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(09/03/07 4:54am)
After a disappointing 2-0 loss to SUNY-Albany on Friday, the IU field hockey team bounced back in commanding fashion with an 8-0 win over Saint Louis yesterday, moving their record to 3-1. \nThe day began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially dedicating the new outdoor field to the field hockey team. After remarks from IU coach Amy Robertson, Athletics Director Rick Greenspan and Director of the Varsity Club Scott Dolson, the Hoosiers quickly erased any lingering disappointment from Friday’s loss.\nIU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard Sunday, scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of play against the Billikens. The Hoosiers continued their dominance throughout the game, outshooting Saint Louis 19-1 and earning a 16-0 advantage in penalty corners.\n“We looked a lot better than we did on Friday,” Robertson said. “Our intensity and focus remained high throughout the game, and that hasn’t always been the case after we’ve scored early goals. We didn’t let up for the rest of the game.”\nThree freshmen scored their first career goals, including forward Katie Griswold, who scored two goals off rebounds. Forward Katie Griswold scored off a loose ball in front of the goal, and back \nBrenna Moeljadi scored off a penalty corner.\n“It felt amazing,” Moeljadi said of her first goal for IU. “It was a huge rush. We practice penalty corners every practice, so I’m working on them about four times a week.”\nIU scored off of four penalty corners, including Moeljadi’s goal and goals from Amanda Oyler, Danitra Castro and Kate O’Connell. \n“I was unhappy about our lack of finishing on penalty corners against Albany,” Robertson said. “We took more reps in practice and worked on executing and staying focused. If you can draw corners and earn them, it’s an opportunity to put the ball in the goal.”\nSophomore midfielder Meg O’Connell rounded out the scoring for IU with her second goal of the season. \nWhile the Hoosiers erupted for eight goals against Saint Louis, the going was much tougher against Albany. Despite outshooting Albany 9-6, IU was unable to score a goal and suffered its first loss of the season.\n“We had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t really take advantage,” Meg O’Connell said after the loss. “We gave up too many corners, and our work ethic wasn’t like it usually is.”\nAfter a scoreless first half, Albany scored in the 43rd minute and put the game away with a 59th-minute goal. Trailing 2-0, IU turned up the pressure but couldn’t break through with a goal. \n“I liked our urgency at the end of the game, but we need to show that from the beginning,” Robertson said after the game. “I think we are a smart team, but I don’t think we showed it at times. And that just played right into their hands in the end.”\nThe Hoosiers play again Saturday with a home contest against Ball State.
(08/31/07 3:52am)
Ever since IU field hockey returned as a varsity sport in 2000, the Hoosiers have played their home games inside Mellencamp Pavilion. After seven seasons playing indoors and sharing the facility with other sports, the Hoosiers now have an outdoor field to call their own. \nFresh off two wins over Pacific and Cal-Berkeley in California last weekend, the Hoosiers return to Bloomington this weekend for their first two games on the new field. And while the weather might not rival that of California, the players are excited just to be playing outdoors. \n“It will be really nice to play outside,” senior midfielder Meredith Brown said. “I like to play in the heat, and it will be nice to have a regular field. I think we we’re one of the only Division I teams still playing indoors.”\nIU is 2-0 on the season, and will welcome SUNY-Albany on Friday and Saint Louis University on Sunday. The second game will be preceded at 12:45 p.m. by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to usher in a new era of IU field hockey facilities. \nIU coach Amy Robertson said she is excited to compete on the new field for the first time. After practicing all preseason on the new field, Robertson is also glad the Hoosiers will be playing on a field they are familiar with. \n“Playing in California, we had to kind of adjust to the different fields,” she said. “So it will be nice to get back out on a field we’re used to. The ball speed in California was really fast, but our touch was off because of the different field. This weekend, the ball speed will be slower, but our touch will be a lot better.”\nAfter a successful road trip to the West Coast, Robertson said she is pleased with the team’s progress. \n“I thought we took a huge step forward from the Pacific game to the Cal game,” she said. “We’ll have to continue to take steps forward and get better for these games.” \nIU outshot their opponents in both of their first two games, but Robertson is looking for the team to focus on finding quality shots. \n“We found ourselves getting into the circle a lot,” she said. “We’re working on maximizing our chances and creating better shot opportunities.”\nRobertson praised the depth the team has displayed so far, and said she has been impressed by the five freshmen added from the Hoosiers’ latest recruiting class. \n“The freshmen have adjusted well,” she said. “This is a whole new experience for them, and they are so happy and excited to be contributing to the team.”\nNot only will this weekend mark the first games on the new field for the freshmen, but it will also be the first time they play in front of a home crowd. \n“I can’t wait to play out in front of our own fans,” freshman forward Katie Griswold said. “We’re just trying to keep up the intensity and have fun playing.” \nGriswold, who is from California, said when she came to IU, she didn’t even know about the new outdoor field, but was pleasantly surprised. \n“It will be amazing to play outside,” she said.
