The University of Iowa welcomed teams and fans from 57 schools March 26–28 as it hosted the 2015 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium. It was the second time the UI has hosted the championships and the first since 1927 when the event was held at the UI Field House.
Learn more about the men's swimming and diving team at the UI.
The state-of-the-art Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, which opened in the summer of 2010, has 20,000 feet of fitness space over three levels, and UI student-athletes enjoy a 50-meter competition pool and a separate diving well. The entire facility was closed to the public during the three-day event, a move that helped make the event a success, report UI athletics staff members. All six sessions were sold out, and visitors were treated to a warm Iowa welcome and offered Iowa-centric food.
Although the Hawkeyes placed 35th—while Texas won its 11th swimming and diving title—UI head coach Marc Long says he was pleased with the team and community effort.
Did you know?
The butterfly stroke was invented in 1934 by then–UI swim coach David Armbruster and further developed a year later by one of his swimmers, Jack Sieg. It is now one of four competitive swimming strokes.
“I’m proud of our guys this week,” says Long. “We didn’t finish where we would have liked to but it’s an accomplishment just to get here. The NCAA only invites the top 6 percent of swimmers in each division, and it’s becoming our expectation to get here and compete. There’s a lot of pride in hosting an event like this. This is the fastest meet in the world right now and we’ve received tremendous support from the University of Iowa and the community. As an alum, I’m proud to have been a part of this special event.”
Iowa was one of the first schools in the nation to compete in swimming and diving on a collegiate level and competed at the first NCAA championships. From 1937 to 1960, Iowa placed in the NCAA top 10 18 times, crowning nine NCAA and 22 Big Ten champions.
