NCAA Championships Men’s Swimming & Diving Thursday, March 26 - Saturday, March 28
PREVIEW
2 - The Daily Iowan - 2015 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Iowa City, Iowa - Thursday, March 26, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Grant Betulius
Grant Betulius enters his final collegiate meet as the soft-spoken leader of the Iowa men’s swim team.
Iowa Preview
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Check out how Iowa will stack up this weekend.
Power Rankings
JORDYN REILAND Editor-in-Chief TESSA HURSH & DORA GROTE Managing Editors
DANNY PAYNE Sports Editor IAN MURPHY, ROD ENGBLOM Swimming writers STACEY MURRAY Projects Editor
Publishing info The Daily Iowan (USPS 143.360) is published by Student Publications Inc., E131 Adler Journalism Building, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2004, daily except Saturdays, Sundays, legal and university holidays, and university vacations. Periodicals postage paid at the Iowa City Post Office under the Act of Congress of March 2, 1879.
SCHEDULE Thursday, March 26 - PRELIMS 11 a.m.
Thursday, March 26 - FINALS 7 p.m.
Friday, March 27 - PRELIMS 11 a.m.
200 Freestyle Relay 500 Freestyle 200 IM 50 Freestyle 400 Medley Relay 1-Meter Diving Prelims -1:45 p.m.
200 Freestyle Relay 500 Freestyle 200 IM 50 Freestyle 1-Meter Diving 400 Medley Relay
200 Medley Relay 400 IM 100 Butterfly 200 Freestyle 100 Breaststroke 100 Backstroke 3-Meter Diving Prelims - 1:45 p.m.
Friday, March 27 - FINALS 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 - PRELIMS 11 a.m.
Saturday, March 28 - FINALS 7 p.m.
200 Medley Relay 400 IM 100 Butterfly 200 Freestyle 100 Breaststroke 100 Backstroke 3-Meter Diving 800 Freestyle Relay
200 Backstroke 100 Freestyle 200 Breaststroke 200 Butterfly 400 Freestyle Relay Platform Diving Prelims - 1:45 p.m. 1,650 Freestyle (Early Heats) - 4:45 p.m.
1,650 Freestyle (Last Heat of Timed Finals) 200 Backstroke 100 Freestyle 200 Breaststroke 200 Butterfly Platform Diving 400 Freestyle Relay
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Final splash for Betulius Grant Betulius will end his storied career as a swimmer for the Iowa men’s swimming team this weekend at the NCAA Championships. By Ian Murphy | ian-murphy@uiowa.edu The soft-spoken leader of the Iowa Hawkeyes is down to the last meet of his five-year tenure for the Black and Gold. The NCAA Championships will descend upon Iowa City to close out the men’s swimming and diving season and the Hawkeye career of senior Grant Betulius. Betulius has had a storied time at Iowa. He owns the school record in both the 100 and 200 backstroke and is without a doubt the part that makes the Hawkeyes go. He finished 13th at the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke as a redshirt sophomore, garnering honorary All-American honors in the process. The story of this season has been his consistency, Betulius did not lose the 100 backstroke at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center until the Big Ten Championships in late February. There, Betulius did not meet his time from the Hawkeye Invitational in early December and slipped to seventh place. He was seeded first prior to the preliminary heats of the event. The 100 backstroke, however, does not tell the whole story. He swam all five relays at the championships and just two individuals, rather than the usual four relays and three individual events. But before he became the Hawkeyes’ anchor, he was a high-school swimmer with an upward tra-
Iowa senior Grant Betulius competes in the 100 backstroke in the 2014 Black and Gold intrasquad meet on Oct. 11, 2014, in the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. Betulius is one of five Iowa swimmers who will compete in the NCAAs. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing) jectory matched by few. During his senior year, Betulius told his high-school coach he was going to win a state championship. His coach, Chad Allen, admits he doubted that. Allen’s star backstroker did not make the varsity squad at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois, until his junior season. By the end of his senior season, Betulius had become a force in the 100 backstroke and won the
state title he had said he would. “We had some really great teams when he was here,” Allen said. “He took it to another level his senior year.” Allen said Betulius grew as a leader with each season but still in a quiet, lead-by-example way. But make no mistake, Betulius is a competitor, Allen said, expressing full faith Betulius would See Betulius, 6
POWER RANKINGS
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2 Texas | Texas has Jack Conger, an American record holder, the nation’s toughest butterfly group, and strong divers. Don’t bet against the Texas.
