Indiana Sweeps Northwestern

Led by triple-individual winner Titus Knight and a team victory in the 200 free relay, the Indiana men’s swimming and diving team opened the 2009-10 season with a 167-131 win at Northwestern Friday evening.
 
“This win kind of surprised me,” said head coach Ray Looze. “We had every excuse to lose, with guys hurt, ill or redshirting, but I was pleased with how our guys fought back and some people that had not been counted on in areas contributed.
 
“There are a couple of guys I would like to get going a bit better. It all comes down to preparation. If we can get everyone training at a high level and healthy, then we are going to be a much better team.”
 
The 200-medley relay team of Mark Wetzel, Brenden Butler, Doug Spraul and Bryan Chovanec placed second with a time of 1:36.18. Indiana’s B team, comprised of Kevin Happ, Ryan Hinshaw, Bader Al-Muhana and Sean Ransenberg took fourth (1:36.37).
 
Hinshaw placed second in the 1,000 free with a time of 9:30.65. Sophomore John Schnittker was fourth (9:43.19), with freshman Alex Kotliarsky fifth (9:44.24), sophomore Andrew Taylor sixth (9:46.38) and junior Bart Ginocchio eighth (9:50.54).
 
Trailing 23-13, Indiana made its move in the 200 freestyle, posting a 1-2-3-4 finish. Junior Titus Knight took first in 1:39.30, with sophomore Tyler Shedron second (1:42.15), freshman Bryant Honsa third (1:43.12) and redshirt freshman Austin Steel fourth (1:44.24).
 
“Titus really stood out tonight,” Looze said.
 
Indiana extended its lead after going 1-2-3 in the 100 backstroke, led by a first-place finish from Spraul (50.11). Junior Ante Zoricic was second (50.81), with Happ third (52.25). Wetzel finished sixth (55.47).
 
“Doug’s backstrokes were outstanding,” Looze said. “He had to do that for us tonight and he has never played that kind of a role. He had a little bit of a breakthrough there.”
 
The Hoosiers saw their 16-point lead cut to five at 49-44 after the 100 breaststroke, where Butler led the way with a third-place finish (59.10). Taylor was sixth (1:03.35), senior Christopher Head seventh (1:07.29) and freshman Ryan Downey eighth (1:09.37).
 
Shedron placed second in the 200 fly with a time of 1:51.78, followed by senior Tim Blue in fourth (1:52.93), sophomore Jon Hueni in sixth (1:53.91) and Honsa seventh (1:57.99). That put Indiana just two points ahead of Northwestern at 57-55.
 
Indiana went 1-2 in the 50 free as Chovanec won the race in 20.81. Zoricic was second in 20.96, with Ransenberg fifth (21.80) and Wetzel sixth (22.15). The finish gave the Hoosiers a 69-62 lead.
 
Knight earned his second win of the evening with a time of 45.44 in the 100 free. Zoricic was second in 46.15, followed by Chovanec in sixth (47.79) and Ransenberg seventh (48.76).
 
Spraul made it a clean sweep of the backstroke events with a time of 1:49.61 in the 200 back. Happ was third (1:55.01), with Blue fourth (1:56.59) and Steel sixth (1:58.42). That race put the Hoosiers on top, 105-82.

Freshman Casey Johnson led the Hoosiers in the 3-meter springboard competition with a second-place finish of 285.38. Fellow newcomer Zac Nees was third (264.30) and Mick Dell’Orco fourth (226.73).
 
In the 1-meter competition, Nees picked up his first collegiate win with a score of 264.50, while Dell’Orco was second (255.90) and Johnson third (252.60).
 
Butler took second in the 200 breaststroke (2:07.58), with Hinshaw sixth (2:16.80), Taylor seventh (2:21.06) and Head eighth (2:28.37).
 
Knight’s third win of the night came in the 500 free, touching the wall in 4:31.12. Shedron was third (4:40.56), Honsa fifth (2:42.73) and Schnittker sixth (4:47.42). Competing in an exhibition heat, Kotliarsky posted a time of 4:47.76.
 
Blue took second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.66, followed by Bader Al-Muhana in third at 51.49. Hueni was fourth (51.53) and Spraul fifth (52.21). Freshman Daniel Kanorr swam an exhibition time of 55.65.
 
The individual events concluded with the 400 individual medley, as Butler took second with a time of 4:09.00. Happ was fourth in 4:09.31, with Steel sixth (4:14.53) and Hinshaw seventh (4:15.54).
 
