Column: swimming and diving building on tradition

Success has been synonymous with the IU swimming and diving programs.

The men’s squad has won 24 Big Ten Championships, and the women’s squad has won five during the last 10 years.

This past weekend, both programs placed second in the Big Ten Championships.

They reeled in two more Big Ten titles and five school records.

The main reasons the Hoosiers placed so high as a team were junior swimmer Cody Miller and junior diver Conor Murphy.

Miller was named the Swimmer of the Championships, which is the highest honor a swimmer can earn from the event.

Miller also won his third individual championship and second Big Ten record in the meet.

In the 200 breaststroke, he finished with a time of 1:51.03, which is the second-fastest time in NCAA history.  

You could call him the Big Ten king of the breaststroke event with a perfect 6-for-6 in that event in Big Ten meets.

In diving, the Hoosiers got a very good performance from Murphy.

The California native won his first Big Ten title in platform with a school-record score of 495.55.

His score was 20 points better than the previous IU record set by Mike Collier in 1996.

The other new IU records were set by senior Jim Barbiere in the 1,650 freestyle, senior Daniel Kanorr in the 100 freestyle and sophomore Steve Schmuhl in the 200 butterfly.    
Even more honors came to junior Darian Schmidt and Jeff Huber, who earned shared Diver of the Championships and Diving Coach of the Year, respectively.

On the other side, the women’s team earned second place in the Big Ten Championships, as well.

Three Hoosiers took home individual Big Ten titles.

Junior swimmer Lindsay Vrooman won her second-straight Big Ten title in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 15:56.50.

Not only is that a new IU record, but it is also a new Big Ten meet record.

Freshman Brooklyn Snodgrass took first place in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:51.77.

The youngster earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA Championships.

Senior diver Amy Cozad earned her first conference title in the platform event with a Big Ten record score of 390.05.

Vrooman was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships, and Snodgrass won Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Watch out for Miller, Snodgrass and the other Hoosiers in the NCAA
tournament to make their mark on the national stage.

The honors and major wins from men’s and women’s teams during the past weekend show their hard work and preparation paid off when it mattered most.

Their achievements have continued to uphold the rich tradition of the Indiana program.

­— amsiegal@indiana.edu