Competitor Coach of the Month: Ray Looze

Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.

From the college team to the post-grads, Indiana swimmers had a phenomenal month in the pool, with Ray Looze at the helm.

At the Pro Swim Series stop in Austin, former Hoosier Van Mathias was on fire, setting personal bests in all three events he swam en route to winning the men’s 50 breast (26.89) and 100 breast (59.45) and placing 2nd in the 50 fly (23.06).

In the prelims of the 50 breast, Mathias clocked a blistering time of 26.57, setting a new Pro Swim Series Record while coming within just 12 one-hundredths of a second shy of the American Record (26.45 by Nic Fink) and just five one-hundredths back of the U.S. Open Record (26.52 by Michael Andrew).

Mathias, 25, came into the meet with a best time of 26.76, set last summer, which tied him with Kevin Cordes for #3 all-time among Americans. Mathias now owns sole possession of 3rd, trailing Fink and Andrew.

In the 100 breast, Mathias’ time of 59.45 improved on his previous best of 59.74 to rank tied for 15th all-time among Americans. In the 50 fly, his new lifetime best of 23.06 rockets him up to 6th all-time in U.S. history.

Other Indiana pros who performed well in Austin included Finn Brooks, who set lifetime bests in the men’s 50 free (22.36), 50 breast (27.05) and 50 fly (23.14), Matt King, who earned top-six finishes in the 50 free (22.13), 100 free (48.89) and 50 fly (23.32), and Anna Peplowski, who set season-bests in the 200 free (1:57.51, 2nd), 100 free (54.51, 3rd) and also set bests in the 100 back (1:00.18, 3rd) and 50 free (25.14, 4th).

On the college side, Indiana has been on a roll throughout the month, with the men’s team going 3-0 with victories over Michigan (187-113), Purdue (209.5-90.5) and Louisville (216-84), while the Hoosier women rebounded from a close victory to the Wolverines on Jan. 9 (154-146) with back-to-back wins over Purdue (186-114) and Louisville (161-138).

Most recently against the Cardinals, Indiana freshman Liberty Clark had a sensational performance, setting new best times and school records in the women’s 50 free (21.48) and 100 free (46.36). Clark broke her own program records in both, improving on her 21.54 and 46.83 showings from November.

Additionally, she led off the Hoosier women to another record in the 400 free relay, as Clark (46.38), Grace Hoeper (47.70), Alex Shackell (47.07) and Kristina Paegle (46.92) combined for a time of 3:08.07, shattering the IU school record set earlier in the month (3:09.81) and tying the Big Ten Record set by Michigan in 2019. The time notably would’ve placed 2nd at the 2025 NCAAs.

About Competitor Swim

Since 1960, Competitor Swim® has been the leader in the production of racing lanes and other swim products for competitions around the world. Competitor lane lines have been used in countless NCAA Championships, as well as 10 of the past 13 Olympic Games. Molded and assembled using U.S. – made components, Competitor lane lines are durable, easy to set up and are sold through distributors and dealers worldwide.

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