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(11/19/10 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time since October, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will be competing against the same opponents in the same weekend. For the first time this season, the swimmers will be swimming somewhere other than Bloomington.The Hoosiers travel to Charlottesville, Va. to face Virginia and Penn State. Virginia, a traditional powerhouse, is ranked in the top 12 in the national men’s and women’s polls. Penn State, meanwhile, offers an in-conference challenge. Following a double dual meet loss to both Michigan and Texas on Oct. 29 and 30, the women are looking to prove themselves as a title contender. After a tie against Michigan in a similar meet, the male swimmers have been thinking about and working on winning close races.“I know the women have a lot to prove,” IU coach Ray Looze said. “They just took two losses, and I know they want to get back in the win column. The men want to prove they’re not just a one-meet wonder.”The Hoosiers are well aware that a critical part of the season is just beginning. As the holiday season begins, so does the season of hard work and mental toughness for the Hoosiers.“We’re entering a really critical part in the season right now, so just staying motivated every day in practice is important,” junior Katelyn Ishee said. “I think the captains and the coaches have done a really good job keeping specific goals for each day to help us work on that.”One key for the men is translating successful practices into successful meets.“The times we’ve been going in practice are looking pretty good,” sophomore Eric Ress said. “I think that we’ll be pretty well prepared for our first meet on the road.”— Alex McCarthy
(11/08/10 5:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It seems as if tight, intense swim meets are becoming the norm between Michigan and IU. As the Texas men easily defeated both IU and Michigan in Friday’s dual meet, the Hoosiers and Wolverines were in a battle that was decided during the final relay.Michigan’s two relays had to finish first and second to win the meet, while one of the IU teams had to win in order to claim a victory. In the final 25 yards, the Wolverines pulled just ahead of the Hoosiers to win the race. As IU finished second, the meet actually ended in a tie. “We always have a rivalry with Michigan, and we really wanted to beat them,” senior Titus Knight said. “But a tie is just as good because they’ve beaten us every year, and a lot of the guys really stepped up this week.”Sophomore Eric Ress, who was crowned Big Ten Swimmer of the Week two weeks ago, turned in another excellent performance, winning the 200-yard backstroke and finishing second in the 100-yard backstroke.Michigan didn’t return for the second day of competition, in which Texas and IU participated in a double-distance meet. The swimmers swam various lengths of races and then added them together to determine a winner.Looze said the events Saturday were actually a bit more competitive than those on Friday.“One thing we can take out of this meet is we can hang with these guys,” Knight said. “Because we did extremely well, we won a lot of close races and racing with people at that high level gives you confidence.”The next meet for the men is Nov. 19 at Charlottesville, Va. as they take on Virginia and Penn State. Prior to this, Looze wants the team to focus on fundamentals like starts, turns and streamlines. He also wants to improve how mentally prepared the team is during practices.“Hopefully we can get a higher level of dedication and focus,” Looze said. “Because that’s really what it takes to be the best you can be.”
(11/05/10 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last weekend, the women’s swim team fell to two ranked opponents — Texas and Michigan. As the men’s team prepares for the same two adversaries, this weekend’s double dual meet appears to be another competitive one. The Texas men are the defending NCAA champions, and the Michigan team finished second in the Big Ten Championships in February.“The Texas women and the Michigan women are both very strong opponents,” sophomore Eric Ress said. “But going up against the National Champions is a pretty big event.”Ress, who won Big Ten Swimmer of the Week two weeks ago for his excellence in meets against Northwestern and Kentucky, knows how much more difficult it will be to end the weekend in victory.“I’m pretty content with how I’ve done this year,” Ress said. “But I know that against these swimmers that we’re going to be facing on Friday and Saturday, that what we thought was fast against Northwestern and Kentucky is not going to be fast against these new teams.”Ress stressed that relays will prove very important, as they build momentum from race to race. Both the coaches and swimmers understand that success on relays, team depth and overall teamwork will help lead to success.“Our upperclassmen need to set the tone for our underclassmen and show them how to get the job done in tough situations,” IU assistant coach Mike Westphal said. “It’s a great meet to really simulate what Big Ten competition is going to be like."Michigan has won 17 consecutive dual meets since it lost to Texas in the 2008 double dual meet with the Longhorns and IU. The action begins at 3 p.m. Friday, and the final session begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
