Indiana Captures Third Consecutive Big Ten Conference Championship

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana men’s swimming and diving won its third consecutive Big Ten Championship Saturday (March 2). It is IU’s 30th men’s conference title as well as its sixth in eight years.

The Hoosiers won the 2024 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships by a margin of 296 points, outscoring second place Ohio State 1,520-1,226. Indiana led the team standings at the end of each of the four days of competition.

“What an amazing last two days from our men,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “After a rocky Thursday, this team turned it around with two of the better days that I have ever been part of with this program and then just ran away with it by almost 300 points. It’s hard to do that in sports, when things don’t go your way, and it shows the character of these guys.

“This way a tricky meet for us because we’re trying to be even better at the NCAA Championships four weeks from now, and everyone gives you their best shot here in this conference. We took all the blows and ended up with an enjoyable last day. I want to give all the credit to the staff, to the administrators, all the athletes, everybody that’s part of this. It’s humbling to get another title, and we know it’s going to be difficult to keep going, but we’re going to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

“I am so proud of this team,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Like every team, there are untold stories of struggles and hardship. These men overcame them all!”

Combining with the women’s conference championship a week ago, Indiana completed the swimming and diving program’s second Big Ten Championship Double and first since 2019. Michigan is the only other Big Ten program to win both the men’s and women’s trophies in a single season.

IU totaled 10 Big Ten Championships at the meet between swimming, diving and relays, including four during the final day of competition. For the second-straight season, Indiana won four of the five relays and medaled in all five.

In his fifth and final Big Ten Championships, senior Brendan Burns won his fourth-straight 200-yard backstroke – IU’s eighth in as many years. Burns out-touched sophomore teammate and Dutch Olympic-qualifier Kai van Westering by 24 hundredths in 1:39.50. He’ll finish his collegiate career with 22 Big Ten Championships from 11 individual and 11 relay titles.

Indiana asserted its dominance in breaststroke Saturday, finishing first, second, third and fourth in the 200-yard event. Senior Jassen Yep won his first-career Big Ten Championship with an NCAA A cut 1:50.40, the third-fastest time in the country this season. Junior Josh Matheny (1:51.50) took silver, and freshman Toby Barnett earned his second medal of his first conference championships, having won silver in the 400 IM on Friday. Senior Maxwell Reich rounded out the quartet, finishing fourth in 1:52.07. This result came after IU took the second, third, fourth and fifth-place positions in the 100-yard breaststroke event on Friday.

Junior Carson Tyler won his second conference title in two days, compounding Friday’s 3-meter championship with his second-straight Big Ten platform diving title on Saturday. Tyler’s final three dives tallied scores of 93.50, 89.10 and 73.80, building to a 462.60 final tally. The highest-scoring diver throughout the meet, Tyler repeated as the Big Ten Diver of the Championships.

“For Carson to win again after the excitement of last night is so difficult to do,” Johansen said. “I had a feeling the meet was going to come down to who did the better back and reverse optionals. So, I promised him a slice of pumpkin pie if he hit his 207 and 307 tonight. It lightened his mood enough, and he delivered.

Sophomore Maxwell Weinrich earned his first-career Big Ten medal, finishing third on platform with a 360.95. Junior Quinn Henninger took seventh with a score of 360.95, and sophomore Dash Glasberg scored out of the consolation final with a career-best 289.80.

“Max really showed up, moving all the way to third. He is gaining confidence with every dive he does. Quinn and Dash delivered so many valuable points in every event. The focus for the meet was team, and they never lost focus.”

Indiana put an exclamation mark on the meet, winning its eighth 400-yard freestyle relay championship in nine years. The Hoosiers, represented by senior Tomer Frankel and Gavin Wight, junior Rafael Miroslaw and freshman Mikkel Lee, finished in an NCAA A cut 2:48.19, 26 hundredths in front of Michigan. The Wolverines led by one hundredth at the third exchange as Lee leaped into the water. He posted the quickest anchor split in 41.76 to give IU the victory. Moments later, confetti burst on top of the Hoosiers as they celebrated their team title.


TEAM SCORES
1. Indiana – 1,520
2. Ohio State – 1,226

  1. Michigan – 1,153.5
  2. Wisconsin – 1,044.5
  3. Minnesota – 849.5
  4. Northwestern – 725
  5. Penn State – 683
  6. Purdue – 651.5

BIG TEN AWARDS

Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships: Gal Cohen Groumi, Michigan

Big Ten Diver of the Championships: Carson Tyler, Indiana

Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Colin Geer, Michigan

 

First-Team All-Big Ten (Indiana): Finn Brooks, Brendan Burns, Tomer Frankel, Mikkel Lee, Josh Matheny, Rafael Miroslaw, Carson Tyler, Kai van Westering, Gavin Wight, Jassen Yep

Second-Team All-Big Ten (Indiana): Toby Barnett, Quinn Henninger

RESULTS

1,650 FREESTYLE

  1. Warren Briggs – 15:01.96 (NCAA B Cut)
  2. Mason Carlton – 15:12.24 (NCAA B Cut)
  3. Tristan DeWitt – 14:54.92 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
  4. Elliot Weisel – 15:21.79 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)


200 BACKSTROKE
1. Brendan Burns – 1:39.50 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA B Cut)

  1. Kai van Westering – 1:39.74 (Silver, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)

    100 FREESTYLE
    6. Mikkel Lee – 42.51 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)

  2. Gavin Wight – 43.01 (NCAA B Cut)
  3. Rafael Miroslaw – 42.78 (NCAA B Cut)

200 BREASTSTROKE

  1. Jassen Yep – 1:50.40 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA A Cut, Career Best)
  2. Josh Matheny – 1:51.50 (Silver, NCAA B Cut)
  3. Toby Barnett – 1:51.95 (Bronze, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
  4. Maxwell Reich – 1:52.07 (NCAA B Cut)
  5. Collin McKenzie – 1:59.23
  6. Luke Barr – 1:56.64 (NCAA B Cut)

200 BUTTERFLY

  1. Tomer Frankel – 1:39.80 (Silver, NCAA A Cut, Career Best)
  2. Brendan Burns – 1:40.24 (Bronze, NCAA B Cut)

PLATFORM DIVING

  1. Carson Tyler – 462.60 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  2. Maxwell Weinrich – 433.65 (Bronze, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  3. Quinn Henninger – 360.95 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  4. Dash Glasberg – 289.80 (Career Best)

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