Swim season opens

The IU men's swimming and diving teams open their season this weekend with a very positive outlook. Under the direction of new coach Ray Looze, the Hoosiers begin their season with the Cream & Crimson meet 3 p.m. today and will host the University of Evansville at 4 p.m. on Saturday. \nLooze inherits an IU team that finished seventh in the Big Ten last season, which was IU's worst finish in the conference since 1954. IU finished 32nd overall in the country last season. But, Looze does not believe his team has a lack of talent to bring their rankings back into the Top 20. \n"We had three swimmers and one diver qualify for the NCAA's last year," he said. "I've identified the talent on the team and we have seven or eight guys that could make the 2003 NCAA's in a perfect world. If we do that, I think we have the program more than pointed back in the right direction." \nLooze is in his first year as coach, after taking over for Kris Kirchner, who was fired at the end of last season. His last coaching job was at the University of the Pacific where he was named Men's Swimming Coach of the Year in the Big West Conference four times and was the Women's Swimming Coach of the Year in the Big West once. \nLooze does have many talented swimmers returning this season, and has added some top recruits in the country to the roster. The sprinters are a very strong asset to the team. Leading the way in sprints will be juniors Claes Andersson and Dale Ramsy. Both Andersson and Ramsy qualified for the finals in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2002 Big Ten Championships. \nLooze will look to sophomore Richard Bryant to lead the way in distance freestyle events. As a freshman last season, Bryant recorded the fourth fastest time in the 1000-yard freestyle in school history. \nJunior Matt Leach will be expected to lead the backstroking corps. Leach has been a solid Big Ten scorer as he placed twelfth in the 200-yard backstroke last season. Looze also said that freshman Mike Jones will add many points for the team in backstroke. \nThe breaststroke events will be led by senior captain Dave Schulze, who is one of the nation's best breaststrokers, and was an Academic All-Big Ten Conference recipient again in 2002. Schulze is also the IU record-holder in the 100-yard breast. \nSophomore Murph Halasz is expected to lead the way in butterfly. He broke legendary Mark Spitz's record in the 200-yard butterfly at the Indiana Open in March 2002 swimming a time of 1:46:68.\nThe men's diving team will also return a veteran roster. Coached by five-time U.S. National Diving Coach of the Year, Jeff Huber, the men's diving team looks to build upon their successes from last year. \n"My expectations are always the same," Huber said in a press release. "We really try to shoot for personal bests and do better than we did last year. I know everybody on the team had personal bests in 2002, and almost everyone had personal bests in every event. We'll try to do that again this year."\nJunior Marc Carlton and senior Adam Hazes are co-diving captains, and both look to advance even further this year in their diving. \n"I'm looking to win a couple of events," said Carlton who last season finished fifth on the 1-meter, seventh on the 3-meter, and 2nd on the 10-meter at the Big Ten Championships. \nThis summer, Carlton placed sixth on the 10-meter at the U.S. Outdoor National Diving Championships and was named to the U.S. National Team for the first time. Hazes impressed many last season as well, finishing eighth on the 1-meter and fourth on the 3-meter at the Big Ten Championships. Hazes also placed 15th this summer in the 10-meter event.\nFreshman Brian Mariano was named as the top high school diver in the country last year. The diving team not only looks to improve on personal bests from last season, but also hopes to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten.\n"We are really making it a goal to get at least four of the eight divers in the Big Ten Finals," Carlton said, "I think we could maybe win the Big Ten this year or next year."\nThe team has been practicing four days per week in the morning, every afternoon, and on weekends. They swim over 7,000 yards per day, and have been doing dry land training such as weight training, CycleFit, and playing ultimate frisbee. Looze has also had the team meet once a week to bond and build chemistry. \nThe response to their new coach has been one of excitement and inspiration. \n"I really like him," Halasz said, "He is very positive, very idealistic. He is hard but fair, and he knows what he is talking about. He is pushing us to do what we should have been doing all along."\nThe women's squad will also open their season this weekend in the same events. The Hoosiers are coming off of a year in which they finished second at the Big Ten tournament and turned in a 10th place finish at the NCAA Championships.\nIn September, Swimming World magazine recognized the Hoosier's as the No. 1 program in the country. The team will begin their quest to validate that claim this weekend. The team will be led by senior Brooke Taflinger. Taflinger won the 400-yard IM at the Big Ten Championships.\nCoach Dorsey Tierney said in a statement she is looking for the team to return to their winning ways.\n"Our goal every year is for everyone to go 100 percent best times," she said. "This year is no different. In order for us to be nationally successful at the NCAAs, and if we want to be competitive at the Big Ten Championships, everybody has to be at their best."\nThe team finished second at Big Tens last year after being disqualified in the meet deciding relay. Tierney said in a statement the team will use that as motivation for the upcoming season.\n"It's definitely a motivator, and it's not even something I need to bring up with the team," she said. "This is a new year and every year is a different team"