Men’s swimming and diving team gains victory against Missouri

The IU swimming and diving team wanted to start the season strong on the road against Missouri last Friday. The men did just that with a resounding 141-102 victory. The defending Big Ten champion women struggled, however, in a surprising 150-93 loss at the hands of the Tigers.\nThe victorious men had little trouble dispatching Missouri. They jumped on the Tigers early with a two-second victory in the 400-medley relay. Seniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar teamed up with juniors A.J. Miller and Matt Lenton to win the event. \n“Taking the relay was huge,” Penoyar said. “After that, we really felt confident.”\nThe Hoosiers carried that confidence into the rest of the meet, winning nine of 13 individual events. The senior leaders of the 400-meter medley were key in the rest of the meet. Penoyar also placed second in the 200-meter breaststroke. Meanwhile, Hesen stole the show by winning the 200-meter butterfly and backstroke. Senior Todd Patrick joined Hesen by taking part in three different first-place finishes.\n“We had a couple of guys do really well,” said Penoyar. “Everybody really seems to click real well together.”\nIU coach Ray Looze was also upbeat after the win.\n“The guys did a great job,” he said. “We were very fast considering the conditions.”\nThe IU women didn’t experience the same success. They won just two events.\n“They were more prepared than us, and they really took us behind the woodshed,” said Looze.\nSophomore Brittany Barwegen was impressive in a runaway victory in the 200-meter butterfly, while junior Sarah Stockwell notched the other IU win in the 200-meter breaststroke. But those were the lone bright spots for the Hoosiers.\n“We need to focus on bouncing back,” said junior Allison Kay. \nLooze hopes that the loss will serve as a wake-up call.\n“We have a target on our backs,” he said. “Missouri was really ready for us. People want to beat a higher-ranked opponent.”\nLooking to the future, the Hoosiers feel they have a lot to build on. After a tough trip to Columbia, Mo., Looze thinks his team will be more battle-tested with a meet against conference-foe Northwestern looming.\n“We drove six hours (to Columbia), and we handled them,” he said. “Both of our Big Ten meets are on the road this year, so it should help.”\nPenoyar also felt the trip will help IU down the road.\n“We practiced in the morning and went there and did a good job,” he said. \nThe dual meet against the Tigers may be a sign of things to come for the Hoosiers. The men’s team talked about increased depth being key. If the convincing win was any indication, they may have what they need to be a factor in the conference race. Meanwhile, the women will look to improve after a disappointing loss.\nBoth teams are back in action Oct. 26 when the Hoosiers face a strong Northwestern team in Evanston, Ill. Until then, they are focused on improving.\n“Our fundamentals need to improve,” Looze said. “We need to focus on getting more help from everywhere.”