League meet at hostile Purdue

The Hoosiers men's swimming team will travel to Purdue this weekend to compete in the Big Ten Championships. \nIU finished the regular season with a 5-7 overall record and was 3-4 in Big Ten play. The team said they hoped they have hit their peak just in time.\nAmong the bright spots for the Hoosiers is freshman Colin Russell, who is coming off a season in which he consistently finished first and second in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events. Diving will be the one factor that puts the Hoosiers at a true disadvantage. Throughout the year, they have been saddled with having only one eligible diver in junior Ryan Fagan. \nFagan has dove well throughout the season, finishing first in several meets in 1-meter and 3-meter events this season. Last year, Fagan finished in the top 15 in all three events at the championships, sharing Most Improved Diver honors with teammate Brian Mariano, who also red shirted this season. \nThe Hoosiers will be behind the eight ball this weekend, as they will be in front of a hostile crowd in West Lafayette. Besides the venue, the Hoosiers will be facing tough competition in the field. They will have to look out for Northwestern's Matt Grevers, who holds the best times this season in the Big Ten in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. Grevers is also versatile, as he holds the second best time in the Big Ten this season in the 100-yard backstroke as well. For the Hoosiers, senior backstroker Matt Leach will make his final appearance in the Big Ten Championships. Leach finished sixth in the 200-yard backstroke at last year's Championships.