2025-26 Season in Review

Year Two Under Leach

Head Coach Matt Leach led the Cyclones through the 2025–26 season, continuing to build momentum in his second year at Iowa State. The team delivered strong performances throughout the year, highlighted by record-breaking swims, strong freshman contributions, and growth both in the pool and on the boards.

Academic Excellence

This season, the Cyclones were recognized as a CSCAA Fall Team Scholar All-America program, posting a 3.65 team GPA.

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

Senior Madi Dohrn was also honored as the recipient of the Wallace E. Barron Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing One Award, recognizing her excellence in academics, leadership, and community 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 finish in the 100 breast, a third-place finish in the 50 breaststroke, and an 11th-place finish in the 200 breast. Peck recorded a fifth-place finish in the 200 breast while also competing in both individual medley events, and Mallers competed in multiple butterfly events, highlighted by a 26th-place finish in the 50 fly.

Swoboda and Peck also qualified to compete at the Toyota U.S. Open National Championships in December, representing Iowa State on a national stage.

On the diving side, Jade Hazes, Ally Blumenfeld, Abby Tollefson, Kate Mitchell, Iona Moffat, and Maggie Bendell all earned qualification to the NCAA Zone Diving Championships. Mitchell qualified in all three events, while Hazes and Moffat competed in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Blumenfeld qualified in the 1-meter and platform, Bendell qualified in the 1-meter and 3-meter, and Tollefson earned a spot in the 1-meter event.

Big 12 Honors

Iowa State earned multiple Big 12 honors throughout the season, beginning with Kate Mitchell being named Big 12 Women's Diver of the Week following a dominant performance in the Cyclones' road sweep over South Dakota and South Dakota State, where she swept the diving events. Carlotta Gazzola followed, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after winning four individual events and setting a pool record in the 1650 freestyle at South Dakota State.

Grace Swoboda was also recognized as Big 12 Swimmer of the Week after breaking both the Iowa State school record and the Beyer Pool record in the 100 breaststroke.

To close the season, Maggie Bendell, Keirlyn Mullica, and Swoboda were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team following their performances at the Big 12 championships.

Season Highlights & Top Performances

The Cyclones delivered several standout performances throughout the season, beginning at the Hawkeye Invitational where multiple swimmers moved into Iowa State's all-time rankings. Peck highlighted the meet with a 2:13.24 in the 200 breaststroke to rank second all-time, while Emma Kuhn earned the number five spot all-time in the 200 IM. Piper Hagen and Kendall Mallers also made their mark on the freshman lists in their respective events, showcasing the team's depth and talent.

Iowa State continued its momentum during the Big 12 Duals and Cy-Hawk Dual, where Swoboda moved up to second all-time in the 100 breaststroke before later breaking the school record. Gazzola added a top-10 performance in the 1000 freestyle, showing strength in the Cyclones' distance group.

At the Big 12 Championships, Iowa State recorded multiple program milestones. The 400 medley relay team of Kuhn, Swoboda, Mallers, and Hagen broke the school record, while the 200 medley relay also entered the program's all-time top 10. Individually, Swoboda reset her school record in the 100 breaststroke and secured a fifth-place finish, while also moving to second all-time in the 200 breast. Mallers followed by delivering a standout performance in the 200 butterfly, becoming the fastest freshman in program history and moving to second all-time, while Kuhn continued her strong season with a top-five all-time performance in the 200 IM.

On the boards, Maggie Bendell led the diving group with an eighth-place finish in the 3-meter finals, while multiple Cyclones qualified for championship finals across diving events.

Players Mentioned

Maggie Bendell

Ally Blumenfeld

Abbi Crum

Madi Dohrn

Carlotta Gazzola

Corinne Guist

Piper Hagen

Jade Hazes

Emma Kuhn

Kendall Mallers

Kate Mitchell

Iona Moffat

Keirlyn Mullica

Anja Peck

Grace Swoboda

Abby Tollefson

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