Storm women race pace Iowa Lakes in final home dual

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson women won 10 events on their way to a dominant 165-24 win over Iowa Lakes Community College on senior day at the Indianola YMCA.

The Storm, who improved to 2-4 in head-to-head competition on Saturday, won six events by default, taking advantage of a short-handed Iowa Lakes squad.

"Right now we are not seeing so much improvement time-wise, but I think spending that five days together down in Texas really brought us together as a team," head coach Tom Caccia said after the meet. "I saw them coming through and they came together as a team today."

Erica Carlson and Emma Gerdis led the women with two wins each, with both of Gerdis' victories coming in races exclusively against Simpson competitors.

Gerdis won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:13.84 and would later win the 500-yard freestyle, touching the wall ahead of two of her teammates in 6:03.42.

Carlson started off the day by sprinting to the finish first in the 50-yard freestyle in just 27:80, besting two of her teammates. She later clipped three Storm swimmers in the 100-yard backstroke and Tasia Thompson of Iowa Lakes, earning first with a time of 1:07.36.

Simpson was the outright winner in both the 200-yard medley and the 200-yard freestyle relay, with its only other individual first-place finish over Iowa Lakes coming from Alex Vander Veen in the 100-yard butterfly at 1:11.24

The Iowa Lakes women managed to win only one event which came in the 100-yard freestyle from Adele Rova in 57:52.

Diving:

Women's diving consisted of only one event and one diver as Iowa Lakes didn't compete in the women's 1-meter dive. Naomi Olsgaard won by default with a score of 154.55

Seniors:

Two seniors in Tori Haag and Marissa Stepleton were honored for their careers at Simpson during the meet on Saturday. Stepleton was a four-year letterwinner while Haag lettered two years, earning school records in that time.

"These [the seniors] are the ones that I've said all along that were going to change a culture of swimming and diving here at Simpson," Caccia said. "This group is a part of that class that I believe established that legacy of hard work, team and commitment

Coming up:

The swimming and dive team heads to Grinnell for the second time this year when it goes to the Grinnell Invitational from Jan. 22-23.