Ashley Jones was a top-10 finisher in three events at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. |
Women's Swimming and Diving Look to Build Upon Last Year's Big Ten Title as 2007-08 Season Opens
Oct. 11, 2007
With the 2007-08 season set to begin with dual meet at Missouri on Friday, IUHOOSIERS.com takes a look at this year's women's swimming and diving squad.
For head coach Ray Looze, the trip back up to the top of the Big Ten standings was a short one. In just his second season directing the women's program, he led them to the Big Ten Championship in 2007, the first team title since 2003 and just the third in school history.
Senior leadership was key to the success of the 2006-07 squad, and it will be that talent and guidance that Looze will need to bring out of his younger swimmers.
Gone is All-American Leila Vaziri who won the 100 backstroke at the Big Ten Championships and went on to place third at the NCAA meet. Vaziri was also part of three relay squads, including the 400-medley relay that finished first at the Big Ten meet.
Not just a competitor at the national level, Vaziri took the world by storm at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia by winning the 50-meter backstroke in a world-record time of 28.16.
Also gone is Annica Lofstedt who was a top-10 finisher in six different disciplines at the Big Ten Championships and closed out her career as an eight-time All-American.
However, despite the loss of those key contributors, the future has never looked brighter for Indiana swimming. The Hoosiers return four All-Big Ten selections and three All-Americans, none of whom are seniors.
Presley Bard won a Big Ten title in the 200-meter backstroke in her first year at IU and had an even more incredible summer where she placed in the top 10 in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Championships, earning a spot on the U.S. National Team for a meet in Chiba, Japan.
Fellow sophomore Ashley Jones, a top-eight finisher in three events at the Big Ten meet, also represented the U.S. in Japan this summer after finishing seventh in the 200 back in school-record time.
Add to that All-Americans Sarah Stockwell, Amilee Smith, 13 returning letterwinners and a recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Hoosiers looked poised and ready to defend their title and compete among the top programs in the country.
"I think the 20 women we have on the team may be better than the top 20 we had last year, but we really need to make people better," Looze said. "We are coming off a really good summer from a swimming standpoint, which I am encouraged by. But we need to be able to score more points at the Big Ten meet in the swimming events to match last year's accomplishment. If we maximize our talents, we will be a factor."
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FREESTYLE
In the freestyle sprints, the Hoosiers will turn to senior Brittany Epperson. A transfer from the University of Washington who redshirted last season, Epperson was 11th in the 50 free at the 2006 Pac-10 Championships and was a member of the school's record-setting 200-yard medley relay. This past summer she swam the anchor leg on IU's 400-meter freestyle relay team at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.
Junior Kristin Cihoski set career-best times in the 50 and 200 free last season.
Junior Allison Kay earned All-America honors last year at the NCAA Championships as part of Indiana's 400-yard freestyle relay team and set a career mark in the 200-yard butterfly. Sophomore Presley Bard, though not a sprint specialist, could also contribute here.
"This is a thin area for us because after Brittany, we really don't have any dedicated sprinters," Looze said. "How Brittany does in the 50 and 100 will kind of determine how we go in those two events."
A newcomer who may be able to contribute immediately in this area is Kelsey Atchison. Atchison earned All-America honors at Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) High School in the 50 and 100 free, finishing sixth in the 100 and 11th in the 50 at the 2006 Ohio state meet. She is also a three-time Short Course Nationals qualifier.
The depth and experience improves for IU in the longer-distance freestyle races. Freshman Amanda Smith is a nine-time All-American out of Indiana Hills (Ohio) High School, with six of those honors coming in the 200 and 500 freestyle races. She was state champion in the 500 free in 2006.
Sophomore Cassie Luhrsen is coming off an excellent rookie campaign, finishing 10th in the 1,650 freestyle at the Big Ten Championships and 18th in the 500 free. Last year she posted IU's fastest times in the 500 free and mile and had the second-fastest 1,000-yard freestyle mark.
Another distance specialist is senior Christie Fuchs. Fuchs was 17th in the 1,650 free at the Big Tens with a career-best mark of 17:01.88. That was good for the third-fastest time by a Hoosier last season.
BACKSTROKE
There is no doubt that the backstroke is a strength of this team as the Hoosiers return a Big Ten Champion and All-American, as well as a swimmer who competed at the international level this summer. This despite the loss of 50-meter backstroke world record holder Leila Vaziri.
Just a sophomore, Bard is already competing like a seasoned veteran. Last year she captured the Big Ten title in the 200-yard backstroke and went on to place ninth at the NCAA Championships with a school-record time of 1:55.12. Not resting on her laurels over the summer, Bard placed in the top nine in both the 100-and 200-meter backstroke at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and was named to Team USA for the Japan International Swim Meet.
