Hoosiers face test against Texas, Michigan
On Saturday, the Hoosiers will compete in Ann Arbor, Mich., as the men’s team will face Michigan (3-0) and Texas (0-0) in a double-dual meet beginning at noon.
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On Saturday, the Hoosiers will compete in Ann Arbor, Mich., as the men’s team will face Michigan (3-0) and Texas (0-0) in a double-dual meet beginning at noon.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two weeks ago, 1,600 miles away and 5,000 feet above sea level in a foreign nation, senior swimmer Allysa Vavra had what she calls a career breakthrough.Competing with fellow Hoosier sophomore Brenna MacLean and junior diver Amy Cozad in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Vavra won the bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley in a time of 4:48.05, though she led for almost half the race. The Pan-Am Games are the second-largest international sporting games behind the Summer Olympics.It was the first time in her career she had even competed for the United States in such a large, international competition. “Representing Team USA has really been an honor,” Vavra said. “It was really unexpected, too, since I only finished fourth at nationals, and they normally give out invitations to be part of the national team for only the top-two finishers. But at the same time, it has been a dream come true for me.”Now, back in Bloomington and swimming for the IU women’s swimming and diving team, Vavra has some unfinished business she wants to take care of, she said. Last year, she won the 200- and 400-yard individual medley races at the Big Ten Championships and set the Big Ten record for the 400-yard.“The Big Ten meet last year was really special for me but not because I won my events and earned a Big Ten record,” Vavra said. “It was more about having my peers and all of my family there at the same time, being there to support me. Especially since my family lives in Pennsylvania, having all those people there made it that much more special.”Vavra has yet to win an NCAA championship, her goal for the season. When the season ends, her attention will turn to qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics, where she will participate in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in from June 25 to July 2, 2012, in Omaha, Neb. Her time in the 400-meter individual medley at the Pan-Am Games eclipsed the U.S. Olympic standard for that race by nearly seven seconds.“I feel like participating in the Pan-Am Games gave me an opportunity to break out on an international level and took me from being on a national-class to a world-class stage,” Vavra said. “It was also a good opportunity to race in front of a lot of people, with the atmosphere and pressure sort of mimicking how it will be at Olympic trials.”Participating in the Pan-Am Games also gave Vavra an opportunity to race against some of the best swimmers in the world, including Brazilian Joanna Maranhao and American Julia Smit, who holds the record in the short-course version of the 400-meter individual medley. However, Vavra said she could be swimming next to Michael Phelps and still not be phased.“I don’t put any other swimmers on a pedestal,” Vavra said. “I really like to look at it like everyone is just any other swimmer, and anyone is beatable any day. I just have to believe in myself.”Along with junior swimmer Eric Ress, who is redshirting the season for training purposes for the French Olympic Trials, Vavra is among a group of Hoosiers that have an opportunity to make the 2012 London Olympics. Though trials are months away and the collegiate season is just underway, the looming events are within reach.“If I were to make the Olympics, it has been one of my dreams from ever since I first started swimming when I was 8 or 9 and watching it on TV,” Vavra said. “I don’t really talk about it that much because I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but it’s always in the back of my mind. “I have a unique opportunity this summer to possibly make the team, but all I can do at this point is work hard. I am confident that hard work will take me where I need to go.”
The women’s swimming and diving team (2-2) traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Friday for a double-dual meet against Michigan and Texas, defeating the Wolverines 178-122 but falling to the Longhorns, last year’s No. 6 team in the nation, 165-133.
Swimmers senior Allysa Vavra and sophomore Brenna MacLean are returning from the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mex. as medalists in the second-largest international multi-sport games, behind only the Summer Olympics.
