After 'hard week' of practice, Hoosiers ready for weekend

The No. 15 IU women's swimming and diving team will play host to the IU Invitational Friday through Sunday at the Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers (4-2) will set out to prove their two-week recess after the Nov. 5 dual meet against Illinois was time well spent.\nIU head coach Ray Looze said the team will encounter top swimmers from a variety of programs including Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Southern Illinois and Louisville. He views the weekend as a "dry run," similar to the format of the three-day Big Ten Championships. To prepare the athletes for the loaded weekend, Looze has been pushing the swimmers harder in practice during the interval between meets.\n"We're adding more and more speed work into the equation of training while pumping up the volume of yards that we swim per week ... and we've really hit them hard in the weight room as well," Looze said.\nJunior Susanna Ernst can attest to the more demanding training the team has endured in preparation of the IU Invitational.\n"I'm very exhausted right now," Ernst gasped after practice. "It was a really hard week, but I feel a lot more comfortable in the water now. This weekend should show how tough we are."\nLooze admits that this time of year is usually the most difficult for swimmers, but the attitude of the team has been terrific. He is hoping IU can haul in both team titles this weekend, capping off a solid start to the season. \nThe IU divers have been sweeping almost every event since the beginning of the season and are convinced the trend will continue through the weekend. Junior diver Heather Chapman said IU head diving coach Jeff Huber has an enormous amount of confidence in the team's capabilities as well.\n"Having a coach that believes in you makes a world of a difference," Chapman said. "He's taught us that diving is all mental, so I've been working on that. I just kind of zone out and focus on my hurdle."\nThe diving team will demonstrate its proficiency in the 10-meter platform event Sunday for the first time this season.\nAs for the swimmers, each team will participate in a series of preliminary events. Those who finish in the top eight of each event will compete against one another in the finals round. The same will be done for those placing from ninth to 16th.\nFreshman Sarah Stockwell claims the hiatus has been very productive for the team, as the Hoosiers have been training hard and really coming together and supporting one another.\n"I know this team is going to do great," she said. "Everyone's starting to get fired up and ready to go"