(08/27/07 4:10am)
When freshman field hockey midfielder Kelsey Kiper came to IU this year, she joined her sister Katie, a junior forward on the team. As IU opened the season in California this weekend, the siblings made their presence felt on the field. \nIn the second half of Saturday’s opener against University of the Pacific, Kelsey took a pass from her sister Katie and beat the goalkeeper for the first goal of the Hoosiers’ season. \n“Our first goal of the year was by a freshman, which is awesome,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “It was a nice sister connection on that one.”\nThe Hoosiers took the match against Pacific 2-1 and carried their momentum into Sunday, notching a 2-0 win over University of California, Berkeley.\nAgainst Pacific, the Hoosiers scored two unanswered goals in the second half on the way to their first victory of the season. Senior forward Kate O’Connell added the second goal of the game for IU. \n“We put ourselves under pressure a lot in the first half,” Robertson said. “But I think we figured out how to relieve that pressure and handle possessions much better in the second half.”\nAfter falling behind 2-0, Pacific put more pressure on the Hoosier defense and broke through for a late goal.\n“They started firing shots into our end after we got up 2-0,” Robertson said. “They were trying to catch us out of position and took really quick free hits. They didn’t really have a lot of possession, but they kept us under pressure.” \nWhen the Hoosiers topped Cal 2-0 on Sunday, it was two other sisters – senior Kate O’Connell and her sister, sophomore midfielder Meg O’Connell – who provided the offense for IU. \nMeg scored the first goal in the fourth minute of the game, and her sister Kate scored her second goal of the year just before the final buzzer. Kate’s goal was assisted by senior midfielder Meredith Brown and freshman back Brenna Moeljadi.\nSenior goalie Haley Exner recorded a shutout, and IU outshot Cal 9-7 on the game. \n“The team just stepped up their game to a whole new level today,” Robertson said. “I’m really impressed how well we adjusted to things that we learned from the game before.” \nAfter a successful road trip in California, the Hoosiers will return to Bloomington to face SUNY-Albany and Saint Louis University in their first home matches of the season.\n“I’m really proud of where we are,” Robertson said. “That’s the best I have seen out of our team since we started practicing. I’m glad we were able to play at this level so early in the season.”
(08/24/07 4:36am)
The IU field hockey team opens a promising season this weekend with a trip to Berkeley, Calif., to face the University of the Pacific on Saturday and the University of California-Berkeley on Sunday. \nLast season, the Hoosiers, led by senior All-Americans Lydia Schrott and Morgan Miller, fell just short of an NCAA tournament bid. This year, with Schrott and Miller having graduated, IU will look to a new group of seniors to lead it into the postseason. \nThe Hoosiers have six seniors returning and three in particular – forward Kate O’Connell, midfielder Meredith Brown and goalkeeper Haley Exner – have taken an early leadership role with the team during the preseason. \n“I think Meredith, Haley and Kate will all be leaders with this team,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “It’s nice because they all play on different lines on the field and can share their leadership and experience with each line.”\nThese three women are coming off a strong junior season and are ready to become more vocal with teammates. \n“Haley and I live together and talk a lot about how to make the team better,” O’Connell said. “We each are working hard with our lines. We’re really working on holding everyone accountable and not being scared to speak up.”\nExner, who was an All-Big Ten performer last year, said she is comfortable with her new leadership role. \n“I’ve really tried to work on being there for the players and being someone they can look up to,” she said. “So far I’ve enjoyed it.”\nThis year’s team has a strong freshman class, including forwards Katie Griswold and Lena Grote, midfielder Kelsey Kiper and backs Brenna Moeljadi and Mutsa Mutembwa. As the freshmen adjust to playing at the college level, the seniors have taken it upon themselves to bring them up to speed and help them mesh with their teammates.\n“I’ve been so impressed with how we’ve gelled as a team,” Exner said. “The freshmen have come in and fit in really nicely. I think we’re a true team right now.”\nRobertson is also impressed with what the freshmen have \nto offer. \n“The freshmen came in really fit,” Robertson said. “They are an exciting group and are very exciting to watch.”\nAfter a long summer of conditioning and practices, the Hoosiers are ready to take the field. \n“I’ve been really impressed with how we’ve looked in practice,” O’Connell said. “The intensity has been high, and I’m really excited for games to start.”\nThe games will also be the first for Pacific and U.C.-Berkeley, so IU will not have any kind of scouting report on either team.\n“We aren’t going to know a lot about them and they aren’t going to know a lot about us,” Robertson said. “We are just focusing on ourselves and accomplishing our goals.”\nThe seniors hope this weekend is the first step on the way to a special year.\n“I’m really excited to open in California,” Exner said. “My freshman year we lost to Cal (Berkeley). But now we’re back, and we have high hopes for this season. We are only going to get better as the season goes along.”
