164 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(01/22/07 5:02am)
As the IU men's swimming and diving team honored its seniors on Senior Day, it was the underclassmen who stole the show. The Hoosiers topped Missouri 153-146 at Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center Saturday.\nThe meet started with a ceremony honoring the seven seniors.\n"It was a little sad going out there in my last home meet," senior Lee Houchin said. "I've had a lot of good times here and it's been a lot of fun."\nJuniors Pat Penoyar and John Kevin Koehler and sophomore Nick Walkotten lead the Hoosiers with three wins apiece. Penoyar and Walkotten were part of the winning 200-yard medley relay team along with Ben Hesen and Matt Lenton. \nOn the diving side, the Hoosiers dominated the 3-meter, taking the top four places. Taylor Roberts dove to another win and Will Bohonyi, David Legler and David Piercy rounded out the scoring. \n"We did a great job," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "We usually train them right through dual meet competition, so it was really impressive that we had such a good performance today."\nOn the women's side, the seniors on the IU women's swimming and diving team were sent out in style as they led the Hoosiers to a 166-121 win over Missouri on Senior Day. The win moved IU's final record to 5-0 in dual-meet competition, which is only the second undefeated season in school history.\nSeniors Leila Vaziri and Annica Lofstedt led the way for the Hoosiers in their last home meet, with Vaziri winning four events and Lofstedt winning three. \n"It was a bit emotional, but in a good way," Lofstedt said. "I look back on four years here and there have been so many ups and downs. I was real happy with how I swam today though and we have a really good team this year."\nFreshman Cassie Luhrsen swam well in the distance events, winning the 500 and 1,650 yard freestyle. IU also got wins from Stockwell in the 100-yard breast stroke, Kristin Cihoski in the 100-yard backstroke, Amilee Smith in the 200-yard breast stroke, and Brittany Barwegen in the 200-yard butterfly. \n"We performed solidly," swimming coach Ray Looze said. "There were no letdowns and there were a few nice surprises. It was really nice to send the seniors out on a high note."\nOn the diving side, senior Lindsay Weigle dominated the competition, winning the 3-meter and the platform competitions. Freshman Brittney Yancey placed third in the 3-meter and senior Heather Chapman took second on the platform. \nAfter wrapping up the dual-meet season, the Hoosiers will head to the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis from Feb. 8-10. While the Hoosiers still have two weeks to prepare, they have been training for the Big Ten all season long. \n"We're right on track," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "We have to keep looking ahead and have the standards set high. I think we're headed towards a good competition at the Big Ten"
(01/19/07 4:28am)
IU senior swimmer Clarissa Wentworth has been swimming competitively since high school. As she looks back on her swimming career and prepares for her last home meet as a Hoosier, she can't help but feel a mix of emotions. \n"It will be a little bittersweet," Wentworth said. "It's sad knowing it will be the last dual meet here at home, but it's exciting because it does honor us seniors. It's been a really unique experience swimming for a program like IU. This kind of marks the end of the end as far as competitive swimming for me."\nThe IU men's and women's swimming and diving teams will honor 11 seniors as they face Missouri on Senior Day this Saturday at Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. \nBoth Hoosier squads are returning to action after a successful weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. The men were able to tie No. 12 Michigan and the women took first place in the Michigan Invitational. Despite the success, swimming coach Ray Looze said he doesn't expect a let down this weekend against Missouri. \n"I don't expect a difference in performance," Looze said. "This is a preparation team. Since early in the season, we've been focused on being prepared for every meet. I think we'll come out and swim well against a very good opponent in Missouri."\nThe men's squad has four seniors, Paul Sigfusson, Ryan Millard, Lee Houchin and Ryan McNeill. The women's team includes seniors Wentworth, Heather Chapman, Lindsay Weigle, Susanna Ernst, Annica Lofstedt, Leila Vaziri and Jade Summerlin, who is a junior graduating early. \nThese seniors have been through a lot and have helped return the IU program to levels of past success, Looze said. \n"The seniors have led us through a tough time," Looze said. "They have really guided the rebuilding efforts of both teams. The men have gone from the bottom of the Big Ten to the top, winning the Big Tens last year and the women are now contenders to win the Big Ten this year. They have a lot of perspective and have been able to share that with the freshmen and sophomores." \nDiving coach Jeff Huber also raves about his senior divers and what they have accomplished. \n"They've been great team members," Huber said. "It will be a real proud moment (on Saturday). It's not easy to get a degree and make it through our diving program. It's a great accomplishment and I hope they've learned things that extend beyond diving"
(01/16/07 4:11am)
