Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Olympic Swimming & Diving Press Conference
6/25/2021 4:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Watch | Drew Johansen and Jessica Parratto Press ConferenceWatch | Andrew Capobianco Press ConferenceWatch | Zach Apple Press ConferenceWatch | Blake Pieroni Press ConferenceWatch | Michael Brinegar and Tomer Frankel Press ConferenceWatch | Bailey Andison Press ConferenceWatch | Lilly King Press ConferenceWatch | Annie Lazor Press ConferenceWatch | Ray Looze Press Conference
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana head diving coach Drew Johansen, diver Andrew Capobianco, head swimming coach Ray Looze and Olympic gold medalist Lilly King on Friday, June 25.
Drew Johansen
Opening Statement…
JOHANSEN: Thank you. Here we are again with Jessica (Parratto). Round two for her second Olympic experience. Thanks to her performances along with the other Hoosiers, I was fortunate to be named head coach again. We're looking forward to getting back to the Olympic stage after a very interesting COVID year. It's kind of surreal that it's happening. Jessica did a great job at trials and we're feeling good as we're getting ready to leave for Tokyo soon.
Q. On the collection of divers going and what they can accomplish…
JOHANSEN: As far as the team that we have, Jessica is very humble in saying they were the second-best team. The results kind of created that. But right now, Jess and Delaney defeated the defending bronze medalists from the USA at the last World Championships and are poised to challenge anybody in the world.
We're really excited about the team; we have a nice mixture of veterans and new ones. Jessica on her second Olympics, paired up with Delaney (Schnell) in her first Olympics. Same scenario in the Men's 3M where we have Mike Hixon paired up with new-Olympian Andrew Capobianco. The team has a really nice mixture of experienced divers, medalists, with some of the new talent that's going to take us through Tokyo and into Paris, so we're really excited.
Q. On being the coach…
JOHANSEN: Just a tremendous honor. To be a head coach of an Olympic team once, I thought was going to be a once in a lifetime experience. Here it is, the third time. You get named the head coach based on the performance of your athletes. So, it's, this lady here and Andrew who you'll be talking to soon. It's their performances that gave me this honor. To me, it's just a tremendous gift. Here in the third round, the experience I bring to this team is only going to continue to help us stay as a team and have great performances while we're there.
Andrew Capobianco
Q. On the experience so far of qualifying for the Olympics…
CAPOBIANCO: The experience has been a dream. I definitely saw it coming a little. We've been working really hard. With the extra year, it gave me a little bit more confidence going into it. I am one of the younger competitors, so I think that was definitely a good thing for me. It just gives me confidence moving forward. Drew (Johansen) has just done such a great job with me physically but more importantly, mentally I've become a very strong competitor and a much more confident competitor. I think that my first few years, I was a bit doubtful of myself. Now I see I can be one of the best in the world, so I'm excited.
Q. On health guidelines in Tokyo…
CAPOBIANCO: I haven't heard anything about it recently. We do get a bunch updates from the Team USA officials that are going with us to Tokyo. Basically, they're telling us we're going to have to remain in the athlete village. After we're done competing, we do have to come back 48 hours afterwards. My last competition will be August 4th if I make the finals and I'll have to come back on the fifth. I won't be able to go to closing ceremonies or anything like that, but I'm just excited to go and compete and experience it all.
Head Swimming Coach Ray Looze
Opening Statement…
LOOZE: It is a huge honor to get to be a part of the USA swimming staff again. Five years later, I feel like I know what I am doing this time around. I am grateful that we had three swimmers in Rio, and now we will have five in Tokyo. We are definitely moving in the right direction. I think we have 12 total swimmers and divers overall, and eight U.S. We are moving in the right direction, and I am super pumped to go to Tokyo and make USA proud.
Q: On the amount of sacrifice on your part with sharing (Michael) Brinegar with between yourself and coach Mark Schubert…
LOOZE: Mark Schubert had pool access during the quarantine for everything, but two weeks. I sent my own daughter out to Mission Viejo her last summer. My agreement with coach Schubert when Michael decided to come here was that he could go home and swim with Mission in the summer, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. He even redshirted and stayed in Mission, not this year, but the 2020 year. So, this is all what we had planned, and it has worked out beautifully. Honestly, without that extra pool time, being a distance kid, I don't know if he is on the Olympic team. It was a real advantage for him, and it paid off.
Q: On the influence of international swimmers like Vini Lanza and what he has done for your team…
LOOZE: When Doc was the swimming coach, we had people from all over the world. We really try to have an international team. My only chance to go to the Games is through the United States. Obviously, it's my country. So, it is important that we put a good proportion of our Olympians on the team for the United States. Vini is one of our greatest swimmers ever, an NCAA champion. I am really happy that he gets to go to his first Olympic games. Bailey Andison for Canada and Tomer Frankel for Israel, and Marwan Elkamash for Egypt. It is all important. They are all Olympians. We take great pride in Indiana Swimming and Diving as a testament to our 69 Olympic medals. We hope to add to that total."
Lilly King
Q: On what is different this time around…
KING: I am glad Ray is saying that I am in the best shape ever. That is definitely reassuring. I am ready to go. I feel much more experienced at this point. Going into 2016, I was like a deer in the headlights. I had no idea what was going on. I am feeling a lot more at ease but also prepared."