(04/11/07 4:00am)
IU senior swimmer Leila Vaziri sits with her gold medal close by and reflects on her world-record-breaking performance at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.\nHer eyes look heavy, but she can hardly contain her smile. \nShe has been back in Bloomington for almost a week, but she’s still adjusting to the time change and getting to know the gold medal she keeps by her side. \n“I don’t know if this will ever sink in,” Vaziri said. “I’m still trying to collect myself. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”\nVaziri entered her first World Championship appearance as a 100-meter backstroke specialist. However, she finished in 10th place, narrowly missing a swim in the finals. \n“I was really upset,” Vaziri said. “I was at the pool the next day sitting and watching when I knew I should be out there swimming.” \nVaziri would get another chance in the 50-meter backstroke and quickly erased her disappointment. \nIn her preliminary swim, she set an American record time of 28.25. Then she set a world record time of 28.16 in the semifinals and matched the time in the finals on her way to a gold medal. \nHer feat shocked the swimming world, and it shocked Vaziri as well. \n“I never would have imagined this,” she said. “They only have 50-meter competitions at world championships, so this was my first time in the event.”\nVaziri wrapped up a stellar career at IU with a third place showing in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA championships in March. She finished her career with a school record 15 All-America certificates. While she said balancing classes and practice was often hard, she will always remember being a college athlete. \n“This has been a great experience for me,” she said. “I was talking to some of the girls on the U.S. national team and they said swimming in college was one of the best times of their lives, and it has been for me, too.”\nWhile Vaziri enjoyed great success in college, she will gladly make the transition from swimming yards in college to swimming meters in international competitions. \nShe said she prefers meters because it is more straight swimming without as many turns. \nSwimming has always been the easy part for Vaziri, who started swimming when she was 8 years old. However, it wasn’t until she was 13 that she started training competitively. She said now, at age 21, that she has finally become a good trainer and a good racer, not just a good swimmer. \nVaziri will have to continue her good training as she plans to prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The 50-meter backstroke is not an Olympic event, but Vaziri believes her success can translate to the 100-meter back.\n“This gives me great confidence and it relates to where I should be with my 100 back,” she said. \nAfter graduation, Vaziri plans on joining her club team in Florida, where she will be close to her family and can focus on her Olympic training. She knows the training will be tough, but she is ready for the challenge. \n“There could be some real nightmares ahead,” Vaziri said. “It’s scary, but so exciting.”\nBut for now, Vaziri will catch up on sleep and enjoy sweet dreams of gold medals and world records.
(04/02/07 4:00am)
IU post-graduate swimmer Kevin Swander traveled to East Meadow, N.Y., for the USA Swimming Spring Championships with hopes of winning a national championship in the 100-meter breaststroke. \nHowever, swimming with a sprained ankle, Swander added seconds to his time and finished in a disappointing second place with a time of 1:03.30. \n“It was really disappointing, because he should have won a national title,” swimming coach Ray Looze said after the meet. “He just couldn’t get his ankle loosened up. He did all he could, but his time was pretty far off what it had been.”\nSwander, who is also in his first year as student coach, was slated to compete in the 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley as well, but was forced to withdraw. \nSophomore Justin Peterfish, junior Alec Haley and freshman Brittany Barwegen joined Swander for the five-day event. \nThe Spring Championships are not sanctioned by the NCAA and there is no team scoring. \nHaley and Peterfish both had strong showings in the 200-meter breaststroke competition. Haley finished in 13th place in the preliminary heats to earn a spot in the B-group final and Peterfish finished in 21st place to earn a swim in the C-group final. \nIn the finals, Haley’s time of 2:22.34 earned him a fourth place in the B-final and Peterfish’s time of 2:22.88 was good for third in the C-final. \nPeterfish also finished 25th in the prelims of the 100-meter breaststroke. His time of 1:06.34 left him one spot away from qualifying for the C-finals. Haley added a 28th place performance in the 400-meter individual medley. \nBarwegen qualified for 17th place in the 200-meter butterfly and finished in eighth place of the B-final with a time of 2:20.09. She also added a 39th-place finish in the prelims of the 100-meter butterfly. \n“Overall, the swimmers did a great job and represented IU very well,” Looze said. “They gained great experience and set personal best times.”\nWith the spring season concluded and a full slate of summer competition ahead, Looze believes these swimmers are well prepared. \n“This meet will give the swimmers a lot of momentum for a full summer season of swimming,” he said.
(03/29/07 4:00am)
"Blood Diamond" is the kind of film that leaves me with mixed emotions. Upon initial theatrical viewing last December, I was mostly unimpressed, save for some masterfully done action sequences. After rewatching it on DVD, I'm still impressed with all the action, but at times the subject matter comes off as exploitative of Africa's current conditions, while the heavy message that we should avoid buying diamonds from conflict zones is likely to fall on deaf ears.\n"Diamond" brings together Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou in the anarchic Sierra Leone of 1999. Hounsou, as Solomon Vandy, watches in horror as rebels invade his village and separate him from his family shortly after the films opens; DiCaprio, as Danny Archer, is an ex-mercenary turned diamond smuggler who's merely out to make a buck and escape a continent he has deemed "godforsaken." These men are brought together while in prison and Archer, seeing the opportunity to use Vandy to locate a rare diamond, makes the bold promise he can reunite Vandy with his lost family. The greatest question Vandy must ask himself is: Can this man really be trusted?\nDid DiCaprio and Hounsou really deserve their Oscar nominations for this film? Honestly, no. DiCaprio was leaps and bounds better in "The Departed" -- a film where he actually maintained his accent; Hounsou, who is indeed a very talented actor, screams practically 75 percent of his lines and it gets annoying fast. I also finally realized that director Edward Zwick has a thing for making films where white men are placed within various ethnic groups only to become either their savior, voice of reason or both. Look at "Glory," "The Last Samurai" and now "Blood Diamond," and tell me you don't notice a trend. \nSingle and double-disc editions exist of "Diamond." The single comes with Zwick's insightful commentary as the only extra. The good thing about his commentary tracks is he tries to cram in as much information as possible. The double-disc includes the commentary along with two disposable interviews with DiCaprio and Connelly, an interesting segment on the film's epic "Siege of Freetown" sequence and the music video for Nas' "Shine on 'Em." \nThe big supplement though is the 50-minute documentary, "Blood on the Stone." What follows is the lengthy journey of a diamond from the African mines all the way to its European buyer and into the shop window. The entire process is fascinating, although one viewing is sufficient.\nUltimately, "Blood Diamond" is a passable drama with strong action scenes that could've been trimmed down at least a half-hour. The end message is make sure the next diamond you purchase comes from a conflict-free zone. Yet, when the movie focuses largely on how diamonds from these zones are smuggled across borders only to be mixed in with untainted ones, is the message really all that successful?