The team will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for Friday’s meet against Michigan and Texas, which will begin at 11 a.m.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Attempting to join the ranks of Mark Spitz, Jim Montgomery, Gary Hall and other IU swimming Olympians including his father, junior Eric Ress has a steep hill to climb.After consulting with IU Coach Ray Looze and his family, the swimmer and 2010 French National Champion in the 200-meter backstroke has decided to redshirt the 2011-2012 season in order to train and attempt to qualify for the French national team for the 2012 London Olympics.“How many collegiate athletes have the chance to make an Olympic team and make a final and potentially medal?” Looze asked. “It’s very rare now for collegiate athletes to be in the Olympics conversation, so I am all for it. Eric has that talent, and the opportunity is there. If he didn’t have the talent, we wouldn’t be doing this.”From the start of his competitive swimming career at age 6, Ress knew he had big footsteps to follow. His father, Colin, swam at IU from 1975 to 1979 and competed in the 1976 Olympics in the 800-meter freestyle relay for France. Even with the pressure of his father’s career, Ress blossomed into a backstroke specialist, and by age 14 he was already representing France in international competition. By 2008, Ress had won the 200-yard backstroke in the U.S. Speedo Junior National Championships, finished third in the European Junior Championships in the 200-meter backstroke and sixth in the 100-meter backstroke and was well on his way to succeeding his father’s legacy, committing to be an Indiana Hoosier.“It makes me proud on a daily basis seeing his name up on the banner at the pool,” Ress said. “His involvement as a Hoosier was a large, positive influence on my college decision, and I’ve never been happier to be in Bloomington. All legacy swimmers here feel a big sense of pride to continue the tradition.”During his freshman year at IU, Ress had already broken Michael Phelps’ 17-18-year-old age group record in the 200-yard backstroke at 1:41.35 at the Big Ten Championships, setting a career-best and the then-second best time in IU history. Last season, as a sophomore, Ress won the Big Ten Championship in the 100-yard backstroke and was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. He finished runner-up in the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke competitions, and also set the IU record for the 200-yard backstroke at 1:38.96, as well.Now, in his second attempt to make the French Olympic team after falling short in 2008, Ress said he feels he has the experience to get him to his life-long dream.“My chances of making it in 2008 were not nearly as good as they are now, but I’m still kind of the underdog in this situation, which will work to my advantage,” Ress said. “After my collegiate season last year and the training I’m putting in now with my fellow Hoosiers, I’m confident I can rattle some people come March and turn some heads down the road.”Ress’ decision to redshirt was a difficult one, he said. In order to participate in the French Olympic Trials, he would have to miss the NCAA Championships. In addition, since international competition uses long-course pools (meters) instead of the NCAA’s short-course pools (yards), Ress must compete at certain long-course meets and training camps throughout the swimming and diving season in order to prepare for the trials.“(Redshirting this season) was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” Ress said. “I felt a lot of pressure to be there for my team, and I was really concerned on how they would respond. The coaches assured me they’d be supportive, but I was nervous that they’d be upset with me.”Since the decision Ress said not only has his fear been dispelled, but the bond that he has forged with the IU team has grown stronger. In fact, after Saturday’s wins against Kentucky and Tennessee, Ress called the team to congratulate them while they were on the bus on way back from the meet.“The coaches were more than supportive and favored that decision, but my teammates have been great,” Ress said. “They’re the reason I love this program and school so much, and they make me 100 percent comfortable with my decision. They want to help me in any way possible with my dream, and they know I feel the same way toward them.“It is only a matter of months until Ress will be in the pool in France, racing for the accomplishment of his life-long dream. Until then, he said he will be training intensely, preparing for the races of his life as he tries to qualify for the 100- and 200-meter backstroke and the freestyle relay team.“To make the Olympics will mean so much to me,” Ress said. “To represent France at the pinnacle of athletic competition has been a dream of mine since I was 10 years old. Also, if I were to make it, I’d be the same age as my dad when he did.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers started their 2011-2012 season with a bang as the men swept Tennessee 151-149 and Kentucky 212-88, and the women defeated Kentucky 205-78 but fell to Tennessee 163-120.In their first meet and without junior Eric Ress, who is redshirting the season in order to train for the 2012 Olympics, the depth on the men’s team carried the Hoosiers throughout the competition.Sophomore Cody Miller got off to a fast start, winning both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke races and finishing second in the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 200-yard Medley Relay with junior Daniel Kanorr, sophomore James Wells and true freshman Steve Schmuhl.In addition to Miller’s successes, junior Jim Barbiere took the 200-yard freestyle win, senior Tyler Shedron prevailed in the 200-yard butterfly event, junior Ryan Hinshaw was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle race and Schmuhl won his first career race in his first college meet in the 200-yard backstroke.