Hoosiers to compete in USA Swimming Winter Nationals

Juniors Eric Ress and Ryan Hinshaw will lead a small group of IU swimmers in the 2011 AT&T Winter National Championships today to Saturday in Atlanta. 

The championships are a lead-up event to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 25 to July 2 in Omaha, Neb.

Swimmers who race at a qualifying time during the meet will be entered into the Olympic Trials competition.

“It’s always a tremendous honor to be representing IU in these types of competitions,” IU Coach Ray Looze said.  “With the athletes we have going trying to qualify for standards, I’m sure they’ll do a great job and come away representing IU successfully.”

Other Hoosiers participating in the meet include junior Afton Robiertson and freshman Dorina Szekeres, the current Hungarian 200-meter backstroke champion.

IU graduates Ben Hesen, Kevin Swander and Kate Fesenko will also participate in the meet.

Ress will not represent IU in the competition, as he is sitting the season out to train for the French Olympic Trials.

The remainder of the IU swimming and diving team will participate in the Georgia Invitational this weekend in Athens, Ga.

That meet will pit the Hoosiers against, among other teams, the defending men’s and women’s national champions, California, and the women’s current No. 1 team, Georgia.