(03/29/07 4:00am)
IU senior swimmer Leila Vaziri set a world-record time in the 50-meter backstroke Wednesday at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. \nVaziri began the morning by swimming to an American record and top qualifying time of 28.25 in the preliminary heats. She then lowered her time to 28.16 in the semifinals to set the new world mark and finish the semifinals as the top qualifier. \nHer time beat the previous world record held by Germany’s Janine Pietsch by 0.03 seconds. \nVaziri is competing in her first world championships and is swimming the 50-meter backstroke for the first time at an international competition. \nThe senior leaves the IU program as one of its most decorated swimmers. As a freshman, she earned honorable mention All-America honors. She has earned 15 All-American honors in her career – the most in IU history – and took the bronze medal in the 100-yard backstroke March 10 at the NCAA championships in Minneapolis. \nShe will try for her first ever gold medal in the finals of the event scheduled for tonight.
(03/28/07 4:00am)
Fresh off outstanding NCAA campaigns, IU swimming and diving standouts Leila Vaziri and Christina Loukas represented the United States at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. \nTwo weeks removed from her third-place showing at the NCAA championships, Vaziri finished in 10th place in the semifinal of the 100-meter backstroke. \n“I know Leila is feeling fantastic about her performance,” swimming coach Ray Looze said. “She wanted to make the final, but to finish 10th in the world in your first time competing is excellent. She made us very proud back here.” \nVaziri earned a swim in the semifinals of the event by placing sixth in the preliminary heats. Her time of 1:01.36 in the prelims broke her own school record in the event. \nVaziri’s semifinal time of 1:01.39 was slightly slower than her preliminary time and left her two spots short of advancing to the finals. \nAlthough Vaziri’s career at IU is over, Looze believes she has more to accomplish as a swimmer. \n“I think she’ll probably train for the 2008 Olympic games,” he said. “She has the second fastest American time and I think the Olympics are a real possibility for her.”\nAfter finishing second on the 1-meter at the NCAA championships, Loukas placed 14th out of 37 divers in the preliminary round of the 1-meter competition. She dove to a score of 245.55 and missed qualifying for the semifinals by only two spots. \n“I was happy with how I competed,” Loukas said after the meet. “I was hoping to make it to the semifinals and I just missed, so that was a little disappointing.”\nDespite the disappointment, Loukas believes the experience will help her diving in the future. \n“Going to this type of meet and being around the best divers in the world will help,” she said. “It makes me want to come home and train harder because I know I can compete with the best divers.”
(03/27/07 4:00am)
The NCAA season is complete for the IU swimming and diving teams, but you wouldn’t know it based on Saturday morning’s practice. \nThe sound of frantic swimming filled Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center as swimming coach Ray Looze paced the pool, urging his swimmers to push harder. As the swimmers touched the wall, they eagerly looked to their coach for their time.\nThe practice was for this week’s spring championships, an individual swimming competition not sanctioned by the NCAA that helps prep swimmers for future competitions. \nFour IU swimmers – sophomore Justin Peterfish, junior Alec Haley, freshman Brittany Barwegen and post-graduate Kevin Swander – will travel to East Meadow, N.Y., for the five-day event. \n“The selection of swimmers for this meet was voluntary,” Looze said at a weekend practice. “We want to take swimmers who are seeking Olympic-style qualifying and can also handle the load academically.”\nThe competition will feature preliminary and finals swims for each event, and the pool will be a 50-meter short course. Unlike the NCAA meets, the spring championships is an individual competition, and there is no team scoring. \nSwander, an IU graduate and first-year student coach, has been training for the 2008 Olympics and is looking forward to this meet. \n“I just like to go out and have fun each time I swim,” he said. “Hopefully, I can get a personal best time and improve my world ranking.”\nSwander will be swimming in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley. While he would like to place highly in each event, he is concentrating on his times.\n“I think it is easier to focus on getting a good time,” he said, “and then the good placing will follow.”\nPeterfish will join Swander in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke competitions. Haley will swim in the 200-meter breaststroke and the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys. Barwegen will swim the 100- and 200-meter butterfly and the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys. \nLooze hopes the trip to New York will be beneficial for the IU swimmers.\n“This will be good experience for us on the short course,” he said. “Hopefully we can improve some of the swimmers’ national or Olympic standards.”
