Hoosiers hope to end bad streak

With the men's swimming and diving season in full swing, the No. 24 Hoosiers (1-4) are still looking for that killer instinct that was apparently absent during their string of defeats on the road. They dropped four close meets in a row, losing to Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Northwestern. \nThe Hoosiers will hold the Indiana Invitational this weekend. The Hoosiers will take on teams from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Evansville and Missouri. Although the meet does not count against IU's overall record or national ranking, the team is still looking at it as an important stepping stone to success for the remainder of its year.\n"Michigan State, Missouri and Pittsburgh are shaving down and resting for this meet, so I expect for there to be some tough competition this weekend," IU swim coach Ray Looze said. "We just want to see if we can continue to improve on our season best times, and try to win a few more close races, since it's cost us some dual meets."\nAs far as the outlook on the team's performance this year, the team is looking for consistency and to finish in the middle of the conference, and is aiming for a strong finish nationally next year. The new recruiting class of five signees is considered to be one of the strongest in the country, as it includes three all-Americans and four state champions. Furthermore, five divers are redshirted for this year. Junior Thomas Clavier transferred here this season after starting his collegiate career at Tennessee. Although this is his first year on the team, Clavier already feels like one of the guys.\n"The guys here on the team are like brothers; we all look out for each other," he said. "It feels like we're more than just teammates."\nThe diving team is looking forward to next year, as it gets five divers back from redshirt seasons. Seniors Mark Carlton and Bryan Mariano are two that will be coming back for one more year, as they spent this off-year training for the Olympics.\n"This is a rebuilding year," Looze said. "Coach Huber and I decided to take a hit on the talent available to us this next in order to stockpile for next year."\nWith five divers unavailable this year, junior Ryan Fagan is the only male diver for the Hoosiers this season. He has not disappointed, winning several one-meter diving competitions and finishing high in the three-meter events as well. Fagan feels like although he's the only one out there for men as far as diving is concerned, the chemistry and support his teammates provide has helped ease the load of expectations that would seemingly be placed on a diver in his current position.\n"There's always a little bit of pressure, but my teammates have been supporting me the whole time, so I don't feel like I'm the only one out there," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer Scott Lipsky at slipsky@indiana.edu.