<b>NCAA Preview (03-21-05)</b> - Indiana University Athletics

NCAA Preview (03-21-05)

3/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 13 Indiana men's swimming and diving squad heads to Minneapolis, Minn., to contend for the 2005 NCAA Championship title March 24-26.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RELAYS
Indiana qualified for NCAAs in all five relays this season. The feat marks the first time in the history of the NCAAs that IU has qualified five relays. The meet first increased to five relays in 1989 when the 200 medley relay was added.

DIVING COACH OF THE YEAR SWEEP?
Dr. Jeff Huber already picked up both Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year honors on the men's and women's side this season as well as claimed the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year at the women's national meet. Can he snare an incredible annual-award sweep?

BAKER'S DOZEN
Indiana advanced 13 student-athletes to this year's national-title meet. The tally is the most since 16 made it in 1984.

ONE SHORT OF HISTORIC
Indiana qualified someone in all but one of the events this weekend. That accomplishment falls just one short of the last time the Hoosiers entered a student-athlete in every event at NCAAs. That feat was accomplished in 1980, which is also the last time IU had a top-10 finish at the national meet.

However, the 20 total events entered this weekend stands as the most in school history as the 1980 NCAA Championship featured 13 individual events, three relays and two diving events.

ZONE SUCCESS
Indiana claimed three of the seven available transfer spots at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championship as senior Marc Carlton, junior Ryan Fagan and sophomore Brian Mariano all punched their tickets to Minnesota. The diver total is the most for IU since Tom Davidson, Ryan Kosanic and Eric Robson made it in 2000.

NCAA QUALIFIERS
Indiana claimed 27 swims in the preliminary sessions of NCAAs. Additionally, IU advanced three divers to the show.

Relays
Event 1, 200 freestyle relay (13th seed)
Event 6, 400 medley relay (12th seed)
Event 7, 200 medley relay (14th seed)
Event 14, 800 freestyle relay (13th seed)
Event 21, 400 freestyle relay (10th seed)

Alex Brunfeldt
Event 2, 500 freestyle (39th seed)
Event 15, 1,650 freestyle (21st seed)

Marc Carlton
One-meter springboard
Three-meter springboard
Platform

Ryan Fagan
One-meter springboard
Three-meter springboard
Platform

Sergiy Fesenko
Event 2, 500 freestyle (13th seed)
Event 10, 200 freestyle (35th seed)
Event 15, 1,650 freestyle (11th seed)

Murph Halasz
Event 9, 100 butterfly (38th seed)
Event 19, 200 butterfly (23rd seed)

Ben Hesen
Event 12, 100 backstroke (28th seed)

Lee Houchin
Event 10, 200 freestyle (46th seed)
Event 17, 100 freestyle (39th seed)

John Kevin Koehler
Event 2, 500 freestyle (44th seed)
Event 10, 200 freestyle (53rd seed)
Event 15, 1,650 freestyle (26th seed)

Brian Mariano
One-meter springboard
Three-meter springboard
Platform

Todd Patrick
Event 3, 200 IM (23rd seed)
Event 8, 400 IM (27th seed)

Colin Russell
Event 4, 50 freestyle (26th seed)
Event 10, 200 freestyle (17th seed)
Event 17, 100 freestyle (20th seed)

Kevin Swander
Event 3, 200 IM (18th seed)
Event 11, 100 breaststroke (9th seed)
Event 18, 200 breaststroke (4th seed)

Scott Tanner
Event 9, 100 butterfly (31st seed)

BIG TEN HONOREES
Indiana head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber picked up his second Diving Coach of the Year honor in two weeks with the first one coming at the women's meet, while senior Marc Carlton captured Diver of the Year, Diver of the Championships and First Team All-Big Ten accolades.

Meanwhile, junior Kevin Swander earned first team All-Big Ten recognition and senior Murph Halasz, freshman Ben Hesen, sophomore Lee Houchin, sophomore Brian Mariano and sophomore Colin Russell seized second team All-Big Ten certificates. Additionally, sophomore Scott Tanner was named the squad's sportsmanship honoree.

HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Not only was Indiana's three-point loss to Minnesota the closest Big Ten meet since 1948, but the second-place performance also is the best finish for the Cream and Crimson since capturing second in 1986.

TOWERING OVER THE COMPETITION
The Indiana diving corps combined to score 233 of the 497 team points at Big Tens. The total bested the Big Ten diving mark of 183 points, established in 2003.

BOOK-BURNING
Indiana has posted nine school records this season.