(03/19/07 4:00am)
As the IU women’s swimming and diving team traveled to Minneapolis for the NCAA championships, its sights were set on a top-10 finish. Although an 11th-place finish was just short of the goal, it was still plenty of cause for excitement. \n“I’m really proud of the girls,” swimming coach Ray Looze said. “They fought hard throughout the whole meet. We ended up falling a little bit short of our goal, but you can never be disappointed with an 11th-place finish at the NCAAs.”\nIU finished the meet with 109.5 points and earned its fourth consecutive top-15 performance. \nSenior Leila Vaziri was the top finisher on the swimming side. Vaziri took third place in the 100-yard backstroke. \nFreshman Presley Bard and sophomore Allison Kay swam to new school records in their respective events. Bard finished ninth in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.12 and Kay tied for 10th place in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:12.30. \nOn the diving side, IU just missed national titles in two events. Senior Lindsay Weigle finished second on the platform, just 1.30 points out of first, and junior Christina Loukas took second on the 1-meter, just 1.20 points behind the winner. On the 3-meter, Weigle placed fifth, and Loukas placed ninth. \nThe NCAA meet marked the end of a memorable NCAA season for the Hoosiers. An undefeated dual-meet season and a Big Ten title left Looze with lasting memories. \n“The best memory for me was the look on the girls’ faces when they won the Big Tens,” he said. “It was priceless.”\nThe men’s swimming and diving team also finished its NCAA season this weekend at the NCAA championships in Minneapolis. \nThe Hoosiers swam to a 15th-place finish with 72 points, making it the fourth consecutive top-20 performance. \nJunior Ben Hesen became the first IU swimmer in 28 years to swim in the final of two individual events. Hesen took second place in the 100-yard backstroke and finished eighth in the 200-yard backstroke. \n“Ben had an excellent meet,” Looze said. “He has gotten used to swimming in pressure situations. He was physically and mentally prepared for this meet, and he really set himself up to win a national championship next year.”\nJunior Pat Penoyar added a 12th-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. Steven Murry finished 13th in the 400-yard individual medley. \nThe 200-yard medley team finished in ninth place, and the 400-yard medley team took 11th. \nThe Hoosiers earned 13 All-American citations for their efforts. Hesen led the way with four. Penoyar added three. \n“We are very pleased with our finish,” Looze said. “We had seven guys swimming in the meet, and six were named all-Americans. With the personnel we had, we couldn’t be happier. All of the guys are returning next year, so we’ll take forward a lot of experience as well.”
(03/08/07 5:00am)
The IU women’s swimming and diving team has bested every challenge placed before it this year, completing an undefeated dual-meet season and claiming its first Big Ten championship since 2003.\nStarting today at the NCAA championships in Minneapolis, IU will face its biggest test yet as it goes up against the best college swimmers and divers in the country. \nBut with nine swimmers and four divers qualified, there is reason to believe the Hoosiers can improve on their program-best ninth-place NCAA finish in 2005. \n“It’s so exciting to have such a big team here this weekend,” diving coach Jeff Huber said. “This is the biggest group I can remember. Hopefully we can feed off each other and get each other excited to perform well.”\nThe nine Hoosier swimmers will compete in 11 different individual events and four relays. The top-seeded IU swimmer is senior Leila Vaziri, who is seeded second in the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman Presley Bard is seeded fifth in the 200-yard backstroke, while Vaziri is 11th. Sophomore Allison Kay is the 12th seed in the 200-yard butterfly and freshman Amilee Smith is the 15th seed in the 200-yard breaststroke. The 400-yard medley relay team is seeded eighth.\nSwimming coach Ray Looze said he doesn’t place too much emphasis on the preliminary seeds. \n“The seeds are not a great predictor of how the swimmers will finish,” he said. “We just want to go out and try to win each heat in the prelims and swim the best that we can.”\nThe Hoosiers will have a mix of youth and experience at the meet. Of the nine IU swimmers, six are freshmen and sophomores and three are seniors.\n“I think the veteran leadership always helps,” Looze said. “But our young swimmers are talented enough. At some point, you just go out there and swim well, no matter what your age.”\nThe Hoosier divers are coming off the NCAA Zone C diving meet last weekend where they won all three events and qualified four divers. \nJunior Christina Loukas won the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. Senior Lindsay Weigle won the platform. Senior Heather Chapman qualified with a second-place finish on the platform and freshman Brittney Feldman’s fourth-place finish on the 1-meter was good enough to qualify. \nHuber wants his team to focus less on individual accomplishments and more on fundamental diving. \n“We’re not as focused on outcome as we are on doing the things we want to do,” Huber said. “We want to compete with composure and toughness. Our goal is to have our season-best performance.”\nThe IU women have never won an NCAA championship, and they finished 14th in last year’s meet. The Hoosiers finished this season ranked No. 8 in the country. \nFor both teams, though, the focus isn’t on the past.\n“Our goal is to finish in the top 10,” Looze said. “I think the girls are real determined and ready to perform well.”
(03/05/07 5:00am)
After a strong performance at the NCAA Zone C meet this weekend, the IU women’s diving squad put itself in a favorable position for next week’s NCAA championships. \nFour IU women – Christina Loukas, Lindsay Weigle, Heather Chapman and Brittney Feldman – qualified for the NCAA championship meet in Minneapolis, Minn.\nThe Hoosiers turned in a dominant performance, winning all three events at the meet. Loukas continued to impress on the springboards, taking first on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards with scores of 652.10 and 726.40, respectively. \n“Christina has definitely done very well,” diving coach Jeff Huber said after the meet. “She gets better and gains more confidence with every performance.”\nWeigle finished first on the platform with a score of 622.20 and took second on the 3-meter with a score of 632.95. Chapman qualified with her second-place score of 575.85 on the platform and Feldman turned in a fourth-place score of 577.25 on the 1-meter to qualify. \n“Lindsay and Heather looked great on the platform,” Huber said. “We’re also really pleased that Brittney was able to qualify as well. Anytime you can get four divers qualified, it’s great. It’s always fun to go to NCAAs with a team of divers.”\nThe four divers will join nine IU swimmers at the NCAA meet next weekend. \nOn the men’s side, IU was unable to qualify any divers for the NCAA championships.\nJunior Taylor Roberts turned in the best performance for the men. Despite diving with a dislocated finger, Roberts turned in a fifth-place finish on the 1-meter and a sixth-place finish on the 3-meter. \n“Taylor did a great job,” Huber said. “He really stepped up like a champion, and I’m really proud of the guy. It’s unfortunate that he’s not going to the NCAAs, because he is one of the top divers in the country.” \nSophomore Will Bohonyi and junior David Legler finished sixth and seventh on the platform, respectively. \n“We were a little off on the platform today,” Huber said. “We put in our best effort at the end, but there were maybe two dives out of 12 that we just missed and that made the difference.”\nAlthough the NCAA diving season is over for the men, they will still work hard to prepare for the U.S. Spring Nationals. \n“We did some great stuff this year,” Huber said. “Hopefully we can use the time off to get ready for a good performance at the Spring Nationals.”