Also entering her second year in Bloomington, Jones had a solid collegiate season last year with a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard back at the Big Tens. However, it was her breakthrough summer that has people on notice after taking seventh in the 200-meter back at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships, bettering the previous school record by almost five seconds.
"I think we have two of the finest backstrokers in the nation," Loose said. "They both had major breakthroughs this summer and gained valuable experience by competing for the USA in international competition.
Sophomore transfer Kate Zubkova is also an elite backstroker, taking 16th in the 100 back at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Australia while competing for her native Ukraine. She finished second in the 100 back at the 2007 World University Games in Thailand and represented the Ukraine at the 2004 Olympics in Athens where she swam the 100 fly and the 400 medley relay.
"Kate is a world-class swimmer who is used to competing at the highest level," Looze said.
Cihoski is also an option in the event after picking up points at the Big Ten Championships with a 13th-place finish in the 100 back. Junior Caitlin Heyman showed continued improvement last year, posting a career-best mark in the 100-yard back at the Big Ten meet.
Among the newcomers, Canadian Amy Harriman was the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations champion in the 100 back in 2006 and finished ninth in the event at the Canadian Nationals, earning a spot on the Canadian Youth National Team. Mariana Prutton was a 13-time All-American at Carondelet (Calif.) High School, including a three-time honoree in the 100 back.
"We go pretty deep in backstroke on the women's side," Looze said. "We were strong last year and we lose a world record holder, but we could be even better this year, collectively."
BUTTERFLY
"In the butterfly, I think we will be pretty solid," Looze said. "We return a Big Ten champion and have some other people that can contribute."
That returning Big Ten champion is junior Allison Kay. Kay won the 200 fly at the Big Ten meet with a career-best mark of 1:58.40, the second-fastest time in school history. She also qualified for the NCAA meet, finishing 20th.
Brittany Barwegan had an outstanding summer season, achieving two Olympic trial time standards in both the 100- and 200-meter butterfly. Heyman will help out in the 100 fly, posting a career low in the event at the Big Ten Championships last season. Looze also thinks that Donna Smailis could also make an impact and challenge for relay positions after finishing ninth in the 100-yard fly at the Big Ten Championships.
BREASTSTROKE
The Hoosiers return the school record holder in the 100-yard breaststroke in junior Sarah Stockwell. Stockwell earned All-Big Ten first team honors by finishing second in the 100 breast at the Big Tens and competed in both the 100 and 200 breast at the NCAA meet. She managed to lower her school record time in the 100 breast five times over the course of the season.
Sophomore Amilee Smith owns the school record in the 200 breast by finishing second at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 2:14.14. She competed in the event at the NCAA Championships, placing 21st in the preliminaries.
Abby Cooper reached the final in the 100 and 200 breast at the 2007 Big Ten Championships, and freshman Jessica Hill was a two-time All-American and 2006 state champion in the 100 breast at Farragut (Tenn.) High School.
IMDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
In addition to being a Big Ten champion in the butterfly, Kay earned All-America honorable mention honors last season with a 10-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley in a school-record time of 4:12.30. She also qualified for the national meet in the 200 IM.
Both Bard and Jones are also outstanding individual medley swimmers. Jones finished fourth in the "B" final of the 400-meter individual medley with a school-record mark of 4:49.14 at the recent Japan International swimming championships. She placed third in the 400-yard IM and sixth in the 200-yard IM at the Big Ten Championships. Bard was a fifth-place finisher in the 200-yard IM at the Big Tens. Additionally, freshman Amanda Smith has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 200 IM. Jessica Hill has qualified in both the 200 and 400 IM's for the Olympic Trials as well.
"There is a lot of potential here with this group," Looze said. "If we can get our fourth through seventh people to swim good times we could really gain some points here."
RELAYS
It is not a question of where or not the Hoosiers have the talent to make a mark in the relays, it is about how to distribute that talent among the open slots.
The medley relays will be the perfect opportunity for Indiana to display its wealth of talent.
"We have our pick of two or three backstrokers, Sarah (Stockwell) and Abby (Cooper) will be tough in the breaststroke and in butterfly I would really like to see Donna (Smailis) or Kate (Zubkova) push those events," Looze said.
Looze will look to his sprinters in the 200 free relay, anchored by Epperson. In the 400 free relay expect to see Amanda Smith, Cihoski, Bard, Jones and Kay competing for those spots.
SCHEDULE
After posting a perfect 5-0 dual meet record last season, Indiana will be challenged to match that with a tough schedule in 2007-08. The year opens with a dual meet at Missouri n Oct. 12, followed by a Big Ten matchup with Northwestern on Oct. 26.
Texas and Michigan visit the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on Nov. 2-3, followed by the team's final home event of the season, the Hoosierland Open (Nov. 15-17).
