KU swimming tops Iowa State – Lawrence Journal-World

Feb 7, 2025 – 6:44pm
photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas sophomore Bradie Ward breaks the surface in the 200 backstroke event in a meet against Iowa State in Robinson Natatorium Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
The Kansas swimming and diving team commemorated its 50th anniversary at Friday’s dual meet, so it was only fitting that the Jayhawks did battle with a familiar longtime opponent.
KU welcomed Iowa State, its traditional opponent for the final dual of the season, to Robinson Natatorium. The historic matchup between Big 12 schools has now gone KU’s way 31 of 35 possible times, as the Jayhawks took down the Cyclones by a cumulative score of 181-117.
KU evened its Big 12 record at 1-1 and improved its overall dual record to 3-4 with the victory.
“It was a really good meet, we competed well,” KU head coach Clark Campbell said in a press release. “I was telling our team in our post-race wrap up that the last meet of the year is one of the most bipolar meets of the entire season because you have people that are feeling really good and some people that are just not feeling it yet. But that’s okay because the point is to peak at the end of the month and everyone has different responses to their training.”
Sophomore diver Shiyun Lai, already in the midst of a decorated season with a program-record four Big 12 diver of the week awards, added to her resume with a pool record on Friday. Her score of 336.30 in the 1-meter dive passed Vicky Xu’s six-year-old mark of 330.15, and was also good enough for one of Lai’s two first-place finishes on the day, along with her 401.18 result in the 3-meter dive.
Also leading the way for the Jayhawks in terms of overall scoring were senior Eleni Kotzamanis and junior Lydia Lafferty. Each swimmer was part of a victorious relay team: in Lafferty’s case the 200-yard medley relay group with Lezli Sisung, Ryan Johnston and Caroline Blake that finished in one minute, 41.13 seconds to kick off Friday’s meet, and for Kotzamanis the 400-yard freestyle relay foursome that also included Blake with Ellie Howe and Claire Hyatt, which concluded the day.
In addition, Kotzamanis took first place in the 100 free (50.84 seconds, actually slightly slower than her split in the relay) and 200 free (1:49.14), while Lafferty won the 100-yard backstroke with a personal-best 54.73 and the 100-yard butterfly at 54.38.
The junior Blake, besides her participation in the pair of relays, also won the 50 free at 23.39. Sophomore Bradie Ward, from Free State High School, claimed a lone first-place finish in the 200 back with a time of 1:59.95, just over two seconds ahead of ISU’s Madi Dohrn.
A freshman got involved as well, as Gabi Dyer, besides coming in second to Kotzamanis in the 200 free, beat out teammates Hailey Farrell and Tait Haag for victory in the 500 free with a personal-best time of 4:53.27.
The Cyclones’ top performers in the losing effort were Mallory Miller, who won the 1,000 free and 200 individual medley, and Grace Swoboda, who finished first in the 100 breast and second or third in several other events.
KU will next host the Jayhawk First Chance meet at Robinson Natatorium beginning Friday before preparing for the Big 12 Championships.
photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas sophomore Shiyun Lai flips through the air in the 3-meter diving event in a meet against Iowa State in Robinson Natatorium Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas junior Hailey Farrell competes in the 500 freestyle event in a meet against Iowa State in Robinson Natatorium Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas junior Grace Zifcak flips in the 3-meter diving event in a meet against Iowa State in Robinson Natatorium Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Lezli Sisung starts off the 200 medley relay in a meet against Iowa State in Robinson Natatorium Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
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