“Indiana men scare favorites thanks to veterans and transfers”

Thanks to veterans and transfers, the Indiana men are scaring the favorites this season

The Indiana Hoosiers have not finished among the top two teams in the NCAA men’s championships since 1975, a quarter century before their head coach Ray Looze arrived in Bloomington. But Indiana has maintained its status as a powerhouse program in recent years, even without drawing attention from rivals like Cal, Texas, Arizona State, Florida or even NC State. Looze’s men’s teams have finished in the top five at the national meet five times since 2018, with the sole exception of finishing sixth in 2021. Last year, Indiana finished fourth with 376 points, just two behind third. Place Gators.

Indiana enters the 2024-25 season with its longtime top swimmer. Brendan Burnsafter he had finally exhausted his eligibility. Burns won three individual NCAA titles in his career, winning the 200 butterfly in 2022 and then winning the 100 backstroke each of the next two years. Every year on the final day of the national meet, he attempted the grueling 200 back-200 fly double.

But apart from Burns and Max ReichChoosing not to swim in his fifth year, Indiana returns all of its points swimmers from last year’s NCAA Championships, as well as three A Finals swimmers, and adds four transfers who will have a huge impact on the points total.

First, let’s go over the returnees: Breaststrokers Josh Matheny represented the United States in the 200 meters at the Paris Olympics, qualifying for the final. Rafael Miroslaw (Germany) qualified for the 200 meter freestyle semifinals at the Olympics Tom Frankel (Israel) narrowly missed a second time in the 100m butterfly. Both were NCAA multi-event scorers and key relay players last season. Jassen Yes, Luke Barr And Finn Brooks He also returns after scoring points in the evening swim at the national meet last year.

As for the returning divers, Carson Tyler won both the 3-meter and platform dashes at the NCAA Championships last year and placed third in the 1-meter dash. Tyler later became the first American to qualify for the Olympics in both the 3-meter and platform events, finishing fourth in the 3-meter event in Paris. Additionally, Quentin Henninger finished second in both springboard competitions and seventh in the podium. Maxwell Weinrich Second on the platform and 15th on the 3 meter dash. Indiana is always outstanding on the boards, but 121 return points is well below the usual standard.

Next, there are the high-profile transfers, each with NCAA A Finals and/or Olympic experience before arriving in Bloomington. Matt King may be best suited for a major role at the college level; King represented the United States in the 400-meter freestyle relay at major international competitions for the past two years and helped the team win gold as a lead swimmer in Paris. Now he’ll team with Miroslaw and Frankel on Indiana’s underrated freestyle relays, becoming the obvious anchor for the medley squads.

Two swimmers moved from Arizona State to Indiana. Owen McDonald And Zalan Sarkany. McDonald qualified for three individual A finals at the NCAAs last year, finishing second in the 200 IM, third in the 200 backstroke and sixth in the 100 backstroke, while Sarkany fell to 12th in the 500 free, despite being ranked as Top seed, but recovered to win a national title in 1650.

And don’t forget it Brian Benzingthe top returner in the 100 after leaving Cal’s Liam Bell. Benzing, who competed for Towson as an undergraduate, decided to spend his senior year working with Matheny and Yep to form one of the most dangerous chest trios in the country.

You may have noticed a big gap on this Indiana squad: Who will follow in Burns’ footsteps and handle the backstroke medley relays that are on the verge of title contention? Input Miroslav Knedlaa teenager from the Czech Republic who placed 12th in the 100-meter backstroke semifinals in Paris and is now a freshman on the Indiana squad.

The talent in men’s college swimming is as present as ever, and Cal returns versatile swimmers who have led national title runs. Bob Bowman He put together a strong squad in his first year at Texas and Florida that still had sprinting depth. But the favorites won’t forget Indiana, as Looze brings arguably his most talented and capable team with him this season.