School Individual Records
Event Result Hoosier
100 free 43.51 Colin Russell
1650 free 15:00.48 Sergiy Fesenko
200 breast 1:56.16 Kevin Swander
100 fly 47.85 Scott Tanner
200 IM 1:46.89 Kevin Swander
3m 667.30 Marc Carlton
10m (dual) 460.50 Marc Carlton
10m (invite) 643.00 Marc Carlton

School Relay Records
Event Result Hoosiers
400 free 2:55.44 Houchin, Swander
Russell, Patrick

BIG TEN TITLES
At the 2005 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships Indiana claimed three individual titles.

Event Hoosier
3m Marc Carlton
200 breast Kevin Swander
10m Marc Carlton

NCAA AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
Indiana had six automatic qualifiers this season:

Event Time Hoosier
100 free 43.51 Colin Russell
200 free 1:35.75 Colin Russell
500 free 4:18.91 Sergiy Fesenko
1650 free 15:00.49 Sergiy Fesenko
100 breast 53.67 Kevin Swander
200 breast 1:56.16 Kevin Swander

NCAA PROVISIONAL QUALIFIERS
Indiana had 20 individual and five relay NCAA provisional qualifying marks so far this season.

Event Time Hoosier
50 free 19.92 Colin Russell
100 free 44.19 Lee Houchin
200 free 1:36.94 Sergiy Fesenko
200 free 1:38.13 Lee Houchin
200 free 1:38.41 Todd Patrick
200 free 1:38.99 JK Koehler
500 free 4:24.44 Alex Brunfeldt
500 free 4:25.67 JK Koehler
1650 free 15:13.91 Alex Brunfeldt
1650 free 15:15.57 JK Koehler
100 back 48.60 Ben Hesen
200 back 1:46.47 Mike Jones
100 fly 47.85 Scott Tanner
100 fly 48.09 Murph Halasz
100 fly 48.18 Thomas Clavier
200 fly 1:46.21 Murph Halasz
200 IM 1:46.89 Kevin Swander
200 IM 1:47.30 Todd Patrick
400 IM 3:51.00 Todd Patrick
400 IM 3:53.19 Matt Jensen

Relays Time
200 free 1:19.73
400 free 2:55.44
800 free 6:29.22
200 medley 1:27.73
400 medley 3:12.77

NCAA ZONE QUALIFIERS
Eight Indiana divers (Freshman Will Bohonyi, senior Alex Burns, senior Marc Carlton, junior Ryan Fagan, sophomore Brian Mariano, senior Brian Metzler, junior Jesse Rappaport and freshman Taylor Roberts) posted NCAA zone qualifying marks this season.

TREMENDOUS 10
The 144-97 win over then-No. 15 Purdue on Feb. 5 also accomplished the first 10-win season in 20 years for the Hoosiers. The last time IU picked up double-digit head-to-head victories was in 1985, when the Cream and Crimson went 10-2 with a Big Ten title under James 'Doc' Counsilman.

MILESTONE WINS
Since joining the Hoosiers, head coach Ray Looze has reached several milestones in dual-meet victories.

With Indiana's win over then-No. 19 Texas A&M on Oct. 29, Looze achieved his 50th career dual-meet victory. Looze's 40th career dual-meet triumph came against Kentucky on Feb. 2, 2003 with a 133-88 taming of the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Looze reached his 20th victory as a Hoosier with a 156-131 triumph over Southern Illinois on Dec. 4, 2004, as well as notched his 10th win under the Cream and Crimson banner versus the same Salukis on Jan. 10, 2004 with a 175-67 conquest of SIU.

USA DIVING INTERNATIONAL TEAM SELECTION CAMP
A group of six Indiana divers participated in the 2005 USA Diving International Team Selection Camp from Jan. 24-26 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. Senior Marc Carlton and junior Brian Mariano competed from the men's squad while senior Cassandra Cardinell, freshman Christina Loukas, junior Lisa Silvestri and sophomore Lindsay Weigle represented IU on the women's side.

CARLTON NAMED BIG TEN DIVER OF THE WEEK x 5
Senior Marc Carlton has won the Big Ten Diver of the Week award an astounding five times this season. His most recent came on Feb. 7 for his effort against then-No. 15 Purdue. Carlton has won the weekly award on Oct. 8, Nov. 22, Jan. 10, Jan. 24 and Feb. 7.

