The Laker women were challenged by a tough University of Sioux Falls team at the Midco Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls on Saturday. The Cougars swept all the events, but Iowa Lakes was competitive in every race. Juliana Villa had second place finishes in the 200 free, 100 free and 50 fly. Liz Crewe-Brown finished second in the 50 and 100 backstroke events, Gabriela Reis had three second place finishes in the 50 and 100 breaststrokes and the 100 IM and Mavi Valentin was the runner-up in the 500 and 1000 freestyles.
Since USF does not have a men's team, the Laker men swam exhibition races to get additional racing experience leading into the national meet.
Coach Todd Peters commented on Saturday's meet, "Sioux Falls is a tough team and fortunately they took it easy on us. We weren't sure the meet would even be held due to bad weather conditions on Friday. We are in our toughest training phase of the season and we have been focusing a great deal on the mental aspects of successful racing. Saturday's meet was a great test in motivation and staying positive when despite great efforts, the times might not be as fast as we want them to be. You can see the team building every day towards a successful national meet in March. We talk a great deal before and after each meet about expectations and results. The athletes are starting to understand the effects of training and what impacts their performances. It is an exciting transformation to watch."
Iowa Lakes Swimming competes next at the Midwest Cup in Iowa City on February 15 and 16.