(11/01/10 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU swimming coach Ray Looze and his staff schedule the hardest schedule possible in order to prepare the women of the swim team for big meets late in the season.On Friday and Saturday, the competition didn’t disappoint, as powerhouse Texas and Big Ten rival Michigan came to Councilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center and gave the Hoosiers all they could handle.“We’re not judged on our dual meet record, we’re judged on how we do in the Big Ten, how we do in the NCAA and how we hold up in competitions like that,” Looze said. “Our staff’s feeling is the only way to get prepared for that is to put your feet to the fire.”The Longhorns defeated both the Hoosiers and the Wolverines by wide margins, but the race between IU and Michigan was a tight one. After the first day of racing, Michigan had a slim lead over IU, and by the time the final relay came around, the roles had reversed. IU had a three-point lead going into the last relay, but the Wolverines took second in the relay while the Hoosiers took third, giving Michigan the close victory.“We have some of the best girls in the country on this team, and we don’t like to lose,” junior Alyssa Vavra said.Vavra, along with a few other Hoosier swimmers, had a very successful weekend in individual races. She won the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke, finished second in the 200-yard backstroke and third in the 200-yard individual medley. Other winners included junior Brittany Strumbel, who won the 200-yard freestyle. Junior Gabriella Agostino won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions on Friday, greatly helping the Hoosiers get in position to defeat Michigan on the third day of competition, which proved to be the Hoosiers’ best day.“Sometimes a good kick in the butt early in the season can be the best thing for you as a team, and we got that,” Looze said, “but the most important thing is we finished well and we figured it out.”
(10/29/10 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week, both the men and women’s swim teams soundly defeated Northwestern and Kentucky, having enough of a cushion to try some new things and put a few new swimmers in the pool.“We had some new anchors and some new people on relays, and it went pretty well,” junior Margaux Farrell said. “So I’m thinking this weekend, we have a good shot to do something.”Friday and Saturday, the women’s team takes on two talented teams in Michigan and Texas. Texas, who defeated IU last year, is coming off an enormous victory against California, a perennial power that won the NCAA Championship in 2009.“Cal is a national title contending team, so that means Texas is that good,” IU coach Ray Looze said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. Cal doesn’t lose to many people.”Michigan is also one of the usual contenders for the Big Ten title, which the Hoosiers are steadfastly focused upon. These early season clashes of powerful teams help to prepare the teams for races later in the season that carry the most importance. “What really matters is what we do at the end of the season because that’s the only ranking that anyone ever remembers,” Looze said.Although there are a few teams that prepare specially for competitive meets against strong teams, the IU women don’t change their routine. They are practicing not just for Texas and Michigan, but for future meets as well.“We have bigger goals than just one dual meet in the scheme of things,” Farrell said. “We want to do well, but we want to do better at Big Ten’s and NCAA’s.The races take place at three times this weekend, with sessions at noon Friday, 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
(10/27/10 2:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU sophomore swimmer Eric Ress was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.Ress swam in eight events — winning six of them — this weekend as the Hoosiers opened with dual meets against Northwestern and Kentucky.Against Northwestern on Friday, Ress won the 200-yard medley relay, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly.The following day, Ress took victories in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.The Hoosiers won both meets, defeating Northwestern 159-131 and Kentucky 155-126.IU will not compete this weekend as it prepares for a double dual meet against Michigan and Texas on Nov. 5-6 in Bloomington.
