Not many things can make Athletic Director Fred Glass jump in a pool with his clothes on. Now, those in attendance at the Big Ten Championships know one of them: the IU women winning an impressive third straight Big Ten Championship.
They didn't just win the championship; they absolutely annihilated any doubt that they were the best team in the Big Ten. Though Minnesota was given awards for Diver of the Championships (junior Kelci Bryant) and Swimmer of the Championships (senior Jillian Tyler), IU led for the final three days, eventually winning by an impressive 821-578 margin over runner-up Minnesota. Ohio State finished a distant third with 456 points.
The final day was full of impressive showings by Hoosier athletes. Sophomore Taylor Wohrley placed second in the 200-yard backstroke, followed closely by teammate senior Ashley Jones with a fourth place finish.
In the 100-yard freestyle, juniors Margaux Farrell and Brittany Strumbel finished third and fourth, respectively. Junior Allysa Vavra closed an incredibly strong Big Ten Championship performance with a third place finish in the 200-yard backstroke behind the record-setting race by Tyler (she set the Big Ten record). In the final individual race, senior Brittany Barwegan won in impressive fashion in the 200-yard butterfly.
Once again, the IU divers put on a show, with freshman Laura Ryan finishing first in the platform competition and junior Gabby Agostino finishing third. In the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, the team of Strumbel, freshmen Sarah Delay and Stephanie Armstrong and Farrell came in third to end the meet.
As is tradition, the team leapt into the pool after being given their awards, closely followed by coach Ray Looze, who was awarded Swimming Coach of the Year minutes beforehand.
"I still can swim a little bit," Looze said. "I think there was some hesitation on Fred Glass' part, but he's a pretty spontaneous dude and I warned him. I said 'You'd better not stand too close to the water because they have a tendency to pull people in that they want to see in the water, so he stepped away'...but peer pressure won the day. They chanted his name; they didn't even have to pull him in."
The Hoosiers hope to continue their success at the NCAA Championships March 17-19 in Austin, Texas. The men's team travels to Minnesota in just a couple of days to Minneapolis, Minnesota for their own Big Ten Championships next weekend.
