Indiana vs. Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, January 29. BUOYED by three first-place finishes from senior Kate Fesenko, nine overall victories and seven pool records, the 14th-ranked Indiana women's swimming and diving team defeated No. 13 Louisville, 161-139 Friday night at Ralph Wright Natatorium in Louisville, Ky. The IU women finish their dual meet season with a 5-1-1 record.

Up next for the Hoosier women is the Big Ten Championships, Feb. 17-20 in West Lafayette, Ind. Indiana is the defending conference champion and has won two of the last three championship titles.

Fesenko, Ashley Specht, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell opened the meet with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:43.22. Indiana's squad of Kim Tracey, Allysa Vavra, Brittany Barwegen and Schaefer took fifth (1:47.37).

Indiana's first win of the night came in the 1,000 freestyle as Nikki White touched the wall first in 9:59.35, a new pool record. Cassie Luhrsen made it a 1-2 finish for the Hoosiers with a time of 10:08.63, while Ashley Kranz was fifth (10:22.18). Laura Head finished in eighth place at 10:32.42.

Brittany Strumbel was victorious in the 200 freestyle for the third time this season, posting a season best 1:48.87, which is an NCAA B cut. Margaux Farrell was third in 1:49.15, with Ashley Jones fifth (1:51.02) and Courey Schaefer seventh (1:52.66).

Fesenko extended her unbeaten streak in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.58, nearly a full second ahead of second-place finisher Donna Smailis (55.54) and a new pool record. Taylor Wohrley made it a 1-2-3 sweep for IU with a time of 55.67.

Brittany Barwegen was just off her season best in winning the 200 butterfly, finishing in 1:59.98, Indiana's third pool record of the night. Kim Tracey took fifth (2:08.22), followed by White (2:14.64) and Head (2:15.05).

Allysa Vavra took third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:04.42, which is a season best. Specht was fourth in 1:05.42, just 2/100ths of a second off her season best, followed by Amilee Smith in sixth (1:05.18) and Katelyn Ishee in eighth (1:07.07).

Farrell posted the fifth-fastest time of the season for IU in the 50 free, clocking in at 23.81 for fifth place. Wohrley was sixth in 24.09, followed by Justine Jones in seventh (25.16) and Kristen Mitsch in eighth (26.49).

The Hoosiers picked up nine points in the 1-meter diving competition, taking the second through fifth-place spots. Gabby Agostino tallied 290.77 points to take second, followed by Christina Kouklakis (272.47), Logan Kline (272.02) and Cassidy Kahn (270.75-career best). Nicole Brehm was seventh with 233.24 points, followed by Amy Cozad in eighth (229.80) and Amy Korthauer ninth (197.69).

Smailis was victorious in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 50.60 which is the third fastest by a Hoosier this season. Strumbel was fifth in 52.15, with Schaefer seventh (52.59-season best) and Justine Jones eighth (54.36).

Trailing Louisville by one point after the 100 free, the Hoosiers took the lead for good with a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 backstroke, led by Fesenko. Fesenko, who is unbeaten in the event this year, clocked a time of 1:57.16, her second pool record of the night. Wohrley was second in 2:00.01, with Ashley Jones third in a season-best time of 2:00.54. Tracey took seventh with her time of 2:07.95.

Vavra was the top Indiana finisher in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:19.68. Ishee was sixth in 2:22.31, with Specht eighth (2:23.23).

Strumbel bettered her previous NCAA provisional time in the 500 free with a mark of 4:52.10, good for second place. White was third in 4:53.63, followed by Cassie Luhrsen in fourth (5:01.82). Kranz held the No. 8 spot with a time of 5:10.30.

Fesenko's third victory of the night came in the 100 butterfly where she topped all competitors with a time of 54.16. Barwegen was third in 55.47, a season best, followed by Tracey in seventh (57.91).

Agostino again led the Hoosier divers, this time in the 3-meter springboard competition where she took second with a score of 317.70. Kline was third with 294.30 points, followed by Kouklakis in fourth (291.15). Cozad placed sixth (259.13), with Korthauer seventh (253.58), Brehm eighth (237.15) and Kahn 11th (166.73).

In the final individual event of the night, Vavra bested the field in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:16.48, giving IU its sixth pool record of the meet. Ashley Jones was third in a time of 4:20.84, with Smith fifth (4:25.55).