(03/02/07 5:00am)
At the Big Ten championships two weeks ago, the IU men’s diving squad struggled on the 1-meter board, failing to qualify anyone in the finals. However, with a renewed attention to detail and mental preparation, diving coach Jeff Huber believes the Hoosiers are ready to return to their winning ways at the NCAA Zone C Diving meet. \n“We are usually pretty dominant on the 1-meter,” Huber said at a recent practice. “Big Tens was really a wake-up call. We were doing the little things wrong in practice and they showed up in the meet.”\nIU will dive in the NCAA Zone C meet March 2-4 at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich. \nAll four IU divers qualified to compete in the meet – juniors Taylor Roberts and David Legler, freshman David Piercy and sophomore Will Bohonyi. The meet will serve as a qualifier for the NCAA championships that take place March 15-17 in Minneapolis.\nAfter a second place performance on the platform at the Big Ten meet, Legler believes he can have a repeat performance this weekend.\n“It was a really good experience to perform well in a big meet like the Big Tens,” he said. “If I take one dive at a time and keep calm, I’ll do well.”\nAside from the physical training this week, Coach Huber has emphasized the mental aspect of the teams’ diving. \n“We brought in the sports psychologist for USA Diving,” Huber said. “Our divers had a nice question and answer session with him and I think it really reminded the divers of some important points. As the stakes go up so does the anxiety. We just want to be aggressive and confident and do our thing.”\nWhile the men’s squad struggled a bit at Big Tens, the women’s squad flourished. \nAfter helping the women’s swimming and diving team to its first Big Ten title since 2003, the Hoosier diving squad will have its eyes on a higher prize as they compete at the NCAA Zone C meet. \n“At the end of the season, we traditionally train hard for the zone meet,” Huber said. “It was great winning the Big Tens, but a lot of our divers are focused on competing for an NCAA championship.”\nIU qualified all of its divers to compete in the meet this weekend for a spot in the NCAA Championships that take place March 8-10 for the women’s side. \nThe Hoosiers will carry momentum from the Big Ten meet into this weekend as many divers had strong performances. \nJunior Christina Loukas swept the diving events, the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform, earning Diver of the Championships. Senior Lindsay Weigle finished second on the platform and fourth on the 3-meter. Freshman Brittney Feldman placed third on the three-meter and senior Heather Chapman placed fourth on the platform. \nHuber hopes the women’s team can maintain its focus and improve on its diving from the Big Ten meet. \n“We have been rehearsing a meet schedule all week long,” he said. “We’ve been identifying some of our weaknesses from Big Tens. With a week to zero in on our mistakes, hopefully we can correct them for this weekend.”\nAfter a hard week of training, Chapman believes it will pay off this weekend. \n“Coach Huber has us really prepared to take on the challenges we will face at this meet,” Chapman said. “I think rehearsing the meet schedules will really help, especially with such a big team. It allows us to prepare for a competitive atmosphere.”
(02/20/07 5:00am)
School records fell and personal bests were shattered as the IU men’s swimming and diving team competed in the Big Ten championships in Columbus, Ohio. But the individual accomplishments were not enough to erase the disappointment of a fourth-place finish. \n“We had some outstanding individual performances,” swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I couldn’t have been more pleased with a number of our swimmers. As a team, it was pretty disappointing. From a coaching standpoint and a swimming standpoint, we just didn’t get the job done to comfortably finish where we should have.”\nIU competed in the Big Ten championships last weekend at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The Hoosiers finished in fourth with 494 points, just one point behind third place Ohio State. Minnesota finished first with 612.5 points and Michigan was runner up with 608.5 points. \nJunior Ben Hesen set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke with his opening leg of the 400-yard medley relay during the first day of the championships. \nHesen didn’t let his record stand for long. The next day he broke his own record, swimming to a time of 45.52 and a first place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.\n“It feels great to win, but it also feels great to win for my team,” Hesen said. “My favorite part of winning was looking over and seeing my teammates support and cheer for me.” \nThe Hoosiers were also led by junior Pat Penoyar and sophomore Nick Walkotten. Penoyar notched second place results in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, swimming to a career best time of 53.67 in the 100. \nWalkotten also finished second in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly, breaking his own-school record in the 100 with a time of 47.21. \nThe 200-yard medley relay team of Hesen, Penoyar, Walkotten and freshman Matt Lenton touched in second place with a time of 1:26.04, the second best time in school history. \nOn the diving side, the Hoosiers got off to a slow start on the one-meter board. Junior Taylor Roberts was the top finisher with a 10th place finish. \n“We were definitely surprised with our performance on the first day,” diving coach Jeff Huber said. “Our whole team was a little off. It was a bit of a shock.”\nIU rebounded with good performances on the 3-meter board and platform. Roberts finished second on the 3-meter with a score of 405.75, only one point out of first. On the platform, junior David Legler finished second with a score of 377.2. Roberts followed in 5th with a score of 340.95 and sophomore Will Bohonyi placed 7th with a score of 327.9. \nThe Hoosiers hope to use the disappointment they feel now as motivation for a strong showing at the NCAA championships. \n“We are not pleased with 4th place,” Huber said. “We’ll train harder this week and hopefully we’ll have a better performance on the one meter at NCAAs.”\nLooze knows that missing third place by one point is a bitter feeling that will linger for a while, but he hopes his team can learn from it.\n“It’s almost fitting that we missed third by one point,” Looze said. “As a coach, that gives me the opportunity to teach. We’ll address the team aspect and get back to the drawing board. With our individual performances, I’m excited for our chances at NCAAs.”
