Energy and cheers filled Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center Saturday in Bloomington as No. 5 Indiana men’s swim and dive dominated against Purdue on Indiana’s senior day.
“We want to dedicate this meet to them because in athletics today, to start and finish at the same institution, to me, is hugely important,” head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I want to recognize it, and I want to celebrate it. So, these two wins are dedicated to our senior class.”
The in-state rivalry was alive and well as fans from both schools filled the stands.
The team was eager to finish the week of competition against Purdue with its own win and did just that with a final score of 170-120. With this win, Indiana’s men have won 14 straight dual meets, dating back to 2019.
“It’s always super important to come away with wins against Purdue,” Looze said. “Our teams did a great job of that today.”
Indiana’s men now have dominated Purdue in 11 straight meets dating back to Feb. 6, 2010.
Senior Andrew Capobianco continued to do what he does best, winning the 1-meter dive with a score of 384.15. Freshmen Carson Tyler and Quinn Henniger followed behind scoring 363.90 and 354.68, respectively.
“Andrew, Carson and Quinn handled the challenge from the Purdue men well,” head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “The whole team is tracking well for the postseason.”
Freshman Rafael Miroslaw secured three individual wins during the meet. He won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 43.45. Behind him, sophomore Tomer Frankel timed in at 43.93 and senior Jack Franzman marked a 44.35.
Miroslaw’s other wins came from the 200-yard freestyle where he timed in at 1:36.10. Again, his teammates helped to sweep the event for the Hoosiers with Frankel in second with a 1:36.88 and junior Brendan Burns securing a 1:37.53. Miroslaw’s last individual win came in the 50-yard freestyle when he secured a time of 20.13. Franzman was right behind him, timing in at 20.16 to place second.
Miroslaw is becoming a consistent winner, helping the 400-yard freestyle relay win throughout the season and placing first in the 100-yard freestyle the past two meets. His improvements and domination were recognized on Wednesday when he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
“Rafael’s progression from August until now has been nothing but impressive,” Looze said. “We are very excited about his future.”
In the 400-yard freestyle relay Miroslaw, Franzman, Frankel and senior Bruno Blaskovich secured first with a time of 2:55.54.
Indiana also secured first and second place in the 200-yard medley relay. The ‘A’ squad of Frankel, Blaskovic, senior Gabriel Fantoni and freshman Josh Matheny finished in first with a time of 1:26.57. The ‘B’ squad consisting of Burns, Franzman, freshman Luke Barr and senior Van Mathias was right behind holding Purdue off with a time of 1:27.22.
Hoosier relays continue to be an exciting part of meets as the men work to improve and capture wins in the events.
Burns paid homage to Indiana basketball player junior guard Rob Phinisee, who scored the winning three on Wednesday night’s basketball game against Purdue, by mimicking shooting a basketball after winning the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 46.79.
Junior Michael Brinegar swept the 500-yard freestyle and 1,000-yard freestyle with times of 4:28.61 and 9:04.17, respectively. Both of those events were dominated by Hoosiers, with sophomore Warren Briggs placing second and freshman Aidan Reagan coming in third to finish out the 500-yard freestyle. In the 1,000-yard freestyle, senior Mikey Calvillo, Briggs and Reagan followed behind Brinegar.
Indiana will host its last regular season meet against the University of Evansville at 2 p.m. on Friday in Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. The men look to stay undefeated and secure more postseason qualifying scores ahead of Big Ten Championships in February.
