Men Head to NCAA Championships

3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving

March 24, 2015

 
 Site: UI Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium (Iowa City, Iowa)
 Day/Time: March 26-28/ 12 p.m. ET Prelims; 8 p.m. ET Finals
 Live Stream Links: Live Stream Links
 Television: ESPNU: Wednesday, April 8 at 5 p.m. ET. (Tape Delay)
 Live Results:
 IU Meet Notes: NCAA Championships Notes 

SETTING THE SCENE
 Coming off a third-place finish at the 2015 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, the Hoosiers will send seven swimmers, four relay-only swimmers and two divers to the NCAA Championships, March 26-28 at the UI Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa.
 A total of nine of IU's 13 swimmers/divers/relay alternates are either freshmen or sophomores.
 The following Hoosiers will compete for IU. Indiana will also swim the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay and 800 free relay:
James Connor - diving
Michael Hixon - diving
Mike Hurley - 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Ali Khalafalla - 50 freestyle
Tanner Kurz - 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Jackson Miller - 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Blake Pieroni - 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Steve Schmuhl - 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, 200 butterfly
Anze Tavcar - 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Bob Glover - Relay Only
Max Irwin - Relay Only
Sam Lorentz - Relay Only
Yianni Thermos - Relay Only

NEWS AND NOTES
 Indiana is aiming for its 26th top-10 finish and fourth straight. The Hoosiers finished 10th at last year's meet in Austin with a score of 141 points, despite bringing just four swimmers and two divers to the meet.
 Steve Schmuhl, Jackson Miller, Max Irwin and Anze Tavcar are returning All-Americans from 2014.
 The Hoosiers are coming off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, held Feb. 25-28 at Iowa.
 Indiana swept the diving events with sophomore Michael Hixon winning the 1-meter springboard and freshman James Connor taking the 3-meter and platform titles.
 Hixon set a new Big Ten record on the 1-meter with a score of 474.45, while Connor set school records on the 3-meter (494.60) and platform (532.45).
 For the fourth-straight year a Hoosier took home Diver of the Championship honors as Connor earned the award.
 Freshman Blake Pieroni shared Freshman of the Year honors after taking third in the 800 free relay, seventh in the 200 IM, second in the 200 free relay, third in the 200 freestyle, fifth in the 100 free and second in the 400 freestyle relay.
 The Hoosiers went 8-4 in dual meets this year, including a season-opening win over Auburn.
 Indiana faced one of the toughest schedules in the country, swimming dual meets with Texas, Michigan, Auburn, Louisville and Ohio State.

CSCAA NATIONAL RANKINGS
 The Indiana men come in at No. 15 in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America national rankings released on Feb.5.
 The Hoosiers are one of six teams in the Big Ten ranked in the top 25, joined by No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 21 Iowa, and No. 23 Wisconsin.

SEASON AT A GLANCE
 The Hoosiers finished the dual meet season at 8-4, with the four losses coming against No. 2 Texas, No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 11 Louisville. Indiana has wins over No. 5 Auburn, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 23 Wisconsin, Louisville and Notre Dame.

USA SWIMMING JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM
 A pair of Hoosiers are currently members of the 2014-15 USA Swimming Junior National Team.
 Freshman Blake Pieroni is on the team in the 200 freestyle, while freshman Cody Taylor is a member in the 200 breaststroke.
 Pieroni currently holds the IU record in the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle. He earned silver medals in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and also took gold as a member of the 800 freestyle relay.
 Pieroni is the 2014 USA Swimming 18-and-under national champion in the 100 freestyle and took bronze in the 400 medley relay at 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals. He took gold in the 800 freestyle relay with a meet and 15-18 and 17-8 age group record time of 7:28.28.
 Pieroni also took gold in the 400 free relay with a meet record time of 3:24.62. Across the 2014 Junior and Senior nationals set Indiana state 17-18 age group records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle.
 Taylor is the USA Swimming 18-and-under National Champion in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:12.73). He earned the award by finishing first in the B final at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships.
 Taylor also placed seventh in the 100 breaststroke at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

WELCOME TO IU
 The storied Indiana diving program got a lift when sophomore Michael Hixon joined the team this summer.
 Hixon is the reigning NCAA Champion on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards after capturing the titles his freshman year at Texas.
 Since coming to IU, Hixon placed second in the 1-meter springboard competition at the USA Diving Winter Nationals, earning a spot on the 2015 World Championships team.
 Hixon has already made his mark on the record book, setting a new Big Ten record on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 474.45.
 His season-best score of 461.70 on the 3-meter ranks second all time.

BIG TEN HONORS
 Indiana picked up 10 Big Ten weekly honors this season, led by sophomore diver Michael Hixon's four Big Ten Diver of the Week accolades.
 Hixon was named Diver of the Week on Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Dec. 23 and Jan. 20.
 Sophomore Anze Tavcar was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 14 and Nov. 4.
 Freshman James Connor picked up the Big Ten Diver of the Week honor on Oct. 14.
 Ali Khalafalla was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Oct. 14, with Blake Pieroni the Freshman of the Week on Dec. 9 and Jan. 20.

