UCLA Swimming Thumps Iowa In First-Ever Meeting Between Big Ten Opponents

UCLA Bruins Vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

• January 9, 2026
• Los Angeles, California
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), twin meet
• Full Meet Results (PDF)
• Team Scores: UCLA Women 179 – Iowa Women 101

A primary-ever assembly between the ladies’s-only applications at UCLA and Iowa on Friday belied the brand new paradigm of the coast-to-coast Big Ten Conference.

It was paradoxically very practically the identical temperature in Los Angeles because it was in Iowa City on Friday, with an unseasonably cool day in California (excessive of 66) and an unseasonably heat day in Iowa City (excessive of 58).

Nonetheless, the solar was shining on the Spieker Aquatics Center and the host Bruins got here away with a win. This is the thirty ninth distinctive opponent for UCLA and the thirty seventh distinctive group they’ve defeated because the program launched in 1974. Iowa, a program that launched the identical 12 months, has now raced towards 60 totally different distinctive applications, albeit not all of them collegiate – they raced the Tippicannone Swim Club in 1984 and Canadian aspect Etobicoke in 1988.

In the pool on Friday, UCLA opened the racing with a tone-setting, dominating efficiency within the ladies’s 200 medley relay. The group of Rosie Murphy (25.52 again), Sarah Bennetts (27.90 breast), Gizem Guvenc (24.98 fly), and Claudia Yovanovich (22.53 free) swam a 1:40.93, successful the race by practically 4 seconds forward of Iowa.

The senior Murphy, an IM’er by commerce, flexed her versatility on the meet by successful three particular person occasions in three totally different strokes. That started within the 100 again, which she gained in 54.14 to steer a UCLA 1-2-3 sweep. It carried ahead to the 200 breaststroke the place her 2:18.49 fended off a 2-3-4 end from Iowa, and the 100 fly the place she once more gained in 54.60.

That butterfly time is a brand new lifetime greatest for the Thirty first-place finisher within the 400 IM from final 12 months’s NCAA Championship meet. A giant end to her senior taper could possibly be the difference-maker for Murphy to resolve whether or not to hold on together with her profession post-college. She was sixth within the 200 IM on the US Open in December in lengthy course in 2:12.50 and fifth within the 400 IM in 4:45.64. Those have been each lifetime bests.

The Hawkeyes have been led individually by Olivia Swalley, who picked up the group’s solely particular person win of the meet. She topped the 200 IM in 2:04.39, beating out UCLA’s Gwinn Applejean (2:04.54) because of a dominant breaststroke leg.

Iowa wrapped the meet with wins within the final two occasions of the day. In spite of UCLA taking three of the highest 4 spots within the 100 free, Iowa gained the 400 free relay in 3:23.65. The relay included Payton Flowers (51.06), Rachel Dildine (51.70), Audrey Olen (50.70), and Jenna Kerr (49.82). Nobody on that successful relay is older than a redshirt sophomore (the anchor Kerr).

UCLA completed 2nd in 3:23.89, together with a 49.58 anchor from Alexis Schaffer in what was her solely swim of the meet.

The total instances on the meet have been typical of heavy winter break coaching for each Iowa and a typically very younger UCLA group.