IU swimming coach Ray Looze has been coaching long enough to know that it doesn't always take the most talented team to get the best results. He points to the unity and chemistry of this year's women's swimming and diving squad as the key to its undefeated start. \n"Chemistry has to be a separating factor," Looze said. "Even if you don't have the most talent on paper, if you're victorious, nine times out of 10 you're the tighter and more unified team." \nThis weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich., IU's team chemistry was on display again as they topped two ranked opponents to win the Michigan Invitational. The No. 13 Hoosiers finished the two-day meet with 1,460.5 points. No. 19 Notre Dame finished second with 1,074 points, No. 10 Michigan was third with 1,052.5 points and Illinois finished fourth with 417 points. \nSophomore Sarah Stockwell continued her dominance in the breaststroke events, winning the 100- and 200-yard events. Senior Leila Vaziri won the 100-yard backstroke, with freshman Presley Bard finishing in second. Bard and Vaziri switched places in the 200-yard backstroke, with Bard taking first and Vaziri tying for second. \nIU picked up additional wins from sophomore Allison Kay in the 400-yard individual medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay team of Vaziri, Kay, senior Clarissa Wentworth and freshman Emily Lanteigne.\n"Our girls were anxious to compete after the long layoff," Looze said. "I was surprised at how many of the girls swam well. I'd say 98-99 percent of the girls had good performances." \nThe Hoosiers competed strongly in the diving, even without their top diver, junior Christina Loukas. Freshman Brittney Feldman and senior Lindsay Weigle finished second and third in the 1-meter. Weigle finished first and senior Heather Chapman second in the platform, which counted as an exhibition event. \n"We're a very deep team and it shows," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "We knew all along, that even without our top diver, we're one of the best diving squads in the country. All the girls did a great job and I was very pleased with the performance."\nWhile IU has cruised to an unblemished start, Looze knows there will be roadblocks along the way, but he also knows this team will face them together. \n"This women's team is really tight," Looze said. "This was another step in our quest to win the Big Ten. We know that there will still be adversity along the way. We don't know when or where it will take place, but we have a much better chance to overcome it as a team"
(01/16/07 4:11am)
The IU men's swimming and diving program is rich with history and tradition. For a program that dates back to 1923 and has seen countless All-Americans come and go, Saturday's tie result in Ann Arbor, Mich., marked the first such result in the 84-year program history.\nThe No. 15 Hoosiers battled No. 12 Michigan to a 150-150 stalemate. It is also the first ever tie at Canham Natatorium.\nMichigan holds a 38-meet unbeaten streak in Big Ten dual meets, and IU hasn't won in Ann Arbor since the 1980-81 season. \nAlthough the result of the meet was the same as when it began, it was what happened in between that will help this Hoosier squad in the final stretch of the season, said IU coach Ray Looze. \n"That was a real back-and-forth meet. I've never been in a meet with that many changes and adjustments on the fly," Looze said. "We expect a very tight battle at the Big Tens, so this was very good experience. Our veterans have been in close meets before, but it was good for the freshmen and sophomores to experience a meet as closely contested as this one." \nJunior Ben Hesen led the way for IU with three wins, and junior Pat Penoyar added another two wins. Hesen won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, along with the 100-yard butterfly and Penoyar took the 100- and 200-yard breast stroke. \nHesen, Penoyar, sophomore Nick Walkotten and sophomore Matt Lenton started off the meet with a win for the Hoosiers in the 200-yard medley relay. Lenton also added his second consecutive win in the 50-yard freestyle. \nOn the diving side, junior Taylor Roberts returned to action after missing last week's meet against Ohio State. Roberts again dove well, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. On the 1-meter board, freshman David Piercy followed Roberts in second place; sophomore Will Bohonyi was fourth. On the 3-meter board, junior David Legler and Bohonyi finished second and third, respectively. \n"Taylor Roberts coming back was big for us," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "He didn't skip a beat. He had a great performance, winning both boards. Going one, two, three on the 3-meter will also be a big boost for our confidence down the road." \nIt took the Hoosiers' best shot to come away with a tie against a tough Michigan team on the road, Looze said. \n"The order of events in the meet really favored Michigan, and they were ranked three spots ahead of us," Looze said. "We knew it would be an uphill battle coming in. I'm really proud of the way we competed and the class that we showed"
(01/12/07 4:52am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team on Saturday will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a pivotal meet against Michigan at Canham Natatorium. No. 15 IU stands at 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan is ranked No. 12 and is 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten.\nThe Hoosiers are coming off a Big Ten victory over Ohio State last week. IU was led by junior Todd Patrick, who was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week. Patrick won the 200-yard individual medley and the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. Also picking up two wins for IU were juniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar and sophomore Nick Walkotten. \n"Historically, this is the time of the year when we really start to swim fast and perform," said distance coach Mike Westphal. "The second semester is when we really start to take some time off of our swims." \nOn the diving side last week at Ohio State, junior Justin Montrie placed sixth in the 1-meter diving and sophomore Will Bohonyi finished fourth in the 3-meter. The Hoosiers were without All-American junior Taylor Roberts, who suffered a concussion in practice. Head diving coach Jeff Huber said it is still uncertain whether Roberts will dive against Michigan.\n"He's over the concussion," Huber said, "but he missed a lot of training while he was out. He's had to train real hard this week and is pretty tired. We're leaving it up to him to decide if he can go this week." \nIU hasn't won at Michigan since the 1980-1981 season and hasn't beaten the Wolverines in a dual meet since Jan. 23, 1999, in Bloomington. \n"It's been a very long time since we've beaten Michigan in a dual meet," Westphal said. "We've had tough road tests already this season. We got it handed to us at Texas, but we went into Ohio State and swam well last week. I think we're ready for a good meet this weekend."