Indiana’s 200 free relay team of Chovanec, Zoricic, Wetzel and Knight capped the meet with a first-place finish (1:22.60), while the B team of Ransenberg, Shedron, Kanorr and Honsa took third (1:26.39).




Senior Kate Fesenko picked up right where she left off last season with three individual wins and a pair of pool records as the Hoosiers took a 156-144 victory over Northwestern Friday afternoon in Evanston, Ill.
 
“We had some great individual performances,” said head coach Ray Looze. “Some people are ahead of where they have been and other are a little bit behind, but we knew that coming in. We’ve been a little bit hurt by illnesses on the team. We have some work to do to get everyone caught up and going to fulfill our potential.
 
“I knew Northwestern would be very good and we had a feeling both meets would come down to the end. We have a little bit of work to do, but there is time to do that. We are going to focus on our preparation over the next six to eight weeks.”
 
Indiana opened the meet with a win in the 200-medley relay as Kate Fesenko, Ashley Specht, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell combined for a time of 1:44.21. The quartet of Taylor Wohrley, Brittany Barwegen, Kim Tracey and Justine Jones placed sixth with a time of 1:50.00.
 
The Hoosiers extended their lead over the Wildcats when sophomore Alyssa Vavra won the 1,000 free in a time of 10:05.51. Senior Cassie Luhrsen placed third (10:18.39), followed by sophomore Nikki White in fourth (10:23.71) and sophomore Laura Head in eighth (10:36.01). The race gave IU a 25-11 lead in the points tally.
 
The points race tightened a bit in the 200 freestyle as Brittany Strumbel was the Hoosiers’ top finisher in second place at 1:50.77. Farrell was third (1:51.10), with Courey Schaefer sixth (1:55.11) and White eighth (2:00.01). The Hoosiers lead was down to just nine at 32-23.
 
It is no surprise that the Hoosiers dominated the 100-backstroke race, led by Fesenko who posted an NCAA B cut and set a new pool record of 53.71 for the win. Senior Ashley Jones was second in 56.85, with freshman Wohrley fourth (57.65) and sophomore Kim Tracey fifth (58.65). That gave IU a 20-point lead at 47-27.
 
Senior Amilee Smith led the way in the 100 breaststroke with a second-place time of 1:05.13. Specht was fifth (1:06.08), with sophomore Katelyn Ishee sixth (1:06.78) and freshman Afton Robertson seventh (1:09.31).
 
Barwegen took command in the 200 butterfly, posting an NCAA B cut of 2:00.57 to take the victory. Vavra was third (2:04.15), and Head seventh (2:11.99).
 
Northwestern cut Indiana’s lead to just three, 67-64, after the 50 freestyle. Smailis was the top Hoosier with a fourth-place showing (23.76), with Farrell fifth (23.95), Jones seventh (25.20) and sophomore Kristen Mitsch eighth (26.28).
 
Smailis took second in the 100 free with a time of 50.73, while Farrell was sixth (52.42), Strumbel seventh (52.76) and Schaefer eighth (54.37). With the three-meter diving results factored in, that put IU nine points behind NU at 89-80.
 
Fesenko made it a clean sweep in the backstroke events, taking the 200 back in a pool record and NCAA B cut time of 1:56.10. Ashley Jones was second (2:03.02), with Wohrley third (2:03.82) and Tracey seventh (2:06.96). That gave the Hoosiers a four-point lead at 96-92.
 
“Kate was phenomenal,” Looze said. “That was a special couple of swims. And I thought (Alyssa) Vavra was outstanding.”
 
Sophomore Gabby Agostino took second in the 3-meter springboard with a score of 285.90. Junior Christina Kouklakis was third (258.90) and senior Amy Korthauer fifth (209.10).
 
On the 1-meter springboard, Korthauer was victorious with 31.85 points, followed by Kouklakis in third (270.95) and Agostino fourth (258.80).
 
Northwestern went back on top, 106-101 after the 200 breaststroke where Amilee Smith was the top Hoosier at 2:20.10. Barwegen was fifth (2:23.80), with Ishee sixth (2:25.53) and Specht seventh (2:26.80).
 
Vavra continued her streak in the distance events, leading a 1-2 IU sweep in the 500 free with a time of 4:56.90. Strumbel was second (4:57.68), with Luhrsen fifth (5:01.74) and White eighth (5:09.18). Junior Ashley Kranz swam an exhibition time of 5:15.77.
 
Fesenko added her third win of the night with a tie of 54.73 in the 100 fly. Smailis was third (56.00), Barwegen fourth (56.39) and Tracey sixth (57.93). That gave Indiana a 129-116 lead.
 
