Big Ten Road Proves Tough For #13 IU Men in Columbus

COLUMBUS, OH, January 9. ON the road, the No. 13 Indiana men's swimming and diving squad fell to 8-3 on the season and 2-1 against Big Ten teams after suffering a 129-114 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 8 at the Peppe Aquatic Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Overall, the Hoosiers won seven out of 13 events, while senior Marc Carlton and junior Sergiy Fesenko led IU with two event titles each, per Hoosier reports.

"Ohio State was very ready," Head Coach Ray Looze said. "We have to take our caps off to them. Today, they were a better team. I think we took them too lightly. We made a decision to drive up today after a very tough meet against Tennessee, and you cannot do that against any Big Ten team.

"If anything positive can come out of losing, it is that we have to take everyone seriously and take nothing for granted. We are going to be a better team due to this. We just have a very young team. It is obvious to me after the letdown against Kentucky after we beat Northwestern, we have not learned the lesson of how to follow up a good win on the second day."

In the opening event of the meet, Ohio State jumped out to a 13-4 lead after winning the 400-yard medley relay. The OSU quartet of sophomore R.J. Lemyre, senior Rob Kauscher, junior Marty Tomes and freshman Matt Voelker won the event in 3:20.60. IU's group of freshman Ben Hesen, junior Kevin Swander, junior Thomas Clavier and sophomore Colin Russell placed second in 3:22.63.

In the 1,000-yard freestyle, Indiana countered to take a 20-16 lead with a top-three sweep. Freshman John Kevin Koehler claimed the crown in 9:24.50, while classmate Alex Brunfeldt took second in 9:25.79. Meanwhile, sophomore Ryan McNeill finished in third in 9:36.18.

In the 200-yard freestyle, IU pushed its lead to 32-23 as Fesenko picked up his first title with a 1:40.10 time. OSU's Tomes placed second with a 1:40.84, while senior David Winck finished in third for IU in 1:42.30.

Ohio State rebounded in the 50-yard freestyle to take a 38-36 lead with the top-two spots. Sophomore Gary Grant won the event in 21.04, while Voelker touched in 21.05 for second. IU's Russell placed third in 21.31.

Indiana battled back in the 200-yard IM to retake the lead at 48-45 when freshman Todd Patrick clocked a first-place 1:50.71. OSU junior Brian Tiemeier placed second with a 1:52.46, while junior Mike Jones took third for IU in 1:53.92.

In the diving break, Carlton continued an incredible weekend to win the one-meter with a 302.17. OSU picked up the next two spots as senior Mitch Richeson (279.00) and junior Marc Dreyer (263.47) kept pace with IU for a 58-54 margin in favor of the Hoosiers.

The Buckeyes returned the favor in the 100-yard butterfly with a top-two sweep to take a 67-64 lead. Tomes won the title in 49.88, while teammate Grant finished in second in 50.28. Senior Murph Halasz came in third for IU in 50.36.

OSU extended its lead in the 100-yard freestyle to 81-69 when senior Tommy Seay touched first in 45.16, while junior Adam Braun clocked a third-place 45.76. IU's Patrick finished in second in 45.53.

The Cream and Crimson began to turn the tide in the 100-yard backstroke to cut the gap to 89-80. Hesen earned the event title in 50.23, while OSU sophomore Nate King finished in second in 50.90 and Lemyre took third in 51.34.

IU overcame the deficit in the 500-yard freestyle to take a 95-93 lead. Fesenko notched his second title with a first-place 4:32.70, while Brunfeldt came in second in 4:34.29. Tomes rounded out the top-three with a third-place 4:37.48 for OSU.

In the final diving break, Carlton doubled up with a win in the three-meter event after stringing together a 344.63 run of dives. OSU junior Nick Hanneman (333.45) and Richeson (311.48) took second and third, respectively. Going into the final swim portion of the meet, IU led Ohio State, 105-102.

The Buckeyes jumped ahead of Indiana in the 100-yard breaststroke, 116-110, when Kauscher came in first in 56.03 and senior Matt Jefferies placed third in 57.03. Swander kept the margin close for IU with a second-place 56.71 effort.

Ohio State closed out the meet to deny Indiana a perfect conference record with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Grant, sophomore Joe Doyle, sophomore Michael Byrnes and Seay won the event in 1:22.09, while Patrick, Russell, Houchin and Winck finished in second for IU in 1:23.31. At the end of the meet, OSU upended IU, 129-114.

Next up, the Hoosiers head to the Great Lake State for a pair of Big Ten dual meets. IU opens the road-swing on Jan. 21 with a tilt against Michigan State in East Lansing at 3 p.m., before rolling into Ann Arbor for a battle with No. 9 Michigan at 1 p.m.

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