Powered by first place finishes in all but one event, No. 3/3 Indiana swim and dive put together a commanding performance against the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 6 at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
The Hoosiers remained in control throughout the night, with Indiana men's swim and dive scoring 184.5 points to secure the win. Indiana women’s swim and dive swept its events, putting up 171 points in its final dual meet of the fall semester.
Seniors Luke Barr and Finn Brooks led the way for the men's side, each ending their day with three first-place finishes.
Barr secured individual first place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle and 50-yard freestyle, while swimming alongside graduate students Brian Benzing, Tomer Frankel and Jassen Yep to also win the 200-yard medley relay.
Brooks notched a personal best in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing the race with a 51.13 time, more than two seconds ahead of second place finisher and Indiana freshman Alexei Avakov. Brooks’ other individual victory came in the 100-yard butterfly, where he outraced the second place Benzing by more than a second.
Brooks and graduate student Gavin Wright teamed up with sophomores Vidar Carlbaum and Dylan Smiley to end their day with a winning time of 1:29.44 in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
After falling short to Brooks in the 100 breaststroke, Avakov rebounded with first place honors in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Freshman Cooper McDonald had an impressive day, swimming his way to two first-place finishes. The first came in the 100-yard backstroke, where McDonald posted a 48.22 time, before he claimed the top spot in the 200-yard individual medley.
Other individual winners in the men’s pool included sophomore Max Lestina competing in the 100-yard freestyle, freshman Raekwon Noel in the 200-yard butterfly, sophomore Leo Pelaez in the 500-yard freestyle, and freshman Saadeddin Saadeddin in the 1,650-yard freestyle.
On the diving board, senior Quinn Henninger notched a pair of wins, leading the field with 428.33 points in the 1-meter event and 470.48 points in the 3-meter event. Senior Carson Tyler also ranked well in the diving events, finishing second in the 1-meter, and third in the 3-meter.
During the women’s meet, 11 Indiana competitors earned first-place finishes.
Junior Kristina Paegle collected four victories on the day, including a statement win in the 200 freestyle, besting the competition by more than four seconds. Her second and final individual win came in the 100 butterfly, where she emerged victorious after a tight race with two fellow Hoosiers, junior Mya Dewitt and senior Kacey McKenna.
Paegle’s other two wins came in relay settings. Swimming alongside McKenna, senior Kabria Chapman and sophomore Ava Whitaker, Paegle led her team to a three second advantage in the 200-yard medley relay. Later, Paegle, DeWitt, senior Anna Peplowski and junior Chiok Sze Yeo combined to secure first place in the 200 freestyle relay.
While Paegle won the 200 freestyle, her Hoosier teammates took the other four freestyle events. Peplowski blazed to a 22.31 time in the 50-yard freestyle, while DeWitt took the crown in the 100 freestyle. Graduate student Anna Freed and senior Mariah Denigan strung together strong performances to secure victories in the 500 freestyle and the 1,650 freestyle, respectively.
Peplowski became the fourth woman to win two individual events on the day when she swam to a 1:57.07 200-yard individual medley time.
After her win in the 200 medley relay, Whitaker later powered her way to an individual victory in the 200 butterfly.
Freshman Mary Cespedes swept the breaststroke events on the day, leaving the pool with first-place honors in the 100 and 200 races.
Graduate student Anna Freed and McKenna picked up wins in the 100 backstroke and the 200 backstroke, respectively.
After earning first place in the women’s platform diving event at the Ohio State Invitational, senior Skyler Liu continued where she left off Friday, scoring 341.25 points to secure the victory in the 3-meter event. Sophomore Ella Roselli’s 300.75 points were just enough to earn her a win in the 1-meter event.
After this week’s dominant performance, the Hoosiers now have their eyes set on the University of Florida, who they will challenge Jan. 3 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium in Gainesville, Florida.
