Swimming and diving announces schedule, starts season vs Auburn

The IU swimming and diving program has announced its schedule for the 2014-15 season.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will open the season at home against Auburn. Auburn’s men have won eight NCAA Championships, their most recent title coming in 2009.

The Tigers were sixth at the NCAAs last season.

The Auburn women have earned five titles in team history, most recently in 2007. They placed 14th in 2014, two spots behind the Hoosiers.

IU’s annual meeting with Michigan and Texas will become a four-way meet this year with the addition of Louisville. The Texas men’s team was an NCAA runner-up last season, while Michigan placed fourth and Louisville 11th, one spot behind IU.

The first half of the season will conclude with USA Swimming Winter Nationals and the USA Diving National Championships.

To kick off the 2015 portion of their season, the Hoosiers will travel to Madison, Wis., to face the Badgers and Notre Dame.

A matchup against Purdue Jan. 24 in West Lafayette will serve as Senior Day for all programs.

The IU men have defeated the Boilers four consecutive times and lead the overall series 29-6. The women have won in 12 of the past 13 meetings, including a 154.5-135.5 victory this past season.

Both teams will conclude their regular season at the Louisville Invite Feb. 14 and 15.

The 2015 Women’s Big Ten Championships will be Feb. 18-21 in Columbus, Ohio, while the men’s will take place Feb. 25 through 28 in Iowa City, Iowa.

The women have finished second in the past three years. Brooklynn Snodgrass and Gia Dalesandro, who combined for seven individual Big Ten titles, are both returning this year.

The men’s team also placed second in 2014, but graduated four Big Ten title winners in Cody Miller, Eric Ress, Darian Schmidt and Conor Murphy.

The 2015 NCAA Championships will be March 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C., for the women and March 26-28 in Iowa City, Iowa, for the men.

“As has been our practice in past years, IU swimming and diving will again challenge itself against some of the very best programs in the NCAA as we continue to strive for a national championship,” head coach Ray Looze said in a June 13 press release.

Grace Palmieri