“(The depth) was an eye-opener for us,” Miller said. “It shows how much better we are this year compared to last year, and it also shows that we really have potential to be great this year and do great things. We have a strong freshman class and a solid group of men overall. It was a great way to start the season.”Meanwhile, despite the women’s team having key performances by seniors Margaux Farrell and Brittany Strumbel and sophomore Laura Ryan in their effort against their two SEC opponents, the Hoosiers could not overcome Tennessee. Though Farrell won in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle races, Strumbel in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle and Ryan in the 3-meter diving competition, the Volunteers won the 11 other events conductedSaturday.“I was really pleased with how tough our girls swam,” IU coach Ray Looze said. “We were shorthanded with our squad so we had swimmers who don’t normally swim, and it changed the complexion of our relays.Given those challenges, I think we did a great job. Tennessee is a really good team, and you need to bring your ‘A’ game when we go up against them, and I think we did that.”Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will next face Michigan and Texas in Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 4 and 5. Last season, both teams in each program finished the season ranked in the top 20.“In order to do well against them, we just have to continue what we have been doing: winning races and exhibiting depth,” Looze said. “Getting the swimmers back, though, from the Pan-Am Games is definitely going to help.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the Hoosiers returning a Pan-American Games bronze medalist on one team and an individual Big Ten champion and record-setting swimmer on the other, both the IU women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams have much to look forward to this coming season. As each team faces high expectations, both teams will open their seasons on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., in a dual meet against Tennessee and Kentucky.“They’ve been pretty good about not putting pressure on themselves and not weighing too much on expectations,” IU Coach Ray Looze said. “There’s more excitement than anything else heading into this season. They really can’t wait to get started and continue to build on what we started last year.”After a season culminating in a Big Ten championship and a No. 12 national ranking, the women’s team returns key weapons that will look to contribute to a possible fourth consecutive Big Ten title. Senior Allysa Vavra, who won a bronze medal in the 400-meter Individual Medley at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico and has set multiple records as a swimmer at IU, will return for what she hopes to make a historic season. Other key returners for the Hoosiers include 2010 USA Diving National Championship winning divers Amy Cozad and Laura Ryan, along with senior Big Ten champion swimmers Nikki White, Margaux Farrell and Brittany Strumbel.“I would say we have what it takes to be a top-five team this year,” Looze said. “Our goal is always to win the national title, but we’ve been top 10 three out of the last four years, and we want to be well into the top 10. Right now, our best ranking ever is ninth, and any ranking better than that is what we’re shooting for, and we won’t stop until we get there.” Meanwhile, the men’s team, which finished last season ranked No. 12 in the nation and second in the Big Ten, is looking to capture its first Big Ten title in six years. Last year’s Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, junior Eric Ress, returns for the Hoosiers after winning last season’s Big Ten Championship in the 100-meter backstroke and setting IU records in the 800-meter freestyle relay, 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter backstroke. In addition, last year’s Big Ten 100- and 200-meter backstroke champion, sophomore Cody Miller, and junior 100-meter Big Ten runner-up Zac Nees hope to again provide IU with depth. “The depth of the team is what is going to make this team successful,” Ress said. “We are not going to be like the Indianapolis Colts where it is one guy like Peyton Manning carrying the team. Guys are really stepping up their game, and we are really going to rattle some people this year.” While IU had its fair share of success last season, the team will take on a Tennessee squad that finished ninth in the nation. The Hoosiers will also start the season without Vavra and sophomore Brenna MacLean, who are both participating at the Pan-American Games until October 30.However, Looze said that won’t be an excuse this weekend.