Indiana University Athletics
2005-06 Men's Swimming and Diving Outlook
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Sept. 13, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - With the men's swimming and diving season less than a month away, IUHOOSIERS.com takes a look at how the season might pan out for the Hoosiers.
2005-06 SEASON OUTLOOK
Last season, Indiana head coach Ray Looze nearly advanced his plans to return Indiana to the glory land of Big Ten-title ownership a year sooner than planned. This season, the Hoosiers will look to capitalize on the momentum created by coming just three points shy of the Big Ten crown.
After three seasons, Looze is well on his way to placing IU back among the elite programs in the country. In 2004-05, Indiana turned in another amazing performance at the Big Ten Championships, taking second. During the league meet, the Hoosiers grabbed another swimming title, with senior Kevin Swander snaring the 200 breast title.
"We are heading into our fourth year, and we have the same goals as we always have," Looze said. "Our goal for the Big Ten level is to win the conference championship. At the NCAA level, we want to finish in the top 10. We would like to have anywhere from 12-13 individual swimmers make NCAAs and would like to qualify all five of our relays.
While the Hoosiers did extremely well at the Big Ten level, they responded just a month later with an impressive outing at the NCAA Championships. Indiana accumulated 76 total points to claim 16th place, which was the best finish for IU since posting a 15th-place effort in 1991.
"I think we can be very successful at the NCAA level this season," Looze said. "The first and most important thing is to make sure that we qualify the right people. Then, those people have to perform once they get there."
On top of returning nine All-Americans, the Hoosiers welcome in a class that includes a plethora of high school All-Americans as well. The IU recruiting class also adds a variety of top distance freestylers, breaststrokers and butterflyers to an already deep Hoosier squad.
"The recruiting class is even better than what we could have hoped for," Looze said. "I am really excited about some of the incoming freshmen. They have improved a lot over the summer. They are extremely motivated and excited to be Hoosiers. What more could you ask for?"
FREESTYLE
According to Looze, the Hoosiers have improved what he had seen as the biggest team weakness last season in the 50-yard freestyle. IU's sprint crew will include junior Colin Russell, junior Lee Houchin, sophomore Todd Patrick and freshman Nick Walkotten.
Last season, Russell earned four All-American certificates. He also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at Big Tens and swam in the championship heat six times at the conference meet. Additionally, Russell picked up a silver medal at the World Championships as a member of the Canadian 800 LCM freestyle relay. The 10-time school record holder also took eighth in the 400 LCM free at the World University Games.
"Obviously, Colin Russell will help us," Looze said. "He was under 20 last year. He is the top returning swimmer in the 50. I think Lee Houchin will improve quite a bit. He is a great swimmer, and if we can help him make strides in his starts and turns, he is going to be an NCAA-level sprinter. I think Todd Patrick will be able to help us as well as Nick Walkotten. Those will probably be our top four guys."
The Hoosiers will rely on the same group of swimmers from the 50 free in their attack on 100-yard freestyle points in the upcoming season.
Houchin claimed seven event titles last season and set or reset four of his five personal bests. Additionally, Houchin earned second team All-Big Ten with a second-place effort as the anchor of the 400-yard medley relay. Meanwhile, he garnered a trio of All-American certificates as a member of the 10th-place 800 free, 12th-place 200 free and 13th-place 400 free relays. The Nashville, Tenn., product can also be found in the school record books 17 times.
"Colin is our top returning guy, with Houchin coming close behind in the 100 free," Looze said. "Patrick played a great role as a freshman. He improved a lot and made his Olympic Trial cut over the summer. Walkotten made nationals in the 100 free. It is the same crew in the 50 that will be big players in the 100 freestyle. We are far better off this year than we were last year in the sprint frees. That will also have a great impact on how we do in the relays."
According to Looze, the 200-yard freestyle will be one of the strengths of the team in 2005-06. The top returning swimmers in the event are Russell and senior Sergiy Fesenko.
