BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A total of 14 Indiana University swimming will participate in the inaugural USA College Challenge, presented by Arena on Nov. 12-13 at the Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis.
Competing for the Big Ten will be Gia Dalesandro, Kennedy Goss, Lilly King, Bailey Pressey, Brooklyn Snodgrass, Ian Finnerty, Bob Glover, Ali Khalafalla, Vini Lanza, Blake Pieroni, Anze Tavcar and Cody Taylor.
Competing for USA Swimming in the short-course yards meet will be IU alum Cody Miller, as well as Indiana post-grad swimmer Zane Grothe.
Indiana’s 14 participants in the event are the most of any school. Michigan is second with 11, while both Ohio State and Wisconsin have six.
“The Big Ten vs USA Swimming dual meet will be the first of its kind with regard to showcasing the top collegiate talent in the NCAA against the top talent from the best swimming nation in the world,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I am humbled to be the head coach of the men’s Big Ten team and plan to utilize the best coaches from our conference to make this meet one for the ages.”
In a similar format to the successful Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, a running score will be kept throughout the dual meet competition combining the points earned by both women and men. With 262 points available in 30 total events, the first team to 131.5 points will be the winner.
For individual events, each team will be permitted to enter up to four athletes. The top three athletes in each individual event will be permitted to score points for their team – 5 points for first place, 3 points for second and 1 point for third. Relay scoring is 7 points for a first-place finish and 0 points for second.
Each athlete may be entered in up to six events during the meet, including individual events and relays.
The two-day, short-course yards meet consists of two sessions – Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. ET and Sunday, Nov. 13 at 11:30 a.m. All-session tickets cost $35 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Single-day tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children. Click here to purchase tickets.
The Big Ten Network will televise both sessions of the meet on Sunday, Nov. 13. The Nov. 12 session will air on delay at 10 a.m., followed by a live broadcast of the Nov. 13 session from noon-2 p.m. Both sessions also will stream live online and via the BTN2GO app.
Bernie Guenther (play-by-play) and Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines (analyst) will call the action from Indianapolis for the Big Ten Network.