“I want to see them compete in hard-nosed racing, to go into a hostile environment and compete, win events and score points whenever we can and do so in a junkyard dog fashion,” Looze said. “We are known as a good road team that can go into any environment and make it our own, and we’re going to have to do it without a few good swimmers, but there are no excuses. We have our work cut out for us, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former IU diver Kristen Kane will be among Friday’s inductees into the IU AthleticsHall of Fame.Kane, who was relatively ignored coming out of high school but became a USADiving champion, has had an illustrious career that included a U.S. Outdoor DivingChampionship in the one-meter competition in 1992 , three Big Ten championships(three-meter in 1992 and 1994 , 10-meter in 1992) , two Big Ten Diver of the Year awards (1992 and 1994 ), four years of All-American status , two IU Female Athlete of the Year Awards (1992 and 1994) and a selection to be a member of the U.S. delegation for the Pan-American games (1995).Kane got a late start in the sport compared to other divers. When she was in seventh grade, a lifeguard at her neighborhood pool saw her “doing tricks” off the diving board and recommended she join a local diving program. During the next six years, Kane became a competitive diver, eventually joining her high school team in Kingston, Wash. When her senior year of high school arrived, though she was relatively unknown around the national diving community, IU offered her a partial scholarship.“I chose IU because, on top of the top-notch school with a diving program in which I could gain great experiences, they had offered me a partial scholarship,”Kane said. “I was a veritable unknown in the diving world, and most of my successful competitions were high school related, not national. No one else offered me money.”After her sophomore season at IU, Kane was already among the national elite in diving. In addition to winning multiple Big Ten titles and being named an All-American, Kane also finished as NCAA runnerup in the one-meter dive competition and third inthe three-meter.As her junior and senior years approached, she said the pressure she put on herselfto succeed was not to maintain her All-American status or obtain other nationalrecognitions. Instead, the pressure she said she faced was performing at her highest ability, no matter what her results were during the prior season.“I always wanted to do my best regardless of how that compared to others or ranking scales or whatever,” Kane said. “I wanted to win to prove to myself I could. A year, five years, 10 years from today, who will remember who won what? Me. While it’s great to win,the real winning is bettering yourself and striving to achieve your goals.”After her senior season, which ended in a secondplace finish in the 1994 NCAA three-meter competition, Kane’s career was extended when she qualified for the U.S. diving team for the 1995 Pan American Games, She finished sixth in the overall competition, despite a sprained ankle.“To be representing your country in international competition is just an amazing thing,” Kane said. “I felt so much pride — American pride. I also felt anxious because I wanted to represent the USA successfully in international competition.”Seventeen years after her final dive as an Indiana Hoosier, Kane will be enshrinedas a member of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame.It all still comes as a shock to Kane, she said.She will not be able to attend the induction ceremony. Former IU diver Chris Unruh will appear on her behalf.“I feel a bit out of my league and surprised to be acknowledged with such a class of athletes,” Kane said. “All in all, though, I am extremely honored, and this allows me to take a moment of pride to know that my hard work and accomplishments were, and continue to be, recognized by others.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Gracefully reaching a peak. Simultaneously kicking and unfolding. She descends toward the mass of water at speeds reaching about 15 mph.Former IU diver and 2008 Olympic qualifier Christina Loukas is no stranger to defying gravity.“I was shocked, then proud, then overwhelmed,” Loukas said of her victory at the 2008 Olympic trial meet. “After I came to the realization that I was officially going to the Olympics, I was overwhelmed,” she said. “I had focused all my time on getting ready for trials that now I had to shift my attention to getting ready to compete at the biggest meet of my life that was only two months away.”The dual-meet record holder, former Big Ten diver of the year and three-time high school state champion recently added a fourth-place finish in the world championships. She said she is hopeful that history will repeat itself next summer at the Olympic trials event.“This past world championships has really boosted my confidence for the upcoming Olympics,” Loukas said. “Getting fourth place showed that I can compete with the top divers in the world. Compared to my score at previous international competitions, I can see that I am starting to close the gap to the Chinese divers. I am really looking forward to this next year to see what I can do.”Loukas now trains in The Woodlands, Texas, under the coaching of Kenny Armstrong twice a day and five times a week. She spends at least 25 hours a week in the pool. On top of the regular training schedule, she also does yoga, pilates and cardio.“Right now my training is pretty laid back,” Loukas said. “I took a few weeks off and am now easing back into practice. The next month or so, I will focus a lot of time on technique by doing a lot of drills and breaking down my dives into segments.”Aside from their focus on dive performance, divers put heavy emphasis on their form and entry into the water. Drills, routines and imitations are performed both in and out of the water in order to achieve everything from flawless form to a “rip entry” to earn high marks from judges.