Hoosiers look to rebuild tradition

The men's swimming and diving team has experienced some inconsistencies this year. This weekend it will face its biggest test -- the Big Ten Championships at the University of Minnesota. There, the team hopes to redeem this season's disappointments in a good showing in the conference's most important meet.\nThe meet starts at 11 a.m. today and runs through Saturday night. \nCoach Kris Kirchner said individuals have had good showings all season, but the Hoosiers (3-5) have had a difficult time combining those efforts into one solid performance.\n"We've had a season that if you put everything together all at once could be a great season," Kirchner said. "No matter what sport you're playing you're always trying to put it together. We haven't done that yet."\nSenior backstroker Will Bernhardt said the shortcomings of the season don't matter now.\n"As the season went by this year, we were always focused on (the Big Ten Championships)," Bernhardt said. "We might not have won that many meets this year, but that wasn't our focus. The Big Ten meet is the most important meet of the year for us."\nThe Hoosiers said they are in a competitive mindset. During the past few weeks, Kirchner has implemented the taper, a method of training is usually used just before the season's biggest meet. The practices become considerably less intense, allowing the swimmers to rest and store their energy. \nSenior freestyle sprinter Don Gold said he expects this to improve the team's output. Gold was sleeping in his hotel room at 6 p.m. the night before the championships began.\n"A lot of it comes down to the last meet of the year, and you don't see your best results until after taper," Gold said. \nKirchner has encouraged an element of competitiveness among teammates in practice. Thus, he has created a constant racing atmosphere, Gold said.\n"We've always been a team that has raced each other in practice," Gold said. "So when we're in a meet, (racing) is nothing new to is. We practice as hard or harder than anyone in the Big Ten. We've put a lot of hard work in all season."\nThe Hoosiers will be looking for that hard work to pay off this weekend. They will face the immense talent that exists in the Big Ten, one of the most storied and successful swimming conferences in the country.\nOf the 11 teams in the Big Ten, five are ranked, three in the top 20. The favorite to claim the Big Ten title this year is defending champion, No. 9 Michigan. The Wolverines are a perennial powerhouse. They will be on the hunt for their 31st title when the guns sound this morning. \nThe Hoosiers will represent a rich tradition, as well. They won 23 consecutive Big Ten titles in an improbable run that began in 1961. But they have not claimed the title since 1985.\nKirchner said the team has the potential to do well this weekend and has set goals for the team he said are reachable.\n"I would like to come out of here with everyone swimming fast, at their best and scoring in every event," Kirchner said. "In order to do that they'll have to swim fast. They have swum really well at times … the three days in Minnesota is where we put it all together"