Fesenko, a dominant distance specialist, posted NCAA provisionals in three different individual events. He also won 15 event titles and obliterated IU's record books by setting or helping to set six standards. He posted a 4:17.96 at NCAAs in the 500 free to break Rich Granneman's old record of 4:17.98 set in March of 1991. He also became the only sub-nine minute Hoosier in the 1,000-yard freestyle with an 8:58.94 1,650-yard free split at NCAAs. Meanwhile, Fesenko broke the school mark in the mile with a 15:00.49 at Big Tens. Both his distance records snapped previous James Sweeney efforts. Additionally, Fesenko snagged a pair of gold medals at the Ukrainian National Championships over the summer.
"This is one of the strengths of the team," Looze said. "Colin and Sergiy are the top two guys. Lee and Todd will also play major roles. We finished 10th in the country in the 800 freestyle and that was our top relay. I think we are going to go big final this year."
The longer the distance in the freestyle events, the more points Indiana will tend to gain over its opponents, according to Looze. On top of Fesenko and Russell swimming in the 500 free, Indiana will field a large crew of distance swimmers in sophomore John Kevin Koehler, sophomore Alex Brunfeldt, junior Paul Sigfusson and junior Ryan McNeill.
In 2004-05, Koehler won four event titles and finished in the top three 15 times. He claimed points at the Big Ten Championships in the 200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle events. He finished eighth in the mile at Big Tens and placed just outside the points in the 1,650-yard free at NCAAs. He can be found in the IU record books on 11 occasions.
"Again, the 500 free should be another strength of the team," Looze said. "Sergiy is our top returning guy. I think he can go big final at NCAAs. He is going to be right up there at the top one or two at the conference level, but we have the NCAA champion in our conference, so it makes it hard to get a win there. I think Colin will return to that event. He had a great summer in the 400-meter free. He is most likely going to return to that event. We will have J. K. Koehler, as well as Alex Brunfeldt, Paul Sigfusson and Ryan McNeill. We have a whole slew of guys that can help us in the 500 free. We probably go six deep in that event with people that have the potential to score. That is a great event for us."
In the distance free, Indiana will not only rely on Fesenko and Koehler as some of the top returning talent in the mile, IU will also add freshmen Steffan Troxel, Michael Son and Norman Ference to the marathon corps.
"We return three NCAA qualifiers in the mile," Looze said. "I think we could have upwards of four guys from that to make NCAAs. We added a couple good freshmen with Steffan Troxel, who has national cuts, as well as Michael Son. With what we return with Norm Ference coming off a freshman redshirt, we go six-to-seven deep in that event. The mile will score us quite a few points at the conference meet as well as the NCAAs."
BACKSTROKE
According to Looze, the 100-yard backstroke should be much improved from last season with the return of Walkotten from a medical redshirt. Also helping the IU campaign in the 100 back will be sophomore Ben Hesen, senior Mike Jones, junior Scott Tanner and Patrick as well as freshman Jeff Wood.
Last season, Hesen garnered CollegeSwimming.com National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week recognition. He also won 14 titles throughout the year and earned All-American honors by advancing the 200-yard medley to finals at NCAAs. Meanwhile, Hesen finished in the points in four events at Big Tens.
"Hopefully, this event should be improved for us," Looze said. "Ben Hesen was pretty much our main guy last year. I expect Ben and Nick Walkotten to really push each other to something great, and that happened over the summer. I see that happening in the college season, too. I think we will end up with an elite-level backstroke. Beyond that, I expect Jeff Wood to help out quite a bit. Scott Tanner and Michael Jones were just off being able to score. I think they can get into the scoring realm. Todd Patrick is also a really good 100 backstroker to boot. I think we go five deep in the 100 back this year, which is nice."
As per Looze, the 200 backstroke could be one of the few weak areas for the Hoosiers. Jones, the top returner in the event, will be joined by Hesen, Wood and Patrick.
Jones provided valuable depth last season with 21 top-three finishes for the Hoosiers, five of which were second-place efforts. Meanwhile, he set or reset five personal records and owns the school record in both the 100 SCM backstroke and 200 SCM backstroke.
