ANN ARBOR, Mich. – For the second-straight year and fifth time in seven years, Indiana started its pursuit of the Big Ten title with a win in the 800-yard freestyle relay on the first night of events Wednesday (Feb. 22) night inside Canham Natatorium.
IU’s quartet of sophomore Rafael Miroslaw, junior Tomer Frankel and seniors Brendan Burns and Van Mathias posted the third-best time in program history in 6:10.80. The time beat their previous season best set at midseason by over 11 seconds.
Strong splits from Miroslaw (1:32.73) and Frankel (1:33.33) kept the Hoosiers amongst the top teams at the halfway point, then Burns blazed a 1:32.03, the best split in the field, to give IU a two-second lead going into the final leg. Mathias went 1:32.71 to shut the door as IU won by 2.7 seconds. Only five swimmers swam sub-1:33, and three of those were Hoosiers.
Through two events, Indiana shares the lead with Ohio State, each earning 118 points on opening night. Michigan sits third with 112 points.
IU also medaled in the 200-yard medley relay, grabbing bronze in 1:23.52 and earning an NCAA A cut. Indiana was eighth after the first 50 yards, but Mathias (22.74) and Frankel (19.89) shot the Hoosiers into contention with the fastest splits in their respective strokes. Junior Gavin Wight anchored the relay in 18.80.
“It was a pretty eventful night,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “On the medley relay, we had a little rough start on that, and what was remarkable, is I think we were eighth after the first leg and then slowly worked our way back into third, which was really impressive given the way this pool swims. You really don’t want to get behind. I was happy and impressed with the composure that those guys displayed.
“And then to come back and get the victory in the 800 freestyle, our first two guys are our fastest guys, and really it was the third and fourth guys that solidified the win. So, you never know where it’s going to come, but it takes a team. I like the way the team responded, and I think that first portion of the relay was a hit in the face, but I think it’s going to be a good thing in the end. Sometimes when you get punched, it gets you into the game, and then you can move forward. I think that will serve in that capacity for us.
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“I’m super proud of the guys, and we have a lot of work to do. We expect this to be a real battle. This conference meet is never easy, so I think we understand that now clearly.”
TEAM SCORES
t1. Indiana – 118
t1. Ohio State – 118
- Michigan – 112
t4. Minnesota – 100
t4. Wisconsin – 100
t4. Purdue – 100
- Northwestern – 92
- Penn State – 88
RESULTS
3. Luke Barr, Van Mathias, Tomer Frankel, Gavin Wight – 1:23.52 (Bronze, NCAA A Cut)
200 MEDLEY RELAY
800 FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Rafael Miroslaw, Tomer Frankel, Brendan Burns, Van Mathias – 6:10.80 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA A Cut)
UP NEXT
The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships resume Thursday for day two, the first full day of action. Athletes will compete in the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter dive and 400 medley relay, with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Finals are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET.
