Indiana University Athletics
IU Hosts Texas Longhorns
10/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
October 5, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana men's swimming and diving team play host to Texas on Friday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center to open the dual meet season for both teams.
The two squads will face off in a 16-event meet. The events in this season's Cream and Crimson competition will be the 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 freestyle, the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 100 and 200 breaststroke, the 100 and 200 butterfly, the 200 IM and the one- and three-meter diving events as well as the 200 medley and 400 freestyle medleys.
Texas looks to be a tough opponent to open up the season for the Hoosiers, as it finished the 2003-04 season strong by claiming third place at the NCAA Championships on the strength of six individual titles captured by four swimmers. Additionally, Texas proved to be a worthy foe in dual meets last season with a 6-1 ledger.
This year, Texas returns 20 letterwinners while losing seven, including three of its four NCAA champions. The lone title-bearing returner is Rainer Kendrick, the 2004 200m butterfly champion.
TEXAS TIES
Indiana sports a strong tie to Texas as Head Coach Ray Looze's initial collegiate coaching experience came in Austin. During the 1990-91 season, Looze served as a graduate assistant for the Longhorns while pursuing his Master's in Education from the University of Texas.
WILL THE REAL UT PLEASE STAND UP?
Coincidence? Indiana opens and closes its home dual meet season with a UT on the competitive slate. First, the Hoosiers battle Texas on Oct. 8 at 1 p.m., in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center before concluding the home ledger against Tennessee on Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. That's a lot of orange in the schedule.
LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE LONE STAR STATE
Head Coach Ray Looze must have enjoyed his time in the Lone Star State as he has also scheduled a dual meet against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas on Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.
Additionally, since taking the helm at IU in 2002-03, Looze has added Texas flavor to the slate each season. Last season, the Hoosiers fell to Texas A&M in Bloomington, 180.5-117.5. In 2002-03, IU tied for ninth at the Texas Invitational held in Austin.
SEVEN STRONG, WILL WE SEE EIGHT?
Dr. Jeff Huber, Indiana men's and women's diving coach, was selected as U.S. Diving's National Coach of the Year for the United State Olympic Committee's Coach Recognition Program for an incredible seventh consecutive time.
The accolade closed out an amazing year for Huber as the Indiana diving program continued its dominance on the national scene by claiming the program's 11th consecutive U.S. Combined (men and women) National Championship. The men's and women's programs joined to outdistance second-place Auburn by over 100 points.
NOT HIS SWAN(DER) SONG
Junior Kevin Swander highlighted Indiana's performance at the 2004 ConnocoPhillips Summer National Championships in Stanford, Calif., by taking first place in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:02.81.
Swander's national title capped an incredible season that witnessed the Greenwood, Ind., native earn Big Ten Swimmer of the Championship honors, All-American laurels in the 200-meter medley relay at the NCAA Championship and a seventh-place finish in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Olympic Trials.
NEXT UP
The Hoosiers play host to Evansville for the fifth consecutive time on Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. The meet will also serve as Parents Weekend for the Cream and Crimson.