(10/22/10 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Swimming and diving head coach Ray Looze said last season was a good year for both the men and women’s team.“The women won Big Ten’s and finished 10th at NCAA,” Looze said. “Those were two fine results and then we had our first individual NCAA champion, Kate Fesenko. In the men’s side, we finished fifth in the Big Ten and 31st at NCAA.”Friday both teams start their dual meet season. Looze said these home meets, against Northwestern on Friday and Kentucky on Saturday, are useful to get the team ready for the championships — the Big Ten championship at the end of February and the NCAA championship at the end of March.“We’ll continue to have two to three dual meets a month and they are designed against competition that’s really going to push us,” Looze said. Looze said each season builds upon itself, and this year he would like to see both teams compete for Big Ten titles.“I’d like to see a large group of the boys and the girls make the NCAA meet so that we can be represented in the national championship at a higher level, ideally top ten,” he said.Looze said this year the women’s team has a lot of veterans that have done the whole season and know what it’s going to be like through the dual meets and through the championships.“We have a pretty big freshman class of girls, and our upperclassmen are doing a good job of trying to get them prepared for what they are going to face,” Looze said. “The dual meets that we have set up for the women should get them prepared to be at their best when it’s most important, which is at the end of the season.”Junior Katelyn Ishee said the women’s team has made really big strides to get to where they are now.“This program has come a long way,” she said. “The freshmen we have brought in this year are amazing. I’m really looking forward to see how great the freshmen do.”Looze said this year the men’s team has more talent than they have had in a while.Senior Bryan Chovanec has been in the team since he was a freshman. He said over the years the program and the team has certainly gotten better.Freshman Cody Miller, said that coming form a club team in high school and now been at a varsity team it’s a lot more intense and a lot more technical.“Our incoming freshman class is really strong and it’s just going to get stronger every year,” Miller said. “We are building a really strong team.”Chovanec said he is looking forward to the Big Ten championship and also to be able and compete at the NCAA championships. As for the team’s strength, Ishee said the strength of both teams lies in how hard they are training right now.“At this early in the season I think we have been working really hard, and we are ahead of where we were last year,” she said.Looze said he encourages anybody who has never been to swimming and diving meets to come and watch both teams.“We have a new high definition score board, which is really going to improve the experience of the fans,” Looze said. Chovanec also said he would like to see more people come to their meets.“That would be a nice thing, because we don’t have that big of a fan base,” he said. “People probably don’t think it’s exciting, but if they would come and see, it gets pretty exciting, especially when we are facing big teams and it’s a close race.”Ishee said this year the team has Big Ten meets at home, adding she hopes those events will encourage people to come and fill the stands.“This year has been a lot about ‘24 Sports, One Team’ so we’ve been trying to go see a lot of other sports compete and it’s really great when we have people at our meets,” she said. “We’re working really hard to represent IU.”
(04/27/10 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Diving again was all junior Cassidy Kahn wanted. But during the past year, she has gotten more than that.Kahn’s accomplishments reached their peak for the 2009-10 season when she was awarded the 2010 Thomas A. Brady Comeback Award last week. The award is given to someone who overcame adversity or injury and returned to excel beyond expectations in their respective sport.After getting the news about the award, Kahn was elated.“It was this feeling in my stomach that I was really excited,” she said. “But I was kind of like, ‘Wow I never expected to win something for coming back.’”After coming close to death in a battle with neocrotizing faciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria, Kahn was told she may not walk again, let alone dive. In November, she proved her critics wrong when she took to the diving board in the Hoosierland Invitational.IU coach Jeff Huber described Kahn as an inspiration to himself and his team. He said that she reminds his team that training is a privilege and something you get to do, not have to do.The recovery process continues for Kahn even during the offseason. She said she believes she still has a trek ahead of her to get back to where she once was. Right now, however, she said she is doing as well as she can, if not better.Having gone through such a traumatic experience, Kahn sometimes wishes she could put it behind her, but she said it helps her through tough times in her life now.In hopes of moving forward with her career and life, she offered some advice to others that may be in her shoes.“If you love something, don’t let it go, even if someone says ‘No, it’s not possible,’” she said. “They aren’t telling you, you can’t try. You can always try, and you never know what can happen. Determination can go a long way.”
(03/25/10 2:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It has been a season of ups and downs for the men’s swimming and diving team.After a regular season in which they went 1-6 in dual meets, the Hoosiers finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships in February.Although most swimmers were done competing after that, two Hoosiers still have something left to prove.IU will send senior Aaron Opell and junior Doug Spraul to the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships this week in Columbus, Ohio.The swimmers were selected to attend NCAA championships based on qualification times achieved throughout the season.Opell heads into competition with the top seed in the 200 breaststroke. His time of 1:54.00 is a school record and gave him an individual title at the Big Ten Championships, which were also held in Columbus. Opell also qualified for the 100 breaststroke.Sprual will compete in the 100 and 200 backstroke. He has been swimming well recently, finishing fourth in the 200 backstroke in his first championship final in the Big Ten Championship.The two men will look to continue the success the Hoosiers have had toward the end of the season. The team was plagued by injuries this season, but it pulled together for what IU coach Ray Looze said was its best possible performance at the Big Ten Championships. Last year, the Hoosiers finished 25th at the NCAA Championships with 25 points.
