Hoosiers aim for 4th consecutive Big Ten title

After months of preparation through daily workouts and meets against top-tier competition, Indiana’s women’s swimming and diving team is about to be put to the ultimate test.

The team has won three consecutive Big Ten titles and four in the past five years, and now the Hoosiers have another opportunity this week to improve their standing in the Big Ten.

Starting Wednesday, the women’s swimming and diving team will compete in the four-day Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, as the Hoosiers go for their fourth consecutive conference championship en route to the NCAA Championship Meet in March.

“The target has been on our back every year,” IU Coach Ray Looze said. “We expect that there are going to be several teams that are going to be coming out swinging, but I just want (our team) to be persistent and tough.”

This meet presents a special opportunity for IU’s seniors. The seniors have the chance to sweep the Big Ten Championships all four years they swim and dive at IU.

As they head into the meet, senior swimmer Margaux Farrell said, they are well aware of the potential feat.

“I think there is pressure on the senior class, but not so much that it will hinder us,” Farrell said. “We are excited to see if we can complete a perfect career, but regardless of what happens, we’ve had some great times together as a class and, more importantly, as a team. I’m sure whatever happens will happen for a reason.”

Though the Hoosiers are the No. 1 Big Ten team and No. 12 in the nation, according to the CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA Coaches Poll, a fourth consecutive Big Ten title will not be handed to them.

This season, five other Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25, meaning the Hoosiers will swim and dive against some of the best competition in the nation.

“All we can control is ourselves,” Looze said. “The divers have their job to do and the swimmers have their job to do, and we have to come together as a team and realize that, session by session, it’s going to be a battle.”

Though Looze said the target is on IU’s back, he also said the team’s attitude heading into Iowa City is exactly what it needs to be to win the title.

“The girls in the past several weeks have been loose, have smiled a lot and have been joking around, so they have the demeanor that you want to see,” Looze said. “We constantly remind them the reason we put in so much hard work is so we can have fun at this time of the year, so that’s what we intend to do.”

Once the Hoosiers take their first dive into the pool at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Iowa, it will all boil down to how fast they swim and how well they dive. Looze said that, if IU performs well, then no matter the result, he will be happy with the team’s effort.

“You know, there is nothing more we can do,” Looze said. “I feel confident that we put in the work and that we’ve done everything we can do.

“All I want for the girls is that they have a great meet, that they swim well and up to their capability, and if they do that, we can walk away with our heads held high.”