2015 BIG TEN RECAP
 Indiana's freshman and sophomore-laden team posted a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Feb. 25-28 in Iowa City.
 It was a pair of freshmen that had a big meet for the Hoosiers in swimmer Blake Pieroni and diver James Connor.
 Pieroni started by helping IU to a third-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay with a school-record time of 6:16.82. Pieroni's leadoff time of 1:33.10 is an IU record in the 200 free.
 He them took seventh in the 200 IM, posting a career-best time of 1:44.82 in prelims.
 In the 200 freestyle Pieroni swam the second leg as the team placed second in a school-record time of 1:17.60.
 That was followed by a third-place finish in the 200 free.
 On the final day of competition Pieroni took fifth in the 100 free, setting a school record in prelims (42.78) and swam second leg on the 400 free relay that took second (2:51.45).
 Connor was named Big Ten Diver of the Championships after winning the 3-meter with a school-record score of 494.60. He ended the meet with a win on the platform, posting a new school record of 532.45.
 Connor also placed fourth on the 1-meter with a career best 394.55.
 Sophomore Michael Hixon won the other Big Ten title for the Hoosiers, setting a new Big Ten record on the 1-meter with a score of 474.45.
 Freshman Ali Khalafalla placed sixth in the 50 freestyle and 11th in the 100 free.
 Khalafalla was also on the 200 free relay and 400 free relay teams that took second with new school records.
 Sophomore Jackson Miller took fourth in the 500 free with a new school record of 4:16.09. He was ninth in the 1,650 free with a career best of 15:11.13, and fifth in the 200 free with a career time of 1:34.50.
 Senior Steve Schmuhl was the silver medalist in the 400 individual medley, clocking in at 3:41.88. That is the third-fastest time in IU history.
 Sophomore Anze Tavcar placed fourth in the 100 free with a time of 43.08, the fourth-fastest time in IU history. Tavcar was also 10th in the 50 free and ninth in the 200 free, while swimming on IU's second-place 200 free and 400 free relays.
 Junior Tanner Kurz took second in the 200 breaststroke with a career-best time of 1:54.23. Kurz was also an A finalist in the 100 breaststroke, finishing eighth (53.15).

2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
 Despite having just four invited swimmers and two invited divers the Indiana men posted their third-straight top-10 finish with 141 points at the 2014 meet in Austin, Texas.
 Eric Ress was runner-up in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:38.69, to go along with a 12th-place finish in the 200 IM (1:43.13).
 Cody Miller was also a silver medalist, finishing second in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:51.82. He also took sixth in the 100 breast (52.09) and 10th in the 200 IM (1:43.12).
 Steve Schmuhl ranked fourth in the 400 IM (3:40.64) and seventh in the 200 fly (1:43.17).
 James Wells won the consolation final of the 100 backstroke with a time of 45.90.
 Darian Schmidt led the divers with a sixth-place finish on the 3-meter (379.35).

2014 (10th- 141 points)
Relays
400 Medley Relay - 3:08.02 (11th)
Wells (Ress), Miller, Irwin, Tavcar
800 Freestyle Relay - 6:21.88 (11th)
Schmuhl, J. Miller, Ress, Irwin
Individual
Cody Miller
200 IM 1:43.12 (10th)
100 breast 52.09 (6th)
200 breast 1:51.82 (2nd)
Steve Schmuhl
200 IM 1:43.12 (10th)
400 IM 3:40.64 (4th)
200 butterfly 1:43.17 (7th)
Eric Ress
200 IM 1:43.13 (12th)
200 back 1:38.69 (2nd)
Emad Abdelatif
1M 317.55 (16th)
3M 326.35 (15th)
James Wells
100 back 45.90 (9th)
Darian Schmidt
3M 379.35 (6th)
2012 AA Total: 21

BIG TEN POWER
 Looze has directed the Hoosiers to 11 top-four Big Ten finishes in 13 years at the helm of the Indiana program.
 Indiana finished third in 2003, fourth in 2004, second in 2005, first in 2006, fourth in 2007, second in 2008, second in 2011, third in 2012, second in 2013 and 2014, and third in 2015.

NCAA HISTORY
 The Hoosiers have a storied history at the NCAA meet, winning the team title for six-straight seasons from 1968-1973.
 During that time Indiana took home 39 individual and relay titles, including eight NCAA titles for Mark Spitz and eight for Gary Hall.
 Spitz was the NCAA 100 butterfly champion all four seasons at IU (1969-72), and won the 100 fly, 500 free and 200 free at the 1969 meet.
 Hall was a three-time champion in 1971 (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 backstroke) and a two-time champion (200 IM, 400 IM in 1972).
 Overall Hoosiers have won 80 individual and relay NCAA titles, most recently with Ben Hesen winning the 100 backstroke crown in 2008.