(03/22/10 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers made a strong impact on a national scale this weekend in West Lafayette, finishing 10th at the NCAA women’s swimming and diving national championships.With 10 swimmers and two divers, the Hoosiers ended up with 133 points and finished as the top Big Ten team.Many swimmers contributed to that point total, but senior Kate Fesenko was the star for IU.Fesenko went into the meet as the top seed in the 200 backstroke but was set to compete in four other events.On Friday, Fesenko was out-touched by less than .20 in the 100 backstroke. Fesenko said she showed her best time and was happy with her second-place finish but was looking forward to her events on Saturday.With the pressure on in the 200 backstroke, Fesenko delivered.She broke the school and Big Ten record with a first-place finish. Fesenko is the first IU woman to win an NCAA swimming title.“I don’t really think about winning or losing. I was ready to race and give my best to try to win,” she said. “It is a great feeling, and representing IU is really important to me.”After Fesenko’s win, the team continued to fight for points and a top-10 finish.There were 281 athletes selected to compete based on times recorded throughout the season, and IU was one of only 11 schools to send a double-digit number of swimmers.The Hoosiers struggled after the first day of competition, and the team was not happy about it.“We were 23rd after the first day, and I know we all did not want to be 23rd,” junior Ashley Jones, who finished seventh in the 400 individual medley, said. “The next day we came out ready and swam really well.”The determination moved IU up the rankings each day.It was the Hoosiers’ third year in a row with a top-10 finish, but this year is special to to IU coach Ray Looze.“I don’t think anyone would have picked them to win the Big Ten title or be a top-10 team,” Looze said.Senior Amy Korthauer dove well in the platform competition on Saturday, placing fifth in the event.The Hoosiers also excelled in the relays with a fifth-place finish, a school record, in the 800 freestyle.Other top performances came from sophomore Marguax Farrell with a new school record and 11th-place finish in the 200 freestyle and sophomore Nikki White, claiming 12th in the 1,650 freestyle, 14th in the 200 freestyle and 15th in the 500-freestyle. Sophomore Allysa Vavra finished 14th in the 200 breastroke.The team’s individual and overall performances in this meet and throughout the season are some of the best in school history. The Hoosiers set and broke records all year to culminate in an excellent showing at the national championships.“It’s a testament to where the program is going,” Looze said. “We just like to work everyday, prepare and get what we deserve.”
(02/24/10 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 25 IU men’s swimming and diving team, winless in dual meets since defeating Northwestern on Oct. 23, will attempt to avenge losses when the Men’s Big Ten Championships begin today in Columbus, Ohio.IU has not, however, concentrated on dual meets this year as much as it has in the past.“We have pretty much put it all on the line for this meet,” senior Kevin Happ said. “It may not have shown throughout the year, which is why it is mentally hard.”There is still a long road ahead for the Hoosiers. The men’s side of the Big Ten is loaded with tough competition. Five teams, including IU, are ranked in the top 25, with No. 8 Michigan appearing to be the overall favorite.IU coach Ray Looze, coming off a Big Ten Championship with the women’s team, said the men have trained with the women, and he is confident they can go in and show results indicative of that training.The bar, however, is set low.“We’re probably predicted to finish eighth,” Looze said. “So if we finish any higher than that, I think we have done a phenomenal job.”The swimmers are ready and eager to prove to other teams what they have been working on. It will take fast times and good leadership to do something that will surprise the competition.Junior Bryan Chovanec is one of the leaders Looze and other swimmers will look to this week. Chovanec knows the Hoosiers have struggled in dual meets this season, but he thinks that, at this point, it will only help them.“We have already been down as far as we can go,” he said. “There is only room to go up. This meet will definitely be our breakout meet.”
