It was déjà vu for the Iowa women’s swimming and diving team after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Hawkeyes only competed in two events on Wednesday — the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay.

Iowa posted back-to-back ninth-place finishes, putting the Hawkeyes ahead of Michigan State and Illinois for ninth overall.

The squad started how it ended the conference title meet exactly last year when Iowa finished ninth, ahead of the same two teams.

Indiana sits atop the leader board after Day One.

Thursday’s action begins with the prelims at 10 a.m., culminating with the finals at 5:30 p.m. Teams are slated to compete in five individual events.

— by Mitch Smith

The Iowa women’s swimming and diving team had a successful first day at the Shamrock Invitational on Friday in South Bend, Ind.

The Hawkeyes trail Missouri and Notre Dame heading into Saturday but lead against Denver.

Iowa opened up the meet with a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay, led by seniors Christine Kuczek, Julie deBruin, junior Katarina Tour, and sophomore Daniela Cubelic.

Tour also added a first-place in the 200 individual medley, while deBruin, Cubelic, and Kuczek finished third, fifth, and sixth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle.

Junior Veronica Rydze continued her success on the diving board, finishing third in the 3-meter dive.

“We’re having some really exciting racing,” Iowa head swimming coach Marc Long said. “That’s why we’re here. It’s still early. We have two more sessions to go, and we’re expecting some great races again tomorrow.”

Day Two starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. Central time. Live results can be found at http://www.und.com/livestats/w-swim/.

— by Mitch Smith

The Iowa women’s swimming and diving team ended the Big Ten regular season with a loss on Saturday, dropping its dual meet against No.23 Northwestern, 173.5-121.5.

The Hawkeyes won the 200 medley relay to open the competition, but only managed first-place finishes in six of the 16 events.

Relays were a major strength for the Hawkeyes in the loss. The squad took first in both the 200 medley, and the 400 freestyle.

“We had some great performances today,” Iowa head swimming coach Marc Long said. “Our swimmers raced hard. Getting the win in the medley was outstanding. I was very proud of how we raced.”

Recently named Big Ten Diver of the Week Veronica Rydze continued her success on the diving board, taking first in the 3-meter diving competition. Her score of 292.35 was the eighth-best 3-meter score in Iowa history.

Junior Katarina Tour led the Hawks with wins in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley events, while sophomore Danielle Carty added another individual victory in the 100 backstroke.

The Hawkeyes are back in action on Jan. 29 when the squad travels to South Bend, Ind., for the Shamrock Invitational.

– by Mitch Smith