“My primary focus right now is working on my entry into the water,” Loukas said. “As I get closer to trials, training will get more intense, focusing on performing my dives to the best of my ability and being consistent.”Having reached the pinnacle of international competition diving, the 2012 Olympic hopeful is confident in her abilities.“Before each dive in a competition, I get a few cues from my coach for me to think about,” Loukas said. “I have done my dives so many times in practice that I just focus on those cues, then let my body do the rest. You don’t want to overthink it.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Current and former IU swimmers continued to compete at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships at the Stanford University Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto, Calif., with many posting times fast enough to qualify for the Olympic Trials.On Aug. 4, former IU All-American and 2008 NCAA champion Ben Hesan led the way, placing seventh in the 100-meter backstroke and qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the event along with sophomore James Wells.Hesan also qualified in the men’s 100-meter butterfly in 18th place.Senior Brittany Strumbel qualified for the trials after placing 26th in the women’s 200-meter freestyle with a personal best time of 2:01.33.Both IU representatives in the men’s 200-meter butterfly qualified with former Hoosier Todd Patrick, placing 20th, and senior Tyler Shedron taking 57th.The women’s 400-meter freestyle relay team of Strumbel, sophomore Stephanie Armstrong, senior Allysa Vavra and senior Courey Schaefer finished 12th.Vavra was far from done for the meet, however. She set a school record Friday in the women’s 400-meter individual medley, placing fourth in 4:43.98 and qualifying for the Olympic Trials.She followed that up Sunday with a qualifying 29th place finish in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.Senior Kim Tracey qualified as well in the women’s 400-meter individual medley, placing 63rd.Vavra’s relay teammates were not done either, as Strumbel, Armstrong and Schaefer teamed with sophomore Lindsay Vrooman to take ninth in the 800-meter freestyle relay.In the men’s edition of the race, IU finished fifth with the team of Shedron, senior Andrew Taylor, junior Eric Ress and Jim Barbiere.Junior Ashley Sprecht took 21st and qualified in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke Friday while junior Daniel Kanoor also qualified with a 36th place finish in the 50-meter freestyle.Saturday’s highlights included a pair of seventh place qualifying finishes by former Hoosiers, one by Patrick in the men’s 200-meter individual medley and the other by Ashley Jones in the women’s 200-meter backstroke.Junior Sam Trahin took 31st in the men’s 200-meter individual medley to qualify for the Olympic Trials as well, as did Ress in the men’s 10-meter freestyle with a 55th place finish.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Current and former IU swimmers competed in Palo Alto, Calif., Aug. 2 on the opening day of competition at the ConocoPhillips U.S. Swimming National Championships.Leading the field of current IU swimmers was senior Allysa Vavra in the women’s 200-meter individual medley. She finished 12th with a time of 2:14.81.Fellow seniors Brittany Strumbel and Kim Tracey also competed in the event and finished 23rd and 82nd, respectively.Vavra and Strumbel’s times were each fast enough to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials in the event. Strumbel also posted a qualifying time in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, finishing 18th in 4:13.94.Four current Hoosiers had qualifying times in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, led by junior Ryan Hinshaw’s 18th place finish in 3:55.50.Junior Jim Barbiere finished 24th while seniors Tyler Shedron and Andrew Taylor were 33rd and 41st, respectively.Other qualifiers included sophomores Cody Miller in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke and Lindsay Vrooman in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.Former Hoosier All-American Kevin Swander took second in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:00.59. The finish qualifies him for the Olympic Trials.The meet continues through Saturday at Stanford University’s Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When sophomore Eric Ress won six of his first eight races of the 2010-2011 season and Big Ten Swimmer of the Week, he erased any doubt that he wasn’t ready to claim a spot as one of the premier swimmers in the conference.On Tuesday, the Big Ten decided that not only had Ress earned distinction as one of the best in the conference, but he also had earned the title of Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.