Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Prepare to Defend Title at Big Ten Championships
2/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 19, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
BIG TEN WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
February 21-23
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Columbus, Ohio
2007 Finish: 1st
SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana looks to defend its title at the 2008 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 21-23 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
• The Hoosiers won their third league title last season, while Ray Looze was named the Big Ten Women's Swimming Coach of the Year and Dr. Jeff Huber was named the Diving Coach of the Year.
NEWS AND NOTES
• After an almost four-week layoff, the Hoosiers head back to the pool for the 2008 Big Ten Championships.
• In their most recent competition against Big Ten foes, the Hoosiers defeated Purdue, 186-114 in a dual met on Jan. 26.
• Indiana also finished first at the Notre Dame Invitational, ahead of Michigan and Illinois.
• The Hoosiers were 2-0 in dual meets against Big Ten teams this season (Northwestern, Purdue).
• Indiana sophomore and 2004 Olympian Kate Zubkova should be considered among the favories in the backstroke events. Zubkova has posted an NCAA automatic time of 54.02 in the 100 back and has a B consideration in the 200 back (1:58.03).
• Zubkova also has B cuts in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.
• Zubkova's time in the 100 back leads the Big Ten and is 11th nationally. Her 100 fly time ranks sixth in the Big Ten, with her 200 IM time 12th.
• Freshman Amanda Smith is poised to make a splash at her first Big Ten championship. She is IU's top distance freestyler with NCAA B considerations in the 1,650 free (16:39.59) and 500 freestyle (4:47.88).
• Smith's time in the 500 ranks fifth in the Big Ten; her 1,650 free time ranks sixth.
• Sarah Stockwell's time of 1:03.08 in the 100 breast is eighth in the Big Ten, her 200 time )2:17.26) ranks ninth.
• Allison Kay ranks eighth in the Big Ten in the 400 individual medley (4:17.89).
• Brittney Feldman has led the diving charges this season and is a zone qualifier in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events.
• Feldman's top 1-meter score of 321.85 came at the Hoosierland Invitational in November.
• Her best 3-meter mark (312.60) was recorded in a dual meet victory at Northwestern in October.
2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
• Indiana won its first Big Ten title since 2003, scoring 715.5 team points to win the league championship. The Hoosiers got standout performances from all over the roster, winning seven event titles and setting 10 school records and two Big Ten records.
• The Hoosiers trailed the meet after the first day of competition, sitting in second place with 188.5 points. Michigan led the meet with 215 points. Indiana exploded for 265 second-day points, moving into first place with a two-day total of 453.5 points. IU nearly matched that effort on day three, picking up 262 more points to round out its total and win the meet by 153.5 points over second-place Michigan.
• Junior Christina Loukas turned in one of the most dominant performances in Big Ten diving history, becoming just the fourth league diver to win all three diving events in the same championship meet. Loukas set a new school and Big Ten record in winning the platform and a new school record in taking the three-meter, earning Big Ten Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships honors for the third straight year.
• Senior Leila Vaziri won the 100-yard backstroke, setting a new Big Ten record in the process. Freshman Presley Bard set a new school record in the prelims of the 200-yard backstroke, and went on to win the finals for her first individual league title. Sophomore Allison Kay won the 200-yard butterfly, becoming the first female swimmer in school history to win the event.
• Vaziri, sophomore Sarah Stockwell, Bard and senior Annica Lofstedt teamed to win the 400-yard medley relay on the first day of the meet, picking up IU's first win in the event since 1980.
• Indiana broke 10 school records at the Big Ten meet, with Vaziri setting the 100 back record with her leadoff leg of the 400 medley relay, then again in the 100 back the next day. Stockwell lowered her own record in the 100-yard breaststroke twice, while freshman Amilee Smith set a new school standard in the 200-yard breast with a second-place finish in the event. Loukas erased the previous marks in the three-meter and platform. Both medley relay units set new school standards, with Vaziri, Stockwell, Bard and Lofstedt doing the honors in both events.
• In addition to winning the league title, the Hoosiers came away from the conference meet with five of the seven postseason awards. Christina Loukas was named Big Ten Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships for the third straight season, while Presley Bard was named Freshman of the Year, Ray Looze was named Swimming Coach of the Year and Dr. Jeff Huber was named Diving Coach of the Year for the fourth time on the women's side.
• Indiana led all league schools with nine student-athletes named All-Big Ten. Bard, Loukas, Allison Kay, Annica Lofstedt, Sarah Stockwell and Leila Vaziri earned first team distinction, while Amilee Smith, Lindsay Weigle and Clarissa Wentworth garnered spots on the second team. Additionally, Christie Fuchs was named the Hoosiers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award nominee.
IN THE ZONE
• Freshman diver Christina Kouklakis had the meet of her young career at Tennessee on Jan. 18, posting an NCAA Zone cut of 282.91 in the 1-meter springboard.
• That score was third best on the afternoon and nearly 60 points better than her previous high of 225.31 in the dual at Northwestern in October.
• Also posting an NCAA Zone score was senior Ashley Greene in the 3-meter. Her mark of 281.18 topped her previous season best of 250.05 set just one week earlier.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• The Hoosiers moved back into the top 25 at No. 21 in the latest College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Top 25 rankings released February 15.
• The Big Ten has five teams in the top 25, led by No. 9 Minnesota. Also among the ranked are No. 11 Michigan, No. 12 Penn State and No. 20 Wisconsin.
• Northwestern sits just outside the top 25 in the "others receiving votes" category.
Players Mentioned
