Swimmers,divers aim to make a splash at NCAAs

Coming off last season’s 18th-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, led by then-sophomore Eric Ress’ two runner-up finishes in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, the IU men’s swimming and diving team will have to look elsewhere this year to earn points.

Heading into this year’s NCAA Championships this weekend in Federal Way, Wash., 10 members of the IU men’s swimming and diving team will attempt to improve on last year’s mark and earn the Hoosiers’ first individual champion since 2008 and potentially the first diving champion since 1990.

The Hoosiers will have to do it this year without Ress, as he is in Dunkerque, France, competing in the French National Championships and Olympic Trials.

“It means a lot to have the opportunity to compete at this meet,” junior diver Zac Nees said. “We also have the largest guys diving team at this meet, which is a big advantage. We are going to miss Ress’ points because he would have a shot at winning two events and he would make the relays faster, but we still have a chance to do well.”

The Hoosiers will have multiple chances to break the 21-year diving drought as the three 2012 NCAA Zone C Diving Champions will be competing in the meet.

On Thursday, the 1-meter Zone C Champion Nees will try for the national title in the event, competing against teammates junior Mick Dell’Orco and sophomore Darian Schmidt. Nees was the winner of eight events throughout the season.

“My results this season give me confidence to be consistent enough to do well, but I know the level of competition out there,” Nees said. “I will really have to step up in order to place in the top 3, but I am looking forward to this meet.”

Come Friday, Schmidt, the 3-meter Zone C Champion and IU school record holder, will look to earn a national title for the Hoosiers. In the zone meet, Schmidt barely beat Ohio State’s Shane Miszkiel by a 3.25-point margin to win the title, while Nees finished third, only 16.75 points behind. On Saturday, sophomore Conor Murphy will compete in his best event — the platform dive — after running away with the Zone C title in the event by an 86.95-point mark.

“A National Title would mean a lot to anyone on our team to win going into such a big summer for diving,” Nees said. “Since it is an Olympic year, we have Olympic Trials and Summer Nationals this summer. It would be a huge boost of confidence moving into the summer season, and would be a huge statement to the level of effort everyone on our team has been putting in all year long.”

On the swimming end, sophomore Cody Miller could give the Hoosiers their first breaststroke title since 1965, when Tom Trethewey won the 200-yard breaststroke in an overall second-place effort. Miller, the Big Ten Champion in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke for the second straight year, is seeded in the top five for both events.

In addition to Miller, the Hoosiers will also look to sophomore James Wells and juniors Sam Trahin and Jim Barbiere to improve on this past season’s 18th-place finish.

Wells is seeded in the top 15 in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, Trahin in the 400-yard Individual Medley and Barbiere in the 500-yard freestyle. In addition, the Hoosiers will compete in the 200-yard medley relay, where points are doubled.

“I think we have a good shot of moving up in the ranks,” Nees said.” We have a lot more potential in diving points, and all of our swimmers are ready to finish the season out strong. Our team goal is to try to break the top 10, so we will see how it pans out.”