“I think he’s one of the better swimmers in the NCAA, and hopefully people are going to get to know who he is by the end of this season,” said IU coach Ray Looze before the Purdue meet Feb. 5. “I think he’s a very well-kept secret, and he’s a super, super swimmer.”The secret is out.Ress capped off a successful dual meet season with impressive performances in the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships. When he won the 100-yard backstroke at Big Tens, he smacked his hand on the wall of the pool, breaking a bone. The next day, Ress swam the 200-yard backstroke with the hand injury and still finished second, earning 17 points for the Hoosiers.After a few weeks of healing and somewhat compromised training, Ress returned to the pool at NCAAs, placing second in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke competitions, despite his ailing hand.Ress tore his ACL prior to the 2009 season, forcing him to redshirt. That year, IU was at a disadvantage without Ress, Cody Weik, Nick Cordes and Ress’ roommate and teammate Jim Barbiere. The 2009-10 Hoosiers finished fifth at Big Tens and 31st at NCAAs. With the return of all four, the Hoosiers cruised to second at Big Tens and 18th at NCAAs this season.Ress’ honor makes him the second Hoosier in four years to win the award, joining Ben Hesen, who was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year after winning the 100-yard backstroke NCAA Championship in 2008. Hesen was the first Hoosier to win the men’s award.Ress looks to continue the tradition of Big Ten Swimmer of the Year recipients competing overseas. He said he will attempt to follow the path of athletes like Hesen, who set the U.S. record for 50-meter backstroke in the 2008 Olympic trials, or 2007 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year Matt Grevers, who earned a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Ress grabbed another award this week when he, Barbiere and six others on the men’s team were named Academic All-Big Ten athletes. The men’s swimming squad had the second-most Academic All-Big Ten athletes behind the women’s team, which had 15 swimmers and divers honored.“I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of an IU team right now,” Ress said. “There’s a certain prestige associated with it, and at the end of the day, it just embodies everything it is to be a Hoosier.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>En route to helping the Hoosiers finish 18th at the NCAA Championship meet in Minneapolis on Saturday, sophomore Eric Ress made All-America finishes look easy — even with a broken hand. Ress, who broke the third metacarpal bone in his left hand during the final lap of the 100-yard breaststroke at the Big Ten Championships, still finished second in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke at NCAAs. Both races resulted in All-America honors for Ress. In the 200-yard competition preliminaries, Cory Chitwood of Arizona beat out Ress by .12 of a second, the closest finish in the 200-yard backstroke since hundredths of a second have been counted.The time also breaks his own school record in the event.“There’s no doubt in my mind he would have been a double national champion with smooth sailing,” IU coach Ray Looze said. “But it’s even more impressive just not quitting and showing the fight that he did. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for the young man, and he’s a great leader, both by example and through actions as well.”Though the injury was physical, Ress said the remedy was mental.“I tried not to let it psych me out that much,” Ress said. “I tried to stay as even-keel as possible and tried not to let it bother me because I knew the more I would focus on it and use it as an excuse, the more I’d actually probably hinder my swimming, so I just tried to go into it the same way I went into Big Tens.”Ress wasn’t the only standout for IU. Freshman Cody Miller finished 10th in the 200-yard backstroke with All-American honors. In his final collegiate event, senior David Piercy earned his first All-American honors after finishing ninth in the three-meter springboard competition. Diving coach Jeff Huber said Piercy’s confidence and attitude help the youthful diving squad develop into next year’s leaders.“We’ve got some guys that were able to watch and take notes,” Huber said. “And we’ve got some good guys coming up that will be our next team leaders.” The team has shown improvement this year from past seasons. In 2009, the Hoosiers finished 25th, and last season, they finished 31st. Looze said injuries were a major problem with last year’s squad, with big contributors like Ress and sophomore Jim Barbiere unable to participate.“We had a lot of guys redshirt last year, a lot of injuries and whatnot,” Looze said. “So we definitely had more talent this year to work with, and I felt we had better chemistry and the kids really bought into the program.”The Hoosiers look to continue the improvement seen from last season to this one, but Looze said the program will only move forward with a productive offseason.“We’re proud of the direction we’re moving in, and we’re really pleased with the team,” Looze said. “And if we have a great spring of training and summer, that will go a long way to putting together a Big Ten championship team next year and one that can move up the NCAA ladder.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s swimming and diving team knows the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center well. They competed there just a month ago as they finished second in the Big Ten Championships.Starting today, 11 Hoosier athletes return to Minneapolis to participate in the NCAA Championships.Sophomore Eric Ress and freshman Cody Miller earned first team All-Big Ten at the Big Ten Championships and now look to continue their success on the big stage, qualifying for five and three events, respectively.Ress, who missed last season with a torn ACL, broke the third metacarpal in his hand during a race at Big Tens, which affected his training regimen during the last couple of weeks.