(02/12/07 3:17am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team watched a year ago as the men's squad won the Big Ten championships in Bloomington. \n"After the meet, the next day, a group of girls came into my office," swimming coach Ray Looze said. "They said to me, 'That's what we want to do next year, that's the kind of fun we want to have.'"\nA year later it is all fun and smiles around the IU women's swimming and diving program. \nThe Hoosiers claimed their first Big Ten title since 2003 this weekend at University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. IU earned a three-day score of 715.5. Michigan finished second with 562 and Penn State placed third with 537.5. \nIU junior diver Christina Loukas became the second diver in school history to sweep all three diving events at the Big Ten championships. Loukas won the 1-meter and 3-meter championship, setting a school record with a score of 387.95 in the 3-meter. Then she surprised even herself, winning the platform with a school record of 358.8 on her way to earning Diver of the Championships. \n"I knew I was capable of winning all three, but I wasn't really considering it," Loukas said. "I just wanted to go after my dives. I see myself as a springboard diver. I knew I had a good chance (in the springboard events) ... but the 10-meter I wasn't so sure about." \nSenior Leila Vaziri and freshman Presley Bard led the IU swimmers with strong performances. Vaziri set a Big Ten record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.85. Vaziri finished in time to see her teammate Bard touch in second place. \n"It feels incredible," Vaziri said. "It's my last Big Tens and I get to leave my career with some kind of mark and I am really happy with it."\nIn the 200-yard backstroke, Bard finished first with a time of 1:55.62. Vaziri and freshman Ashley Jones were third and fourth, respectively.\nBard's swimming at the meet earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. \nAlong with senior Annica Loftstedt and sophomore Sarah Stockwell, Vaziri and Bard also led the 400-yard medley relay team to a first place finish with a school-record time of 3:38.16. \nSophomore Allison Kay added a victory in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:58.40 and freshman Amilee Smith set an IU record in the 200-yard breaststroke earning second place with a time of 2:14.14. \n"Our team is so unified and has exceptional chemistry," Looze said. "We didn't start off great on the first day. We have a young team so we really had to learn on the fly, but we were really able to show our poise and composure."\nAside from Loukas, several Hoosiers had impressive showings on the diving side. In the 1-meter, freshman Brittney Feldman finished fifth and senior Lindsay Weigle took sixth. In the 3-meter, Feldman was third and Weigle fourth. On the platform, Weigle was second, while senior Heather Chapman finished fourth. \n"This is not something that our team lucked into," diving coach Jeff Huber said. "They have trained really hard and it is great to see a couple of our seniors go out in style."\nBoth Looze and Huber took home honors as well, earning Big Ten swimming and diving Coach of the Year honors. \n"I'm just so happy for the team," Looze said. "The coaches give all the credit to the girls. It's a great feeling right now"
(02/09/07 4:29am)
Last year, IU junior swimmer Ben Hesen helped lead the men's swimming and diving team to its first Big Ten title in 21 years. While he believes that experience will help the team at this year's conference tournament, he said he expects that the upperclassmen will find this meet similar to last year's.\n"My freshman year we were really in a shootout and we ended up losing by three points," Hesen said. "With so many good teams in the Big Ten this year, I expect it to be another shootout. It's good that the upperclassmen have been in a meet like that. We're going to need to battle for everything. Every point will be huge."\nThe Big Ten championships will be held Feb. 15-17 at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. \nThe conference's field will be extremely competitive, with six teams ranked in the top 25 and five in the top 15. Despite the rankings, IU coach Ray Looze said he believes one team is the clear favorite. \n"Minnesota should be considered the favorite, hands down," Looze said. "They have 20 guys seeded into the top 16. We're a bit of an unknown, so there's a huge gap that we have to close."\nLooze said he expects IU will trail after the first day of competition, so he has prepared the team to swim from behind.\n"It's a three-day meet, so we have to be prepared to swim from behind," he said. "We've been in those situations before. We have to keep our poise and keep chopping wood. We can't be scoreboard watching, we just have to take care of business."\nHesen said he remembers the Purdue meet, when the Hoosiers suffered disqualifications and fell behind early. \n"Against Purdue, we were down 13 points basically right away," Hesen said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't come back. The Big Ten (tournament) is a three-day format and the first day isn't our strongest. So, we can't give up until the end. We have to keep swimming hard."\nOn the diving side, depth should play an important factor for the Hoosiers. All-American junior Taylor Roberts has been dominant all year, but several other IU divers are beginning to step up as well. \n"(Junior) David Legler, (freshman) David Piercy and (sophomore) Will Bohonyi are starting to give us some nice balance," diving coach Jeff Huber said. "They are really working hard and are doing a lot of nice things. That should help us coming into this meet"
(02/08/07 3:51am)
