Indiana’s Brendan Burns Leads the Way as IU Men Defeat Louisville

Indiana Hoosiers Men Def. Louisville Cardinals

• Indiana vs. Louisville
• Counsilman Billingsley Aq. Center, Bloomington, IN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Mobile- “IU – Louisville”
• Meet Results (pdf)

The Indiana men hosted the Louisville men at home on Friday, January 14th. Both teams wore technical racing suits for the meet. 

Neither team has competed against another college squad since the fall semester. Indiana had their scheduled meet on January 8th against Michigan canceled due to COVID-19. Louisville also had their meet scheduled for January 8th canceled. Their meet was scheduled against Missouri.

The Indiana men cruised to a 205-95 victory over Louisville at home. This was Indiana’s first meet since December 3rd when they defeated Cincinnati 163-122. Louisville had not competed in a meet since their midseason at the Purdue Invitational November 18-20. 

Indiana won 14 out of the 16 events (including diving) and swept the 1000 freestyle and 200 breaststroke. Junior Brendan Burns led the way as he captured individual victories in the 200 butterfly (1:40.72), 200 backstroke (1:41.18), and the 100 butterfly (45.49). His 200 butterfly time was faster than he went at the midseason Ohio State Invitational and will move him up from seventh to second in the NCAA this season. 

Redshirt junior Michael Brinegar also threw down one of the top times in the NCAA this season as he won the 1000 freestyle in a time of 8:51.20. That time places him third in the NCAA. It is also the fastest true 1000 time by four seconds as the top two times in the NCAA this season have come out in the first 1000 of the 1650.

The freshman class for Indiana made a huge impact at the meet. Rafael Miroslaw also helped lead the way as he captured individual victories in the 200 freestyle (1:33.39) and the 100 freestyle (43.10). He also anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay (2:51.06) in a time of 42.53. Josh Matheney made sure to get in on the individual victories as he won both the 100 breaststroke (53.41) and the 200 breaststroke (1:57.06). Diver Carson Tyler won both the 1 meter (411.83) and the 3 meter (387.60).

Louisville had individual victories from senior Abdelrahman Sameh in the 50 freestyle (19.19) as well as from graduate student Daniel Sos in the 400 IM (3:46.22). Sameh did not compete at a midseason (he did compete at the Short Course World Championships in December representing Egypt), but his 50 freestyle time will now have him tied with Texas’s Drew Kibler for eighth in the NCAA this season. Israel’s Denis Loktev made his debut for the Cardinals and swam to a fourth place finish in the 200 freestyle and a fifth place finish in the 500 freestyle.

Other event wins include:

• 200 Medley Relay: Indiana (1:24.70)
• 100 Backstroke: Gabriel Fantoni, Indiana (46.20)
• 500 Freestyle: Mikey Calvillo, Indiana (4:20.30)

Indiana’s next meet is scheduled for Saturday, January 22nd at home against in-state rival Purdue University. Louisville has their next meet scheduled for Saturday, January 22nd at home against their rival as well, the University of Kentucky.