Around The Game

Women's swim and dive ready for Illini\nThe No. 25-ranked IU women's swimming and diving team heads to Champaign, Ill., to face Big Ten rival Illinois in a dual match Saturday. The Hoosiers enter the meet 3-2, 0-1 in Big Ten competition with wins against the University of Evansville, Kentucky and Southwest Missouri State University.\nThe weekend prior to Thanksgiving, IU played host to the ninth annual Indiana Invitational and took on Big Ten rivals No. 15 Michigan and Illinois, as well as the University of Toledo, University of Utah, Miami (Ohio) University, University of Cincinnati and Kentucky. The Hoosiers pulled off a victory against the competition by taking the Invitational with a total of 870.5 points and Michigan claimed the runner-up spot with 823.50 points. \nThe cream and crimson bring a strong squad to the meet this weekend, as they have scored seven individual NCAA provisional qualifying times and three relay qualifying times. The seven individual marks are being brought by junior Kristen Bradley in the 400-yard individual medley, the 200-yard IM and the 500-yard freestyle; junior Sarah Bugden in the 200-yard butterfly; and sophomore Leila Vaziri, posting a B-cut time in the 100-yard freestyle, and provisional times in the 200 and 100-yard freestyle. The relay qualifying times came from the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays. \nThe diving team's dominance continues for IU, as four out of the seven divers on the team already have posted NCAA qualifying marks. Sophomores Heather Chapman and Lindsay Weigle, freshman Christina Loukas and junior Lisa Silvestri provided the top marks for the Hoosiers. The last time IU met the Fighting Illini in Champaign was during the 2002-03 season. The Hoosiers took the meet with a total of 178 points to Illinois' 117 points.\nMen's swimming takes on Purdue, Iowa, Southern Ill. \nThe teams that are nationally ranked usually end up in situations in which they must prove themselves. The No. 14-ranked IU men's swimming and diving team has that opportunity Saturday when they play host to No. 17-ranked Purdue, Iowa and Southern Illinois University at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. \nComing off a promising finish in the Indiana Invitational, in which they took first place, the Hoosiers know the importance of their dual meet this weekend.\nLed by senior Marc Carlton, the Hoosiers avenged their early season loss to No. 12-ranked Kentucky by defeating the Wildcats, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Utah two weeks ago. Carlton, who finished first in the 3-meter and platform events in the Invitational, earned Big Ten Diver of the Week honors for the week of Nov. 22. His sixth career Diver of the Week acknowledgment comes on the heels of an impressive couple months by the Hoosiers, in which they compiled wins against ranked opponents Northwestern and Texas A&M University.\nIU has put up impressive NCAA qualifying marks so far this season. Six IU divers have put up NCAA zone qualifying marks, including Carlton, junior Ryan Fagan, senior Alex Burns, senior Brian Metzler, junior Jesse Rappaport and freshman Taylor Roberts. The IU swimmers have provided seven provisional qualifying marks; they included junior Kevin Swander, freshman Todd Patrick with two, freshman Alex Brunfeldt, junior Sergiy Fesenko and senior Murph Halasz. \nWith a 5-2 dual meet record and 1-0 in Big Ten competition, the first-place finish in the Indiana Invitational paves the way for intense Big Ten meets. \nThe Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off a fourth-place finish in the Minnesota Invitational two weeks ago, while the Boilermakers of Purdue took second in the same event. The non-conference squad, Southern Illinois, is coming to Indianapolis after taking fourth place in the Northwestern Invitational. All schools are intent on knocking the Hoosiers off their stride.