With the meet well in hand, Indiana closed things out with a season best and NCAA B time and pool record in the 400 free relay as Farrell, Wohrley, Smailis and Strumbel went 3:23.51 for the win. White, Schaefer, Barwegen and Ashley Jones placed fifth in 3:32.45.

Meanwhile, the 25th-ranked Indiana men tallied up 12 season best times and six individual victories but it was not enough to overtake No. 16 Louisville, falling 179-121.

To open the evening, Doug Spraul, Aaron Opell, Ante Zoricic and Bryan Chovanec posted a season best of 1:33.01 in the 200 medley relay to finish third. The quartet of Kevin Happ, Brenden Butler, Tyler Shedron and Sean Ransenberg finished fifth in 1:34.77.

Illya Larin picked up his second win of the season in the 1,000 freestyle with a season best of 9:20.34. Andrew Taylor was second in 9:22.05, more than 11 seconds faster than his previous season best. Bart Ginocchio finished fourth in 9:29.56, with Alex Kotliarsky in fifth at 9:31.75. Both were season bests.

Titus Knight continues to show his strength in the 200 freestyle, winning in a time of 1:38.73. Austin Steel was fifth in 1:42.25, a season best, and John Schnittker eighth in 1:44.10 (season best). Daniel Kanorr took 10th in 1:48.31.

Happ was the top finisher in the 100 backstroke with a fourth-place finish (52.21), with Mark Wetzel sixth (53.49). Opell's time of 59.04 in the 100 breaststroke was good for fifth place, with Butler sixth (59.47), Sam Trahin seventh (1:01.65) and Taylor eighth (1:02.47).

Shedron has IU's fastest time in the 200 butterfly this season and again led the way in the event on Friday with a third-place finish (1:50.89). Jon Hueni was fifth (1:54.60), Tim Blue sixth (1:55.02) and Bryant Honsa eighth (1:58.13).

Chovanec just missed out on posting an NCAA provisional mark in the 50 freestyle with his fastest time of the year at 20.72, good for second place. Right on his toes was Zoricic in 20.86, with Ransenberg sixth (21.62) and Wetzel seventh (21.69).

In the 1-meter diving competition it was all Indiana as David Piercy led a 1-2-3 Hoosier finish. Piercy took the top spot with a score of 321.45, followed by Zac Nees (304.80) and Casey Johnson (290.40). Mick Dell'Orco was fifth with 270.07 points. Piercy also led a 1-2 IU finish in the 3-meter springboard competition, tallying 332.24 points to Nees' 317.62. Dell'Orco placed fifth with a score of 254.85.

Knight was a third-place finisher in the 100 free with his time of 45.96, followed by Zoricic in fourth (46.18). Kanorr touched the wall in 48.10, a season best and good for seventh, with Ransenberg eighth (48.58).

Spraul shook off a disappointing 100 backstroke where he was disqualified with a false start by coming back to win the 200 backstroke in a season-best time of 1:47.15. Happ was third in 1:53.65 (season best), followed by Steel in fourth (1:54.05-season best) and Blue sixth (1:58.84).

Butler posted a fourth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke to lead Indiana (2:07.88), with Opell fifth (2:10.01) and Trahin seventh (2:14.40).

Knight earned his second victory of the meet with a time of 4:32.34 in the 500 freestyle, with Larin fourth in 4:36.11. Taylor took fifth in 4:38.87, and Honsa seventh (4:42.12).

Shedron was again the top IU butterflier, taking fourth in the 100 fly in 50.90. Blue was fifth in 51.34, with Bader Al-Muhana sixth (51.49-tied season best) and Spraul seventh (51.98).

In the final individual event of the night, Butler took second in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:00.54. Happ was fifth in 4:09.67, with Opell sixth (4:12.54) and Trahin seventh (4:13.07).

Knight, Zoricic, Shedron and Honsa were just off a season best in the 400 freestyle relay, taking second in 3:03.36. The team of Kanorr, Wetzel, Ransenberg and Taylor was fourth (3:10.03), with Chovanec, Hueni, Al-Muhana and Larin sixth (3:14.83). Ginocchio, Steel, Kotliarsky and Schnittker took seventh in a time of 3:15.91.

The Hoosiers return home to close out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 6 against rival Purdue. The dual meet, which will also serve as Senior Day, will begin at 12 p.m. ET at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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