University of Minnesota Athletics
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No. 24 Gophers Take Down Hawkeyes in 2026-27 Season Opener
10/10/2026 1:22:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – The No. 24 ranked University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving program kicked off their 2026-27 season today against the University of Iowa, taking down the Hawkeyes 178-122 with first place finishes in 11 out of the 16 events at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
Minnesota started off the meet with a first place finish in the 200 medley relay. Kamdyn Periat led on the blocks with a 25.03 starting split, followed by a 28.18 split from Ava Goodno. Morgan Thomas closed out the third leg of the race with a 23.08 split, while Livi Wanner closed out the race with a 22.37 split.
Katie McCarthy secured a win in her first race of the season, tallying a 8:35.75 in the 1000 free. Sara Reppucci collected a podium finish in her first collegiate race, tallying a 8:47.80 in her third place finish.
Faith Lamah and Mia Thomas collected podium finishes in the 200 free for their first individual collegiate event. Lamah tallied a 1:50.76 for a first place finish while Thomas tallied a 1:51.85 for a third place finish.
Claire Conklin took third place in the 100 back, earning a 56.56 in her first collegiate race.
Emma Fellman secured a second place finish in the 100 breast, tallying a time of 1:04.34.
Rachel Conley and Claire Reinke took a one-two finish in the 200 fly, with Conley tallying a 2:00.55 and Reinke tallying a 2:01.62.
Livi Wanner and Morgan Thomas captured second and third place in the 50 free, with Wanner sprinting to a time of 22.90 and Thomas collecting a time of 23.28.
The Gophers took a one-two-three sweep in the 100 free. Kamdyn Periat topped the podium with a 51.18. Mina Kaljevic and Livi Wanner came in close behind with times of 51.37 and 51.40 respectively.
Elise Jacobs tallied a second place finish in the 200 back, coming away with a time of 2:02.71. Keira Mullins took third place in the 200 breast with a time of 2:21.62.
Anja Kaljevic and Mia Thomas secured the one-two finish in the 500 free, tallying times of 5:01.26 and 5:01.46 respectively. Claire Reinke and Morgan Thomas did the same in the 100 fly earning times of 54.53 and 54.67 respectively.
Katie McCarthy touched the wall first in the 200 IM, putting together a time of 2:03.69. Peyton Ross came in behind her in third place with a time of 2:06.86.
The Gophers closed out the swimming events with another relay win, this time in the 400 free relay. Livi Wanner launched the effort with a split of 51.47, with Morgan Thomas following up with a split of 50.54. Mina Kaljevic closed out the third leg with a split of 50.82, and Kamdyn Periat closed things out with a split of 50.52.
Over in the diving well, Elna Widerstrom topped the score sheet on the 3-meter springboard with a score of 340.35. Gabby Mauder came in close behind with a 273.40 for a fourth place finish, while Annalei Dow and Cassie Kaplan finished in eighth and ninth place with scores of 250.20 and 205.58 respectively.
On the 1-meter springboard, Elna Widerstrom came out on top with a score of 305.63. Gabby Mauder took fourth with a 264.60, and Annalei Dow and Cassie Kaplan came out in eighth and tenth places with scores of 231.83 and 213.90 respectively.
Minnesota is back in action next weekend at The Dual Meet Tournament, hosted by Georgia Tech. The tournament is set to kick off on Friday, October 16.
