At the end of the first night of the Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, IU and Michigan are tied atop the team standings with 120 points.
The first night of conference competition featured two relays, the 800 freestyle and the 200 medley.
Seniors Vini Lanza, Zach Apple and Ian Finnerty, along with junior Mohamed Samy, led IU to a first-place finish on the 800 freestyle with an NCAA A cut time of 6:11.02. This is the third straight year IU won this event.
Michigan, however, upset IU on the 200 medley with an NCAA A cut time of 1:22.76. Indiana’s team of Lanza, Finnerty and sophomores Bruno Blaskovic and Gabriel Fantoni took second with a time of 1:23.32.
For Coach Ray Looze and the Hoosiers, this second-place finish was a costly one. Looze said going in Michigan would be the school giving Indiana a run for its money, and that is exactly what this first night proved.
IU had the top time coming in for both events Wednesday, but only won one. While still at the top of the overall standings, Looze and the Hoosiers certainly expected to win both events.
On Thursday, IU will look to gain separation from Michigan as the swimmers compete in the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle and 400 medley relay. The divers will compete in the 1-meter dive.
IU has the top time in the Big Ten for two of the four swimming events, while Michigan has the conference's top time in the other two. Senior diver James Connor's performance in diving, where he is expected to win, will be a crucial part of the second night.
The second night of the championships is Friday and begins at 7:30 p.m.