Q: On what it's like having teammate and friend, Annie Lazor, around you
KING: It is comforting having someone next to you in an Olympic Trials final. Not just in that comfort of her being there, but Annie and I can strategize races together which is something that we did at trials. It's fun. I have never been in a major international competition with a teammate in my event. It is very special, and I am going to live in the moment. I am very excited to race.
Drew Johansen
Opening Statement…
JOHANSEN: Thank you. Here we are again with Jessica (Parratto). Round two for her second Olympic experience. Thanks to her performances along with the other Hoosiers, I was fortunate to be named head coach again. We're looking forward to getting back to the Olympic stage after a very interesting COVID year. It's kind of surreal that it's happening. Jessica did a great job at trials and we're feeling good as we're getting ready to leave for Tokyo soon.
Q. On the collection of divers going and what they can accomplish…
JOHANSEN: As far as the team that we have, Jessica is very humble in saying they were the second-best team. The results kind of created that. But right now, Jess and Delaney defeated the defending bronze medalists from the USA at the last World Championships and are poised to challenge anybody in the world.
We're really excited about the team; we have a nice mixture of veterans and new ones. Jessica on her second Olympics, paired up with Delaney (Schnell) in her first Olympics. Same scenario in the Men's 3M where we have Mike Hixon paired up with new-Olympian Andrew Capobianco. The team has a really nice mixture of experienced divers, medalists, with some of the new talent that's going to take us through Tokyo and into Paris, so we're really excited.
Q. On being the coach…
JOHANSEN: Just a tremendous honor. To be a head coach of an Olympic team once, I thought was going to be a once in a lifetime experience. Here it is, the third time. You get named the head coach based on the performance of your athletes. So, it's, this lady here and Andrew who you'll be talking to soon. It's their performances that gave me this honor. To me, it's just a tremendous gift. Here in the third round, the experience I bring to this team is only going to continue to help us stay as a team and have great performances while we're there.
Andrew Capobianco
Q. On the experience so far of qualifying for the Olympics…
CAPOBIANCO: The experience has been a dream. I definitely saw it coming a little. We've been working really hard. With the extra year, it gave me a little bit more confidence going into it. I am one of the younger competitors, so I think that was definitely a good thing for me. It just gives me confidence moving forward. Drew (Johansen) has just done such a great job with me physically but more importantly, mentally I've become a very strong competitor and a much more confident competitor. I think that my first few years, I was a bit doubtful of myself. Now I see I can be one of the best in the world, so I'm excited.
Q. On health guidelines in Tokyo…
CAPOBIANCO: I haven't heard anything about it recently. We do get a bunch updates from the Team USA officials that are going with us to Tokyo. Basically, they're telling us we're going to have to remain in the athlete village. After we're done competing, we do have to come back 48 hours afterwards. My last competition will be August 4th if I make the finals and I'll have to come back on the fifth. I won't be able to go to closing ceremonies or anything like that, but I'm just excited to go and compete and experience it all.
Head Swimming Coach Ray Looze
Opening Statement…
LOOZE: It is a huge honor to get to be a part of the USA swimming staff again. Five years later, I feel like I know what I am doing this time around. I am grateful that we had three swimmers in Rio, and now we will have five in Tokyo. We are definitely moving in the right direction. I think we have 12 total swimmers and divers overall, and eight U.S. We are moving in the right direction, and I am super pumped to go to Tokyo and make USA proud.
Q: On the amount of sacrifice on your part with sharing (Michael) Brinegar with between yourself and coach Mark Schubert…
LOOZE: Mark Schubert had pool access during the quarantine for everything, but two weeks. I sent my own daughter out to Mission Viejo her last summer. My agreement with coach Schubert when Michael decided to come here was that he could go home and swim with Mission in the summer, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. He even redshirted and stayed in Mission, not this year, but the 2020 year. So, this is all what we had planned, and it has worked out beautifully. Honestly, without that extra pool time, being a distance kid, I don't know if he is on the Olympic team. It was a real advantage for him, and it paid off.
Q: On the influence of international swimmers like Vini Lanza and what he has done for your team…
LOOZE: When Doc was the swimming coach, we had people from all over the world. We really try to have an international team. My only chance to go to the Games is through the United States. Obviously, it's my country. So, it is important that we put a good proportion of our Olympians on the team for the United States. Vini is one of our greatest swimmers ever, an NCAA champion. I am really happy that he gets to go to his first Olympic games. Bailey Andison for Canada and Tomer Frankel for Israel, and Marwan Elkamash for Egypt. It is all important. They are all Olympians. We take great pride in Indiana Swimming and Diving as a testament to our 69 Olympic medals. We hope to add to that total."
Lilly King
Q: On what is different this time around…
KING: I am glad Ray is saying that I am in the best shape ever. That is definitely reassuring. I am ready to go. I feel much more experienced at this point. Going into 2016, I was like a deer in the headlights. I had no idea what was going on. I am feeling a lot more at ease but also prepared."
Q: On what it's like having teammate and friend, Annie Lazor, around you
KING: It is comforting having someone next to you in an Olympic Trials final. Not just in that comfort of her being there, but Annie and I can strategize races together which is something that we did at trials. It's fun. I have never been in a major international competition with a teammate in my event. It is very special, and I am going to live in the moment. I am very excited to race.
Players Mentioned
Diving
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