Indiana Hoosiers Swim Team Opens Season With Big Ten Network Battle Against Auburn

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, October 8. The Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving team opens its 2014-15 season this Friday as it plays host to the Auburn Tigers at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The two-hour meet begins at 1 p.m. ET at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center and will be shown live on the Big Ten Network.

Admission to the meet is free. Fans are encourage to park in the Sunrise Lot off 10th Street, directly south of the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. Parking in that lot is free. Spectators may also park in the pay lot directly east of the CBAC, but the normal parking charges will apply.

BUSY SUMMER
It was a busy summer for Indiana swimmers and divers as several had big competitions, leading to awards and honors:

Freshman Blake Pieroni was crowned the USA Swimming 18-and under national champion in the 100 freestyle at the Phillips 66 National Championships. Pieroni also took bronze in the 400 medley relay at 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals, as well as gold in the 800 freestyle relay with a meet and 15-18 and 17-18 age group record time of 7:28.28 He also took gold in the 400 free relay with a meet record time of 3:24.62. Across the 2014 Junior and Senior nationals set Indiana state 17-18 age group records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. Pieroni earned a spot on Team USA at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, earning silver medals in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle.

Freshman Cody Taylor was the USA Swimming 18-and-under National Champion in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:12.73). He earned the award by finishing first in the B final at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships. Taylor was seventh in the 100 breaststroke at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

Senior Steve Schmuhl placed 10th in the 200-meter butterfly with a school-record time of 1:58.64 at the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships.

Freshman Brandon Colonis and sophomore Max Irwin joined Pieroni on the gold medal 800 free and 400 free relays at the 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals.

Sophomore Michael Hixon took home a silver medal in the 1-meter springboard competition at the 2014 AT&T USA Diving National Championships in August.

Junior Brooklynn Snodgrass collected a pair of international medals, starting with a bronze in the 50-meter backstroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland in July. Snodgrass was also part of Team Canada at the Pan Pacific Championships, earning a bronze medal in the 400-meter medley relay.

Sophomore Gia Dalesandro finished seventh in the 100 fly at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships. Her time of 58.99 in prelims is a new IU record. She has earned an invitational to the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Junior Justine Ress competed at the 2014 European Nationals for France as she is a dual citizen of both the USA and France. Ress advanced to the semifinals of the 100 backstroke, going 1:02.34 in prelims and 1:02.53 in the semifinal. She also swam the 200 backstroke, posting a time of 2:17.91.

TOP RETURNEES
Here are some of the top returnees from the women’s team that finished 12th at the 2014 NCAA Championships, and the men’s team that finished 10th:

Junior Brooklynn Snodgrass is the reigning NCAA Champion in the 200-yard backstroke. She is just the second Hoosier female to win an NCAA swimming title, joining Kate Fesenko (200 back, 2010). Snodgrass is the reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the year and is the two-time Big Ten Champion in the 100 back and 200 back.

Sophomore Gia Dalesandro is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Dalesandro won the 200 fly at the NCAA meet with a conference record time of 1:53.95. She also took second in the 100 fly and won Big Ten titles in the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.

Junior Haley Lips was seventh in the 1,650 free and eighth in the 500 free at the 2014 Big Ten meet. She also placed 14th in the 200-meter butterfly at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships this past August.

Senior Dorina Szekeres was third in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 IM at the 2014 Big Ten Championships. She was the Big Ten champion in the 400 IM in 2013.

Senior Justine Ress was fifth in the 100 back and fourth in the 200 back at the 2014 Big Ten Championships. Ress placed fourth in the 50 back (29.26) at 2014 French Nationals in the spring.

Senior Allie Day earned silver in the 200 backstroke at the 2014 Big Ten Championships and was also sixth in the 100 back.

Sophomore Joshua Arndt was third on the 3-meter and seventh on the 1-meter at the 2014 Big Ten Championships.

Senior Mike Hurley placed seventh in the 200 breaststroke, 10th in the 200 IM and 12th in the 100 breaststroke at the 2014 Big Ten Championships.

Junior Tanner Kurz took 16th in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships. He was 12th in the 200 breast and 15th in the 100 breast at the Big Ten meet.

Senior Steve Schmuhl finished fourth in the 400 IM at the 2014 NCAA Championships with a school-record time of 3:40.64. He was also 10th in the 200 IM. Schmuhl was third in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the Big Ten Championships.

NEW TO THE TEAM
The Indiana men have 18 new faces, while the women welcome 13 newcomers. Here are some swimmers/divers to watch for:

Sophomore Michael Hixon will compete in the Cream and Crimson for the first time this fall after a freshman season at Texas that saw him win NCAA titles on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard.

As stated above, freshmen Blake Pieroni, Cody Taylor and Brandon Colonis will all be expected to contribute right away and are coming off solid summers. Pieroni is a three-time Indiana state champion in the 100 freestyle and two-time state champion in the 200 individual medley. Taylor was the IHSAA state champion in the 100 breaststroke in 2013 and 2014.

Freshman Teddy Kalp is a heralded distance freestyler from Canada. Kalp competed at the 2013 World Junior Championships, 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and 2011 North American Challenge Cup. He holds the Ontario Provincial record (15-17 age group) in the 800 freestyle.

Freshman James Connor competed at 2012 Olympics for Australia. He has also competed at the 2011 FINA World Championships, 2012 and 2010 FINA World Junior Championships, 2010 Commonwealth Games and several FINA Grand Prix events. Connor was the 2013 Australian Open National Champion on the 3-meter springboard and platform.

Freshman Kennedy Goss finished sixth in the 200 free at the 2013 Junior World Championships. She also earned six medals at the 2013 Canada Games.

Freshman Ali Rockett was the 2012 Pennsylvania state runner-up in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. She is a two-time state champion in the 200 medley relay (2011 and 2012) and took fourth in the 50 backstroke at the 2013 YMCA LCM Nationals. Rockett also placed seventh in the 50 free at the 2014 YMCA SCY Nationals.

At the 2013 World Junior Championships, freshman Grace Vertigans took home silver as a member of Team Great Britain’s 400-meter medley relay team.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Indiana isn’t shying away from tough competition as the 2014-15 schedule opens up. Along with the meet with Auburn on October 10, the Hoosiers will face 2013 NCAA Champion Michigan (men), 2014 NCAA runner-up Texas (men) and 11th-place finisher Louisville (men) in a quad meet for both men and women in Ann Arbor, Michigan on October 24-25. After that it is off to Knoxville, Tennessee to face seventh-place NCAA finisher Tennessee (women) in a men’s and women’s double dual with the Volunteers and Kentucky on October 31.

WELCOME TO THE TEAM
Indiana welcomed a new associate head coach to the program this summer in Dennis Dale. Dale is no stranger to the swimming community, having spent the last 29 years as the head men’s swimming coach at the University of Minnesota. During his tenure the Golden Gophers the program won seven Big Ten titles, including back-to-back crowns in 2004-05, while Dale was named Big Ten Coach of the Year on six occasions.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.

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