For the first time in almost two months, the Indiana swimming and diving teams hosted a home meet as they welcomed the Cincinnati Bearcats to the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center. Friday's meet yielded similar results to their last home meet, when they swept the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 4, as the men’s and women’s teams swept the swimming and diving competitions against the Bearcats.
Without decorated coach Ray Looze, who was in Knoxville, Tenn., for the Winter Nationals, the men’s team won 204-90 while the women’s team won 194-99, following a second-place finish at the Ohio State Invitational.
Juniors Katie Carson and Kacey McKenna were standouts for the women’s team. Both Carson and Mckenna won the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.67) alongside Ashley Turak and Kabria Chapman. Mckenna individually won two events as she took home the 100-yard butterfly (53.52) and the 200-yard freestyle (1:31.38).
Carson won the 500-yard freestyle (4:49.44). She was one of eight women won multiple events for the Hoosiers. Elizabeth Broshears, Kabria Chapman, Elyse Heiser, Dominika Kossakowska, Ella Ristic, and Ashley Turak also won multiple events on Friday.
Both the men's and women's teams took early leads. On the men’s side, junior Finn Brooks was the clear standout, winning four different races. He won the 200-yard medley relay (1:25.10), the 50-yard freestyle (19.88), the 100-yard butterfly (46.13) and the 200-yard freestyle (1:18.01).
Besides Brooks, four other men’s swimmers won first place in multiple events. Luke Barr won three races: the 200-yard medley relay (1:25.10), the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.35) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:18.01).
Senior Billy Cruz, who transferred from USC, also placed first in the 200-yard medley relay and he won the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:18.01). Senior Warren Briggs took home the 1000-yard freestyle (9:09.93) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:22.21). Senior Gavin Wight, who swam the anchor leg for the winning relay team in the 200-yard medley relay, also placed first in the 100-yard backstroke (47.58) and 200-yard freestyle relay (1:18.01).
The diving competitions on Friday painted a similar story to what we have seen all year. Junior Skyler Liu proved herself again as she won the 3-meter (375.98) and 1-meter (327.83) competitions. Maxwell Weinrich also swept the 1-meter (321.23) and 3-meter (378.98) events.
The Hoosiers now look forward to a long break as they prepare to meet Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 19, when they enter the heart of their Big Ten schedule.