In the 400 individual medley, Ashley Jones took first in a time of 4:21.32. Amilee Smith was fourth (4:26.52) and Luhrsen seventh (4:41.56).
 
The meet ended with the 200 free relay, as Strumbel, White, Ashley Jones and Wohrley took fourth in 1:39.05. Indiana’s B squad of Schaefer, Specht, Justine Jones and Mitsch placed sixth (1:40.97).







On homecoming weekend and in front of a packed Norris Aquatics Center, Northwestern faced Indiana to open the 2009-10 regular season. The Hoosiers held a commanding lead after the opening relay, but NU used consistent performances, especially from Emily Wong (pictured) to chip away at the margin. In the end, however, the 'Cats were unable to complete the comeback as Indiana squeaked out a 156-144 victory.

Senior Kassia Shishkoff (Raleigh, N.C./St. David's School) earned the first win of the 2009-10 season for the women, taking the 200 Free by .29 seconds. Shishkoff scored points for the Wildcats in the 400 IM as well with a third-place finish.

Northwestern notched nine more points with a win in the 100 breast from sophomore Jenny Wilson (Bethesda, Md./Sidwell Friends School). The team's leader in the breaststroke last year, Wilson's 1:03.61 would have been good enough for third-fastest during Northwestern's 2008-09 campaign.

Senior Emily Wong dominated the 50 free, bringing the 'Cats within three points overall of the Hoosiers. She out-touched Indiana captain Donna Smailis to secure a Wildcat win in the 100 free and an overall lead in the meet four events later.

The diving board proved just as useful to the NU women as the men, with freshman Felicitas Lenz (Altadena, Calif./Polytechnic School) taking the three meter event. Lenz outscored three experienced Indiana divers on the way to her first collegiate victory. In the one meter event Lenz managed a second place finish, worth four points.

The Hoosiers were able to capitalize on big wins in the 200 back and 500 free, putting them back into the overall lead. Although NU placed in every remaining event, IU was able to grab a few more points throughout the evening. Northwestern finished the meet in style, though, sweeping the 200 meter relay with first, second, and third place finishes. Although the race earned the squad 15 points, the performance was not enough to overcome the Hoosiers.

Northwestern falls to 0-1 overall and in the Big Ten, while Indiana moves to 1-0 overall with the same record in conference play. The 'Cats are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 7, when they accompany the men to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue. The dual meet is set to begin at noon CT.

In the first meet of the 2009-10 season, Northwestern honored the achievement of longtime men's swimming coach Bob Groseth, who retired this summer after 20 years of devoted service to the program. Noted alumni, including three-time Olympic medalist Matt Grevers, gathered to wish the coach well and watch the men's and women's teams take on Indiana to kick off the homecoming weekend.

The Wildcat men sprinted out to an early lead, but the Hoosiers proved too much over the course of the meet, leaving with a 167-131 victory. Led by senior Chris Doman (Pittsburgh, Pa./St. Charles Prep (Columbus, Ohio)) the Wildcat 200 medley relay posted a 1:34.28, besting the Hoosiers by almost two seconds.

Freshman Charlie Rimkus (Tustin, Calif./Beckman) impressed in his first collegiate meet, winning the 1000 free by more than a body length. Peter Park (Princeton, N.J./Peddle School) finished third in the event, only 10 seconds off the lead. Rimkus also managed a second place finish in the 500 free, just two seconds behind Indiana's Titus Knight.

After falling in the 200 free and 100 backstroke, junior Alex Tyler (Birmingham, Mich./Birmingham Groves) secured the 200 breast by over a second, keeping the men close late into the meet. He dominated the field in the 400 IM as well, crushing the next closest competitor by almost seven seconds.

Sean Matthews (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette) earned another first place finish for the `Cats, this time in the 200 fly. His 1:50.05 allowed NU to take an overall two point lead on Indiana. Matthews took home the 100 fly as well, reaching the wall just ahead of the Hoosier's Tim Blue.

The men received some help from the diving board as well, with a top finish from junior Kalister Harmon (Olympia, Wash./Capital). Harmon finished with 305.70 points from the three meter board, 20 points higher than any other diver in the meet.

Indiana was able to win more overall events, however, and pulled away late, winning the final 200 free relay. Northwestern falls to 0-1 overall and in the Big Ten, while Indiana moves to 1-0 overall with the same record in conference play.

The men and women hit the water again Saturday, November 7 to take on the Boilermakers of Purdue. The dual meet is set for a 12 pm central time start.