(02/22/10 5:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The decisive win the IU women’s swimming and diving team had been looking for all year could not have come at a better time. The No. 14 Hoosiers became back-to-back Big Ten Champions on Saturday, finishing 185.5 points ahead of second-place Minnesota.For the seniors, this means three conference championships in their four-year careers.The Hoosiers went in as the underdogs but were first after day one. The team struggled in the second day this year, though, as is has in years past, falling to third. “We were only 14 points behind the first team and after that day everyone knew it was going to be a good weekend,” senior Donna Smailis said.Smailis set a school record in her first-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle.IU coach Ray Looze said he expected a far worse scenario after the second day.“Even though we were in third place, it was a confidence builder because we could have been in a big hole,” Looze said. “We were pretty fired up sitting where we were.”IU only went up from that moment.With seven individual titles and two relay wins, IU swam faster than it had all year by setting school records, career bests and NCAA “A cuts” — automatic qualifying times for nationals.Junior Allysa Vavra finished first in the 400 individual medley with the second-fastest time in school history and an NCAA A cut.“I never thought I could go that fast,” Vavra said. “That was actually faster than my goal time. It’s kind of weird to even get an ‘A’ time because those times are insanely fast.”Senior Kate Fesenko set two Big Ten Records in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke. She remains undefeated in the latter event this season.Fesenko was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Taylor Wohrley was named Big Ten Freshman of Year, seven swimmers and one diver were First Team All-Big Ten, and three swimmers were Second Team All-Big Ten.The number of women receiving honors is reflected in Looze’s comments that it was a complete team effort.“I have to credit all the girls, from the divers to the swimmers to the freshman to the seniors and everyone in between,” he said.Sophomore diver Gabby Agostino led the divers with a first-place finish on the platform and third in the 1-meter springboard competition.The final day ended with yet another record-breaking performance. Smailis, sophomore Brittany Strumbel, Wohrely and sophomore Margaux Farrell set a school record in the 400-meter freestyle relay, breaking the old record by nearly three seconds. Some people might not have thought the Hoosiers could swim as fast as they did, but Looze said the IU coaching staff did.“We believed in them,” Looze said. “We talked to them all the time how if you really prepare well and work hard when you’re supposed to, good things like this can happen.”
(02/21/10 3:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Powered by seniors Kate Fesenko and Donna Smailis, the IU women's swimming and diving team repeated as Big Ten champions with 758 points, 185.5 more than second-place Minnesota.Fesenko swam to a Big Ten record in the 200 backstroke, streaking by the competition with a time of 1:55.25. Smailis, meanwhile, broke the IU school record in the 100 freestyle en route to her second individual Big Ten title in 48.98. Fesenko also won an individual title, as well as an automatic NCAA qualifying mark, in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:54.85. Sophomore diver Gabby Agostino scored 296.00 on the platform, good for her first career individual title. In the relay, the team of Smailis, freshman Taylor Wohrley and sophomores Brittany Strumbel and Margaux Farrell set a school record in the victory with a time of 3:16.95.In total, the Hoosiers won seven individual titles and two relays. Wohrley was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Fesenko took home both Swimmer of the Meet and Big Ten Swimmer of the Year honors. The first and second All-Big Ten teams were also named following the Hoosiers' victory, as listed below:First Team All-Big TenSophomore Gabby AgostinoSophomore Margaux FarrellSenior Kate FesenkoSenior Donna SmailisSophomore Brittany StrumbelSophomore Allysa VavraSophomore Nikki WhiteFreshman Taylor WohrleySecond Team All-Big TenJunior Brittany BarwegenJunior Ashley Jones—Ryan Winn
(02/17/10 5:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s swimming and diving coaches gave each swimmer a T-shirt with a target on the back during this week’s practice. This is exactly what the No. 14 Hoosiers will have when they step foot in West Lafayette to defend their Big Ten title.It has been more than three weeks since the Hoosiers’ last victory against a Big Ten team, and the women will have their work cut out for them if they hope to repeat as champions, IU coach Ray Looze said.“We are kind of going in as the underdog,” Looze said. “I would say Minnesota is the overwhelming favorite. We are really going to have to work some IU magic to do anything with them.”Senior Kate Fesenko remains undefeated in the 100 and 200 backstroke in her Big Ten career, and although keeping her streak alive would be nice, it is not prevalent on her mind.“Winning the championships for the second time in the row is going to be the most important thing for everyone,” she said. “It’s well more important than individual titles.”A championship title would mean a third ring for senior Donna Smailis, but to do that, IU will have to qualify women in every event.The coaching staff told the swimmers they would have to have at least two girls in each final, but Smailis knows not to worry about the numbers and averages.“Swimming is really simple,” she said. “They just tell you to swim without your head so you don’t think about it. Just have fun and you’ll swim fast.”The divers have also been strong for the Hoosiers as of late. Several divers will be coming off outstanding performances at the Winter Nationals last weekend, and those who did not compete are ready for their shot.“They are all well above their personal bests, so that is very motivating,” IU diving coach Jeff Huber said. “It is all there; you just have to tweak it a little bit.”Huber said he believes they will be just as competitive as everyone in the conference and has been preparing his divers with rehearsal performances so there will be no surprises.It is often difficult to defend any title, and the Hoosiers know this. That is why Looze wants his swimmers to keep their mindsets in the present week.“I don’t really see us as defending a Big Ten title,” he said. “We tried to sort of put that out of our heads and focus on the here and now.”
