Indiana vs. Ohio State, Missouri Women

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, January 17. BUOYED by double wins from junior Kate Zubkova, junior Donna Smailis and senior Christina Loukas, the Indiana women's swimming and diving team was a double winner on Saturday, defeating Ohio State, 215-84 and Missouri, 161-139 at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

"There is no secret to what it takes to be successful," said head coach Ray Looze. "We just need to keep training hard and stay focused."

Kate Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell combined to take the 200 medley relay title in 1:43.08. The squad of Kristin Cihoski, Abby Cooper, Brittany Barwegen and Allison Kay was second (1:44.90).

Cassie Luhrsen won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:51.19. Barwegen was fifth in 17:30.25, with Ashley Kranz sixth (17:36.84). Barwegen was the top Hoosier finisher in the 200 free, placing third (1:50.20). Amanda Smith touched the wall in 1:50.57 for fourth, with Nikki White fifth (1:51.11).

Zubkova kept her perfect streak in the 100 backstroke in tact, coming home easily in 55.42. Ashley Jones was fourth (57.43), followed by teammate Kristin Cihoski in fifth (58.06). Stockwell won the 100 breast in 1:03.09, with Cooper finishing third in 1:03.47. Katelyn Ishee swam a personal best of 1:06.39.

"Personally I just need to take care of the little things, like my turns and starts," Stockwell said. "I need to go out there and swim my own race and not worry about anyone else."

Barwegen won her specialty, the 200-yard butterfly, in 1:59.17. Amanda Smith finished first in her heat and second overall in 2:00.35, with Kay fourth (2:01.47). Kim Tracey had a season best of 2:08.19.

Smailis missed out on the 50 free title by 1/100th of a second with a time of 23.79, a personal best. Margaux Farrell was third in 23.82. Smailis came back to win the 100 free in 50.83, with Farrell third (51.64) and Courey Schaefer sixth (52.69).

Making it a double in the backstroke events, Zubkova took the 200 race with a time of 1:58.42. Jones was fourth in 2:04.46 and Alyssa Vavra fifth in 2:05.69.

Sarah Stockwell took second in the 200 breast (2:18.26), with Cooper fourth (2:19.29) and Amilee Smith fifth (2:19.70). Kay swam a season best 4:53.71 in the 500 free to place second, with Amanda Smith right on her heels in third in 4:54.55.

Smailis' second individual win of the afternoon came in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.33. Barwegen was fourth in 55.65, with Zubkova fifth (55.68). Kay closed out the individual events with a second-place finish in the 400 individual medley (4:21.20). Jones was third (4:22.73) and Vavra sixth (4:26.34).

The swimming concluded with the 200-yard freestyle relay as Farrell, Cihoski, Stockwell and Cooper placed second with a time of 1:36.45.

A 2008 Olympian in the event, senior Christina Loukas won the three-meter springboard with a score of 323.45. Gabby Agostino was fourth (291.50), followed by Christina Kouklakis (282.50- seventh) and Brittney Feldman (277.25-eighth).

The Hoosiers added a 1-2-3 finish on the one-meter, led by Loukas' second victory of the afternoon with 317.75 points. Feldman was second (288.95) and Agostino third (260.60). Kouklakis was also a top-eight finisher, placing seventh (229.40).

Indiana concludes its home schedule next Saturday as it plays host to in-state rival Purdue. The meet is scheduled to get underway at noon at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

Special thanks to Indiana for contributing this report.

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