IU swim team wins array of awards

Throughout their championship season, the IU men's swimming and diving team constantly reiterated that it is always about the team, and never the individual. So when the Hoosiers nearly swept the Big Ten end of the year awards given at the finale of the championships Saturday, one should not be surprised to hear them put the team first yet again. \n"Individual awards do not mean anything," said senior Kevin Swander. "We won as a team. It's all about what it says on our T-shirts (pointing to the Big Ten Championship T-shirt he was wearing), team champions."\nSeveral members of the championship squad were honored as part of the first and second All-Big Ten teams. Senior Sergiy Fesenko and freshman Nick Walkotten were the second team All-Big Ten selections while sophomore Ben Hesen, junior Brian Mariano, sophomore Todd Patrick, sophomore Taylor Roberts and senior Kevin Swander were the first-team All Big Ten honorees. The six swimmers elected to the first All-Big Ten team from IU tied Michigan for the most selections from any team in the championships and were the most for IU since 1991 when IU also had six honorees.\nFreshman Nick Walkotten garnered the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award, becoming the first swimmer to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in IU school history. He joined former diver Tom Davidson, who earned the honor in 1997, to win the Freshman of the Year honor. In the Big Ten Championships, Walkotten proved himself beyond his years as his third place finish in the 200-yard butterfly eclipsed a school record set in last year's Big Ten championships. \nBy setting three individual school records and being a part of the relay contingent that broke another school record, Swander received the award for Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships. Swander broke school records in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley while teaming up with sophomore Ben Hesen, senior Thomas Clavier and sophomore Todd Patrick to set a Big Ten, pool and school record in the 200-yard medley relay. Swander won the award for the second time in his Hoosier career and he joined three other former Big Ten swimmers in earning two Swimmer of the Championships awards since its inception in 1991.\nJunior Brian Mariano earned Big Ten Co-Diver of the year along with Purdue University's Steven LoBue. He also earned Big Ten Diver of the Championships due to his thrilling come-from-behind victory in the 10-meter platform in which he nailed his final dive to surge past his opponent. Mariano's Diver of the Championships award marked the seventh time since the award's inception in 1991 that a Hoosier claimed or shared the award. Mariano said although swimming is not an individual sport, winning individual awards can still help the team.\n"If one person does well, it brings the entire team's morale up," said Mariano.\nThe Hoosiers' Big Ten championship is the fulfillment of a promise made by head coach Ray Looze when he stepped foot onto the campus of IU four years ago. Looze's ability to deliver the Hoosiers their 24th Big Ten championship and a return to its elite status as a swimming and diving powerhouse resulted in his fifth career coach of the year award\n"I've got the best job in the world," said Looze. "I've got to give credit to the guys and hopefully we can spring together a string of championships now."\nLegendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, "The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." This year's Indiana men's swimming and diving team epitomize the meaning of Lombardi's statement. Their several individual awards combined to produce their ultimate team award: a Big Ten championship.\n"This is a rarity," said Looze. "We'll remember this for the rest of our lives"