(02/09/10 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With an NCAA Championship and an Olympic roster spot already scratched off her list, Christina Loukas was still pining for a USA Diving National Championship.Now, the IU graduate can tick that box, too.Loukas, who won the Olympic trials in 2008 and was named 2009 NCAA Diver of the Year, won two events at the 2010 USA Diving Winter National Championships in Columbus, Ohio Sunday. Loukas teamed up with fellow Olympian Kelci Bryant to win the three-meter synchronized springboard event and also placed first in the three-meter springboard.In a non-Olympic year, Loukas’ win means qualification for the FINA World Cup in Changzhou, China, the premier diving event this year. And she won’t be the only IU diver there.Senior Amy Korthauer placed second in the platform competition, securing a trip to China.“I’m really proud of her for diving so well under pressure,” Loukas said. “To see Amy get second was awesome, because now we get to go to the World Cup together.”Korthauer came to IU as a walk-on for the diving team and now will be competing at an international level for the first time.“I think other people were kind of surprised. Like ‘Who is this kid and where did she come from?’” IU diving coach Jeff Huber said. “It’s really rewarding to take a kid from ground zero all the way to being one of the top divers in the world.”Loukas wasn’t guaranteed a win, though, as she said she believes there were potentially eight other divers who could have ousted her for the top spot.“Going into the meet I knew I had to get top two to make the team so I was really nervous,” she said. “I have gotten second so many times and I have been so close to winning, that to actually win the title is really exciting.”Loukas clinched the championship on her final dive. She trailed the leader by 2.35 points going into the last round but scored 78 points to take the lead.Huber is not sure if Loukas ever got quite the break she wanted or needed after the 2008 Olympics, so another stretch of competitions will take determination and focus.“I think she struggled a little bit in her training but you just get back on track,” Huber said. “I am proud of not only how she dove but how she continues to represent herself and Indiana University.”
(02/03/10 1:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Amy Korthauer stands at the edge of the board, calm and still like the water she prepares to leap into.She spreads her arms out wide, letting her muscles relax, closing her eyes, taking it all in.Then, it’s time. She leaps. And as she hits the water, causing gentle ripples to circle across the pool, you can see she has come into her own as a diver at IU since her freshman year. And even if you don’t know a Gainer from a back three-and-a-half twister, you know she’s good – as is the rest of her team.With a win against No. 13 Louisville this past weekend and three-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Week senior Kate Fesenko leading the way, the women’s swimming and diving squad has, for a young team, made astounding progress this year.“I told them at the Christmas training camp we did that Rome wasn’t built in a day but we’ve certainly come a long, long way to get into the foundation laying,” IU coach Jeff Huber said. “It’s probably as much improvement as I’ve ever seen in one team, and I’ve been doing this for 33 years.”With 13 upperclassmen on a 34-person team, you would expect these athletes to be suffering from a lack of experience and be feeling the pain of the loss of former NCAA champion diver Christina Loukas, but that’s where you’d be wrong. This team is just as strong as ever before – in and out of the pool.Just ask Heidi Mahnken. She’ll tell you the team’s success is not purely based on what it does in the water.“I think we’ve really progressed a lot as a team,” she said. “We’re definitely a really close team this year. We have a lot of good character on the team. We’re all so different, but also alike at the same time.” Huber gives most of the credit to his athletes – and for good reason. After all, he says, when you’re diving off of the equivalent of a three-story building and hitting the water at 35 mph, it’s hard not to credit the person doing it.But he deserves some credit, as well, for everything this team accomplishes stems from Huber’s goal to help all his athletes do their best.“That’s what brings me back to coaching every year – just seeing the potential that’s there and helping to be a player in that,” he said. “Helping them, not just to grow as athletes, but as students and role models and human beings.”His work is evident in every spin, every flip, every spring off the diving board as they prepare for Nationals.As Mahnken hits the water with a tiny splash. Huber smiles and compliments her. A star athlete. A star student. A star role model.As he asks rhetorically, “What else can you ask for?”