"This is probably one of our weak areas," Looze said. "Mike Jones is the top returning guy and he went consolation finals at Big Ten. We really need to get some guys to step up. Ben is going to swim this event. He can be a real good 200 backstroke, but we have to get him experienced enough to know how to do it right. Jeff Wood is another guy that could potentially step in and help us in this event. Obviously, Todd Patrick was our second fastest guy last year and he will swim some 200 back for us during the year. This is an event where we need some guys to step up. We have some talent, but people will have to improve if we are going to score some needed points in this area."
BUTTERFLY
The 100-yard butterfly will be another strength of the squad in 2005-06. Walkotten, Tanner, Hesen and senior Thomas Clavier will look to amass points for the Hoosier cause.
Clavier is coming off a gritty year for Indiana. The Covington, La., native demonstrated uncommon toughness by swimming both the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke without a right anterior cruciate ligament after snapping it in a freak accident shortly after the Michigan dual meet. Not only did he swim with the injury, he finished seventh in the 100 fly at the conference championships.
"The 100 fly is a strength of the team," Looze said. "We have Walkotten back as one of the top butterflyers in the country. We have Scott Tanner and Thomas Clavier and also Ben Hesen. There is a tremendous amount of talent in the 100 fly. I think we can have four in the big final this next year at Big Tens."
While the 100 fly could be a major strength for IU, the 200 fly could be an area of weakness. IU loses All-American and school record holder Murph Halasz to graduation. Tanner and Walkotten will be looked to for points, while junior Matt Jensen will also help.
Tanner came out of nowhere to break Halasz's 100 fly school standard with a 47.82 at NCAAs in 2005. Previously, the record had stood since Mark Spitz's days at IU in 1972. Additionally, Tanner earned All-American recognition as the third leg of the 12th-place 200 medley and swam in the championship final in both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly at Big Tens.
"This could be a weakness for us," Looze said. "We lose Murph Halasz, and he was a critical player. I think Nick is going to swim the fly for us and I think he is going to be really good in it. We have Scott Tanner back. He will play a good role. The person with the most ability to improve is probably Matt Jensen. I think he is ready for a breakthrough year. He has gotten a lot stronger over the summer. The talent is there, we just need people to step up and get the job done."
BREASTSTROKE
The breaststroke events should return to the vaunted level previously known as one of Indiana's best events during its run of 23 Big Ten Team Championships in the 60s and 70s. Not only will IU field Swander, Clavier, sophomore Ronnie Hehn and senior Hank Baldwin, the Hoosiers welcome freshmen Heath Tameris and A.J. Miller. Tameris just came off a breaststroke sweep at the junior national championships over the summer.
"We should be fine here," Looze said. "We have Kevin Swander, Thomas Clavier, Ronnie Hehn, Hank Baldwin, Heath Tameris and A.J. Miller. I think those guys are all going to play a role in what happens in the 100 breast. We go five-to-six deep in that event."
Indiana returns the defending Big Ten champion in the 200 breast with Swander heading into his senior season. Additionally, Tameris and Miller will join Baldwin, Hehn and sophomore Alec Haley in the 200 breaststroke crew.
Swander earned a pair of silver medals at the World University Games with a second-place finish in the 100 LCM breast and as the second leg of the runner-up United States' 400 LCM medley relay in Izmir, Turkey. He also claimed third place in the 100 LCM breaststroke at the World Championship Trials, while earning four All-American certificates to move his total to 10 for his IU career. He either owns or is a member of 13 school standards.
"I think we are going to be pretty good in this, too," Looze said. "Kevin, Heath and A.J. all have the potential to go well under two minutes, which will make big finals at Big Tens. Kevin has the ability to win an NCAA title next year if he continues to improve. Hopefully, Hank and Ronnie can step up with Alec Haley to score. We could go five deep in potential scorers at Big Tens and have several make NCAAs."
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
In the 200 IM, IU will return Swander and Patrick, while Miller is one of the top high school performers in the event. Additionally, Indiana will swim Jones, Clavier, Haley and Jensen in the event for depth points.