Although the IU women's swimming and diving team heads into this weekend's Big Ten championships as the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, coach Ray Looze insists they aren't making the trip to Minneapolis as the favorites.\n"The rankings are based on the dual meet system and are really just speculation," Looze said. "We finished in fourth place last year and, based on the seeds, we're picked to finish third or fourth again this year."\nThe Big Ten championships begin today and will continue through Saturday at the University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.\nThe Hoosiers finished the season 5-0 in dual meets, besting every challenge placed before them, and many of the \nswimmers think they can do the same at the Big Ten championships. \n"We are being considered underdogs, but we all believe we can win," senior Susanna Ernst said. "I think the fact that others doubt us will give us more motivation."\nThe Hoosiers boast a favorable combination of young talent and senior leadership. Going into a big meet like the Big Tens, the underclassmen will look for support from their teammates who have been there before, Looze said.\n"Having senior leaders is always helpful, especially with so many young swimmers on our team this year," Looze said. "Our seniors are already starting to share some of their wisdom with the younger people, trying to keep them relaxed."\nJunior diver Christina Loukas remembers the nerves she experienced her freshman year and hopes she can help ease the jitters of other team members. \n"My freshman year I was pretty nervous," Loukas said. "The upperclassmen were real helpful for me. They made me feel like it was just another meet. So, hopefully I can do the same for our younger divers now." \nThe Hoosiers have been training for the Big Ten meet the entire season.\n"Our work is basically done," diving coach Jeff Huber said. "The hay is in the barn as far as training is concerned. Now we have to sit back, relax and get ready to dive well."\nIU last claimed a Big Ten title during the 2003 season. While they have finished in the top five the last three seasons, Looze believes the formula for getting over the hump is simple. \n"We just need to worry about ourselves and take care of our business," he said. "We need to stay relaxed and stress-free and focus on what we need to do to be successful"
(02/07/07 3:47am)
On Jan. 26, IU diver Christina Loukas browsed the USA diving Web site looking for her name. Later that day, Loukas got a call from diving coach Jeff Huber confirming what she saw. \nFor the second time in three years, Loukas will represent the United States in the FINA World Championships. Loukas is one of 14 divers on the team and will compete in the 1-meter event.\n"I was really excited when I saw my name," Loukas said. "I was pretty nervous about making the team. I was a little upset I didn't make it in any other events, but I'm happy I have the chance to represent my country."\nThe FINA World Championships will be held in Melbourne, Australia, from March 18 to April 1. \nIn the 2005 world championships, Loukas finished sixth overall in the 1-meter. Although she had an impressive showing, she said that nerves got the best of her.\n"I was really tense," Loukas said. "I could really feel it in my dives."\nLoukas hopes her previous experience in the event will allow her to be more relaxed this time around. \n"I think I will enjoy it more this time," Loukas said. "I know what it's like having been there before. I want to stay focused and not hold back at all."\nLoukas has been named Big Ten Diver of the Week three times this season and hopes to translate her success this season into a good showing at the world championships. \n"My goal is to improve on my performance from last time," Loukas said. "I know I have the potential to finish in the top three, but anywhere higher than sixth place and I'll be happy."\nLoukas and the rest of the IU women's swimming and diving team will be competing in the Big Ten championships Feb. 8 to 10 in Minneapolis.\nLast year at the Big Tens, Loukas placed first in the 1-meter and second on the platform, earning Diver of the Championships. \nLoukas said that if she focuses on how she has performed all year, she could see a repeat performance this year. \n"Last year I did really well," Loukas said. "As long as I stay calm and do the dives I've been doing in practice, I should be fine." \nLoukas believes that diving in a pressure scenario like the selection camp will help her in a big meet like the Big Tens. \n"We had to go through four lists of dives and all of them were just as important as the others," Loukas said. "That really helped me be consistent on each dive. I think that will give me a lot of confidence heading into the Big Tens"
(01/26/07 4:50am)
IU sophomore swimmer Heath Tameris swam in his first IU-Purdue meet last year. Growing up in Ohio, Tameris wasn't aware of the intensity of the in-state rivalry. After swimming in last year's meet, however, Tameris recognizes that there is more on the line than usual when these two teams compete. \nHe knows this weekend's meet against Purdue will be intense, but he also knows that the meet will be the team's last tune up before the Big Ten championships. \n"It's a big meet because our teams usually fight for recruits from Indiana," Tameris said. "A lot of the guys swam against each other in high school and now the rivalry is continuing in college. This is our last dual meet though and we need to stay focused on the details like starts, turns and just keep up with our fundamentals."\nTameris and the rest of the Hoosier squad will travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue on Saturday at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. The No. 15 Hoosiers will look to improve on their 4-3-1 overall record against the No. 19 Boilermakers. \nIU coach Ray Looze downplayed the rivalry, focusing on the team's preparation for the Big Ten championships. \n"Purdue is a very tough opponent," Looze said. "One of the keys is for us to win the two relays. We need seed times for the Big Tens, so we'll be putting a lot into those relays. I think we will really try to drop our times all around trying to get seeds for Big Tens. This is just another step heading into the championship season."\nOn the diving side, the Hoosiers will be going up against a tough Purdue squad and will be a bit undermanned. Diving coach Jeff Huber said the main focus will be staying healthy for the rest of the season. \n"Our training has been pretty good," Huber said. "At this point we just need to get healthy. We've done pretty much all of the work that we can at this point in the season. We're not going to have a full squad at Purdue because of some fatigue and injuries, so it should be a tough meet."\nAfter the meet this weekend, IU will prepare for the Big Ten championships Feb. 15-17 in Columbus, Ohio.