\nAfter a two-month layoff from team competition, the IU women's swimming and diving team will travel to Ann Arbor as well. The Hoosiers will take on Illinois, No. 10 Michigan and No. 19 Notre Dame. IU is ranked No. 13 and is still undefeated on the season at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.\nThe swimmers have had a long layoff, but are eager to return to competition this weekend. \n"I think the layoff will be a positive thing," Westphal said. "The girls are chomping at the bit to get back to competition to see what they can do. We've been training for a month now and we're ready to go." \nThe divers have been training hard over break and are ready for competition. \n"We had a very good week of training the last week of break," Huber said. "This past week has been tough because of the beginning of classes. Since most of our season is geared towards the championships, this meet should be a good training opportunity. \n"Michigan is the site of the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, so it should be a good experience for later on in the season"
(01/08/07 4:58am)
For the third time in its last four dual meets, the IU men's swimming and diving team was victorious, this time knocking off the No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes. \nOn Saturday, the No. 15 Hoosiers edged out the Buckeyes 154-146 at the McCorkie Aquatic Pavilion. Even though IU seemingly controlled the meet, winning 11 out of 16 events, the final score was close. \n"We expected a tough meet coming in," coach Ray Looze said. "They were ranked a spot higher than us and we thought it would be close, and it went as expected. Our swimmers and divers were eager to compete again and we were pleased with how they responded."\nJunior Todd Patrick paced the Hoosiers, picking up three individual wins. Patrick won the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, along with the 200-yard individual medley. \nJuniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar, along with sophomore Nick Walkotten, each added two wins for the victorious Hoosiers. Hesen won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, Penoyar took first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke and Walkotten picked up wins in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly. \nThe Hoosiers also welcomed sophomore Matt Lenton's first performance for IU. Lenton, along with Hesen, Penoyar and Patrick, opened the meet with a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Lenton continued his strong debut with an impressive win in the 50-yard freestyle. \n"We were pleased to have Matt come onboard," Looze said. "This meet was a real good start to his career."\nOn the diving side, the Hoosiers were without All-American junior Taylor Roberts, who was injured in practice. \nIU struggled without Roberts against a strong Buckeyes diving squad. Junior Justin Montrie took sixth in the 1-meter diving for IU's best finish, and sophomore Will Bohonyi was the top finisher in the 3-meter diving, placing fourth. \n"This meet was a nice step in the process," Looze said. "Next week will be a challenge at Michigan. They are ranked highly and are one of the favorites to win the Big Ten. We'll know a lot more about our team after next weekend"
(12/08/06 4:42am)
Bloomington resident Kadour Ziani, also known as "the Zianimal," is 33 years old and stands 5-foot-10. His vertical jump is 56 inches, almost 5 feet. \nTo those who follow professional dunking, he is already a legend, but for those who don't, he may need an introduction. \nZiani received some national exposure Dec. 1 when he made an appearance on Fox Sports Network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period." Guest starring with legendary NFL quarterback Joe Namath and NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, Ziani set an unofficial world record for the highest kick by kicking a board 9-feet-9 inches tall.\nZiani said the appearance on the sports show has already led to a slightly inflated celebrity status. After the appearance on the show, he traveled to Venice Beach, Calif., where he was quickly recognized by many locals.\n"A large crowd of people would gather around me," Ziani said. "They would be saying, 'Hey, that's the dude who can kick the rim.'"\nZiani, a professional dunker, has traveled around the world performing showcases for the dunking group Slam Nation. He has several trademark slams, including "kick the rim" -- where, using his foot, he dislodges a basketball wedged into the corner of a backboard and rim -- along with the "double windmill." Ziani performed both of his trademark dunks on the Fox show plus a 360-degree spin dunk. Even though he's done these moves hundreds of times in all different settings, Ziani said it was different in front of a studio audience. \n"You have to be ready when they call you," he said. "It creates a lot of pressure. There's no time to warm up, and everyone is looking and waiting. There's no place to concentrate; it has to be in your mind."\nIt took Ziani three tries to break the record, but he was eventually able to get high enough to kick the board. \n"I trained very hard to be ready," he said. "I've been waiting all my life for this opportunity, but I couldn't have done it without the crowd. After I did it, it was a feeling of liberation. It was one of the best emotions in my life. I cried afterwards."\nOriginally from France, Ziani lives in Bloomington with IU senior Aaron Allen. Allen is filming a dunking documentary called "Flying 101," slated for release on DVD in February 2007. The two met while Allen was studying at Oxford in England. Ziani shared Allen's vision for the documentary and decided to move to Bloomington for training and to continue his craft. \n"One of my philosophies is show and not tell," Ziani said. "That's one of the nice things about this project. It shows all the training that I have to go through just for those two seconds in the air."\nZiani said people have frequently doubted his abilities. After attempting the world record on Fox, show host and former NBA player John Salley said, "Who would think legs that skinny could jump that high?"\nBy overcoming his height and others' doubts, Ziani believes he gives others hope.\n"You can never be scared to try," he said.