TEAM AWARDS
Prior to the Tennessee meet, Indiana honored its group of eight graduating seniors. Richard Bryant, Alex Burns, Marc Carlton, Brian Ellsworth, Murph Halasz, Niles Madison, Brian Metzler and David Winck all performed in the friendly confines of Counsilman-Billingsley.

Additionally, the Hoosiers handed out their annual team recognition awards before the meet. Dr. Doug MacAskill and David Bere were given the Dr. Ronald "Doc" Lewis Memorial Award for 2004 and 2005, while Terry Clapacs garnered the Marge Counsilman Service Award.

HALASZ TABBED BIG TEN SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
After helping then-No. 13 Indiana to its second consecutive invitational title with a win at the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 30 in Key Largo, Fla., senior Murph Halasz was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for the week of Jan. 3.

ROBERTS SNARES BIG TEN DIVER OF THE WEEK
After helping No. 13 Indiana to a pair of dual-meet victories over Southern Illinois (156-131) and Iowa (185.50-93.50) on Dec. 4 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind., freshman Taylor Roberts was named the Big Ten Diver of the Week for the week of Dec. 6.

INDIANA INKS TWO IN FALL
Indiana head coach Ray Looze and the Indiana University men's swimming and diving program announced the signing of two student-athletes for the 2005-06 academic year. A.J. Miller (Middlebury, Ind./Northridge) and Steven Murry (Memphis, Tenn./Gateway Christian) will look to impact Indiana beginning with the 2005-06 campaign.

IU DIVING SIGNS WEYERMANN
Indiana head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber and the Indiana University men's diving squad announced the signing of one student-athlete for the 2005-06 academic year. Max Weyermann (Katy, Texas/James E. Taylor) will look to impact Indiana beginning with the 2005-06 campaign.

DIVING DOMINANCE
The three-meter springboard and platform events of the Northwestern meet on Nov. 5 witnessed an incredible amount of execution as seven NCAA zone qualifying marks were posted and one IU record went down. Marc Carlton won the 3m title with a 366.97, while junior Ryan Fagan took second with a career-high 327.90. Both marks cleared the zone cut standard for the event. IU senior Alex Burns took third with a 297.37, while freshman Will Bohonyi notched a personal-best 168.60 in a non-scoring effort. After the event, IU was ahead in the meet, 156-125.

Carlton completed his diving dominance on the tower in front of an astonished crowd. The Webster, N.Y., native shattered the IU dual-meet mark by more than 150 points with a 460.50 string of dives to win the title. Fagan took second with a 336.37, while NU's Mike Oxman finished in third with a 331.35. Burns took fourth with a 315.15, while NU's Ryan McIntosh placed fifth with a 302.32. All marks were above the NCAA zone qualifying mark. The incredible effort closed out IU's 171-129 conquest of the Wildcats.

HESEN EARNS NCSW RECOGNITION
After helping Indiana sweep then-No. 19 Texas A&M, 137-106, on Oct. 29 and SMU, 154-89, on Oct. 30, freshman Ben Hesen garnered College Swimming.com National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week recognition for the week of Nov. 1.

BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
After helping Indiana defeat the Evansville Purple Aces, 160-87, in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on Oct. 15, freshman Todd Patrick garnered Big Ten Swimmer of the Week recognition for the week of Oct. 18. The award was Patrick's first in his career and the team's second of the year.

BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK SWEEP
After nearly knocking off the Texas Longhorns, 170-130, in the regular-season lidlifter on Oct. 8, Indiana University swept the Big Ten Swimmer and Diver of the Week awards for the week of Oct. 11. The conference office chose junior Kevin Swander, along with Wisconsin senior Eric Wiesner, as the Big Ten Co-Swimmer of the Week, while senior Marc Carlton garnered Diver of the Week recognition.

TEXAS TIES
Indiana sports a strong tie to Texas as Indiana 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.

LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE LONE STAR STATE
Indiana head coach Ray Looze must have enjoyed his time in the Lone Star State as three Texas teams are on this year's docket. IU opened its Texas Three Step by dropping a tough battle to Texas, 170-130, on Oct. 8 in Bloomington. Indiana then swept its Halloween weekend trip to Texas with a 137-106 conquest of then-No.19 Texas A&M in College Station Oct. 29 and a 154-89 triumph over SMU in Dallas on Oct. 30.

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 in 2004. 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 ConocoPhillips 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.

GOLDEN TONES Mike Jones
Junior Mike Jones offers a special treat to fans that attend Indiana swim meets as he sings the national anthem before each home competition.