Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Prep To Host Big Ten Swim and Dive Championships
2/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 14, 2011
Indiana at Big Ten Championships - Notes 
Big Ten Championships Information Page
For the first time since 2005, the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center will be the site of the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. The event runs Wednesday, Feb. 16 through Saturday, Feb. 19.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Hoosiers look to defend their Big Ten title as they play host to the 2011 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
• Indiana has won two Big Ten Championships in a row and three of the last four.
• The Hoosiers have three returning individual champions:
- Junior Margaux Farrell (200 Freestyle)
- Junior Allysa Vavra (400 Individual Medley)
- Junior Gabby Agostino (Platform Diving)
• Indiana is also the defending Big Ten Champion in the 800 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.
NEWS AND NOTES
• Indiana is ranked No. 14 in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll. Minnesota is the top ranked Big Ten team at No. 13, followed by Indiana, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 20 Purdue.
• The Hoosiers are 3-2 in dual meets this year against Big Ten competition. IU posted wins over Northwestern, Michigan and Penn State, while dropping contests to the Wolverines and Purdue.
RECAPPING 2010
• Indiana won its second-consecutive Big Ten title, tallying 758 points.
• Hoosiers won titles in the 100 freestyle (Donna Smailis), 200 Freestyle (Margaux Farrell), 100 Backstroke (Kate Fesneko), 200 Backstroke (Kate Fesenko), 200 Butterfly (Kate Fesenko), 400 Individual Medley (Allysa Vavra), 400 Freestyle Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay and Platform Diving (Gabby Agostino).
• Agostino, Farrell, Fesenko, Smailis, Brittany Strumbel, Vavra, Nikki White and Taylor Wohrley were all first-team All-Big Ten honorees. Brittany Barwegen, Ashley Jones and Ashley Specht were named to the second team.
• Fesenko took home Swimmer of the Year and Swimmer of the Championships honors, while Wohrley was named the Freshman of the Year.
DIVING WINS NATIONAL TITLES
• With a strong team performance, the Indiana University diving team came home with the women's team and combined collegiate titles at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in Iowa City, Iowa earlier this month.
• In addition, former Hoosier Christina Loukas won her ninth USA Diving national championship when she finished tied for first (339.60) in the women's 3-meter competition. IU freshman Laura Ryan took 10th (294.75).
• Also on the final day of competition, Ryan and sophomore Amy Cozad teamed up for a bronze medal in the synchronized platform competition, finishing with 262.41 points.
• In the women's 3-meter synchronized finals, Loukas teamed up with Abby Johnston for a second-place finish (308.10). Ryan and incoming freshman Kathryn Connolly took third after tallying 283.50 points.
• In the men's synchronized platform, Conor Murphy and partner Taner Wilfong took fourth with 290.70 points, with sophomores Zac Nees and Mick Dell'Orco placing fifth (278.37).
• The women's platform prelims saw freshman Laura Ryan advance to Saturday's final, where she finished eighth with a score of 280.05. Cozad just missed the cut after finishing 14th in the semifinals (539.79). Former IU standout Amy Korthauer posted a score of 252.20 in the quarterfinals (19th) and senior Heidi Mahnken a score of 210.50 (25th).
• Nees was the top IU finisher in the men's 3-meter springboard competition, placing 15th with a score of 699.90. Freshman Darian Schmidt was two spots behind with a score of 672.45. Dell'Orco tallied 309.75 points in the quarterfinals (26th).
• In 1-meter springboard competition, Nees finished 11th (324.65), with Schmidt 14th (321.60) and Dell'Orco 19th (299.55). On the women's side, Christina Kouklakis, who is redshirting this collegiate season, was 16th (226.80).
• In Sunday's men's platform semifinal, Dell'Orco placed 15th (668.20) and Murphy 16th (663.35).
JONES, WOHRLEY NAMED TO WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES TEAM
• Indiana University senior Ashley Jones and sophomore Taylor Wohrley have been selected to represent the United States at the 2011 World University Games, Aug. 14-19 in Shenzhen, China.
• Known internationally as the Summer Universiade, the multi-sport event takes place every two years and is considered the second largest international competition behind the Olympic Games. It boasts competitors from around the world and is open to student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28 who are less than one year removed from college or its equivalent.
• "It is a tremendous honor to Ashley, her family, and Indiana University that she have been selected to represent the United States at the World University Games (WUG) in Shenzhen, China at the end of the 2011 summer," head coach Ray Looze said. "She is the epitome of perseverance, desire, passion, hard work, and character. Throughout her five year stay at IU, Ashley has modeled the qualities our coaching staff hopes all Hoosier swimmers will possess once they graduate from our program. We look forward to having her very prepared to swim fast at this competition. "
• Jones, who will compete in the 200 backstroke, is in her final season of a standout career at Indiana. She earned All-America honors in the 400 Individual Medley last season and took second in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the Big Ten championships. In 2009 she placed sixth in the 200-meter backstroke at the World Championship trials and took fourth in the 200-meter back at the U.S. Open.
• As a freshman Jones qualified for the NCAA Championships where she competed in the 400 IM, 200 backstroke and 200 IM. During the summer after her freshman season she represented the U.S. at the Japan International Swim Meet, placing 17th in the 200 backstroke and 24th in the 200 IM.
• Wohrley, selected for the 100 backstroke, had an impressive freshman campaign in 2010 where she took second in the 200 backstroke and sixth in the 100 back at the Big Ten Championships. She was also part of the winning 400 free relay team and went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with a 13th-place finish in the 400 free relay.
• "I am really honored and privileged to be selected to such a prestigious group of swimmers and to compete internationally and represent the United States," Wohrley said. "I think it's really cool to come together each representing different universities and make one team. It's a milestone in a swimmer's career and I hope it's just the beginning for mine. I feel really lucky and excited to participate."
• This season Wohrley has the team's top 11 times in the 100 backstroke, including a season best of 53.55, which is an NCAA provisional time. She also has the two fastest times in the 200 back, with an NCAA B cut of 1:55.25.
• Jones and Wohrley continue a strong tradition of Indiana representation at the World University Games. Looze served as a coach with USA Swimming at the 2009 Games, while Kate Fesenko (swimming), Brittney Feldman (diving) and Amy Korthauer (diving) competed at the event. Feldman won a bronze in the synchronized three-meter event. This marks the sixth-straight World University Games where the Hoosiers have sent at least one representative.
Players Mentioned