(12/04/06 5:18am)
To say that sophomore Sarah Stockwell has had a good two weeks of swimming would be an understatement. \nAt the U.S. Open Invitational in West Lafayette this weekend, Stockwell broke her second-straight school record in as many competitions. Fresh off her school-record performance in the 100-yard breaststroke at the IU Open Invitational Nov. 17-19, Stockwell broke her own school mark in the 100-meter breaststroke event. She swam to a third-place tie in the C-final with a time of 1:12.83, which erased her old mark of 1:13.91. \nStockwell, along with six other IU women swimmers, took part in the U.S. Open Invitational during the weekend at Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Swimmers from all over the world took part in the three-day competition, \nIU senior Leila Vaziri turned in the best overall performance for the Hoosiers, swimming to a second-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke. Vaziri finished with a time of 1:03.52, trailing only Kristy Coventry, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist from Zimbabwe. Vaziri also took fourth in the B-final of the 100-meter freestyle and fifth in the C-final of the 200-meter backstroke. Freshman Presley Bard placed fourth in the B-final of the 100-meter backstroke and 39th in the prelims of the 200-meter backstroke. \n"I am obviously very pleased with the performances of Sarah and Leila, along with Presley Bard," IU swimming coach Ray Looze said. "Any time you can qualify for a swim in the bonus, consolation or championship heat in a competition like this, you know you're doing a good job."\nAlong with Bard, several other freshmen took part in the competition. Emma Berry swam in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle prelims, finishing 91st and 57th, respectively. Ashley Jones' best finish in the event was 55th in the 200-meter backstroke prelims, while Amilee Smith finished eighth in the C-final of the 100-meter freestyle.\n"The freshmen did a good job," Looze said. "This will definitely help them down the road. This meet was mostly for the experience of going against good international competition"
(12/04/06 5:17am)
The IU swimming team sent four swimmers to compete in the U.S. Open Invitational at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette this weekend.\nThree Hoosiers earned final swims in the 1,500-meter freestyle competition. Senior Ryan McNeill finished 24th overall with a time of 16:13.83. Junior John Kevin Koehler finished in 26th place (6:15.83) and sophomore Steffan Troxel placed 38th with a time of 16:37.06. Koehler also raced in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley, finishing in 37th place with a time of 4:44.11.\nSwimmers from all over the world, including a number of U.S. Olympians, came to swim at the U.S. Open. The competition took place over three days, with preliminaries in the morning and finals at night for each event. \n"Our distance swimmers are pretty talented and very deep," IU swimming coach Ray Looze said. "Swimming in the U.S. Open against some of the best international competition will help us a lot for the Big Ten and NCAA competitions in March."\nJunior Pat Penoyar also competed in the preliminaries for the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke competitions. Penoyar turned in solid times, finishing 34th in the 100-meter event with a time of 1:07.28 and touching in at 2:29.02 in the 200-meter to finish 34th overall. \nU.S. Olympian and six-time gold medal winner Michael Phelps headlined the competition. Phelps turned in winning performances in four events and won the men's individual high point award. \nDespite competition from only a few swimmers, Looze viewed the event as a success.\n"With our heavy training and finals coming up, we selected athletes who were comfortable with their class schedule and had the ability to represent our team well," Looze said. "Overall, it was a good meet, and we accomplished what we wanted to. Our focus now is on finishing up in the classroom."\nFormer IU All-American and current student-coach Sergiy Fesenko finished third in the 1,500-meter freestyle. He was the top seed in the 1,500 free and turned in a time of 15:29.12 to finish third.
