No. 6/9 Indiana Produces Perfect Punctuation to Dual Meet Season Men Cruise, Women Set Three Program Standards to Defeat Ranked Foes

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 6/9 Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will both head into championship season undefeated at 8-0 in dual meets after statement victories against No. 15/8 Louisville and No. 22/14 Wisconsin on Friday (Feb. 2) inside the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

Notably, the No. 9-ranked IU women upset No. 8 Louisville 181-119 and soundly took care of Wisconsin 205-95. The Hoosier women set three program records and won 10 events – including both relays – to clinch their first undefeated dual meet season since 2006-07 (5-0).

“We’ve been working really hard, and this is the best group of people,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “It’s a really tight team. They have each other’s back, and it’s starting to permeate into the results in a positive and stubborn way. That’s nice to see.”

The Hoosiers were once again dominant on the diving boards, sweeping the springboards. IU’s women had the top three finishers on both boards, with Anne Fowler continuing her late run of exceptional diving by completing the double. On the 1-meter board, Fowler’s 328.43 placed above of freshman teammate Ella Rosselli’s 303.00 and junior Skyler Liu’s 296.48. Hoosiers had the top four scores on the women’s 3-meter, led by Fowler’s 381.45, Liu’s 349.80, freshman Lily Witte’s 318.23 and Rossellis’ 317.18.

“We swept both boards, and, as normal, Anne Fowler was awesome,” assistant diving coach Eric Best said. “Anne was just dialed-in and diving great. I think we’re in a really good position going into the postseason.”

Despite missing juniors Carson Tyler and Quinn Henninger to World Aquatics Championships competition, Indiana’s male divers also completed the double via sophomore Maxwell Weinrich. Weinrich had personal bests on each board, a 388.13 on 1-meter and 428.93 on 3-meter.

“Max lit it up on both boards with two personal bests,” Best said. “The inward 3 1/2 that he did was absolutely amazing, somewhere around 80 or 90 points. It was just a huge meet for Max.”

Indiana set the tone in the first event of the day, the 200-yard medley relay. Juniors Kacey McKenna and Brearna Crawford, sophomore Chiok Sze Yeo and senior Ashley Turak posted a 1:35.86 as Turak out-touched Louisville’s Gabi Albiero by two hundredths. McKenna’s 23.93 leadoff was the difference as the Cardinals made up ground on each of the final three legs. Senior Brendan Burns (21.49 split), junior Finn Brooks (22.62), and seniors Tomer Frankel (19.74) and Gavin Wight (19.03) had no issues in the men’s event, setting the fourth-best time in the country this season.

Junior Ching Hwee Gan kept IU’s momentum going in the 1,000-yard freestyle, winning by 71 hundredths in 9:30.07 – the No. 3-best time nationally. Her mark also beat her own program record (9:30.71) previously set during her silver medal performance at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Gan was steady, with all 20 splits sitting beneath 29 seconds including a 27.34 final 50 yards. The junior from Singapore would close strong in the 500 free as well, her 26.56 final 50 good enough to catch Wisconsin’s Abby Carlson – the reigning Big Ten Champion and national runner-up – and win in 4:40.30.

IU would go back-to-back women’s events with program records. Fellow junior Anna Peplowksi may have posted the time of the meet with a 1:42.20 in the 200-yard freestyle. That time would have won the NCAA title last season and ranks No. 3 this season. Peplowski now owns the top five times in program history.

The Hoosiers would string together four consecutive event victories, as junior Rafael Miroslaw completed the sweep of the 200 free in 1:32.55, McKenna posted a personal best 51.33 in the women’s 100 back and Burns (45.91) and junior Luke Barr (46.25) managed a 1-2 finish in the corresponding men’s race.

The men would win their next two events as well. Perhaps the most eye-popping men’s time, Brooks won the 100-yard breaststroke in 51.34, the No. 3 time in the nation this season, despite not having raced the individual event since the 2022 CSCAA National Invitational Championship – when he went 56.23. Brooks, however, did split a 52.99 during a relay versus Kentucky, and has since posted 50-yard relay splits of 24.18, 23.12 and 23.02 this season before a personal best 22.62 split during the medley relay Friday. Following Brooks, Burns captured his second of three individual wins in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:40.78.

Sophomore Kristina Paegle got Indiana’s women back in the win column in the 50-yard freestyle, touching in 21.84. Her time marks the No. 3 mark in program history after she set the record at midseason in 21.76.

After falling in the 50-yard freestyle by a tenth of a second, IU’s men would win four of its next five events. In the 100-yard freestyle, Tomer Frankel (42.19) and Gavin Wight (42.96) led the way. The very next event, the 200 back, IU went 1-2 again via Burns (1:40.04) and junior Kai van Westering (1:42.07). Yep continued his season-long success in the 200 breast, winning in 1:53.16, and, in the 100 fly, Brooks (45.67) and Frankel (45.76) again had IU in the top two positions.