A pair of tough dual meets that will serve as a tune-up for the Big Ten Championships follows a tri-meet with Notre Dame, Michigan and Illinois in South Bend. The Hoosiers will travel to Tennessee on Jan. 19 before facing the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 26 in West Lafayette.
This ear the Big Ten Championships will take place in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 21-23. The same pool will also play host to the NCAA Championships, March 20-22.
DIVING
For 19th-year head coach Dr. Jeff Huber the mission is clear: find a way to replace two of the most prolific divers in Indiana women's diving history as the program heads into the 2007-08 season.
When the Indiana Hoosiers took home the 2007 Big Ten Championship, it was in large part due to the performances of the divers. Junior Christina Loukas turned in one of the most dominant performances in Big Ten diving history, becoming just the fourth league diver to win all three diving events in the same championship meet.
Loukas set a new school and Big Ten record in winning the platform and a new school record in taking the three-meter, earning Big Ten Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships honors for the third-straight year.
Her teammate, Lindsay Weigle, finished second to Loukas in the platform and went on to place second at the NCAA Championships in the closest platform contest in NCAA history.
In all, Weigle and Loukas combined for 87 points at the Big Ten meet. Now, as Weigle has completed her eligibility and Loukas will redshirt the 2007-08 season to train for the upcoming Olympic Games, it is up to a young set of divers to carry on IU's proud tradition.
"We are asking some of our other divers to step up and fill that void," Huber said. "I think we have several people who are capable of doing just that."
One of those divers is sophomore Brittney Feldman. Last season Feldman earned her first career All-America honor with a 10th-place finish in the one-meter at the NCAA Championships. Feldman qualified for all three diving disciplines at the NCAA meet, placing 20th in the preliminaries of the three-meter and 23rd in the prelims of the platform. That was coming off a third-place finish in the three-meter at the Big Ten Championships. She also placed fifth in the one-meter and 11th in the three-meter at the 2007 Speedo USA Diving Spring National.
"Brittney has worked hard on her platform list, so I think she is going to be very solid and will represent us well on all three levels," Huber said.
Sophomore Amy Korthauer, who walked onto the program a year ago, had a breakthrough summer with a seventh-place finish in the platform and a sixth-place showing in the synchro platform with Feldman at the 2007 Kaiser Permanente USA Diving Championships in August. She was also among the IU divers to score at the Big Ten Championships with a 13th-place finish in the preliminaries of the platform.
"Amy had a great summer, qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the platform," Huber said. "That is an exciting accomplishment and I think she is going to do some great things this year."
With young talent comes the need for veteran leadership and seniors Jade Summerlin and Ashley Greene will be looked upon to take that responsibility upon their shoulders.
Summerlin was an Academic All-Big Ten selection and year ago and posted a career-best score on the platform at the Michigan Invitational. She also contributed to the Hoosiers' championship point total at the Big Ten meet with a 12th-place showing in the platform.
"It is nice to have Jade back with us," Huber said. "She is definitely a scorer for us in all three events, particularly the tower.
"We are fortunate to have her as one of our captains and team leaders."
Greene picked up points in two events at last year's Big Ten Championships, finishing ninth in the preliminaries of the three-meter and 10th in the prelims of the one-meter. She ranks among Indiana's all-time top-20 scorers in the three-meter and was also an Academic All-Big Ten pick.
"Ashley was our most improved diver last year," Huber said. "She really came through for us and I think she will continue to get better this year."
Three freshmen join the program this fall and all will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact.
Heidi Mahnken was a top-10 finisher in the one-meter at the Missouri state championships and a two-time all-state selection while competing for Kickapoo High School.
"Heidi trained hard over the summer and coming in I think that will help her make the adjustment to this level," Huber said.
Christina Kouklakis was a high school All-American in 2007, finishing 12th at the Indiana state meet her senior season at Munster High School. Kouklakis holds school record in both the six-dive and 11-dive one-meter events.
"Christina, like all of our freshmen, is extremely hard working and dedicated and I think that will pay off for us in the end," Huber said.
Cassidy Kahn's high school did not have a diving program so she instead competed for Stuyvesant High School in New York City, winning the 2006 New York City Public School Athletic League Open Championship in the one-meter. Kahn has also competed at the USA Diving Nationals on two occasions.
"She has a strong diving background and I think she will be able to contribute to the team right away," Huber said.
Assistant coach Todd Waikel is back for his third season at IU, and joining him on the coaching sidelines will be Weigle as a student coach. In addition, the Hoosiers will have the services of Olympic Gold Medalist Mark Lenzi as the IU alum returns to assist his alma mater.
"It hurts to loose divers like Christina (Loukas) and Lindsay, but that is the nature of collegiate sports," Huber said. "Every year people step up and I look for someone in this group to do the same.
