Men's swimming and diving falls to Texas, Michigan in double-dual meet

The undefeated No. 14 IU men’s swimming and diving team received a wake-up call this weekend at the hands of No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Michigan.

IU lost to both teams in the double-dual meet, falling to Texas 209-153 and to Michigan 227-151.

“This was a reality check for us,” said IU swimming coach Ray Looze. “It showed us where we are and where we need to be. It’s pretty apparent that we have much more work to do.”

The Hoosiers were clearly outmatched the entire meet, failing to win a single event.
“We just didn’t have the talent to compete with these teams,” Looze said.

Junior Aaron Opell and sophomore Cody Weik turned in the best performances of the meet for the Hoosiers, earning second place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard butterfly, respectively. Weik also finished third in the 400-yard individual medley. Senior Matt Lenton and junior Bryan Chovanec tied for third in the 50-yard freestyle. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Chovanec, Lenton, sophomore Ante Zoricic and sophomore Titus Knight finished in third place while the team of Lenton, Zoricic, Knight and Weik also placed third in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Despite several good showings in different events, Looze said he wasn’t happy with his team’s mindset coming into the meet.

“We have to be willing to race anybody,” he said. “We can’t come in and have the results assumed before the race. We’re still trying to find the right balance.”

Sophomore diver Landon Marzullo turned in another impressive performance, finishing in second on the platform and the three-meter board while placing third on the one-meter board.

The Hoosiers will have another chance to beat Michigan when they host the Wolverines on Jan. 10, 2009.

“We have another shot at Michigan,” Looze said. “We have to find a way to win individually and collectively.”