Down the stretch, IU’s women earned important wins from Crawford in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:09.73) and fellow junior Anna Freed in the 400 IM, posting a personal-best 4:10.94.

Indiana’s women finished the afternoon emphatically, shattering another program standard in the 400-yard freestyle relay. When only one other swimmer had a split under 48 seconds, three Hoosiers did it to deliver the victory. Peplowski kicked things off in 47.82, giving way to Turak’s 47.91. Louisville took the lead on the third leg, out-splitting senior Ella Ristic 47.86-48.61 – still quicker than all but six opponents – to set up the final leg between two sophomores: UL’s Ella Welch and IU’s Paegle. On this day it could only end one way: Paegle was a second quicker than the Cardinal, dropping the fastest split of the afternoon in 47.03. IU’s quartet beat the program record by 1.02 seconds with a new best time of 3:11.37 – the No. 7 time in the country.

TEAM SCORES

Men

No. 6 Indiana 189, No. 15 Louisville 110

No. 6 Indiana 202, No. 22 Wisconsin 96

Women

No. 9 Indiana 181, No. 8 Louisville 119

No. 9 Indiana 205, No. 14 Wisconsin 95

HOOSIER WINNERS

Men

Finn Brooks – 200 medley relay (1:22.88), 100 breaststroke (51.34), 100 butterfly (45.67)

Brendan Burns – 200 medley relay (1:22.88), 100 backstroke (45.91), 200 butterfly (1:40.78), 200 backstroke (1:40.04)

Tomer Frankel – 200 medley relay (1:22.88), 100 freestyle (42.19)

Rafael Miroslaw – 200 freestyle (1:32.55)

Maxwell Weinrich – 1-meter (388.13), 3-meter (428.93)

Gavin Wight – 200 medley relay (1:22.88)

Jassen Yep – 200 breaststroke (1:53.16)

Women

Brearna Crawford – 200 medley relay (1:35.86), 200 breaststroke (2:09.73)

Anne Fowler – 3-meter (381.45), 1-meter (328.43)

Anna Freed – 400 IM (4:10.94)

Ching Hwee Gan – 1,000 freestyle (9:30.07), 500 freestyle (4:40.30)

Kacey McKenna – 200 medley relay (1:35.86), 100 backstroke (51.33)

Kristina Paegle – 50 freestyle (21.84)

Anna Peplowski – 200 freestyle (1:42.20)

Asshley Turak – 200 medley relay (1:35.86)

Chiok Sze Yeo – 200 medley relay (1:35.86)

NCAA CUTS

A: Men’s 200 medley relay (1:35.86); Women’s 200 medley relay (1:22.88); Anna Peplowski – 200 free (1:42.20).

B: Luke Barr – 100 back (46.25); Finn Brooks – 100 breast (51.34); Brendan Burns – 100 back (45.91), 200 back (1:40.04); 200 fly (1:40.78); Brearna Crawford – 200 breast (2:09.73); Mya DeWitt – 100 back (52.35), 200 back (1:55.75); Katie Forrester – 200 fly (1:57.14); Tomer Frankel – 100 free (42.19); Anna Freed – 200 back (1:55.24), 200 fly (1:56.98); Ching Hwee Gan – 500 free (4:40.30); Lily Hann – 200 fly (1:57.81); Elyse Heiser – 200 free (1:46.37); Mikkel Lee – 50 free (19.46); Josh Matheny – 100 breast (53.50), 200 breast (1:56.54); Kacey McKenna – 100 back (51.33); Rafael Miroslaw – 200 free (1:32.55); Kristina Paegle – 50 free (21.84), 200 free (1:45.46); Anna Peplowski – 200 back (1:54.50); Maxwell Reich – 100 breast (53.31), 200 breast (1:56.18); Ella Ristic – 200 free (1:46.09); Ashley Turak – 50 free (22.17); Kai van Westering – 200 back (1:42.07); Armando Vegas – 200 fly (1:43.37); Ava Whitaker – 200 fly (1:58.13); Gavin Wight – 50 free (19.75), 100 free (42.96); Jassen Yep – 100 breast (52.10), 200 breast (1:53.16)

NCAA ZONE QUALIFYING SCORES

1-meter: Anne Fowler (328.43), Skyler Liu (296.48), Ella Rosselli (303.00), Maxwell Weinrich (388.13)

3-meter: Anne Fowler (381.45), Skyler Liu (349.80), Ella Rosselli (318.23), Maxwell Weinrich (428.93), Lily Witte (318.23)

UP NEXT

Indiana is sending 11 athletes and coaches to Doha, Qatar, to compete in the World Aquatics Championships this month. Domestically, the Hoosiers are also preparing for championship season, starting with the Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships from February 28-March 2.