In 2004-05, Patrick was IU's most active and dominant swimmer of the season. He earned Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for his performance against Evansville and won 20 event crowns. He captured points for IU in five events at Big Tens and earned All-American status in four relays at NCAAs. He is found in IU's record book 23 times.
"This is going to be another strength of the team," Looze said. "We return Kevin and Todd Patrick. Both of them are NCAA guys. We add an A.J. Miller who is one of the top high school people in this event. We have three front line 200 IMers. Hopefully, a fourth will step up between Mike Jones, Thomas Clavier, Alec Haley or Matt Jensen. Somebody that can get well under 1:50 and be a good fourth guy for us."
The 400 IM closed out the individual events for the Hoosiers. Indiana will swim Jensen, Haley, Miller and freshman Steven Murry in the event.
Last season, Jensen placed in the top three eight times for the Hoosiers. He also set or reset five personal best and moved into IU's record chronicles 16 times.
"Matt Jensen is our top returning guy," Looze said. "We aren't going to have Todd Patrick swim this. Matt is going to be an important player as will Alec Haley. A.J. Miller might swim the 400 IM, because of the depth we have at breaststroke. I expect the 400 IM to be pretty good for us. Steven Murry is one of the top high school 400 IMers. I think we are going to have four guys that are pretty competitive. I am just wondering if one or two of them can make the big final at Big Tens. Also, can anybody step up and make NCAAs?"
RELAYS
Indiana is optimistic about its relays for the upcoming year after qualifying all five to the NCAA Championships in 2005. Even though the 400-yard medley was disqualified, IU placed its four other relays in the points. The 800-yard freestyle took 10th, while the 200-yard freestyle and medley relays placed 12th. The 400-yard freestyle event rounded out the IU effort at NCAAs with a 13th-place effort.
"Our medley relays are very strong," Looze said. "We have a really good stroke guy in each of those. We have two good backstrokers, a slew of good breaststrokes and flyers and now several freestylers to pick from. Our freestyle relays are vastly improved. Our 800 was one of the best in the country."
Overall, Looze is hopeful for the 2005-06 season after coming so close at the 2005 Big Ten Championships.
"We have a pretty good team," Looze said. "It is deep. We have improved our weaknesses and enhanced our strengths."
DIVING
After what may have been the most outstanding diving year in recent memory, the 2005-06 Indiana University men's diving program looks to blast into the stratosphere as it boasts an incredible amount of top-level talent and depth. The combination of veteran divers, with an influx of fresh and vibrant newcomers, should rocket IU Diving to unparalleled heights.
"We should be very competitive on all three levels this year," Indiana head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber said. "Perhaps, we may be more competitive than we have ever been before, especially on the 10-meter."
The upcoming year's squad boasts eight members with six returnees and a pair of fresh faces. The crop of divers includes two seniors, one junior, three sophomores, a transfer and a freshman.
Leading the way for the Hoosiers will be returning All-American Ryan Fagan and fellow senior Jesse Rappaport.
Fagan continued a solid run for IU during his junior season. He garnered an All-American certificate with a 15th-place effort in the one-meter at NCAAs. Additionally, he helped IU blast the record books at Big Tens with a pair of fourth-place finishes on the three-meter and platform. Overall, IU Diving amassed 233 points to best the previous conference mark of 183 established by Indiana in 2003. Meanwhile, Fagan is currently among the top 10 in three categories in IU's record books.
"Ryan has improved even from his finish two summers ago when he made finals at senior nationals," Huber said. "He is experienced and will be very competitive on all three levels and will provide us with a great deal of leadership. Ryan should contend for a Big Ten title."
Rappaport made an immediate impact after transferring to IU from Rowan University. The Glassboro, N.J., product cleared the zone qualifying standard eight times in 2004-05. Additionally, he finished no lower than seventh at Big Tens to help IU destroy the conference diving point record. He placed fifth on the platform at the conference meet for his best effort at Big Tens. He also claimed eighth on the tower at the Zone C meet.