“Growing up, I used to mountain bike and snowboard and all that, and I never broke a bone doing any of that stuff,” Ress said. “Go figure, I break a bone doing a pretty nonimpact sport. I guess that’s just how it is.”The team already improved from fifth place in the Big Ten last year to second place, and now they look to improve on a 31st-place finish at last year’s NCAAs.Senior Titus Knight, a first-time qualifier for NCAAs, said he has heard quite a bit about the challenge and the spectacle that is the NCAA Championship meet.“From what I’ve heard — from all the hype — it’s a meet that’s faster than the Olympics,” Knight said. “Now, not having been there before and just going off what other people have said, I’m pretty excited, pretty pumped. I wouldn’t say nervous at this point. I’m sure as the meet gets closer, I’ll probably get a little more nervous, but I’m just going to try and approach it like I did Big Tens — just go in there and make a statement.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While 11 swimmers and divers will head to the men’s NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, the remainder of the team, along with non-NCAA qualifying women swimmers and divers, will take part in the USA Swimming Sectionals in Indianapolis. While there might not be quite the same feel or glory to a sectional meet as there is to an NCAA meet, IU coach Ray Looze said this meet is vital to the athletes’ futures.“That’s a really important meet,” Looze said. “A lot of the NCAA qualifiers we had this year went to sectionals last year.” Because this meet comes at the end of the season, it gives the swimmers a benchmark for next season. After the season-long buildup to the Big Ten meet, sophomore Daniel Kanorr said swimmers sometimes struggle to swim well so soon.“It can be pretty tough coming off a big meet such as Big Ten’s and having to get back into the grind and taper and then expect to swim fast again about a month later,” Looze said. “It’s pretty tough, but it’s just something you’ve got to overcome if you want to go to NCAA’s and be successful.”There has been a bit of a difference in training between athletes headed to the NCAA meet and those headed to Sectionals. The NCAA-qualifying women were about a week ahead in training because they swam last weekend, finishing 15th in the NCAA. Training has been highly individualized the whole season, so there is nothing too abnormal with different athletes having different workouts.The sectional meet is set to take place Tuesday through Saturday in Indianapolis while the men’s NCAA meet will be Thursday through Saturday in Minneapolis.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All season, the IU women’s swimming and diving team has been ranked in the top 15. In a fitting way to end the season, it finished 15th in the nation at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday in Minneapolis .Junior Allysa Vavra swam two Honorable Mention All-American races along with an All-American finish in the 400-yard Individual Medley, which was also a Big Ten record. This capped off a very successful month for Vavra, in which she won both the 200 and 400-yard IM competitions at the Big Ten Championships. IU coach Ray Looze said he attributes the majority of her success to her work ethic throughout the season.“With her, she’s an extremely hard worker — one of our hardest,” Looze said. “It’s just really nice to see somebody that does many of the right things get rewarded at the end of the season.”Vavra led a class that Looze said he believes has the potential to be one of the best in IU history. Looze said this was his best class ever in terms of leadership during his nine-year tenure as head coach.“They’re just a very, very special group of girls,” Looze said. “They’ve really led by example and if their teammates have been watching and benefiting from having someone like that on a team, they’re going to be better for it.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite lacking many seniors, the IU diving team has made do with what it has. It has captured the women’s and combined team titles at U.S. Diving Winter Nationals and has performed in the top two at both Big Ten Championships. This weekend, the divers travel to Columbus, Ohio, to continue their season at the Zone Diving Meet. The meet represents a chance for divers to qualify for the NCAA Championship. IU coach Jeff Huber and his squad have strived all year to put together consistent efforts in each meet, and this is no different.“For us, that’s what we hope to put together — our most consistent list, because at that meet it’s just going to be consistency,” he said.Multiple divers have struggled with injury leading up to the meet. Freshman Laura Ryan, who was the highest-placing female diver at U.S. Winter Nationals — she finished eighth in the platform diving and 10th in the springboard competition — might have done damage to a ligament in her thumb at the event. Even with the injury, she managed to win the platform competition at the Big Ten Championships. Beginning with the women’s 3-meter diving and the men’s 1-meter diving competitions Thursday, the meet will continue Friday with the women’s 1-meter competition and the men’s 3-meter competition. Junior Gabby Agostino finished first in the women’s 3-meter springboard and freshman Darian Schmidt finished third in men’s 1-meter springboard to qualify for NCAAs on Thursday. When the team returns Saturday, it will start preparing for the NCAA Championships. The women compete March 17-19, and the men’s championships take place March 24-26.— Alex McCarthy
