2025-26 Season in Assessment – Iowa State Athletics

Year Two Under Leach

 

Head Coach Matt Leach led the Cyclones by way of the 2025–26 season, persevering with to construct momentum in his second yr at Iowa State. The group delivered robust performances all year long, highlighted by record-breaking swims, robust freshman contributions, and development each within the pool and on the boards.

 

Academic Excellence

 

This season, the Cyclones had been acknowledged as a CSCAA Fall Team Scholar All-America program, posting a 3.65 group GPA.

 

Ally Blumenfeld, Abbi Crum, Corinne Guist, and Kate Mitchell earned 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, recognizing their success in each the classroom and competitors.

 

Senior Madi Dohrn was additionally honored because the recipient of the Wallace E. Barron Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing One Award, recognizing her excellence in lecturers, management, and neighborhood involvement.

 

National & Postseason Competition

 

At the National Invitational Championships (NICs), Anja Peck, Grace Swoboda, and Kendall Mallers represented the Cyclones. Swoboda led the group with a second-place end within the 100 breast, a third-place end within the 50 breaststroke, and an Eleventh-place end within the 200 breast. Peck recorded a fifth-place end within the 200 breast whereas additionally competing in each particular person medley occasions, and Mallers competed in a number of butterfly occasions, highlighted by a Twenty sixth-place end within the 50 fly.

 

Swoboda and Peck additionally certified to compete on the Toyota U.S. Open National Championships in December, representing Iowa State on a nationwide stage.

 

On the diving facet, Jade Hazes, Ally Blumenfeld, Abby Tollefson, Kate Mitchell, Iona Moffat, and Maggie Bendell all earned qualification to the NCAA Zone Diving Championships. Mitchell certified in all three occasions, whereas Hazes and Moffat competed in each the 1-meter and 3-meter occasions. Blumenfeld certified within the 1-meter and platform, Bendell certified within the 1-meter and 3-meter, and Tollefson earned a spot within the 1-meter occasion.

 

 

Big 12 Honors

 

Iowa State earned a number of Big 12 honors all through the season, starting with Kate Mitchell being named Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Week following a dominant efficiency within the Cyclones’ highway sweep over South Dakota and South Dakota State, the place she swept the diving occasions. Carlotta Gazzola adopted, incomes Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after successful 4 particular person occasions and setting a pool file within the 1650 freestyle at South Dakota State.

 

Grace Swoboda was additionally acknowledged as Big 12 Swimmer of the Week after breaking each the Iowa State faculty file and the Beyer Pool file within the 100 breaststroke.

 

To shut the season, Maggie Bendell, Keirlyn Mullica, and Swoboda had been named to the All-Big 12 Second Team following their performances on the Big 12 championships.

 

Season Highlights & Top Performances

 

The Cyclones delivered a number of standout performances all through the season, starting on the Hawkeye Invitational the place a number of swimmers moved into Iowa State’s all-time rankings. Peck highlighted the meet with a 2:13.24 within the 200 breaststroke to rank second all-time, whereas Emma Kuhn earned the quantity 5 spot all-time within the 200 IM. Piper Hagen and Kendall Mallers additionally made their mark on the freshman lists of their respective occasions, showcasing the group’s depth and expertise.

 

Iowa State continued its momentum through the Big 12 Duals and Cy-Hawk Dual, the place Swoboda moved as much as second all-time within the 100 breaststroke earlier than later breaking the varsity file. Gazzola added a top-10 efficiency within the 1000 freestyle, exhibiting power within the Cyclones’ distance group.

 

At the Big 12 Championships, Iowa State recorded a number of program milestones. The 400 medley relay group of Kuhn, Swoboda, Mallers, and Hagen broke the varsity file, whereas the 200 medley relay additionally entered this system’s all-time prime 10. Individually, Swoboda reset her faculty file within the 100 breaststroke and secured a fifth-place end, whereas additionally transferring to second all-time within the 200 breast. Mallers adopted by delivering a standout efficiency within the 200 butterfly, changing into the quickest freshman in program historical past and transferring to second all-time, whereas Kuhn continued her robust season with a top-five all-time efficiency within the 200 IM.

 

On the boards, Maggie Bendell led the diving group with an eighth-place end within the 3-meter finals, whereas a number of Cyclones certified for championship finals throughout diving occasions.