2018 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 21 – Saturday, March 24
- Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (Central Time)
- Defending champion: Texas (3x) (results)
- Psych Sheet
- Championship Central
- Event-by-Event Previews
- Team Power Rankings: Final Edition
- Live Stream
- Live Results
After a spirited effort from his relatively small-but-talented crew, Indiana coach Ray Looze was named CSCAA Coach of the Year for 2018 men’s NCAAs.
Watch Looze receive his award here.
Looze’s team far outperformed expectations, ranking 5th in our Power Ranks before the meet but carrying the points lead for Thursday and Saturday before ultimately finishing 3rd.
IU won both breaststrokes, courtesy of Ian Finnerty, who broke the American record with the first sub-50-second breaststroke in history. He came back to win the 200 in a nailbiter. (IU has now swept both the men’s and women’s breaststroke titles after Lilly King‘s swims last week).
IU also opened the meet with the first American record of the week when Blake Pieroni led off the 800 free relay in 1:29.63, the first sub-1:30 swim in history.
Finnerty and Pieroni joined Mohamed Samy and Vini Lanza to win the 400 medley relay in 3:01.07, besting a crowd of tough programs. IU finished 3rd with just 9 individual scorers.
Johansen Wins Diving Coach of the Year
Indiana swept the coaches of the year, with Drew Johansen being named Diving Coach of the Year. His diving crew accrued 98 points, including a 1-meter title from Michael Hixon. Hixon was also 3rd on 3-meter. James Connor was 3rd on 1-meter and 5th on 3-meter, while Andrew Capobianco took 11th on 1-meter, 8th on 3-meter and 3rd on Platform.
Every year, Indiana is getting closer and closer to regaining the NCAA team title. Their swimmers are winning events and setting records like the old glory days of Doc Counsilman.
They jumped past NC State, Florida, Stanford and USC this year. Only Texas and Cal remain.
IU loses Blake Ali Levi and Hixon graduate. And they have totally reloaded!!! Ray has assembled an awesome staff! They were 7th last year and 3rd this year. Very deserving of Coach of the year!!!GO HOOSIERS!!!!
Congrats and well deserved to Ray and Drew.
Congratulations! IU had a fantastic meet! This team has been building momentum for the past few years…. really happy for them! Obviously all comes back to the coach.
Very well deserved Coach Looze – When i see how Pieroni swims and has improved in the last year or so + Ian Finnerty – just those 2 makes my heart sing . Their divers did a great job as well . They won one relay as well .
Amazing job putting IU back on the front line
From a texas alum this is well deserved unbelievable job by Indiana
More down votes than up for this comment? I counted 7 benign comments so far, all merely congratulating the IU coach/program on a job well done. 2 (of 7) had more down than up – the difference? … those 2 with more down votes either mentioned Texas or had Texas in their username.
I noticed that too!!!?? So a texas fan isn’t allowed to be happy for other programs deserving of praise??? Either the downvotes are from Hoosiers that hats texas or from Longhorns that can’t play nice. Either way. Shame shame. Also, Pieroni and Finnerty were superb.
Well deserved for Coach Ray Looze, Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame member, along with fellow Serra alums Barry Bonds, Tom Brady, Lynn Swann, and John Robinson, and fellow swimmers John Naber, Marty Hull, Dick Roth, Greg Buckingham, Anne Warner Cribbs, Pokey Watson Richardson, Ted and Teri Stickles, Jan Henne, Tom McBreen, and fellow coaches Ray and Zada Taft and “Makapu’u” Jim Gaughran, my old man’s college coach. Other notables include John Madden, Keith Hernandez, Dick Vermeil, Don Bunce, Bill Walsh, Moises Alou, Bob Melvin, Harold Reynolds, Mark and Dave Schultz, Jim Harbaugh, Jeremy Lin, Julian Edelman. Good company outside of those Cardinal footballers and wrestlers.
Also the second… Read more »
As a former captain for Ray Looze, I want to offer the biggest congrats to Ray and his staff. Well deserved award.
I have to disagree with your theory Mr. Davis. As the current head coach at the University of the Pacific, I have first hand knowledge that Pacific is a place that prepares a coach to lead… Dr. Ted Leland, the former National Athletic Director of the Year at Stanford, chose to retire at Pacific. Working under him the last six years (as well as other leaders) has been one of the best experiences of my professional career… If you have ever spoken with Ray about his time at Pacific (I swam for him and have spoken with him… Read more »