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From 2006-08, Marie Marsman was simply a graduate student at IU earning her master’s in kinesiology and helping out with the Hoosier swim team, hoping to one day find employment as a swim coach. Two years after that, she realized her dream at her alma mater. Months after that, she and her team were crowned Big Ten Champions.It’s been a very interesting past few months for Marsman and the Indiana swimming and diving program. In September, assistant coach Pam Swander resigned after a five-year tenure to pursue a coaching position at SwimMAC, a national training center in North Carolina. The first meet was scheduled for Oct. 22, so a replacement needed to be found as soon as possible. Coach Ray Looze and his staff immediately knew who should fill the vacancy. They looked no further than Marsman, who had success as an assistant coach at the University of Utah. “We also had a chance to spend two years with her when she was here as a volunteer coach, so there’s a pretty high comfort level for all of us,” Looze said. “There wasn’t even a debate among the staff as to what to do.”Without hesitation, Marsman returned to Bloomington. In her words, she “obviously said ‘yes.’” Marsman said she found the transition only took a couple of days.The swimmers also took very little time to adjust, especially since Marsman had worked with a couple of the swimmers during her first stop in Bloomington. “When she was here my freshman year, she kind of had more of an assistant role rather than a coach role,” senior Titus Knight said. “She just kind of did what she was told, but now she’s really more independent.” Marsman was a sprint freestyle swimmer at Carleton College — a Division III school in Minnesota — so she has had recent swimming experience, which the IU swimmers said they respect and learn from.“It’s nice to have a female on board, especially one who was a swimmer not too long ago,” junior Margaux Farrell said. “She really has emphasis on attention to detail, which sometimes, in such a high-volume, high-intensity sport, can get lost. She always preaches ‘No mindless swimming. Pick something and get better today.’” Though Looze has been coaching at IU for nine years and assistant head coaches Donny Brush and Mike Westphal have been coaching together for six years, Marsman said she already feels like she fits in with the coaching staff. “The good thing about it is even though it’s a change in coach and I do some things differently, we really team-coach here,” Marsman said.Swander had success with the Hoosiers while working with IU swimmers like Kate Fesenko, the 2010 NCAA Champion in the 200-yard backstroke, among other national champion swimmers. Marsman came in with big shoes to fill but has gained the admiration of coaches thus far.“We’re lucky to have her,” Looze said. “We really are. She’s made us better, and that’s not easy to do because she replaced somebody that did a good job, and she’s taken that and moved it to another level.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a Big Ten Championship meet where the IU men’s swimming and diving team finished second — avoiding third place by just 11 points — it was the extra effort that got the team to the podium. Senior David Piercy, who hadn’t dived in a platform competition since his freshman year, excelled. Sophomore Eric Ress, who jammed a finger on his left hand Friday, had doubts about whether or not he was going to swim the 200-yard backstroke Saturday. Ress finished second in the 200-yard backstroke Saturday, scoring 17 points. With the Hoosiers beating out the Buckeyes by 11 points for second place, this proved vital. Freshman Cody Miller played a huge role for IU, winning the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke. “It didn’t matter who he was racing against,” Looze said. “He took control of races, leading from the start to the finish in both of them, and we’re just really pleased with Cody and how much he’s grown this year.” Sophomore Jim Barbiere said it may have been the best effort IU has had in the past decade. Michigan came away with the championship in Minneapolis, winning by 678-604 against the Hoosiers. “The whole time, we weren’t really thinking about getting second,” Barbiere said. “We were pretty much looking at Michigan the entire meet and on the last day, Ohio State had a really good day, so we actually had to fight them off at the end of the meet.” Ress said the future is bright for the Hoosiers. “No one really expected us doing as well as we did,” Ress said. “We were projected to get fifth or fourth and when we got second, it was really a strong standpoint for IU. I honestly believe, even with our graduating class, we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with next year.”