BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head swimming coach Ray Looze has been named one of six finalists for the ASCA Coach of the Year award, the association announced this week.
The award highlights swimming excellence at the world level. The winner will be announced September 8 at the awards banquet during the ASCA World Clinic at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas.
Ten swimmers with ties to the IU program competed at the 19th FINA World Championships in June and July both for Team USA and for international squads.
A former IU swimmer, now swimming with Indiana Swim Club, Lilly King won three gold medals at the competition. With a victory in the 200-meter breaststroke race, King became the first American swimmer to win a career of gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200-meter events of one stroke at the long course world championships. King also contributed to two USA relay victories.
King’s training partner, Annie Lazor also qualified for world championships in the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke events. Lazor will also compete for Team USA at the Duel in the Pool, a
Meet between the Australian and United States national teams. Lazor will be joined by fellow breaststroker and senior Mackenzie Looze, who recently won the 200-meter breaststroke national championship at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
Coach Looze also had a hand in a pair of national records set at world championships. On the first day of competition, freshman Ching Hwee Gan set Singapore’s standard in the 1500-meter freestyle, going 16:32.43. Then, Egypt’s Mohamed Samy went 54.67 in the 100-meter backstroke to set the best mark for his country.
Freshman Mariah Denigan was one of the top female swimmers in Team USA’s open water lineup this summer. She helped the red, white and blue to a seventh-place finish in the mixed 4×1500-meter event and then placed 15th in the world individually in the 10-kilometer race.
Domestically, Looze was named the Big Ten Men’s Coach of the Year for a sixth time in his career after leading the Hoosier men to a fourth conference title in six years as well as a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships for a third time in four full seasons.
The Hoosiers also won big at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July, claiming the women’s and combined team titles. Three swimmers with ties to IU won individual titles: Zach Apple (100m free co-champion), Mackenzie Looze (200m breast) and Josh Matheny (100m breast). IU swimmers captured five medals in all.
