All-American senior leads team to nationals

While awaiting a contingent of IU divers for the NCAA Championships, the other half of the 13th best team in the country might be the biggest cheerleaders this weekend. No squad in the nation understands the importance of its springboard counterparts than the IU swimmers.\nMaybe that is because IU's diving coach, Jeff Huber, received Diving Coach of the Year. Or maybe it is because Indiana's diving body combined to score 233 points at Big Tens, which outdid the Big Ten record of 183 points, which IU established in 2003. Perhaps it is because the Hoosiers return to the Zone C Diving Championships with two established All-Americans. \nEither way, the Hoosier swimmers hope for another record-setting performance from the anchors of the IU men's swimming and diving team.\n"We want to have a better performance than we had at the Big Tens," Huber said. "We want to advance seven men."\nThe Hoosiers will send eight IU divers to the Zone C Championships this weekend in West Lafayette to qualify for seven diving spots for the upcoming NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.\n"The team is going to do very well. We have a lot of areas we could improve from the Big Tens," said All-American senior Marc Carlton.\nCarlton, who took Big Ten Diver of the Year and Championships at this year's Big Tens, will lead the Hoosiers. He begins to set his national championship goals two weeks after a record-setting final Big Ten Championship.\n"There is a lot of personal goal-setting because diving is a really individual sport," Carlton said. "I have set those goals for myself, and come into practice with my own game plan."\nCarlton has definitely earned national recognition after a season featuring constant awards and records. He received Big Ten Diver of the Week five times while winning two titles in the three-meter and platform dive at this year's Big Tens. \n"I've seen national champions not qualify through this meet," Huber said. "But (Carlton) should qualify for the championships."\nSophomore Brian Mariano is a rising diving star for the Hoosiers, who has worked alongside the veteran senior before. During the U.S. National Championships, Carlton helped Indiana Diving to its 11th straight combined team title. Among his accomplishments, he teamed with Mariano to take fourth in the synchro platform event and second in the synchro three-meter at the Championships.\n"I'm looking for a consistent meet," Mariano said. "I just want to qualify for the NCAAs and not put too much pressure on myself."\nMariano was recruited to IU as a national high school champion on the one-meter springboard. But he heads into West Lafayette after finishing second in the platform competition in the Big Tens, while setting a personal best.\n"(Mariano) is just going to get a little stronger," Huber said. "He looks better each week after injuries in the first semester."\nEight Hoosier divers intend on making more noise at the Zone C Diving Championships this year for seven spots in the NCAA Championships. Among these eight is a veteran seeking a national title for his crowded trophy room and a talented diver hoping to begin his promising career with national title aspirations.\n"The dual-meet season is over and the championship season begins, so we are just starting," Huber said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Evan Harris at evharris@indiana.edu