Hoosiers claim 2nd at Big Ten Championships

In a Big Ten Championship meet where the IU men’s swimming and diving team finished second — avoiding third place by just 11 points — it was the extra effort that got the team to the podium.

Senior David Piercy, who hadn’t dived in a platform competition since his freshman year, excelled. Sophomore Eric Ress, who jammed a finger on his left hand Friday, had doubts about whether or not he was going to swim the 200-yard backstroke Saturday.

Ress finished second in the 200-yard backstroke Saturday, scoring 17 points. With the Hoosiers beating out the Buckeyes by 11 points for second place, this proved vital.
Freshman Cody Miller played a huge role for IU, winning the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke.

“It didn’t matter who he was racing against,” Looze said. “He took control of races, leading from the start to the finish in both of them, and we’re just really pleased with Cody and how much he’s grown this year.”

Sophomore Jim Barbiere said it may have been the best effort IU has had in the past
decade.

Michigan came away with the championship in Minneapolis, winning by 678-604 against the Hoosiers.

“The whole time, we weren’t really thinking about getting second,” Barbiere said. “We were pretty much looking at Michigan the entire meet and on the last day, Ohio State had a really good day, so we actually had to fight them off at the end of the meet.”

Ress said the future is bright for the Hoosiers.

“No one really expected us doing as well as we did,” Ress said. “We were projected to get fifth or fourth and when we got second, it was really a strong standpoint for IU. I honestly believe, even with our graduating class, we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with next year.”