The No. 7/9 Indiana men’s and women’s swim and dive teams closed the regular season in style, defeating the No. 17/6 University of Louisville Cardinals at the Ralph Wright Natatorium Friday afternoon. The men and women both finished the regular season 7-1 and both squads closed the 2022-23 campaign on a six-meet winning streak.
Indiana set three pool records in enemy territory with senior swimmer Brendan Burns eclipsing former Louisville All-American Nicolas Albiero’s 200 fly time of 1:44.00 to set the tone for the men. The 2022 NCAA champion set a new benchmark time of 1:43.28 in the event.
Burns tallied a trifecta of top spots with victories also coming in the 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly events. Graduate diver Andrew Capobianco and sophomore diver Carson Tyler were the other two pool record-setters on Friday. Capobianco’s score of 418.65 in the 1-meter and Tyler’s 431.40 in the 3-meter now stand as Ralph Wright Natatorium records.
“Every time we come to Louisville, it is a really challenging atmosphere,” head swimming coach Ray Looze said after the meet. “A credit to them, they packed the stands, and they were ready. They have two good teams, and I feel incredibly fortunate that we came out with a couple wins.”
Friday marked the Hoosier women’s first victory over the Cardinals since November 2019. They did it in style, winning by a score of 155-145, a slim 10-point victory. Junior diver Anne Fowler continued her strong run of form, sweeping the women’s events for Indiana. She posted scores of 328.88 and 349.88 in the 1-meter and 3-meter events, respectively.
For the second time in as many meets, graduate Noelle Peplowski collected three first-place finishes. She swept the breaststroke races and won the 200-yard individual medley as well. Her sister, sophomore Anna Peplowski, collected victories in the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke. Sophomore Mariah Denigan swept the distance freestyle events, winning the 500 free and the 1000 free. Despite the individual successes, the women did not win either relay event.
“I give a lot of credit to our women,” Looze said. “It’s rare to win a dual meet when you lose both relays and our women fought hard. I think that shows a lot about our depth as a swimming and diving team.”
Friday marked Indiana’s final dual before the beginning of championship season. “This is exactly what championship swimming feels like,” Looze said. “We really needed to be pushed to remember what it takes. It wasn’t perfect, but we’ll take a win on the road in just a very challenging environment any day.”
The women’s Big Ten Championships are just over two weeks away with action slated to begin on Feb. 15 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The men’s Big Ten Championships begin one week later.