"Jesse is an explosive athlete and has really improved over the summer," Huber said. "As his back and reverse optionals become more consistent, he will be very competitive on all three levels at both the Big Tens and NCAAs. He should contend for a Big Ten title and provide leadership for our team."
Junior Brian Mariano is IU's second returning All-American. The Naugatuck, Conn., native provided Indiana with an incredible one-two punch when diving with Big Ten Diver of the Year Marc Carlton last season. Not only did Mariano pick up an All-American honor with a 13th-place finish on the tower at NCAAs, he earned second team All-Big Ten recognition with a second-place effort on the platform at Big Tens. Meanwhile, Mariano gobbled up points for IU during the dual meet season by placing in the top four on 10 occasions.
"After taking the summer off, Brian will have to spend the first part of the season getting back in shape," Huber said. "Depending on how quickly he does that, he could have a good year and make finals on 3m at the Big Tens and possibly contend for a Big Ten title on 10m."
Sophomore Will Bohonyi helped the Hoosiers by providing solid depth to the diving corps. The Mechanicsburg, Pa., product competed in seven meets for IU last year. He also finished in the points for the Hoosiers with a 12th-place effort on the tower at Big Tens. Additionally, he finished 18th on the one-meter and 21st on the three-meter at the league meet. Meanwhile, he competed at the Zone C meet and took 19th on the one-meter and 29th on the three-meter.
"Will has really improved over the summer and will be competitive on all three levels," Huber said. "He is just now starting to get comfortable with his 10m optional list, which has a great deal of high degree of difficulty dives. Will scored at Big Tens last year on 10m but he should score on all three levels this season."
Fellow sophomore David Legler will look to contribute to Indiana in the upcoming season. He competed in seven meets for Indiana last season and posted plenty of personal-high marks throughout the year.
"David has a great rip, a lot of athletic talent and he is slowly learning how to use his quickness and ability to consistently hit his dives," Huber said. "As he becomes more consistent, he will be a major factor for the team at the Big Ten Championships."
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Roberts may see his opportunity to shine come now. The Aurora, Colo., native claimed Big Ten Diver of the Week for his performance against Iowa and Southern Illinois last season. Additionally, he eclipsed the NCAA zone-qualifying standard nine times. At the Big Ten Championships, Roberts consumed a massive amount of points by tallying points in all three events at the conference meet. His highest finish came with a fifth-place effort on the one-meter. Meanwhile, Roberts placed in the top-four all 14 times he was a scoring diver during the dual meet season.
"Taylor had some surgery immediately after last season and it seems to have really eliminated the discomfort he was feeling in his shoulder," Huber said. "Taylor had a great summer of training, better than we probably anticipated, because his surgery went so well. Although he did not have a good senior national championship this summer, I am convinced that he is ready to take a big step forward with his diving. He will be very competitive in vying for a Big Ten title, especially on 3m, and will provide leadership for the team."
Sophomore Justin Montrie, a transfer from Kentucky, should provide an immediate boost to IU's already amazing depth. As a Wildcat, Montrie placed 17th on the platform, 30th on the three-meter and 36th on the one-meter at the NCAA Zone Diving Championship. Additionally, he took 14th on the platform, 18th on the one-meter and 21st on the three-meter at the Southeastern Conference Championships.
"Justin has been a great addition to the team," Huber said. "He is an outstanding athlete who has to become more technically sound with his diving. As he continues to make corrections and improve, he will be competitive at the Big Tens and NCAAs. He is in the process of learning several new dives on 10m and a few on 1m and 3m. With more practice his diving will rise to the next level."
The final newcomer to IU Diving is Max Weyermann. The high school All-American from James E. Taylor High School out of Katy, Texas, claimed a state championship during his time at the prep level. Additionally, he garnered the Texas Diver of the Year award in 2004.
"Max is a talented diver whose best diving is really ahead of him," Huber said. "He is a great athlete and will be competitive on all three levels. He needs to learn a few dives on 10m and make a few corrections in his hurdle. Once these are in place, he will be competitive at the Big Tens and NCAAs as a freshman."