(11/20/06 5:23am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team also hosted teams at the IU Open Invitational this weekend. Nine teams in total competed. The Hoosiers had a strong overall performance and were able to show off their depth. The highlight of the weekend was sophomore Sarah Stockwell's performance in the 100-yard breaststroke. Stockwell earned\na first-place finish with a time of 1:03.02, eclipsing her previous school record time of 1:03.06.\n"I wasn't really expecting to go that fast, so it felt great while I was out there," Stockwell said. "That should help a lot in getting ready for the Big Tens. As long as I keep up with my training, I should be able to get a high seed."\nSenior Leila Vaziri was impressive again, winning the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.59. Sophomore Allison Kay earned a first-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:24.73 with freshman Amilee Smith finishing second with a time of 4:25.36. Freshman Presley Bard raced out to a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, coming in with a time of 56.47. Freshman Ashley Jones won the 200-yard backstroke, coming in at 2:02.64.\nThe 400-yard medley relay team of Vaziri, Bard, Stockwell and Clarissa Wentworth won the event with a time of 3:46.22 and the 200-yard medley relay team of Bard, Stockwell, Wentworth and Emily Lanteigne took second place with a time of 1:43.84.\nThe IU divers also turned in impressive performances. Junior Christina Loukas notched another victory in the 1-meter diving event, winning the preliminaries, semifinals and finals. Loukas, who has gone undefeated all year, was finally knocked off in the finals of the 3-meter diving event, earning a fourth-place finish. Teammate and fellow senior Lindsay Weigle bested Loukas, taking first place in the event.\n"I think, overall, we have better depth than in years past," Looze said. "I think we still need to work on being fast when we're tired. The girls were definitely tired, but we need to be mentally prepared to fight through it"
(11/20/06 5:21am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team hosted the 11th annual IU Open Invitational this weekend at Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. IU hosted the unscored meet, welcoming eight teams to compete in the swimming events, diving events or both.\nThe men got strong performances from a pair of juniors, Taylor Roberts and Ben Hesen. Roberts impressed on the springboards, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Hesen continued his dominance in the 100-yard backstroke, earning a first-place finish with a time of 48.63, a meet record. Hesen also placed second in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:47.48.\n"I think this meet was a little more fun for us," Hesen said. "There was less pressure on us as a team, so guys were joking around a little bit more. Any time you're able to act like a kid again when you swim, it's good. It can be very mentally stressful, so it's nice to forget all that."\nJunior Todd Patrick also had an outstanding showing, winning three events. He earned an NCAA-qualifying time of 1:49.01 in the 200-yard individual medley and also notched a first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle.\nThe Hoosier relay teams also had noticeable results, posting four second-place finishes. The 200-yard medley relay team of Hesen, Patrick, Ronnie Hehn and Nick Walkotten impressed with a time of 1:30.52 and the 400-yard medley relay team of Hesen, Patrick, Hehn and Lee Houchin finished with a time of 3:24.29. The 800-yard freestyle relay team of Patrick, Houchin, J.K. Koehler and Alex Brunfeldt also swam to a second-place finish with a time of 6:52.19. In the final event of the meet, the 400-yard freestyle team of Hesen, Patrick, Walkotten and Houchin finished second with a time of 3:02.32, getting edged out by the University of Louisville's 'A' relay team.\nDespite the good results, swimming coach Ray Looze saw plenty of room for improvement.\n"It could have been a lot better," Looze said. "We swam all right at night, but our prelim times where not where they should have been. That last relay should not have ended like that. We can't let another team beat us out like that in our place. We have a lot to work on, but it's better to know now than later"
(11/17/06 4:52am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team will host a strong group of competitors in the 11th annual IU Open Invitational this weekend at Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers will play host to Louisville for swimming and diving; Cincinnati for swimming; and Stanford, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Florida International, Purdue and Miami University of Ohio for diving. \nThe No. 12-ranked Hoosiers are 2-3 on the season and lost to a pair of top five opponents, No. 3 University of Texas and No. 4 University of California, in their last meet. IU is looking to bounce back in this three-day, unscored meet. \nJunior swimmers Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar were impressive in their last meet in Austin, winning the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, respectively. Hesen was named National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week by collegeswimming.com for his performance. \nJunior diver Taylor Roberts has also gotten off to a strong start this season. Roberts won the 3-meter diving competition in Austin and was named Big Ten Diver of the Week. \nThe Hoosiers have been training hard and are eager to get back into competition, diving coach Jeff Huber said. \n"My goal is to have them (the divers) dead tired by Thanksgiving," he said. "This weekend we'll have a chance to work on some new dives, and we hope to see some improvement. I think the meet will be well-attended and have very good competition."\nThe invitational will differ from the normal dual meet format, with preliminary heats in each event followed by the finals. \n"This is our first three day-long event. It should help us mentally prepare for the Big Ten meet because it mocks the format," senior captain Paul Sigfusson said. "The expectations are higher for this type of meet. If you don't swim well in the morning, you're not going to be able to come back for the afternoon session"
