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27 A new wave has crashed on pool deck in Iowa City, Iowa. e University of Iowa swimming and diving team welcomes its largest class of freshmen and two new assistant coaches, beginning what could be a special 2019- 20 season for the Hawkeyes. Seventeen women and six men arrived in Iowa City where they have joined a large upperclassmen-laden squad. e team's new blood shis Iowa's culture toward development, a key piece in the program's long- term plan for the past several years. "We're challenging our program with a lot of outstanding competition with the teams we have coming in this season," said Iowa head coach Marc Long. "In the fall we're bringing in top five talent with Michigan and Indiana on the road, two historically top-five teams in the NCAA. We're going on the road with the best to have our team face the best competition we can in preparation for everything we face in the postseason." Long enters his 16th year as the head of the program, fostering connections between student- athletes and coaches since 2004. is season, two new assistant coaches bring different attributes to combat the newness in the pool. Brian Schrader comes to Iowa aer a 13-year stint as head coach for the University of Denver. From 2016-19, Denver won all but one swimming event at e Summit League Championships, the kind of success Iowa's staff hopes to translate into challenging Big Ten competition. "Brian has a lot of experience and is someone I've known for 30 years," Long said. "He has coached phenomenal programs and has had great success elsewhere, and hopefully he can bring that success and help us here." During Long's tenure with the team, he has coached several athletes who have excelled at the national level before going on to coach around the country. As a Hawkeye breaststroker, Sougstad was a three-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American in 2016 and 2017, also competing in the 2016 Olympic Trials. Sougstad joins her alma mater as an assistant coach. "Emma was a phenomenal athlete here, and we're excited to bring her back in Iowa City," Long said. "She had success in coaching at Miami (Ohio) and working with the CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America), and she fit the mold perfectly as a coach for our team." e Big Ten Conference provides tough competition every year. Last season, the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center hosted the 2019 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. e Hawkeyes will host the women's championships in 2020. Iowa will travel to numerous destinations across the country leading up to the postseason, including stops in Dallas for the SMU Classic, Minneapolis for the Minnesota Invitational, and South Bend, Indiana for the Shamrock Invitational. e young Hawkeye team is ready for those challenges with a confident coaching staff behind it. "We have top talent coming in, but we want them to be prepared to face the best in our league," said Long. "With that competition coming, there are tremendous opportunities for us individually and as a team. Our focus is on our racing mentally and physically to prepare to be our best." OCTOBER SCHEDULE Oct. 3-4 Michigan State (M/W) Northern Iowa (W) Oct. 11-12 at SMU Classic (W) Oct. 26 Minnesota (M/W)