In another testament to the success of the IU men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, nine Hoosiers earned preseason All-American honors from CollegeSwimming.com on Monday.
Olympians sophomore Lilly King (100 breast, 200 breast), juniors Kennedy Goss (200 back), Ali Khalafalla (50 free), Blake Pieroni (100 free, 200 free) and senior Anze Tavcar (100 free) were among those honored.
King has been one of the most publicized Hoosier swimmers this summer.
Her high-profile rivalry with Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova resulted in a stirring race in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympics. She also captured gold in the women’s 4x100 meter medley relay and finished 12th in the 200 meter breaststroke.
Pieroni and Goss also reached the medal stand in Rio, winning gold in the 4x100 meter freestyle and bronze in the 4x200 meter freestyle, respectively.
Other swimmers to garner preseason All-American honors for the Hoosiers were seniors Gia Dalesandro (200 fly) and Brooklyn Snodgrass (100 back), junior Cody Taylor (200 breast) and sophomore Ian Finnerty (100 breast).
“It is an honor to be represented so extensively on the preseason All-America teams,” IU Coach Ray Looze said in a release from IU Athletics. “This is another sign of how far Indiana swimming has come in the last few years in our quest for an NCAA team championship. With the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in 2017, we have a wonderful opportunity to take a positive step in that direction with top-5 finishes for both our women’s and men’s teams.”
The Hoosier swimming and diving program was also the third most represented program in the country, trailing only Texas and Stanford.
All-Americans were determined by incoming and returning swimmers’ times through Sept. 1 and recommendations from coaches and sports information staffers.
Ben Portnoy