(02/03/10 1:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Heidi Mahnken slowly and carefully balanced along the end of the 10-meter platform before reaching down to move her body into a full handstand and sailing downward into the water.Her dive is just one of the many in the days leading into the USA Diving Winter Nationals.Three IU divers are pre-qualified for the event being held Thursday through Monday in Columbus, Ohio. Mahnken and senior Amy Korthauer will dive in the 10-meter platform competition, while senior Brittney Feldman will compete in the 1- and 3-meter springboard and the 3-meter synchronized competition.This particular meet was moved from April to February this year and has forced Hoosier divers to alter their practice schedules to be in the best place the championship season, IU coach Jeff Huber said.“Its kind of a juggling act for me to try and have them ready to dive in this meet and peek towards conference championships and of course the NCAA,” he said.The Hoosiers will have their work cut out for them as the team competes against the top divers from around the country, but Korthauer believes she has prepared herself for the task.“There is a lot of stuff that goes on at home, like watching your video and visualizing your dives,” she said. “That way when you get up there and it is actually the meet, you don’t freak out, and you know exactly what you’re doing.”Mahnken has been working to perfect her favorite dive, a back-handstand twister, and is excited to perform her new inward dive at Nationals.Using this dive, along with three other selections, Mahnken hopes to qualify for finals by being in one of the top-12 spots. Now, mental preparation is just as important as physical.“I just try not to get nervous,” Mahnken said. “I try to stay loose and have fun and trying not to freak myself out about my dives.”All the divers competing have been to this competition before, so Huber hopes the pressure will not affect them.“I really preach focusing on performances and doing the things you want to do,” he said. “If you go out and have a good performance you’re going to be happy no matter where you finish.”
(01/22/10 5:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 12 IU women’s swimming and diving team will battle another ranked opponent in No. 22 Purdue on Saturday at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers’ match with the Boilermakers is one of only two remaining dual meets before the Big Ten and NCAA championships. Although IU coach Ray Looze would like to see a win against the Purdue, he and his team are looking further down the road. “We are focused on the end of the season,” he said. “NCAA is the most important, but we are trying to defend a Big Ten title.”IU will take this meet as an opportunity to try out different combinations in certain races. This will give the Hoosiers the chance to make sure they have the best fit going into the postseason. Saturday’s meet looks to be a competitive and spirited rivalry matchup. Looze pointed out that Purdue has a much better facility than IU, so the team has no excuses. The Hoosiers have struggled in sprinting and sprint relays, and Looze said he knows they need improvement. “We have sprinters, but they have just been working on other things,” he said. “We emphasized the medley relay and now are trying to emphasize the free relay.”
(01/11/10 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 12 IU women’s swimming and diving team opened 2010 “right” with a 130-113 win against No. 16 Michigan.“I was really impressed with how the divers performed,” IU coach Ray Looze said. Sophomore diver Gabby Agostino earned first-place finishes and season-best scores in both the one-meter and three-meter springboard competitions. Senior Amy Korthauer finished the sweep with a first-place victory on the platform. After suffering some injuries early in the season, the team was at full strength against Michigan and proved why it is one of the best in the Big Ten. Three-time Big Ten swimmer of the week this season, senior Kate Fesenko, remained perfect with another victory in the 200-backstroke. The Hoosiers also saw strong performances from senior Amilee Smith, who won the 200-breaststroke after just picking up a fourth-place finish in the 1,650-freestyle. Sophomore Nikki White had an excellent performance with a first-place finish in the 500-freestyle and a second place in the 200-free. “We have been in really hard training right now,” White said. “I think everyone is looking forward to Big Ten (competition) and we have a good chance of winning Big Ten’s as well.”Although the women’s team is still lacking in depth, Looze said he has a positive outlook for the season. “We really have to maximize everyone’s ability to the fullest,” he said. “If we do that, we have done everything we can to have the most successful season possible.”Men's team fallsAfter suffering a loss to No. 7 Michigan, the No. 20 IU men’s swimming and diving team understands it still has a long way to go to become great. “It was a humbling meet,” Looze said, when referring to the 158-82 loss by the Hoosiers.IU started 2010 against what Looze said he thinks is the best Michigan team he has seen in his time with the Hoosiers.Although the swimmers had a tough meet, the men’s divers excelled against Michigan. The divers swept all three events against the Wolverines, as senior David Piercy finished first in the one-meter and three-meter springboard.Meanwhile, freshman Casey Johnson took the platform title. The men’s swim team, though, struggled. Its only victory this weekend came in the 100-freestyle from junior Ante Zoricic. Looze said he knows this was a difficult meet for his swimmers. “In races right now, our guys are getting behind right off the bat,” he said. “We are going to continue to work on those things in practice.”The Hoosiers also had second-place finishes from junior Titus Knight in the 200-free, sophomore Tyler Shedron in the 200-fly senior Aaron Opell in the 200-breaststroke, and the 400-freestyle relay team. “We were aware of what we were facing,” Looze said. “The guys are holding their heads high and we are going to keep hammering away.”
