Graduate student narrowly misses national title

IU post-graduate swimmer Kevin Swander traveled to East Meadow, N.Y., for the USA Swimming Spring Championships with hopes of winning a national championship in the 100-meter breaststroke. \nHowever, swimming with a sprained ankle, Swander added seconds to his time and finished in a disappointing second place with a time of 1:03.30. \n“It was really disappointing, because he should have won a national title,” swimming coach Ray Looze said after the meet. “He just couldn’t get his ankle loosened up. He did all he could, but his time was pretty far off what it had been.”\nSwander, who is also in his first year as student coach, was slated to compete in the 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley as well, but was forced to withdraw. \nSophomore Justin Peterfish, junior Alec Haley and freshman Brittany Barwegen joined Swander for the five-day event. \nThe Spring Championships are not sanctioned by the NCAA and there is no team scoring. \nHaley and Peterfish both had strong showings in the 200-meter breaststroke competition. Haley finished in 13th place in the preliminary heats to earn a spot in the B-group final and Peterfish finished in 21st place to earn a swim in the C-group final. \nIn the finals, Haley’s time of 2:22.34 earned him a fourth place in the B-final and Peterfish’s time of 2:22.88 was good for third in the C-final. \nPeterfish also finished 25th in the prelims of the 100-meter breaststroke. His time of 1:06.34 left him one spot away from qualifying for the C-finals. Haley added a 28th place performance in the 400-meter individual medley. \nBarwegen qualified for 17th place in the 200-meter butterfly and finished in eighth place of the B-final with a time of 2:20.09. She also added a 39th-place finish in the prelims of the 100-meter butterfly. \n“Overall, the swimmers did a great job and represented IU very well,” Looze said. “They gained great experience and set personal best times.”\nWith the spring season concluded and a full slate of summer competition ahead, Looze believes these swimmers are well prepared. \n“This meet will give the swimmers a lot of momentum for a full summer season of swimming,” he said.