Swimming with momentum

When Kevin Swander joined the IU men's swimming and diving team as a freshman, promises were made.\n"I came here as a freshman under a rookie coach, and he promised the freshman class a Big Ten title," said Swander, now an IU student coach.\nAt the time, IU had not won a Big Ten title in 17 years. The program, which had once produced Olympic champions like Mark Spitz and legends like James "Doc" Counsilman, had hit a rough patch, a title drought with seemingly no end.\nIn 2004, Swander's junior year, the Hoosiers came within three points of ending the dry spell, finishing second in the Big Ten Championships. In the 2005-06 season, they finally broke through.\n"When we finally (won the Big Ten Championship), the guys were relieved but also excited," junior All-American Ben Hesen said. "IU's waited 21 years, and we got it. It was great."\nDuring the annual cream versus crimson exhibition at the end of September, the fulfillment of that promise came to mind. For the first time, the 2006 Big Ten men's title banner was unfurled from one of the diving platforms, and the "rookie coach" who made that promise five seasons ago -- IU coach Ray Looze -- looked like a prophet.\nThe newest banner was conspicuously absent from the long line of title banners that hang from the walls of the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on Saturday during IU's dual season opener against Kentucky. It seemed to be forgotten.\n"Every year starts over," Looze said. "The Big Ten title is now in the past, and we're pursuing a new mission."\nThat new mission officially began this weekend when the Hoosiers made the Wildcats eat their wake, winning the first four events in a 175-125 victory. \nWith the men in crimson Speedos and white swim caps making most of the noise, the aquatic center echoed with shouts of encouragement and the rhythmic churn of water during the meet. Swander, who accumulated 13 All-American certificates during his four-year career, watched poolside as his former teammates won their first contest without him.\n"You want to get back in and keep swimming," Swander said, "but it's good because they need to learn how to swim and step up, and that's what they did. They're growing."\nThe Hoosiers were a veteran team last year, but after losing five seniors, this year's team must fill some major flippers to play at a comparable level.\n"We've got a little more work to do to fill out our depth," Looze said. "For us to compete for the Big Ten title, we need to score 20 to 21 individuals."\nTeam chemistry will play a large role in whether IU will be able to fill the gaps.\n"The coaches can be influential to a point on the accuracy of training and how well somebody can do," Looze said. "But when the team takes care of itself -- when they push each other in practice and give words of encouragement -- that's what really turns the corner and is profound."\nLooze stressed the importance of momentum in his program's rise back to the top of the Big Ten. Like a surfer riding a swell, the impact of winning a Big Ten title can be felt for years to come. \n"Momentum is a very important thing. When you lose momentum, it's probably 10 times harder to gain it as it is to lose it," Looze said. "To build momentum, it's not like you've got people holding the door open for you saying, 'Come right back in and win the Big Ten title,' or, 'Come on and join us in the top 10 or the top five.'"\nNow that the Hoosiers have found the title tide, they plan on riding this wave for a while.