Training trip focuses team for rest of season

During the first half of the season, the men's swimming and diving team was looking for answers following a dismal 1-5 start, which included tough losses to fellow Big Ten schools Wisconsin and Northwestern. With 16 freshmen being put into the fray and all but one diver red shirting, the 2003-2004 season has begun to show signs of a rebuilding year. \nThe team's strong performance Saturday against Ohio State and Southern Illinois garnered it two victories. Its success can also be attributed to the Florida Training Trip the team took during Winter Break, which lasted from January 1 through 8. The trip featured a meet against Division III Denison University, but mostly consisted of a lot of intense training, designed to raise its level of competitiveness when it resumed its regular season schedule. \n"We really trained hard down there," senior captain Matt Leach said. "(The trip) really tired us out and got us focused on swimming well when we came back here."\nFreshman Ryan McNeill, who finished second in the 500-yard freestyle against Ohio State, agreed that the work they put in in Florida definitely helped when it came time for the season to resume.\n"The training went really well for us while we were there," McNeill said. "It made me more aggressive during the race."\nOf all the disciplines in the meet Saturday, it was the freestyle, in fact, in which the Hoosiers were the most impressive. In the 50-yard event, IU had the top three finishers, with seniors Claes Andersson, Mike Payne and freshman Kyle Ruth leading the way. This success bodes well for IU, since its upcoming opponent, Michigan, has one of the top freestylers in the country in Peter Vanderkaay, already a four-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Week this season. McNeill was aware of the challenge that lies ahead for him and his freestyle cohorts Saturday, but admits that all they can do is swim the best they can. \n"Michigan is tough," McNeill said. "All we can do is put together some quality races and try to come up with our best times of the year."\nAnother issue that will determine the success of the squad over the last half of the year is how well the freshman swimmers have matured and adjusted to the rigors of collegiate competition and whether they continue to do so. Sophomore breaststroker and relay member Kevin Swander said the Hoosiers have a lot to look forward over the final three months of the season.\n"We're really starting to come together as a team," he said. "Our freshmen have really started to step it up. Instead of being rookies, they're adding depth to us. They're swimming like veteran swimmers."\n-- Contact staff writer Scott Lipsky at slipsky@indiana.edu.