(11/17/06 4:51am)
The No. 14 Hoosiers are off to a red hot start at 4-0. They are fresh off a meet in which they dominated No. 11 Texas, winning eight of the 13 events. IU will look to carry its momentum into this weekend when the women's swimming and diving team hosts the 11th annual IU Open Invitational at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers will host Florida International, Purdue and Louisville for both swimming and diving. They will also compete against Cincinnati, Rice and Washington State for swimming and Stanford, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Miami University of Ohio for diving.\nJunior diver Christina Loukas has yet to falter on the springboards, winning all eight of the events in which she has taken part. \nOn the swimming side, senior Leila Vaziri has led the Hoosiers, winning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week two different times this season.\nAfter a week without competition, IU is ready to get back in the water, coach Ray Looze said. \n"We've had a full week of practice and have been able to work on a lot of our fundamentals," Looze said. "This is a great opportunity for us to compete at home and work on our relay teams and let some of the kids swim in their off events. This will help us improve our versatility."\nThe invitational will consist of preliminary heats in each event followed by a final race.\n"I'm really excited. This is our first prelim-final meet," freshman Emily Lanteigne said. "This will be good experience for the Big Tens. It's a little bit more exciting for me because I usually swim faster in the final swim. Hopefully this meet will help with my seeding for the Big Ten meet"
(11/07/06 3:59am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team notched an upset win against the University of Texas on Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The No. 14 Hoosiers outscored No. 11 Texas 138-105 to remain unbeaten on the season, moving to 4-0. \nIU controlled the meet from the start and ended up winning eight of the 13 events. \n"This is one of the biggest dual meet wins in the history of our program," IU coach Ray Looze said. "They are a nine-time national champion, and they haven't lost very often at their home pool."\nIU started off strong when the 200-yard medley relay team of Leila Vaziri, Sarah Stockwell, Presley Bard and Annica Lofstedt raced out to a first-place finish. \nVaziri also took first in the 200-yard freestyle, and Lofstedt won the 50-yard freestyle. Bard won the 200-yard backstroke, and sophomore Allison Kay got in on the action, winning the 400-yard individual medley. The Hoosiers ended the meet with the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Lofstedt, Clarissa Wentworth, Emily Lanteigne and Bard taking first place. \nOn the diving side, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week and junior Christina Loukas continued her dominance, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. In the 1-meter diving event, senior Lindsay Weigle and freshman Brittney Feldman finished fourth and fifth, respectively. In the 3-meter diving event, Weigle took second, while Feldman finished fourth. \n"Overall, this was a good meet for us against some very good competition," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "This was a nice meet for us to come in and perform well."\nLooze said the win was big for the Hoosiers and will allow them to carry some momentum into the Big Ten dual meet season.\n"This was a huge win for us," Looze said. "This is a nice step forward and a nice win in a hostile environment"
(11/07/06 3:58am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team met its match this weekend in Austin, Texas. The Hoosiers were unable to pull off the upset bid, falling short against No. 3 Texas and No. 4 University of California, Berkeley in a double dual meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. IU fell to Texas 210-149 and California 204-165, bringing its record to 2-3 overall.\nThe Longhorns dominated the two-day competition, winning 12 of the 20 events. \n"Texas is obviously a national title contender," IU coach Ray Looze said. "They are top five in the country, and in my opinion, they're the best team in the country."\nThe Hoosiers did manage to get two first-place finishes out of juniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar. Hesen took first in the 100-yard backstroke, and Penoyar won the 200-yard breaststroke.\nSophomore Steffan Troxel finished second in the 1,650-yard freestyle, with junior Alex Brunfeldt taking third in the same event. \n"Overall, we just ran up against some very stiff competition," Looze said. "We came in hoping to pull off the upset, but the reality was that we went up against two very tough teams."\nOn the diving side, junior Taylor Roberts earned a first-place finish in the 3-meter diving event, and juniors David Legler and Justin Montrie finished behind him in third and fourth place. In the 1-meter diving event, freshman David Piercy took fourth place, with Montrie and Legler finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. \n"We had some good training when we got there, and overall we performed pretty well," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "Taylor Roberts and David Piercy were the highlights of our efforts."\nAlthough IU didn't get the results it was looking for, the Hoosiers were able to draw some positives from their road trip.\n"I think we were able to get the necessary experience for the Big Ten Championships and later, the NCAA Championships, which was one of our goals coming in," Looze said.
