IU men's swimming posts strong weekend showing at home Hoosierland Invitational

The IU men’s swimming and diving team hosted six other teams for the Hoosierland Invitational this weekend at the Councilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

IU welcomed the swimming teams of Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Truman State, while the diving team hosted Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Wright State and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Several Hoosiers posted personal bests and made NCAA B Cuts.

“The men are really starting to come around,” IU coach Ray Looze said in a statement. “Louisville is a good, experienced team, and it has been an even matchup with them. This is a young team, but we have good speed and nice depth. We are still rebuilding, but this has been one of the most fun seasons since I started coaching at IU.”

The 200-yard freestyle relay team of sophomore Ante Zoricic, senior Matt Lenton, junior Bryan Chovanec and sophomore Titus Knight finished in first place with an NCAA B cut at 1:19.95. Knight won the 500-yard freestyle, while freshman Eric Ress finished in second place.

Junior Aaron Opell posted a B cut on his way to a first-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley. Lenton also won the 100-yard butterfly. The team of Knight, Ress, sophomore Cody Weik and freshman Jim Barbiere won the 800-yard freestyle relay in dramatic fashion as they chased down Louisville’s “A” team.

“Going up against a veteran team like Louisville, we had two freshmen and two sophomores out there who really came through for us,” Looze said in a statement. “This is a good step forward for the team.”

The Hoosiers’ next competition is Jan. 10 against Michigan and Tennessee.