Indiana Swimming & Diving Wins Three NCAA Titles on Friday Night
 AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Indiana University men’s swimming and diving team continued competition at the 2019 NCAA Championships on Friday evening at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
Headed into the fourth and final day of the 2019 NCAA Championships, the Hoosiers sit in third place in the team standings with a total score of 277.5 points. California leads with a score of 372, while Texas remains in second place with a total of 329.
Senior Ian Finnerty made history on Friday night, winning the NCAA Championship in the 100 breaststrokes for the second-straight year with a pool record time of 49.85. Finnerty’s time is the second-fastest in history, bested only by his winning mark of 49.69 last year. The senior is the only man in the history of the event to break 50 seconds.
Finnerty became the first Hoosier swimmer to successfully defend his NCAA title in 45 years. In 1974, John Kinsella successfully defended both his championships in the 500 and 1,650 freestyles.
Freshman Zane Backes had a great swim as well in the Championship Final of the 100 breaststrokes, taking fifth overall with a personal-best time of 51.35 to earn his first career All-America honor.
For the first time in his illustrious career, Vini Lanza won an individual NCAA Championship on Friday night, taking the title in a thrilling final with a Big Ten and IU school record time of 44.37.
Lanza stormed back from fourth place at the 50-yard mark with a blistering last 50 split of 23.78 to win the championship. The senior’s time makes him the seventh-fastest performer in history in the event.
Lanza becomes the first Hoosier to win the 100 butterfly crown at the NCAA Championships since Mark Spitz completed his four-year sweep of the event in 1972. Lanza’s win in the Championship Final of the 100 butterflies gives Indiana seven titles in the event in program history.
Sophomore Andrew Capobianco dominated the Championship Final of the 3-meter dive, going wire-to-wire to win the NCAA title with a score of 461.65.
After an opening round dive of 83.30 to take the lead, Capobianco distanced himself from the field with a nearly perfect second-round dive. On his forward four-and-a-half somersault tuck, Capobianco scored an amazing 100.70.
After the field tried to close in on the sophomore in the third and fourth rounds, Capobianco came through with two clutch final dives, posting scores of 71.75 and 88.40 to clinch the title. Capobianco earned his fourth career All-America honor with his tremendous performance.
With the three NCAA championships on Friday night, along with the 400 medley relay title on Thursday, the Hoosiers have won eight NCAA crowns the past two seasons. The eight championships are the most for the team in a two-year span in 45 years, when IU won nine total in 1973-74.
In the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle, senior Zach Apple posted a career-best time of 1:31.55 to win silver in the event. With the second-place finish, Apple earned the 17th All-America honor in his career.
Mohamed Samy tied for second in the Consolation Final of the 200 freestyle, finishing tied for 10th overall with a time of 1:32.29. Samy recorded the 11th All-America accolade of his career.
The Hoosiers controlled the 200 medley relay Consolation Final, winning to finish ninth overall in the event with a time of 1:23.27. The IU team of Gabriel Fantoni, Finnerty, Lanza and Bruno Blaskovic won by nearly a second thanks in part to a blistering anchor leg from Blaskovic in 18.57.
In the Consolation Final of the 100 backstrokes, Fantoni placed second to finish 10th overall in the event with a time of 44.96.
With their efforts, Lanza, Finnerty, and Fantoni all earned two All-America honors on the night. Lanza now has a staggering 20 for his career, while Finnerty and Fantoni have 14 and five, respectively.
Blaskovic earned his sixth-career All-America accolade, while Brandon Hamblin earned his second career honor for swimming on the relay in the prelims.
The 2019 NCAA Championships will continue on Saturday morning with the prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststrokes, 200 butterflies, 400 freestyle relay, platform dive and 1,650 freestyle. The action gets underway at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
100 Butterfly
1. Vini Lanza – 44.37 (All-America; Big Ten and School Record)
200 Freestyle
2. Zach Apple – 1:31.55 (All-America; Personal Best)
T-10. Mohamed Samy – 1:32.29 (Honorable-Mention All-America)
100 Breaststroke
1. Ian Finnerty – 49.85 (All-America; Pool Record)
5. Zane Backes – 51.35 (All-America; Personal Best)
100 Backstroke
10. Gabriel Fantoni – 44.96 (Honorable-Mention All-America)
3-Meter Dive
1. Andrew Capobianco – 461.65 (All-America)
 200 Medley Relay
9. Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty, Vini Lanza, Bruno Blaskovic – 1:23.27
* Brandon Hamblin also earns Honorable-Mention All-America honors for swimming in prelims
#GoIU