(11/03/06 4:59am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team will travel this weekend to Austin, Texas, to challenge No. 4 University of Texas and No. 6 University of California in a dual meet. The Hoosiers, coming off a weekend during which they split meets against Northwestern and Arizona State, are looking to build on their 2-1 record.\nTexas has yet to compete in a dual meet but took home first place Oct. 13 in the Big 12 Relays. California is off to a 2-0 start with wins against the University of the Pacific and California State University-Bakersfield.\nFresh off two tough meets last weekend and a good week of practice, the Hoosiers are primed to face the top-notch competition, junior Todd Patrick said .\n"We're a little tired from last weekend," Patrick said. "I feel like we're really prepared though. We have some new faces who have looked good lately and are ready to step up for us."\nAlong with the young talent, junior returning stars Ben Hesen and Taylor Roberts have paced the Hoosiers' squad. Hesen earned the National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week award from collegeswimming.com, and Roberts was awarded Big Ten Diver of the Week. \nDistance coach Mike Westphal said even though they will face tougher competition this weekend, the coaches haven't made significant changes to the lineup.\n"We are going up against two very good teams," Westphal said. "We don't feel like we need to make any major changes though. The guys are going to go out there and swim their normal events."\nWestphal also believes nerves won't be a large factor for the team in this competition. \n"We have upperclassmen that have been in Big Ten and national competitions," Westphaul said. "They are used to the pressure and can share their experiences with the younger guys. We're just motivated to get down there and race"
(11/03/06 4:58am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team has gotten off to a hot start, racing out to a 3-0 record. The No. 17 Hoosiers will put their unblemished record on the line as they travel to Austin, Texas, to face No. 11 Texas Saturday. The Longhorns are 1-1, with a loss to No. 6 Stanford University Oct. 27 and a win against the University of Nebraska Oct. 12. Texas finished second in the Big 12 Relays Oct. 13.\nThe Hoosiers tallied convincing wins last weekend against Northwestern and Arizona State University. \nIU has been very strong on the diving side, led by returning All-American seniors Heather Chapman and senior Lindsay Weigle and two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week junior Christina Loukas.\nDiving coach Jeff Huber has focused on developing good habits in practice, and he's seen it pay off in competition. \n"We've really been improving." Huber said. "We're trying to continue what we've been doing. We really want the divers to be able to buy into the mental preparation and the pre-performance routines. It helps when you are able to see improvement in the competition."\nOn the swimming side, IU has been led by four returning All-Americans: seniors Annica Lofstedt, Leila Vaziri and Clarissa Wentworth and sophomore Allison Kay. Vaziri earned Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors this past week. \nAlthough Texas marks their toughest competition to date, the Hoosiers are confident that they can rise to the level of the competition.\n"They are one of our biggest competitors on the national level," Chapman said. "It's really about listening to the coaches and trying to execute what they have told us. We're just trying to commit to what we've practiced and bring that out in competition"
(10/30/06 5:01am)
The IU men's and women's swimming and diving teams hosted Northwestern on Friday and Arizona State University on Saturday at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The No. 12-ranked men's team was unable to defeat No. 8 Northwestern, falling 163.5-136.5. The Hoosiers rebounded with a victory over No. 19 Arizona State, 156-132. \nThe No. 17 women's team beat Northwestern 174-120 and Arizona State 155-134. \nThough the men's team struggled for first place finishes against a strong Northwestern squad, it was able to bounce back with a strong overall team performance against Arizona State. \n"Northwestern is a very good team. They were able to put out very good guys in every competition," IU coach Ray Looze said. "We won more events and swam much better against Arizona State. We knew they were going to be tough, but we thought we could come away with a victory." \nJuniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar led the men's team this weekend with strong performances in both meets. Hesen, an All-American, tied for first in the 100-yard backstroke and won the 200-yard backstroke against Northwestern. He also won the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly against Arizona State. Penoyar won the 100-yard breaststroke against Northwestern and the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke against Arizona State. \nOn the diving side, junior captain Taylor Roberts paced the Hoosiers, earning a first place in the one-meter and three-meter diving events against Northwestern and in the one-meter diving event against Arizona State. \nThe women's team continued their dominance, moving to 3-0 on the season. The diving duo of Big Ten Diver of the Week junior Christina Loukas and senior captain Lindsay Weigle led the women's team to victory. Loukas and Weigle finished first and second respectively in the one meter and three meter diving events against both Northwestern and Arizona State. \nOn the swimming side, sophomore Sarah Stockwell won the 100-yard breaststroke in both meets and won the 200-yard breaststroke against Northwestern. Sophomore Allison Kay won the 200-yard individual medley against Northwestern and won the 400-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle against Arizona State. \nAlthough both Hoosier squads performed well this weekend, they'll need to be on top of their games this upcoming weekend when both teams head to Texas. The men will face No. 4 University of Texas and No. 6 University of California. The women will face No. 11 Texas. \n"The experience this weekend will help us a great deal," Looze said. "We are going to face very tough competition"
