After two big meets on the road, IU Coach Ray Looze and senior Lilly King will return to the friendly confines of the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington for the IU Invitational on November 15-17.
IU, which comes in off a strong meet at the ACC/Big Ten challenge, will see two teams it just competed against— No. 4 North Carolina State and No. 8 Louisville.
Arizona State, which is receiving top 25 votes, will also be competing, as well as Purdue. Southern Methodist University will also be present for diving events.
In the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, seniors Lilly King and Bailey Andison stole the show. King swam two NCAA A cut times and won four total events. Andison posted the nation’s fastest time this year in the 400-yard individual medley by five seconds.
Instead of just five Hoosier swimmers at the ACC/Big Ten challenge, Looze will have his entire team to compete.
It is unclear whether diver Jessica Parratto will compete in the event. She has been out for the whole season with a neck injury, but her return is expected soon.
IU will also look to score points with the relay events, an area where the team has excelled this season. IU has yet to lose a relay, including both medley relays at the ACC/Big Ten challenge, where an IU swimmer was on each winning relay team.
King has been posting relay split times that beat those of her times in the individual events, which have helped propel IU ahead during the second leg of the races.
Louisville’s relay teams will challenge those of the Hoosiers, holding the nation’s fastest time in both the 200- and 400-yard medley relay. The Cardinals’ 400-yard medley relay time hit an NCAA A cut.
Louisville has the nation’s top time in all but one of the five different types of relays the NCAA runs. NC State has also posted a faster time than IU in the 200-yard medley relay this season.
While the Hoosiers should dominate the breaststroke, the freestyle events will be where Louisville looks to shine. Mallorey Comerford is the nation’s best sprint freestyle swimmer, and the Louisville freestyle group has depth behind her. Comerford put up an NCAA A cut time at the ACC/Big Ten challenge in the 100-yard freestyle.
While North Carolina State doesn’t have any swimmer with a top national time, it is in the top 10 for nearly every event.
Over the weekend at the ACC/Big Ten challenge, while Andison set the nation’s fastest time in the 400-yard IM, Emma Muzzy of North Carolina State was just 0.04 seconds behind her. Muzzy has a NCAA B cut in the 100-yard backstroke.
Ky-lee Perry has been strong for North Carolina State in the freestyle sprint events, hitting NCAA B cuts in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Elise Haan also has a B cut in the 100-yard backstroke and beat Muzzy’s time. Haan and Muzzy also have B cuts in the 200-yard backstroke.
The Wolfpack as a team have 17 total NCAA B cuts, but don’t have any A cuts.
The IU Invitational will provide a chance for IU to improve its resume against two top-10 teams, and two strong opponents sitting just outside the top 25. It will also give some of IU’s top swimmers more competition against some of the nation’s best, especially when it comes to relays where IU, North Carolina State and Louisville all have elite groups.
The event will feature both a morning and evening session. The morning will feature largely preliminary events and the finals will take place in the evening sessions.
