5 Things to Look Forward to in the Men’s Big Ten Season

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Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

By Matthew Barnard, Swimming World College Intern

The college swimming and diving dual meet season is well underway but there are still plenty of laps to be swum before the 2016 Men’s Big Ten Conference Championships in Columbus. The Michigan Wolverines look to make it sixth straight Big Ten title but will face tough competition come February.

Here are five things to look forward to from the Big Ten men this season:

1. Butterfly

Swimming Canada-heats-6apr2016. Photo Scott Grant

Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada

The Big Ten Conference has consistently produced All-American butterflyers and 2017 looks to be no different. Vinicius Lanza (Indiana), Evan White (Michigan), and Matt McHugh (Ohio State) will likely be significant scorers for their respective teams both throughout the dual meet season and at championship events. However with the graduation of Michigan’s Dylan Bosch last year, the Big Ten will lack contenders for an individual butterfly NCAA title.

2. Diving

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Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold

Diving will be a highlight of the year in the Big Ten with a star-studded line up. Indiana duo James Connor and Michael Hixon along with Purdue’s Steele Johnson all return from Olympic redshirt after successful Rio campaigns in which both Hixon and Johnson came home with medals. Along with 2016 Platform NCAA Champion, Colin Zeng (Ohio State), these divers will be on the hunt for individual national championship titles and will contribute heavily to their team scores in both Columbus and Indianapolis.

3. Olympic Stars

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Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold / Aringo Photos

The Big Ten has a handful of Olympians returning to the pool for the 2016/17 season. Indiana brings back four Olympic swimmers in Blake Pieroni (USA), Marwan Elkamash (Egypt), Ali Khalafalla (Egypt), and Anze Tavcar (Slovenia)– all of whom will play a part in Indiana’s freestyle dominance. Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Northwestern all also have Olympians on their roster this season.

4. Relays

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Although the Big Ten may struggle to produce individual NCAA champions this season, deep rosters will create an environment for relay prowess. With one of the nation’s strongest recruiting classes, Michigan will look to score highly throughout the year in both freestyle and medley relays, but will face tough competition from Indiana. The Hoosiers proved to be a relay powerhouse at last year’s NCAA Championships in Atlanta where they scored in all relay events.

5. Big Ten Fans

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Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

As the nation’s oldest Division I conference, the Big Ten has one of the strongest and proudest alumni bases who will no doubt be out in full force in Columbus. Ohio State’s Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, which seats 1,750 spectators, will play host to one of the loudest conference championships in the country– thanks to the devoted fans and parents of Big Ten swimmers and divers. Regardless of who comes away with the conference title, Big Ten fans have plenty to cheer about this season.

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