IU men's swimming and diving tops ranked Northwestern for 2nd straight win

The IU men’s swimming and diving team won its second straight dual meet to open its season on Friday, defeating Northwestern 158-129 at the Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

“I thought our guys stepped up and swam hard again,” IU swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I thought the men reacted well. Hopefully we have some momentum ready.”

The Hoosiers dominated the meet the entire way, winning 11 out of the 16 events. IU started off strong, placing first and second in the 400-yard medley relay.

“(The first relay) was pretty big, just to know that we have a wide range of fast guys in each stroke,” sophomore Tyler Lemert said. “I think it’s setting us up for success in the near future.”

Senior Matt Lenton and junior Aaron Opell led the way for the Hoosiers with three first-place finishes each. Lenton won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle as well as the 100-yard butterfly. Opell won the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke along with the 400-yard individual medley.

Sophomore Doug Spraul won the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman Eric Ress won the 200-yard backstroke and sophomore Cody Weik took first in the 200-yard butterfly.

“It’s good to get our feet in the water for conference competition,” Weik said. “Kentucky was a good meet to help us tell where we’re at. Then with this meet, it’s good to get our first win in the Big Ten.”

On the diving side, sophomore Landon Marzullo continued his dominance. Marzullo, the Big Ten Diver of the Week, swept the diving events, winning on the one- and three-meter boards.

After two wins to open the season, the focus of the Hoosiers quickly shifts to next weekend, when the Hoosiers face two of the top teams in the nation: Texas and Michigan.

“We need to focus on getting our hands on the wall first,” Weik said. “We need to come up with a few more wins to solidify the meet. Our depth is what’s saving us right now, but we need to get our hands on the wall first and get a few more wins in order to compete with the top teams in the nation.”