As part of the upcoming USA College Challenge, an event that will pit Big Ten Conference All-Stars against Team USA, 14 IU swimmers have been named to the Big Ten team.
IU leads all Big Ten schools with its 14 selections. It is followed by Michigan with 11 and Ohio State and Wisconsin with six each. Hoosier alumnus Cody Miller and graduate student Zane Grothe will compete for Team USA, and IU Coach Ray Looze was named coach of the Big Ten team.
“The Big Ten vs. USA Swimming dual meet will be the first of its kind with regard to showcasing the top collegiate talent in the NCAA against the top talent from the best swimming nation in the world,” Looze said in a release from IU Athletics. “I am humbled to be the head coach of the men’s Big Ten team and plan to utilize the best coaches from our conference to make this meet one for the ages.”
The dual meet will have 30 total events, and the points from both the men’s and women’s will be combined for a team’s total score.
The winner will be determined by whichever team reaches 131.5 out of a possible 262 points first. Individual events will score as follows: five points for first place, three points for second and one point for third.
For the relay events, only the winning team will receive points — seven for a first-place finish.
Rio Olympians Lilly King, Blake Pieroni, Kennedy Goss, Anze Tavcar and Ali Khalafalla will represent the IU swimming contingent for the Big Ten.
The two-day event will take place Nov. 12-13 at the Indiana University Natatorium at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Ben Portnoy
