A lot is on the line for Northwestern against Iowa this Saturday, the annual senior meet and the last dual meet of the season.

Sophomore Erika Elliott remembers last season the Cats walked away from the Iowa Aquatic center with a dramatically narrow loss. The team took six events, but ultimately scored 27 points shy of a victory.

This year, the swimmers are determined to turn the tables, especially for the seniors and the day’s festivities.

Elliott said NU and Iowa have an intense rivalry, and Saturday is a great opportunity to swim fast and finish the dual season strongly.

“It’s exciting for the rest of the team to give these seniors a good meet,” she said.

Freshman Katie Branch said that it was nice to bond with the seniors this week, even if they had only four months together.

“It’s the last home meet, so I believe that we’ll go out with a big bang,” she said.

Elliott said the tradition of senior day begins when an underclassman gifts the senior something small — candy and chocolate are popular presents.

Senior Megan Goss enjoys the family element to senior day because nearly every senior gets to see her parents or relatives. At the start of the day, seniors and their families gather around while their accomplishments are read over the loudspeakers. Swimmers also receive flowers from their younger teammates.

Despite the festivities, the senior said the season doesn’t feel like it’s wrapping up until the last few weeks of training are over.

“I’m not that nostalgic yet,” Goss said. “But it’s crazy that it is coming towards the end.”

The last time the Cats took to the pool they swam a quad meet in which the team whipped Rutgers by more than 90 points, but took tough losses to No. 24 Michigan and No. 25 Notre Dame. After Saturday’s senior meet, NU has one last invitational before the Big Ten Championships start on Feb. 19. 

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