Loss to knock IU out of top 25

The Hoosiers dropped their fifth consecutive dual meet Saturday, falling to No. 15 Texas A&M, 180.5-117.5. The loss, No. 25 IU's fourth straight to a ranked team will, in all probability, drop them out of the top 25 rankings.\nDespite strong performances from junior Richard Bryant, who finished first in 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle, and junior Murph Halasz who finished first in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly, the recently oft-injured and ill Hoosier squad proved to be outmatched by the Aggies, who finished first in 10 out of 16 events. They got what they expected out of freestyle phenom Matt Rose, who won his specialty event, the 50-yard freestyle, with a combined time of 20.31 seconds, more than half a second better than IU senior Claes Andersson, who finished second. \nOne big thing that hurt IU for this meet was the lack of depth regarding healthy swimmers. Despite missing a week of practice for the flu, freshman Colin Russell finished second in the 200-yard freestyle. Senior Adam Goff, who was swimming in just his second meet since recovering from a back injury, swam two events, as well. IU swim coach Ray Looze was happy with the way the team performed despite the adversity that they had to face as of late.\n"Right now we are healthier than we have been, but you can't get back that lost practice that was missed," Looze said in a statement. "I just really liked the character I saw today. Without key players, we raced really well."\nThe only diver for the Hoosiers this year, junior Ryan Fagan won the 1-meter competition. IU starts its holiday training trip on Jan. 1 in Fort Meyers, Fla., and continues its dual meet schedule down there Jan. 4, when they face Denison.