough to see them leave, but they're leaving with us in a better place." MARCH SCHEDULE March 11-13 at NCAA Zone D Diving Championships (Men/Women) March 20-23 at NCAA Championships (Women) March 27-30 at NCAA Championships (Men)