(12/10/09 5:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When junior Cassidy Kahn stands on the diving board waiting to fling her body through the air and into the pool, she carries a heavier heart than that of the typical diver.“It just feels incredible,” she said. “I just think, ‘Oh my God, I’m doing this. I’m back.’”Her emotions are those of a survivor. Two years ago, Kahn was a healthy freshman athlete excited to start her collegiatediving career. All of that changed when a few rashes appeared on her legs. It was just a few days before Kahn realized she had more than a simple rash. She became increasingly ill and was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating bacteria with a high death rate, even with aggressive treatment and powerful antibiotics. “I don’t remember all of it, but the doctor came in and told me they needed to take me to surgery,” Kahn said. “He asked what religion I was, and when I said Jewish, he told me they should probably bring a rabbi in.”It hit Kahn so quickly, she was not always sure what was going on. She was going through these first surgeries without her parents, who were home in New York. The many surgeries Kahn had to go through to rid her body of the infection left her crippled. She was told she would never dive again.A resilient teenager, Kahn was not ready to let her dream of being a collegiate diver fade away.“When everyone kept saying it was out of the question and that it was insane, that just made me be like, ‘No, I’m going to prove you wrong,’” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get back to where I was, but it was always in me that I wanted to try.”When her body was finally cleared of the illness, she began the long road of rehabilitation. First, it was getting her to sit up. Next, she was walking five steps at a time – a huge accomplishment for someone with her condition. Once she was strong enough to get through normal living, it was physical therapy six days a week to build up strength. Fighting BackFinally, she was cleared to return to Bloomington and rejoin IU’s diving team. IU diving coach Jeff Huber was glad to have Kahn back and practicing.“It was frustrating because once she got to IU, I never got to see her do a dive,” he said.Now that she is back and diving, Huber said he has never had a kid work any harder, but there is more to her than her hard work. “She’s a resilient kid and very humble,” he said. “She never missed a chance after practice to (say) thank you for coaching her.”Kahn’s resistance to give in kept her motivated when she simply had to sit on the side and watch her teammates. “I was at nationals with the team in August. I was sitting there and I was just frustrated,” she said. “I remember almost panicking. I was like, ‘Competition is in three months, and I have to get back.’”Kahn’s ordeal has touched members of her team as well.Junior Christina Kouklakis said that Kahn’s struggle to survive and determination to dive again has changed the way she thinks about problems in her career. “There are times we all complain,” Kouklakis said. “You just look at her and think things could be worse. I need to think in a different way to get through a meet or practice.”‘The Greatest Feeling’Nearly two years have passed since her first surgery, and Kahn finally got the chance to start the collegiate diving career she dreamed of at the Hoosierland Invitational this November. She finished eighth in the platform diving competition, and the surreal moment still resonates with her. As she sits and describes her first dive in front of a crowd, her body turns to face the diving boards. The scar running down her leg from her surgery is visible, but it is hard to notice because her eyes are what draw the attention.When the words come out, she cannot help but continue to gaze at the diving board with a light in her eyes, as if she is reliving the moment over again.“I couldn’t have anticipated the feeling,” she said. “I actually did it. It was the greatest feeling I think I ever had. I am doing what I love.”