Indiana Earns Runner-Up Finish, 15 Medals at Big Ten Championships

Indiana Earns Runner-Up Finish, 15 Medals at Big Ten Championships 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 8-ranked Indiana women’s swimming and diving finished second at the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Swimming Championships as the four-day event concluded Saturday (Feb. 18) night inside Canham Natatorium.

IU was bested only by No. 6-ranked Ohio State, which tallied 1,425 points to IU’s 1,291.5 over the four days.

Indiana earned its 17th-straight top-three at the conference championships and its 12th championship or runner-up finish during the stretch. The Hoosiers tallied 15 medals, the program’s highest total since 16 in 2016. This year’s haul included six gold, four silver and five bronze medals, and the Hoosiers medaled in all five relays. IU six conference title are the most since the program’s nine in 2017.

During the week, Indiana set program records in the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:58.44), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:27.70) and 200-yard freestyle (Anna Peplowski – 1:43.33).

IU’s final night was not without celebration. Indiana secured five medals on the night including two Big Ten titles. Sophomore Anna Peplowski won the 200-yard backstroke before celebrating with her senior sister Noelle Peplowski for her 200-yard breaststroke title.

“What a fantastic night for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “We had two more wins by the Peplowski sisters and a very strong second-place finish in the conference. I’m super proud of this group and there’s more to come at the NCAA meet.”

The sophomore was also named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships a year after she was picked as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year at the conference meet. Peplowski led the conference in scoring with 60 points and captured medals in all seven events swam. She is the Big Ten Champion in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke and helped IU to a title in the 800-yard freestyle. Peplowski’s 200 back title Saturday came as the 13th in program history and first since Kennedy Goss in 2017.

Junior Anne Fowler joined Peplowski as the Big Ten Diver of the Championships. This week, Anne Fowler swept the springboard diving events and joined sophomore teammate Skyler Liu as the only two athletes to qualify for all three diving championship finals.

“It was a great day for the girls,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Anne getting into that A final was just a fantastic accomplishment for her, and that’s just a carry-over from the two great performances in the nights before. And then Skyler getting into a third A final, she upped her difficulty to try to win a championship for us. It wasn’t there for us today, but it sets us up for the NCAA meet, so we’re excited.”

Noelle Peplowski’s win in the 200 breast came as her first-career individual gold after claiming silver medals in the event in 2020 and 2022. IU has won seven of the last eight Big Ten 200 breaststroke titles and had three top-six finishers this season, with senior Mackenzie Looze (2:08.58) placing third and sophomore and previous champ Brearna Crawford (2:09.65) taking sixth. Peplowski’s won by nearly two seconds in an NCAA A cut 2:06.01, just half a second off her career-best 2:05.52 set at midseason. Coming into the meet, she was one of just three swimmers under 2:06 this year.

IU’s Saturday celebrations started though in the 1,650-yard freestyle as sophomores Ching Hwee Gan (15:56.55) and Mariah Denigan (15:57.82) finished second and third, respectively. The pairing showed improvement after impressive 10th and 11th-place showings in their first conference meet. Gan earned another silver in the 500 free on Thursday after helping IU take gold in the 800 freestyle relay the night before.

Indiana got its fifth relay medal from the 400-yard freestyle relay squad. The quartet of Anna Peplowski, senior Ashley Turak, freshman Kristina Paegle and Looze went 3:14.71 to edge Wisconsin by a tenth of a second and earn the bronze medal.

TEAM SCORES.

 1. Ohio State – 1,425

2. Indiana – 1,291.5
3. Michigan – 1,108
4. Wisconsin – 954
5. Minnesota – 768.5
6. Northwestern – 710
7. Purdue – 492.5
8. Penn State – 475
9. Rutgers – 467.5
10. Nebraska – 437
11. Illinois – 215
12. Iowa – 198

AWARDS

Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships: Anna Peplowski, Indiana

Big Ten Diver of the Championships: Anne Fowler, Indiana

Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Katie Crom, Michigan

Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (IU): Sydney Turner

First-Team All-Big Ten: Anne Fowler, Ching Hwee Gan, Mackenzie Looze, Kristina Paegle, Anna Peplowski, Noelle Peplowski

Second-Team All-Big Ten: Elizabeth Broshears, Ashley Turak

RESULTS

1,650 FREESTYLE

2. Ching Hwee Gan – 15:56.55 (Silver, NCAA B Cut)
3. Mariah Denigan – 15:57.82 (Bronze, NCAA B Cut)

200 BACKSTROKE

1. Anna Peplowski – 1:51.81 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
2. Mya DeWitt – 1:56.20 (NCAA B Cut)
3. Elyse Heiser – 1:56.30 (NCAA B Cut)
4. Anna Freed – 1:57.71 (NCAA B Cut)

100 FREESTYLE

5. Kristina Paegle – 48.63 (NCAA B Cut)
6. Ashley Turak – 48.66 (NCAA B Cut)

200 BREASTSTROKE

1. Noelle Peplowski – 2:06.01 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA A Cut)
2. Mackenzie Looze – 2:08.50 (Bronze, NCAA B Cut)
3. Brearna Crawford – 2:09.65 (NCAA B Cut)
4. Catherine Graham – 2:12.17 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)

200 BUTTERFLY

6. Katie Forrester – 1:56.87 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
7. Lily Hann – 1:58.52 (NCAA B Cut)
8. Anna Freed – 2:00.38

PLATFORM

4. Skyler Liu – 305.60 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
5. Anne Fowler – 271.80 (NCAA Zone Qualifier, Career Best)

*X denotes exhibition swim

UP NEXT

Indiana will host the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships March 9-11 inside Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center as Hoosier divers look to punch their tickets to the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The women’s national meet will run the next week beginning on March 15 and running through March 18.

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