Break 'crucial' to swimmers' success in post-season

After wrapping up its dual-meet season with a sweep of Kentucky and Cincinnati last weekend, the IU women's swimming and diving team has two and a half weeks before its next competition.\nIt is a needed break for the Hoosiers who have competed the last four weekends and will now get the time to refocus and make final preparations for their most important event to date -- the Big Ten Championships. \nSchool record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke, sophomore Brooke Taflinger thinks what the team is able to work on over the break is critical to IU's success at the championships.\n"It is going to be crucial," Taflinger said of the break. "Now is the time to rest our bodies and to start preparing for Big Tens by getting our minds in tune with our bodies. It will allow us to rest and prepare and focus on all the little things like starts and turns so that we will be great at Big Tens."\nThe No. 19 Hoosiers finished their dual meet season with an overall record of 7-1-1; 4-1-1 against Big Ten opponents.\nDespite what swimming head coach Dorsey Tierney considered a "sluggish" meet for the Hoosiers this past weekend, Tierney is pleased overall with the progress her team has made.\n"This is where all the hard work culminates," Tierney said. "You beat up your body for six months (in training), and then rest for two or three weeks. If you have done the work for the past six months, it kind of takes care of itself. I feel very good about where we are at right now. Now it is time to trust yourself and swim with confidence and be the best we can be three weeks from now."\nJunior swimmer Kristy Martin said most of the minor details should already be in place for the Hoosiers, but the break would give the squad a chance to get ready for the conference championship.\n"It's pretty much all automatic now, because we work on it every practice," Martin said. "But we will be resting a lot, and it will help us mentally prepare and rest our bodies a little bit."\nMuch like the swimmers, the Hoosier divers will utilize the break from competition to prepare for Big Tens and make sure all the little things are in order for them to be at their best.\nSenior Erin Quinn was especially enthused by the break, knowing it would give the Hoosiers a chance to rest and focus on their primary goal of the year, the Big Ten Championships.\n"I am excited to have a break, and I think it is going to help a lot," Quinn said. "I feel like everything has been geared toward the weekend (competitions). We have to pace ourselves throughout the week, and we are tired by the end of the week. When the meets come we feel exhausted. It's going to be nice to have the break and be able to train without having to be energized for the weekend."\nMichigan's Canham Natatorium will play host to this year's Big Ten Championships, which are scheduled to kick off 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 with the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay events. Thursday, Feb. 21 thru Saturday, Feb 23 will see the teams compete in multiple events each day with preliminaries starting at 11 a.m. daily and finals beginning at 7 p.m.