Hoosiers face Iowa and Minnesota this weekend

The IU men's swimming and diving team faces a tough challenge this Saturday when they travel to Iowa City to compete against Big Ten rivals Iowa and Minnesota. With the team struggling so far this season (3-6, 1-2 Big Ten), the Hoosiers will have an opportunity to see where they stand amongst their rivals as they look towards the Big Ten Championships, which take place at Purdue, Feb. 26 to 28. Both squads bring strong competition to the table, with Iowa boasting a 7-1 overall record this year and 2-1 conference record. Minnesota, on the other hand, is currently ranked No. 8 in the country after swimming in just four head-to-head meets this season. IU coach Ray Looze thinks the tough competition will be good for his swimmers.\n"We have our hands full against Minnesota," Looze said. "They're one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten, so that's going to be a challenge. Iowa, although they're ranked higher than us, we have a shot at. If we want to beat those guys, though, we're going to have to win the close races. If we can do that consistently, we should have success."\nOne disadvantage the Hoosiers will continue to suffer is a short handed diving team. Although he has performed well as of late, junior Ryan Fagan is the only diver eligible to compete in NCAA meets this year, making it even more important that the swimmers pick up as many points as they can in their events. Iowa will be especially tough on the boards, as Hawkeye junior Timo Klami is the defending champion in the Big Ten for the three-meter event.\n"When it comes to diving, Iowa is a pretty strong program," Fagan said. "Last year's Big Ten Champion is on Iowa, so it should be pretty good competition. Minnesota is pretty good too." \nAlthough going solo, Fagan is coming off last week's World Cup Diving Trials competition. Along with his teammate, junior Brian Metzler, the duo finished seventh in the synchronized three-meter event. Fagan's coach, IU diving coach Jeff Huber, understands that they face a tough situation having only Fagan to earn the diving points for the team.\n"Ryan has his work cut out for him (on Saturday)," he said. "Iowa and Minnesota have some really good divers. We got back on Sunday night, and I really haven't rested him since. He trains as hard or harder than anyone else on the team. He's probably diving as good as he's ever dove."\nOne thing that might carry IU through Saturday's meet is their strength in the freestyle events. Over the past two meets, the men have taken first place three times in the freestyle discipline, with freshman Colin Russell winning the 200 and 500-yard events against Southern Illinois and Ohio State. If nothing else, Looze said, the meet will be a valuable experience for his swimmers. \n"It's going to be an adverse environment to be swimming in," Looze said. "They're going to be swimming in front of a hostile crowd, and when you throw Minnesota into the mix, it becomes pretty interesting."\n-- Contact staff writer Scott Lipsky at slipsky@indiana.edu.