The No. 7/10 Indiana men’s and women’s swim and dive teams will compete in their final dual meet of the fall season against the unranked University of Cincinnati Bearcats at 2 p.m. on Friday at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
Both teams last competed at the Ohio State Invitational from Nov. 17-19 in Columbus, Ohio. The Bearcat men and women finished sixth and tenth, respectively, while the Hoosier men and women’s teams were both runners-up at the event. The Indiana women had a fantastic showing, setting multiple program records and being led by freshman swimmers Kristina Paegle and Mariah Denigan, sophomores Anna Peplowski and Ching Gan, juniors Elizabeth Broshears and Ella Ristic and seniors Ashley Turak and Noelle Peplowski.
[Related: Indiana men’s and women’s swim and dive take second place at Ohio State Invitational]
Anna Peplowski earned Big Ten Women’s Swimmer of the Week honors following her stellar showing at the meet, the second time she has done so this season. Paegle also earned her second Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Week award after playing a critical role in the women’s record-breaking relay performances.
Senior swimmer Brendan Burns continued to spearhead the Indiana men along with juniors Tomer Frankel, Maxwell Reich, and Jassen Yep and sophomores Rafa Miroslaw and Josh Matheny. Burns has been dominant in backstroke events this season and a crucial performer in relay events. Sophomore divers Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler finished first and second at the Ohio State Invitational, a meet filled with top-level competition.
On Nov. 23, Henninger was named Big Ten Men’s Diver of the Week, his second Big Ten weekly award this season. The dynamic duo of Henninger and Tyler will be looking to continue their strong seasons in front of the Hoosier faithful this Friday.
Having such a long list of impactful performers on both the men’s and women’s sides has been a goal for head coach Ray Looze since the beginning of the season.
“The men need to develop new depth,” Looze said at the beginning of the season. “I really want to have, on both teams, an elite relay culture where you expect to win relays.”
A team cannot win relays without depth, and Indiana has had success in relays so far this season.
Last time out in Columbus, women’s program records were set in the 200 free and 400 free relays. The men also won the 400-medley relay by nearly two seconds, and it is evident that Looze’s focus on relays has paid off in spades.
“Relays are an embodiment of the team,” Looze said.
The Indiana men and women both enter Friday’s meet with a 3-1 record, their only losses coming to the top-ranked University of Texas. Cincinnati comes in with their men and women holding 1-2 records. The Bearcat women defeated Division II No. 1 University of Indianapolis Greyhounds on the road to open their season, while the men’s sole win came versus the Miami University Redhawks.
Friday’s meet, one of just two remaining regular season home meets this season, begins at 2 p.m. in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
