Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
NCAA Championships
Hoosiers Finish 10th at NCAA Championships
3/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
March 25, 2012
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - An outstanding performance by Indiana's diving contingent led the way to a 10th-place finish for the IU men at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Wash.
Indiana finished with 140 points. California won its second-straight NCAA title with 535.5 points, followed by Texas (491), Stanford (426.5), Arizona (396) and Michigan (271).
"Finishing 10th in the nation is a fantastic accomplishment for these young men," said head coach Ray Looze. "I can't say enough about the efforts of Cody Miller and Steve Schmuhl on the swimming side, and Conor Murphy, Zac Nees and Darian Schmidt in platform diving."
It is the Hoosiers' first top-10 finish since 2008, which also came at the Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers finished with 166 points that year, led by Ben Hesen's NCAA title in the 100 backstroke.
This is the fourth top-15 finish in head coach Ray Looze's 10-year tenure and he is the first coach since the legendary Doc Counsilman to post four or more top-15 finishes at the NCAA meet.
Sophomore Cody Miller won the consolation final of the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 1:54.45. That is the fourth-fastest time in school history. Miller moved up six spots from his prelim finish as he placed 15th in the morning swim with a time of 1:56.10. Miller finished 10th in the event at last year's NCAA Championships.
Junior Sam Trahin raced to third in his heat and 24th overall with a time of 1:57.89.
Freshman Steve Schmuhl finished 14th in the 200 butterfly to earn his first individual All-America honor, posting a time of 1:45.06 in the consolation final. In prelims Schmuhl cut more than two seconds off his career best, winning his heat and placing 14th with a time of 1:44.44. That is the fourth-fastest time in school history. It is the fastest a Hoosier has gone in the event since Todd Patrick set the school record of 1:43.73 in 2008.
In the 200 backstroke, sophomore James Wells finished 28th with a time of 1:45.10. Schmuhl, Jim Barbiere, Daniel Kanorr and Wells went 2:59.15 in the 400 freestyle relay to finish 22nd.
Appearing in his first-ever NCAA meet, sophomore Conor Murphy earned All-America status with a fifth-place finish in platform diving, tallying 413.25 points in the championship final. Murphy qualified fifth in prelims with a score of 412.40.
Junior Zac Nees picked up his third All-America honor of the weekend, finishing eighth with a score of 343.95. Nees qualified for the championship final after posting a score of 379.80 prelims.
Sophomore Darian Schmidt finished 16th with a score of 266.30 in the consolation final. He made his way back after finishing 15th in prelims with a score of 329.15.
Indiana dominated the diving events with at least two divers scoring in all three events, and three divers scoring in the 1-meter and platform competitions.
200 Backstroke
28. James Wells - 1:45.10
200 Breaststroke
9. Cody Miller - 1:54.45 (fourth-fastest time in school history)(1:56.10 prelims) Honorable Mention All-American
24. Sam Trahin - 1:57.89
200 Butterfly
14. Steve Schmuhl - 1:45.06 (1:44.44 prelims; career best, fourth-fastest time in school history) Honorable Mention All-American
400 Freestyle Relay
22. Steve Schmuhl, Jim Barbiere, Daniel Kanorr, James Wells - 2:59.15
Platform Diving
5. Conor Murphy - 413.25 (412.40 prelims) All-American
8. Zac Nees - 343.95 (379.80 prelims) All-American
16. Darian Schmidt - 266.30 (329.15 prelims) Honorable Mention All-American
Players Mentioned
