Three Hoosiers Strike Gold on Thursday

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Indiana swimming and diving won the last three events of Thursday (Feb. 23) night’s session and sits just nine points off the lead for the team title halfway through the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside Canham Natatorium.

IU won a gold in each of the three disciplines. Senior Van Mathias sprinted to an individual swimming title in the 50-yard freestyle and sophomore Carson Tyler had a dramatic win on the 1-meter springboard before the Hoosiers captured gold in the 400-yard medley relay. Ohio State leads the pack with 487 points, but Indiana is close on its heels with 478 points after two days.

“We have a battle on our hands,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I think this is going to come down to the last day, and I give a lot of credit to Ohio State and Michigan, they’re doing a great job. Our guys really dug down deep tonight. I thought our prelim session could have been better, and we’ll need to have a good one tomorrow. That’s what we have to keep our eye on, what we do in the next session.”

Mathias had never broken 20 seconds prior to the start of the season. Last year, he was swimming the 200 IM on night two of conference championships. A year later, the senior won his first individual Big Ten title in the 50-yard freestyle with a career-best 19.00. Mathias started the day with his best time sitting at 19.38. In prelims, he dropped to 19.16 before trimming it again in the final. His fellow Hoosier in the 50 free A final also earned a personal best, as junior Gavin Wight placed fourth with a 19.26. Sophomore Rafael Miroslaw (19.50) maxed out his points in the B final with a ninth-place finish, while senior Jack Franzman (19.78) and Finn Brooks (19.80) took 14th and 15th, respectively.

Tyler’s worst dive of the day earned him 62.40 points, and his consistency earned him his first-career Big Ten title. The sophomore walked into the championship final as the No. 2 seed after scoring a career-best 414.05 points in the prelim. In the evening, he tallied a 67.20, 72.85. 72.00, 72.00, 72.00 going into his final dive. With Ohio State senior Lyle Yost totaling 430.95 points in front of him, Tyler needed a 74.90 to tie. Tyler didn’t bend to the pressure and executed a reverse 1 ½ somersault with a 2 ½ twist free into 75 points flat.

IU has won the last four Big Ten diving titles as Tyler nabbed the 1-meter crown from teammate and defending champion, redshirt senior Andrew Capobianco, who scored 406.95 points for a third-place finish. Capobianco now has nine medals over five conference meets in his career. Sophomore Quinn Henninger placed sixth (374.75), while freshmen Maxwell Weinrich (363.40) and Dash Glasberg (271.40) bookended the B final.

“What a team effort today,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “All six of our men scored for the team. Carson had a personal best score while winning his first Big Ten title. Maxwell also had a personal best while winning the B final. Andrew has led this team in so many ways over the years, and his bronze medal performance was another great contribution to the team. We’re looking forward to the next two days.”

The same quartet that set a Big Ten meet record at last year’s championships won the 400-yard medley relay again Thursday night to stretch IU’s winning streak in the event to eight seasons. Junior Brendan Burns, sophomore Josh Matheny, junior Tomer Frankel and sophomore Rafael Miroslaw went 3:01.53, short of their superlative 3:00.76 from the 2022 national meet, but over four seconds better than the Canham Natatorium facility record (3:06.08).

“We did an awesome job with the end of this session,” Looze said “From Rafael Miroslaw winning the B final, to Van Mathias winning the 50, then Carson Tyler winning the 1-meter and winning the relay – that was a nice way to close things out. We have had a couple good days for us on the boards and in the water, we just have to do our job.”

In the 500 free that started the evening, senior Mikey Calvillo (4:18.45) and junior Warren Briggs (4:18.62) finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Sophomore Luke Barr also earned a top-five finish in the 200 IM, placing fifth in 1:44.06.


TEAM SCORES
Ohio State – 487

Indiana – 478

Michigan – 403

Wisconsin – 341

Minnesota – 280

Purdue – 240

Northwestern – 210

Penn State – 204 

RESULTS
500 FREESTYLE

  1. Mikey Calvillo – 4:18.45 (NCAA B Cut)
  2. Warren Briggs – 4:18.62 (NCAA B Cut)

    200 IM
  3. Luke Barr – 1:44.06 (NCAA B Cut)

50 FREESTYLE

  1. Van Mathias – 19.00 (Big Ten Champion, Pool Record, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
  2. Gavin Wight – 19.26 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
  3. Rafael Miroslaw – 19.50 (NCAA B Cut)
  4. Jack Franzman – 19.78 (NCAA B Cut)
  5. Finn Brooks – 19.80 (NCAA B Cut)

1-METER DIVE

  1. Carson Tyler – 431.05 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA Zone Qualifier, Career Best)
  2. Andrew Capobianco – 406.95 (Bronze, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  3. Quinn Henninger – 374.75 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  4. Maxwell Weinrich – 363.40 (NCAA Zone Qualifier, Career Best)
  5. Dash Glasberg – 271.40

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