The Jackrabbits fell short Friday night to the Iowa State Cyclones at the HPER Center Pool as the Cyclones downed the Jackrabbits by a final score of 183-112 in a meet that consisted of a dominant Cyclone presence. Despite the Jacks only winning one of a possible 16 events, the women managed to keep every race, and dive, competitive and engaging. 

“Overall we swam very well,” head coach Brad Erickson said. “Even though the season is young, some had season best swims.”

SDSU is coming off of a season in which they finished in fourth place for the Summit League Championships. When asked about what improvements need to be made from last year’s team, Erickson stated that the backstroke is a priority.

“We are a good, solid team,” Erickson said. “We have really good breast stroke swimmers, and I believe our sprints are a strength.” 

The recently transferred Emily Campbell from Boise State showcased her strength in regards to the breaststroke. Campbell won the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:22.21.

The Jackrabbits have also added an additional two divers to the team, bringing the team total to three. 

“We have seen a lot of improvement over last year’s team,” Erickson said. 

After last years’ finish at the Summit League Championships the Jackrabbits came into the year ranked fourth. 

“We had three years in a row where we were second in the conference,” Erickson said. “The fourth place was a rather disappointing finish for us.” Erickson however does remain confident in his team stating that, “A ranking is only a number.” 

Erickson stated that the team is looking at several freshman swimmers to make an impact this season, most of who look to build on the team’s list of backstroke swimmers. Other notable Freshman include Mikayla Mayer who looks to make a splash as a member of the Jackrabbits sprinters. Diver Alecia Winston also looks to make a splash. Winston recorded her first collegiate win last week against Omaha.

Andrea Budahl, recipient of last week’s Summit Swimmer of the Week, swam a bit differently Friday night. 

“Andrea normally doesn’t do the 200-meter fly,” Erickson said. “Normally she does the 1000 and the 500. It is a really tough double with those two distances. I think it gave her more energy for the 500, and even though she just got touched out, she still had a season best swim.”

Junior Trina Young also listed some things the team needs to work on. 

“We need to work on hard finishes,” Young said. “Sometimes we get a little slack in the end.” 

Young set her goals for the season to finish the season on a high note.

“We have a team goal, as far as the girls, to finish second.” 

The Jackrabbits will compete again, Oct. 25 at 6:00 p.m. against Northern Iowa, located at the HPER Center Pool. 

“I expect a tough meet out of them,” Erickson said.