(10/17/06 3:27am)
Kadour Ziani leaped over a small child huddled on the ground and hung in the air for longer than seemed possible. Then, at the peak of his jump, he scissor-kicked a basketball that was lodged in the corner of the rim. \nThe feat was a move that Ziani calls the "Kick the Rim." Even though it wasn't a dunk, the crowd that had gathered at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church for Universlam was in awe of Ziani's incredible display of athleticism and flexibility.\nZiani said that by accomplishing the "Kick the Rim," he holds the world record at 10 feet for touching the highest point with his foot. \n"Before I would touch the rim with my head and my nose," said Ziani, who turns 34 today. "Then, I figured, I'm flexible, so I'll try it with my feet. It wasn't really about the record, though. I wanted to send a message to people of the power of dreaming and believing."\nZiani continuously glided gracefully through the air, twisting and turning his body in ways only few can imagine. Each dunk was more improbable than the one before, and he left a lasting impression on his fellow dunkers. \n"It was amazing. He can do things a lot of other guys can't," said Jenelle Carter, a freshman at Illinois State University. "He's so flexible. He's like a ballerina in the air."\nMarshall Moses, a four-star recruit, according to rivals.com, came all the way from North Carolina to take part in the event. He was equally amazed at Ziani's dunking ability.\n"He's not very tall, and he's not really that strong," Moses said. "Man, can he dunk, though. I've seen Vince Carter and LeBron James do dunk contests, and he's right up there with those guys, if not better."\nZiani said his amazing flexibility comes from a lot of hard work but mostly patience.\n"When you plant tomatoes, you have to water them every day, but you have to wait," Ziani said. "Success is about a lot of water and a lot of time."\nZiani possesses a strong sensibility and enjoys discussing his philosophy about his dunking. To Ziani, dunking is not about the fame or notoriety that comes as a result. Instead, it's a way for him to find an identity. \nZiani's favorite dunk, he said, is the "double windmill," which many other people have tried to emulate. \n"I'm proud that people try to copy my dunk," Ziani said. "By dunking, I'm trying to express myself and create diversity and personality. If people start calling me 'Double Windmill' instead of Kadour Ziani, I would be happy."\nAaron Allen, a senior at IU and good friend of Ziani's, was at Universlam getting footage for an upcoming documentary he plans to release. Allen runs Flying 101, a film company dedicated to showcasing dunkers. Like Ziani's approach to dunking, Allen boasts that he takes a different approach to filming his documentaries.\n"Most dunking videos that you see are one large showcase with hip-hop music," Allen said. "I plan on using a lot of interviews to try to find out what makes dunking so special. I want to get at the dunkers' philosophies and how dunking affects them. The theme for the film is mind over matter"
(10/11/06 4:00am)
The IU men's club volleyball team hosted the seventh annual Hoosier Fall Classic Oct. 7 in the HPER Wildermuth Gym. Twenty teams made the trip to Bloomington to participate in the day-long preseason event.\nIU welcomed teams from all over the Midwest and around the country, including Big Ten rivals Illinois and Purdue. \nThe Illinois A squad team won the tournament.\nThe tournament consisted of group play, followed by an elimination tournament. In the group stage, IU defeated DePaul University (25-15, 25-17), held on to beat Purdue B (25-20, 26-24) and then fell to the IU alumni team (26-24, 25-21). These initial matches gave IU the opportunity to work out potential lineups and get everyone match experience, sophomore John McSorley said. \n"We played pretty well in the first two matches," McSorley said after the Purdue B match. "We let up a little bit during the second game against Purdue. The important part, though, was that everyone got a chance to get in there. We were testing out lineups to see if we could find the right combination."\nAfter group play, IU advanced into the gold bracket of the playoffs. The team was unable to advance past the first round game against Purdue. After losing the first match, the Hoosiers fought back to win the second match. However, IU came up just short in a competitive third match, with Purdue winning the game 25-18, 14-25, 15-13.\nArmy senior Kyle Vonderheide said this was a new experience for the squad.\n"This was our first time at the competition," Vonderheide said. "We wanted to experience the Midwest competition. It's very different than what we get playing on the East Coast. We're just trying to develop fundamentals that come in handy during the regular season."\nThe Vanderbilt University team made the trip from Tennessee to experience the competition the Midwest has to offer. \n"There's a better level of play in the Midwest than what we usually go up against," Vanderbilt coach Ken Debelak said. "We wanted to play some good teams and have fun in the process."\nAlthough the loss was disappointing, the IU team was able to concentrate on what it needs to work on before the regular season, senior Alex Lepp said. \n"We weren't stressing too much on the results of the matches," Lepp said. "We were focused on finding team chemistry and figuring out what we need to improve on. Defensively, we need to improve overall, and we need to find out a way to dig more hard balls. On offense, we need more attacks from the middle and right side."\nIU will travel to Miami University of Ohio and Illinois in November to continue to prepare for regular season play.