No. 10 Hoosiers Reach Podium, Sit Ninth After Night One of NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 15

Knoxville, Tenn.

6 p.m.

Indiana University

NCAA Championships - Finals

No. 10 Hoosiers Reach Podium, Sit Ninth After Night One of NCAA Championships

3/15/2023 9:39:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 10-ranked Indiana swimming and diving produced top-12 finishes in both opening night relays on Wednesday (March 15) night at the 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

The Hoosiers put a relay on the podium for the first time since 2019 with a seventh-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:59.01) after its 200-yard medley relay (1:35.96) finished 12th. Both relays achieved All-America status, with the latter receiving the honorable mention label.

"It was a good start to the meet," IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. "Our medley relay moved up pretty significantly, and we got a couple of really good splits in there which really helped us. The 800 free relay was our first podium since 2019 with a fantastic leadoff by Anna Peplowski, a school record. The three girls behind her did a great job of swimming tough. It wasn't perfect tonight, but we showed great determination, toughness and grit, and that really plays well here. Hopefully every day we can get better and settle into the meet, but this was a solid start."

Sophomore Anna Peplowski bested her own 200-yard freestyle program record with a 1:42.86 leadoff split in the 800 freestyle relay. Her previous best of 1:43.33 won her the Big Ten title last month. Freshman Kristina Paegle, sophomore Ching Hwee Gan and senior Mackenzie Looze were steady in the final three legs of the relay, all posting 1:35 splits.

IU dropped two hundredths from its season-best time in the 200-yard medley relay and moved up three spots from its seed into a 12th place finish in 1:35.96. Freshman Kristina Paegle dropped a 21.51 in the final leg, the fastest anchor by a freshman and No. 7 overall in the race.

Indiana has earned All-America honors in the 200 medley relay in seven straight seasons and nine of the last 10 NCAA Championships. IU's 12th-place finish was its best since 2019 when the Hoosiers placed fourth.

IU also finished better than it did in both relays a year ago – the Hoosiers placed 15th in each at the 2022 championships.

After two events, Indiana sits ninth with 34 points.

RESULTS
200 MEDLEY RELAY
12. Anna Peplowski, Noelle Peplowski, Elizabeth Broshears, Kristina Paegle – 1:35.96 (Honorable Mention All-America)

800 FREESTYLE RELAY
7. Anna Peplowski, Kristina Paegle, Ching Hwee Gan, Mackenzie Looze – 6:59.01 (All-America)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Elizabeth Broshears (200 Medley Relay)
Ching Hwee Gan (800 Freestyle Relay)
Mackenzie Looze (800 Freestyle Relay)
Kristina Paegle (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay)
Anna Peplowski (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay)
Noelle Peplowski(200 Medley Relay)

UP NEXT
Thursday marks the first full day of events, and IU has at least one athlete in each event. In the 500 free, Big Ten silver medalist Gan (4:38.96) is the 12th-fastest coming into the meet, while fellow sophomore Mariah Denigan comes in with a time of 4:40.52. Two seniors will compete in the 200 IM, with Noelle Peplowski taking the No. 24 seed (1:55.89) and Mackenzie Looze the No. 35 spot (1:56.52), though her personal best is a 1:55.68. Paegle's 21.91 in the 50 free sits just a hundredth of a second off IU's program record as she and senior Ashley Turak (22.00) race in the final individual swimming event of the day.

Diving enters the conversation on Thursday, beginning with IU's most loaded event on the 1-meter springboard. Two-time Big Ten 1-meter Champion and junior Anne Fowler will lead the way, though sophomore Megan Carter has the team's highest score in the event this season with a 351.60 at midseason. Fellow sophomore Skyler Liu joined Fowler and Carter on the podium at Big Tens, her first of three top-eight finishes that week. Carter, Liu and another sophomore, Alaina Heyde, are competing in their first NCAA Championships.

Thursday will conclude with the 200-yard freestyle relay, another program record set this season. Anna Peplowski, Paegle, Turak and junior Elizabeth Broshears won silver at Big Tens, going 1:27.70. The reordered lineup went .05 seconds faster than its previous program-best time at midseason.

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