Hoosiers defeat rival in last regular season meet

A victory over Purdue does wonders for a Hoosier team.\nIU’s 143-100 win over the Boilermakers Saturday left the men’s swimming and diving team feeling confident heading into the Big Ten Championships. It also gave the Hoosier seniors a positive end to their careers at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.\nThe No. 8 Hoosiers defeated rival No. 12 Purdue both in the pool and on the boards in the team’s last home meet of the season. IU divers took first, second and third place in platform diving and three of the top four spots in the 3-meter board. Freshman standout Landon Marzullo continued his recent dominance, racking up nine points on \nthe platform. \nIU swimmers also saw several victories, including the 400-yard medley squad comprised of four upperclassmen. Seniors Ben Hesen, Todd Patrick and Pat Penoyar and junior Matt Lenton won the medley relay with a season-best time of 3:15.62. \nFourteen individual members of the team also saw season-best times, including senior John Kevin Koehler in the 1000-yard freestyle.\nThree divers also earned season-best marks. Hesen attributed some of these victories to a change in attitude from \nhis teammates.\n“A lot of guys who most of the season would maybe be low on confidence seemed to have a breakthrough swim,” Hesen said. “That’s really going to open us up for Big Tens.”\nAlthough Hesen dominated the 200-yard backstroke in previous few meets, it was freshman Kurt Bassett who placed best of the Hoosier swimmers, winning the event and helping to show just how deep the team truly is.\n“Ben (Hesen) and Todd (Patrick) have really carried us this year,” IU head swim coach Ray Looze said. “It was great to see some other guys joining in.”\nNext up for the Hoosiers is the Big Ten Championships, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 1, and is hosted by heavily favored Michigan. Although IU lost its last meet against the No. 4 Michigan, Hesen said he looks forward to upsetting the Wolverines in their home pool. \nPatrick also said he is looking forward to the meet, but knows there is still some preparation to do.\n“It’s going to be a real, real hostile meet,” Patrick said. “We know that going in there. We’re getting ready.”