Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving sets three pool records in season finale

The No. 7/9 Indiana men’s and women’s swim and dive teams ended the regular season in style, defeating the No. 17/6 University of Louisville Cardinals Friday afternoon at the Ralph Wright Natatorium. Both the men and women finished the regular season 7-1, and both sides ended the 2022–23 season on a six-match winning streak.

Indiana set three pool records in enemy territory, with veteran swimmer Brendan Burns eclipsing former Louisville All-American Nicolas Albiero’s 200 flight time of 1:44.00 to set the tone for the men. The 2022 NCAA champion set a new personal best of 1:43.28 at the event.

Burns posted a trifecta of top spots with victories also coming in the 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly events. Certified diver Andrew Capobianco and second diver Carson Tyler were the other two pool record-setters on Friday. Capobianco’s 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, there’s a really challenging atmosphere,” head swim coach Ray Looze said after the meetup. “Kudos to them, they packed the stands and were ready. They have two good teams and I feel incredibly lucky that we’ve had a couple of wins.”

Friday marked the Hoosier women’s first win over the Cardinals since November 2019. They did it in style, winning by a score of 155-145, a narrow 10-point win. Junior jumper Anne Fowler continued her strong form, winning the women’s events for Indiana. She posted scores of 328.88 and 349.88 in the 1m and 3m events, respectively.

Graduate Noelle Peplowski collected three first places in so many matches for the second time. She swept the breaststroke races and also won the 200-yard individual medley. Her sophomore sister Anna Peplowski accumulated wins in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. Sophomore Mariah Denigan swept the freestyle events the distance, winning the 500 Free and the 1000 Free. Despite the individual successes, the women did not win either of the two relay competitions.

“I give a lot of credit to our women,” Looze said. “It’s rare to win a duel when you lose both seasons and our women have fought hard. I think that shows a lot about our depth as a swim and dive team.”

Friday marked Indiana’s last duel before the start of the championship season. “That’s what championship swimming feels like,” Looze said. “We really needed to be pushed to remember what is needed. It wasn’t perfect, but we will win every day on the road in a very challenging environment.”

The women’s Big Ten championships are just over two weeks away, and action is scheduled to begin on February 15 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The men’s Big Ten Championships begin a week later.