Iowa City's Dynamic Duo

IOWA CITY – Grace Murray and Beth Eyanson formed a friendship in swimming, but it's expanded beyond a common interest in the sport.The Iowa City standouts are better friends than competitors, but their competitiveness will be on display Saturday during the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Swim meet at the Horne Henry Center of the Marshalltown YMCA.The state meet begins with the diving tonight at 5. Swim events are set for noon Saturday.Eyanson and Murray have been two of the top performers in the area since they were freshman. When they compete in the same event, the friendship doesn't fall victim to rivalry. It's them against the clock, not each other.“Whenever I get up on the blocks next to Beth, I always know she's my friend before my competitor,” Murray said. “I know I can just go out there and race her and not worry about it.”The 100 butterfly event has pitted the two against each other often and will again Saturday as they both go for a fourth state medal in that event.“Whenever I race her I know it's going to be a good race,” Eyanson said, “It's going to be fast.”Eyanson, who already owns six state medals, has the fastest qualifying time at 57.58 seconds. Murray is seventh (1:00.37). Eyanson, who won the 100 back as a freshman, is the top seed in that event at 58.18, while Murray enters with the third-fastest 500 free time (5:13.03).“I'm definitely not going to focus on places,” Murray said. “The main thing I'm going to look at is times. If I go best times in both my events, or even one, I think I'll be satisfied with how I've done. I just want to end it on a good note.”Murray, of Iowa City West, and Eyanson, of Iowa City High, knew of each other before they began swimming together for the Iowa City Eels swim club about age 11.A mutual respect existed at an early age. Murray recalled admiring Eyanson's speed, while Murray's work ethic influenced Eyanson.“She's always been grouped ahead of me,” Murray said. “Then finally in morays - the third group - we started swimming together and really getting to know each other.”“Grace has always worked really hard,” Eyanson said. “and I've tried to keep up with her.”The longtime friends said they've never had an argument, coming close as roommates during a week-long swim camp.Despite Murray not sharing the same affection for nonsensical comedies, they share a love of food and movies which was a staple for club swimmers on Wednesdays during the summer.Murray calls Eyanson as “amazing” and Eyanson uses “inspiring” to describe Murray.“(Beth) is a great person,” Murray said. “Academically, athletically, everything she does she puts a good effort into it.”When things don't go smoothly, that's when Eyanson reflects on her friend.“I'm always like what would Grace do in this situation,” Eyanson said. “That usually gets me through it OK.”Murray also helped Eyanson when she was forced to have corrective surgery for scoliosis of the spine as a freshman.She was separated from swimming for a while and the process of a full return was frustrating. Murray's support helped in the trying time.“It means a lot,” Eyanson said. “That was a really tough time swimming-wise, and I don't know if I could have gotten through that without Grace.”Eyanson is in a strong position to show the form that captured state gold before her surgery.“I feel better now than I have,” Eyanson said. “Last winter or spring I started feeling 100%.“Hopefully end on a good note.”Murray's teammate Sarah Weihe is among the area's top qualifiers with the fourth-fastest time in both the 200 free (1:56.84) and 100 back (1:00.52). Cedar Rapids Washington's Jill Broghammer and Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Abbey Wharton each qualified sixth in the 100 butterfly (1:00.16) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.29), respectively, as well as City High's Allison Davis in the 500 free (5:18.52).Decorah will attempt to improve last year's seventh-place finish, which was the school's first placing in the top 10. The Vikings are led by Hannah Maher, a 2008 runner-up in both the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke that qualified fourth this year in both events. She will likely be a member of Decorah's top-seeded 200 free relay and second-seeded 200 medley relay.