Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: IU Aims for Second Consecutive Big Ten Women’s Swim Title
2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Competitive reality hits hard as Ray Looze contemplates a second consecutive Indiana women's swimming and diving Big Ten title from his Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center office.
"I think we potentially have a better team," the veteran swim coach says, "but it's a better conference."
Looze says the addition of No. 12 USC and No. 23 UCLA to the already powerful Big Ten ratchets up the degree of difficulty. He lists No. 7 IU, the defending conference champion, along with No. 10 Michigan, No. 14 Ohio State and "possibly" No. 13 Wisconsin as favorites in the four-day Big Ten meet, which begins Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.
"The parity will be the deepest it's ever been," he says.
Individual performances that previously might have generated significant individual finishes and team points might not this year, diving coach Drew Johansen says, and athletes must adjust and respond.
"With the growth of the conference, it's how will they react to a swim or a performance that last year would have produced an A or B final and now might produce a B or C final," he says. "How they react to that and perform in the evening will be a big tell. They might be down in the dumps about it and finish 16th rather than ninth. That could be the difference."
A rigorous schedule, which includes a victory over Michigan and competitive losses to No. 2 Texas, No. 5 Florida and No. 8 Louisville, have steeled the Hoosiers for what they will face.
"That helps a lot," Looze says. "We've always tried to schedule tough."
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Last year's Big Ten title, IU's first since 2019, required a dramatic last-day rally that was clinched on the meet's final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay. The Hoosiers' second-place effort in that event gave them a half-a-point victory over Ohio State in the team competition. It was the Big Ten meet's closest-ever finish.
"The girls drove that," Looze says. "They really wanted it. Hopefully, they have the same hunger and drive."
Adds Johansen: "That last day last year, we had every reason to surrender mentally. The only way we can win it again this year is with that same kind of mindset."
IU is led by senior swimmers Anna Peplowski, Mariah Denigan and Ching-Hwee Gan (all three competed in last summer's Olympic Games in Paris) and veteran divers Skyler Liu, Lily Witte and Ella Roselli.
Bouncing back from the Olympic high is never easy, Looze says, and Peplowski, Denigan and Gan all struggled with that upon returning to IU.
"Everybody gets it," Looze says. "When you do something like the Olympics, it's hard to get going again. You've had all this adulation. The charter flights, all that stuff is gone. You go back to college, back to this routine. It's like a depression. For people who have never done it before, it can be tough, and they were first-time Olympians. They're all getting back on track."
Peplowski leads the way with three Big Ten Swimmer of the Week awards this season. This spring she set the nation's best time in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.63) and will also compete for the title in the 500 free as well as either the 100 free or 200 back. Gan is the reigning champion in the 1,650 free, and Denigan has finished third in that race the last two seasons.
"Anna has had a phenomenal season," Looze says. "She's developed into one of the better swimmers in the country. Ching has had her moments of getting over that. So has Mariah. Their training is going in a good direction."
For the divers, Roselli sets the standard on the 1-meter springboard. Witte and Liu do the same on 3-meter. Liu leads in platform.
"Skyler was a critical part and delivered for us on the last day last year," Johansen says. "When you do that for the first time, there are no expectations. Now when you come back, there's more of a target on your back and the sense of I need to do this for the team. Managing that will be her challenge, but she's up for it."
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Keys to a championship repeat, Looze says, are "maximizing the points we can get."
"In the last day last year, we were rolling on all cylinders," he says. "We'll try to do that the whole meet this year. That's easier said than done. All we can do is control what we do. We want to have a good meet. That's pretty general, but it's that simple."
Mental toughness gave the Hoosiers the edge in that final day. Does this group have similar toughness?
"It's mostly the same team," Looze says. "My guess would be yes. This is a veteran squad which is battle hardened. We don't know what our freshmen will do. They haven't been as impactful this year. I don't know how they will react. They will be important.
"It sounds vague because it is. It will be a bigger meet. A much, much bigger meet. Our studs will still be important. They will do what they do. The people on the back end of the roster will have a hard time scoring, so the middle people will be key. How do those folks do?"
The Big Ten is so strong, Looze adds, that a top-10 team will likely finish fourth.
"It's never easy, but it's exciting to see how (the Hoosiers) will do. They have a chance. If you don't have a chance, you're just fighting for scraps."
The Hoosiers are way beyond scrap fighting.
"I'm looking forward to seeing us have the same never-quit energy as last year," Johansen says. "Every point matters. Even a diver or swimmer that finishes 24th and scores just one point can make the difference. It did last year. We anticipate that happening again. If the girls can latch on to that, it will be a lot of fun."
Looze says the Hoosiers might do better in next month's NCAA meet. Last year, they tied the program's best-ever performance with a seventh-place finish. The goal is to eventually reach the level of the IU men's team, which has won six national titles and has a No. 2 national ranking this season behind Texas.
"We want to get our women to where are men are," Looze says. "We're working on that. We're getting there. We've got to get into that national top 5, top 4, and stay there consistently.
"Our women have watched the guys. They want that. It's important to them."
Players Mentioned
