The Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, No. 8 and No. 13 respectively, will head to Columbus, Ohio, for a three-day invitational over the weekend.
Indiana has had nearly three weeks away from NCAA competition after competing in two meets over eight days. The Hoosiers sent swimmers to the FINA World Cup, which took place Nov. 3-5, but the team’s last dual meet was Oct. 29, where they handily defeated the University of Missouri.
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Of the 14 teams competing in the Ohio State Invitational, notable entrants are Ohio State, the University of Kentucky, the University of California Los Angeles and Virginia Tech University. The Indiana vs. Ohio State dual will be one to keep an eye on as both the men’s and women’s programs are among the top in the nation this season.
All three days of action will be live at 5:30 p.m. each day from the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Big Ten Plus.
Last season, the Indiana men took first place over Ohio State, and they will be looking to repeat the success of 2021. However, the women are out for revenge. They were bested by the Buckeyes last year, and the Ohio State women’s team has continued its dominant form. The Buckeye men are 2-0, and the women 3-0, but the critical difference is that the Buckeye women have won their three dual meets by an average of over 115 points.
Sophomore Anna Peplowski, senior Ashley Turak and the freshmen pair of Kristina Paegle and Mya Dewitt have been standout swimmers for the Indiana women so far this season.
“Anna has transitioned into one of the best NCAA swimmers,” head swimming coach Ray Looze said about Peplowski.
Graduate student Van Mathias, senior Brendan Burns and sophomores Luke Barr and Finn Brooks as well as divers Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler have led the Hoosier men so far. Burns’ victory in the 200-yard freestyle in which he out-touched Missouri’s fifth-year senior Jack Dahlgren by just 0.06 seconds was one of the highlights of Indiana’s win over the Tigers in their last dual meet.
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The Ohio State Invitational has been circled on Indiana’s calendar since the beginning of the season. The men are looking to win the meet for the second consecutive year, and the women can make a statement for the rest of the season with a victory over the Buckeyes.
“We want to go to Columbus and throw the hammer down,” Looze said. “We need to go into their house and take what’s theirs.”
