No. 15 IU finished second in the Championships last season and enters this year’s Championships the second highest nationally ranked team in the Big Ten behind No. 6 Michigan.
The Wolverines won the Championships last season, and IU freshman Nick Wonder said they are the favorites again this season.
“We’re really trying to beat Ohio State and be right there in the top two,” Wonder said. “We don’t know if we’ll be able to beat Michigan this year, but we’re trying to give Michigan all we’ve got to make sure it’s a battle for first place.”
Indiana has not placed out of the top five in the Big Ten Championships in the last 12 years of competition and have been second two years in a row. There are some individual races the Hoosiers feel strong about coming into this competition.
Sophomore Anze Tavcar holds the fastest 100 freestyle time in the Big Ten and the sixth-fastest in the 50 freestyle. He also holds the third-fastest 800 freestyle relay along with his teammates, sophomores Max Irwin and Jackson Miller and freshman Blake Pieroni.
Pieroni also holds the second-fastest conference time in the 200 freestyle. There are a total of 17 events in which the Hoosiers hold one of the 10 fastest conference times.
“Middle distance is our strength,” Wonder said. “We’re really trying to get our relays in the top 10 this year. Last year we didn’t have the best relays, but hopefully we’re strong and try to win a couple of them this year.”
The women’s team just finished its Big Ten Conference Championships, where they placed second and broke two Big Ten Conference records in the process. Freshman Levi Brock said watching the women’s team place second and have a legitimate shot for first place helps motivate the men as they go into their conference championships.
“Our women’s team swam really well,” Brock said. “Hopefully we can use the energy they have coming off of that meet to swim faster ourselves. We swim co-ed at practice so we’re all one team. It’s all competitive as a team.”
There are a total of six Big Ten schools ranked in the top 23, so it is anticipated there will be a high level of competition at the Big Ten Championships.
