Articles Tagged: Swimming and diving

There is loud, then there is the experience known as a state meet at the Linda Bloom Natatorium, a part of the Marshalltown's YMCA-YWCA facility. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state swimming and diving championships return to the facility for a 21st straight year this weekend.

City High’s Grace Hoeper and West’s Kamila Swanson will be among the favorites this weekend in Marshalltown

Photos from the Iowa high school girls’ swimming regional meet Saturday at Linn-Mar Aquatic Center.

Iowa City High swimmer Grace Hoeper, who attends Solon and will swim collegiately at Indiana, elected to defend her two 2023 state titles. On Saturday, she won the 50-yard freestyle (23.34 seconds) and the 100 freestyle (50.95) and also swam the lead leg of the Little Hawks’ winning 200 freestyle relay.

Linn-Mar will host 1 of 6 regionals on Saturday

Photos from the Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ swim meet Saturday at Mercer Aquatic Center in Iowa City.

Fun may have been the key word to describe the mood at Saturday’s Mississippi Valley Conference girls swim meet. For Cedar Falls, it was a return to glory. For Iowa City High, it was the joy of hosting the meet with one of the state's best performers taking center stage.

Kennedy Gilbertson, the MVP of the Iowa swimming team in 2023, has embraced the tradition of Iowa City West swimming while also putting her own touch on the program as its new head coach.

Linn-Mar will serve as one of the six host sites for the Iowa high school girls’ regional swimming meets set for Nov. 9. The regional assignments were released Tuesday by the IGHSAU.

This year’s IGHSAU state swimming and diving meet could end up being the last at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA's Linda Bloom Natatorium. Or it could be coming back.

Photos from the Washington vs. Kennedy girls’ swim meet at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

The Gazette’s area individuals and teams to watch during the 2024 Iowa high school girls’ swimming and diving season.

Tom Belin agreed to take on the job of Linn-Mar girls’ swimming coach — more specifically, half the job. He and Kathy Vorheis, a longtime member of the Lions coaching staff, will serve as co-head coaches.

Photos from the Iowa high school boys’ state swim meet at the University of Iowa Aquatic Center in Iowa City on Saturday

Iowa City High’s Polyak capped off a brilliant prep career by defending his title in the 200-yard individual medley, winning in 1:46.35, five seconds ahead of runner-up Dylan Nelson of West Des Moines Valley. He backed that up by taking the 100 breaststroke title in 53.42 seconds. In most years, that performance would have likely been worthy of the swimmer of the meet honor, but that went to his I-Fly club teammate Owen Chiles of Pleasant Valley, who set state records in winning the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.