IU just 1 event short of beating Michigan

Confidence comes in many different forms for the No. 13-ranked IU men's swimming and diving team. The Hoosiers came up one event short of sweeping the weekend's meets against Michigan State and No. 8-ranked Michigan.\nAnd despite its close defeat, the team still feels good.\n"We got tougher," said head coach Ray Looze. "We got more mentally tough and gained a lot of confidence. We know we could beat Michigan now."\nIU took 12 of 13 events against the Michigan State Spartans in a 157-83 victory on Friday, with sophomore Colin Russell winning three event titles in the process. The Hoosiers wanted to carry that success to Ann Arbor, Mich., one of the top swimming programs in the country. Earlier this year, Michigan dethroned the former No. 1-ranked University of Southern California.\nThe Hoosiers lost 158.5-141.5 in a meet that provided a lot of excitement for both schools.\n"I'm not really disappointed," Looze said. "The meet came down to the very last (event). I am so proud of our guys."\nThe Wolverines have been the most dominant school in the conference in the past 20 years, winning 13 Big Ten Championships in that span. With the Hoosiers coming very close in giving Michigan its first Big Ten dual-meet loss in seven years, there is a lot the team can take away from the meet. \nThe close meet should also push the Hoosiers up the polls, Looze said. If so, IU would attain its highest ranking in two decades.\n"Our depth is going to prevail at the conference championships," senior diver Marc Carlton said. "It definitely bodes well for us."\nJunior Kevin Swander and Carlton each grabbed two event titles in the meet against Michigan setting the stage for the final event to decide the entire meet. The 800-yard freestyle relay was the determining factor. Michigan placed first and second in the final event, giving the Wolverines the points the Hoosiers would have needed to win the meet.\n"It's pretty disappointing," said Carlton, "But we did a good job overall."\nEven with everything that the Hoosiers will take away from the meet against Michigan, a win against the No. 8-ranked school in the country would have done a lot more.\n"We have lost a battle, but the war has yet to be fought," Looze said. \nThe Hoosiers fell to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten competition after this weekend. The next meet for IU will be against Purdue in the Crimson and Gold Cup Feb. 5. This will be the Hoosiers' last chance to get their 10th win in dual-meet competition and reach that mark for the first time in 20 years. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Evan Harris at evharris@indiana.edu.