Team looks to avenge heartbreaking loss

One year ago, all that separated the IU women's swimming and diving team from a championship was a few inches. If it were not for a disqualification due to a false start, the Hoosiers would have captured their first Big Ten Championship since 1981. \nToday the 2003 edition of the Hoosiers look to avenge the heartbreaking loss it suffered, as the Big Ten Conference Championship Meet begins tonight on the Purdue campus.\nThe No. 16 Hoosiers, who finished 10th at the 2002 NCAA Championships, face their toughest competition of the season. Five of the eleven teams in the Big Ten are ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. Specifically Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue look to give IU the most trouble.\nIn the regular season, IU knocked off the No. 25 Boilermakers in a landslide, defeating rivals in the Hoosiers' home pool by 96 points. They suffered the only loss of the season to No. 14 Penn State on Jan. 25. IU did not face No. 10 Wisconsin during the regular season.\n"Wisconsin is by far the cream of the crop," coach Dorsey Tierney said. "They have had a great year, and are a solid team from top to bottom. Their relays and sprint freestylers are exceptional. They also have a couple of really good IM's who will be a good challenge for our IMers."\nBut the Hoosiers like their chances in this year's tournament. At the 2002 Big Ten Championships, then sophomore Brooke Taflinger and juniors Kristy Martin and Tina Gretlund finished first, second and third respectively in the 400-yard individual medley. All three return in 2003, with Martin and Gretlund wrapping up their senior seasons. Last week on Senior Night, Martin finished her regular season career by picking up a Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honor. It was IU's third swimmer of the week accolade this season.\n"We're excited," Martin said. "In practice we've really concentrated on feeling good in the water. Getting the little things down, too, like perfecting our turns and starts."\nFellow senior, Anne Williams, stressed the importance of focusing on the little things in order to be in a position to take home the trophy. Although they have experienced incredible success this season, Williams said the team does not feel pressure to win the championship.\n"Going into this meet, our goal is to swim for 100 percent best times," Williams said. "We can't control our competition. If our best times win us the championship, that's great. It will be disappointing if we don't win, but our season certainly won't be a disappointment."\nIf the Hoosiers plan on hoisting the trophy at the end of the week, they will have to swim near-perfect races, especially in IU's Achilles-heel -- the relay events.\n"I'm not sure we'll win any events," Tierney said with a laugh. "This will be a meet where we will have to rely on our depth. We need to have all 22 swimmers and three divers perform well. The distance freestyle events and the IM events will be key races to watch."\nAn additional boost for the Hoosiers will be the addition of the diving competition. For the first time in Big Ten Championship history, the platform diving competition will count towards the team point total. Previously, it was contested as an exhibition event. If the event had been scored in 2002, Indiana would have won the Big Ten title.\nThis year, senior and 2000 Olympian Sara Hildebrand, will compete on platform in addition to the 1- and 3-meter diving events. Hildebrand recently picked up her fourth Big Ten Diver of the Week honor of the season. This week's honor came after she won all three events against Kentucky on Senior Night. She won the 1-meter, 3- meter and exhibition platform competitions to close out her collegiate career in her home pool. On the 3-meter, Hildebrand scored a 328.35, the best team score of the season and just four points shy of her own school record.\n"Sara Hildebrand, Cassandra Cardinell and Lori Matthys are diving very well, and I think all three are capable of making the finals in all three events," diving coach Jeff Huber said. "I think we are going to dive very well, but we'll see when we get there. It's a good pool and we've had some good performances there in the past."\nThe first events begin at 7 p.m. tonight with the finals of the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay.\n"We've been getting better every day," Tierney said. "Now it's time to get in and see what happens"