Underclassmen turn to veterans to lead

IU's most experienced swimmers and divers hold more than records.\nThey hold the responsibility of mentoring a new crop of talented underclassmen, whose performances this year indicate that the latter may be more impressive than any records they garner.\n"Honestly, we didn't know what these guys could do coming in," said junior swimmer Kevin Swander. "We recruited them and we knew they had talent, but talent means nothing until you perform. Every single freshmen, especially this year, that we've had is performing well."\nCo-captain senior swimmer Murph Halasz and the rest of the veterans have been able to lead by example this season. Swander is the reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships while All-American senior diver Marc Carlton heads to the Twin Cities after winning five Big Ten Diver of the Week awards. The experienced Hoosiers, who compete alongside some underclassmen, soon realized they needed to take a greater leadership role.\n"It really starts back in October with the first dual meet," Swander said. "You're sitting on the pool deck and guys are asking you, 'How do I get ready?', and you explain certain things,"\nFreshman swimmer Ben Hesen has been one of the talented underclassmen competing with the experienced swimmers all season long. Hesen is one of four Hoosiers in both the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard medley relay. Hesen, who has competed in every meet this season, certainly acknowledges the veteran tutelage. \n"I have followed their lead a little bit about how everything works," Hesen said. "This weekend, though, will be good for me for years down the road so I know what to expect in tougher meets."\nTodd Patrick, a freshman from Chesterfield, Mo., competes with Hesen in the 400-yard medley relay along with Swander and Halasz. The mix of experience and young talent has translated into success this season.\n"The experienced swimmers really just help us focus on more than one race, like the championship meets," Patrick said. "Instead of worrying about the dual meets, they have us focus our season towards the Big Ten's."\nPatrick epitomizes a successful freshman season. Along with receiving Big Ten Swimmer of the Week, he is on IU's all-time top 10 charts in the 400-yard medley relay, 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke.\n"These freshmen are freshmen in a sense that it is their first year here," Halasz said. "But all of these guys swam in national and international competitions, and they're actually really experienced." \nIn order to capture their first Big Ten title in 20 years, the Hoosiers, a mix of veteran talent and overachieving underclassmen, must perform at the highest level possible, together.\n"When they swim, they still swim by themselves, and sometimes forget about the group," Halasz said. "When the group is involved, they usually swim faster. And if we can keep the spirit up, they will swim better."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Evan Harris at evharris@indiana.edu.