Hoosiers finish 3rd in Big Ten tourney

The IU men's club water polo team capped off a successful season with a third place finish in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend.\nIn a season in which they achieved their highest-ever national ranking, the No. 8 Hoosiers had high hopes coming into the tournament, but they were upended by eventual runner-up Michigan State 6-2 Sunday. \n"We just didn't play well at all that game," said team president Dave Johnson, a junior. \nLater in the day, the Hoosiers defeated archrival Purdue 12-10 to secure third place. After losing to Purdue in last year's tournament, IU was able to defeat the Boilermakers four times this season. \n"It felt great," senior Patrick Costello said. "We've never beat them four times in a year without losing."\nBeating their rival was one of the many highlights a season where the team improved dramatically after last year's 11-19 record.\n"We made some great strides as a team," Johnson said. "We really came together this year."\nMichigan took home this year's title by beating Michigan State in the thrilling triple overtime championship match. Michigan won on a sudden-death penalty shot in the third extra session. Michigan had finished as Big Ten runner-up the past three seasons. The Wolverines will travel to Texas in two weeks to compete for the National Championship.\nIU started the weekend well with a 14-3 victory over Iowa Friday and defeated Ohio State Saturday afternoon. Their good fortune ran out, however, when they met the defending champion Michigan State Spartans Sunday. Ranked No. 6 in the nation by the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the Spartans took the Hoosiers out of their game and held them to their lowest point total of the season.\n"We just didn't come out as strong as normal," Costello said.\nIn addition to finishing third in their conference, several IU players received individual honors for the tournament. Aaron Eisberg was named the MVP of the tournament, while Brian Semple was named to the All-Tournament First Team. Tom Milford was selected for Honorable Mention for the weekend. \n-- Contact staff writer Jacob Surface at lsurface@indiana.edu.