3 Florida | The Gators have had a strong year already, with an SEC championship under their belts. Superstar Caeleb Dressel will help out in a big way.
4 California | The Bears only finished third at the Pac 12 Championships, but they have a good chance of moving up, with Ryan Murphy is arguably the nation’s best backstroker.
5 Southern Cal | If the meet went exactly as seeded, the Trojans would win it. Christian Quintero and Ralf Tribunstov will lead the Trojans in the championships.
Michigan | Michigan owns the top seed in both the 800 freestyle and 200 medley relays. If Bruno Ortiz swims like he did at the Big Ten Championships, watch out.
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Iowa set for NCAA Championships By Rod Engblom | roderick-engblom@uiowa.edu With the end of the season finally here for the Iowa men’s swimming and diving team, Iowa has one relay team, two individual swimmers, and one diver that qualified for the NCAA Championships. Grant Betulius, Roman Trussov, Jackson Halsmer, and Jerzy Twarowski will compete in the 200and 400-medley relay. Individually, Betulius will race in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and Trussov will swim in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Head coach Marc Long has emphasized having his relays move up into a scoring position will be key to the Hawkeyes’ placing at the meet. The top 16 relays and individuals in prelims advance to the finals at night. “There’s only a handful of relays that make it,” Long said. “So it’s really about who steps up and gets that little bit extra edge to get into that ninth swim position that will take top 16.” Long hopes to get into the top 16 in the relay event in order to be able to achieve a score that will put Iowa on a national level. Individually, Betulius is feeling confident in his race, and he is especially excited about the 100 backstroke. “One hundred back has always been the race that I have liked and been the best at,” Betulius said. “It is cool to qualify for that and to have one more race to go out with a bang.” Betulius is a redshirt senior, so this will be the last meet for him after a five-year career as a Hawkeye. He will leave as the program’s record holder in both backstroke events regardless of his finish this weekend. Trussov is also ready and excited to race. “Everyone is ready,” he said. “Everyone is swimming their best so far this year, and home-pool ad-
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Iowa swimmer Jerzy Twarowski races down the pool during the 200 butterfly in the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center during the Hawkeye Invitational on Dec. 7, 2014. Twarowski is one of five Hawkeyes to compete in the NCAAs. (The Daily Iowan/John Theulen) vantage is definitely going to help us.” Trussov also said the full team is healthy coming into this meet and that he is feeling strong for the breaststroke races. Trussov has a tough task in his events. Big Ten champion Bruno Ortiz or Michigan and American record holder Kevin Cordes of Arizona will be just two competitors in the crowded 100 breaststroke. It’s unlikely the Hawkeyes will take the team title. The team isn’t focused on getting a certain
7 NC State | Relays are almost entirely based on sprinters, and the Wolfpack have arguably the toughest sprint group in the country.
8 Georgia | The Bulldogs will have ample opportunity to move up in the team rankings if swimmers such as Nicolas Fink and Chase Kalisz throw down.
time, they’re more focused on beating the people they’re racing and swimming again in finals. “If you look at the last meet, we broke three school records, which means they went to that meet, competed, and got faster, so that’s how we want to approach this meet,” Long said. “It’s about stepping up and really the clocks are off. You’re just racing the person next to you. “Good things will happen if you’re able to knock off the right people that’s all it is, it’s just racing people.”
9 Stanford | David Nolan set an American record in the 200 individual medley at the Pac 12s. Stanford, like Texas, also has strong divers.
10 Auburn | Auburn has a strong sprint group, and as mentioned above, relays are about sprinters. Auburn is a perennial power in relays, too.
Alabama | Kristian Gkolomeev could throw down a jaw-dropping swim in the 50 freestyle, and Connor Oslin could make waves in the backstroke.
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Betulius
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rebound from the Big Ten Championship meet. “It certainly wouldn’t surprise me,” Allen said. “I’m sure his focus was more on NCAAs.” Former teammates also believe Betulius will rebound. “I have more than enough confidence in him,” former swimmer Giani Sesto said. “I think there was added pressure for that title [in the 100 backstroke].” There was pressure in the 100 backstroke. Iowa head coach Marc Long said much of it came from Betulius himself. However, Long said he believes Betulius will be ready to go this weekend. “The clocks are off and you’re just racing people,” Long said. “That’s all it is.” The pressure is gone, and Betulius can focus on the last few races of his college career.
“There are always some expectations senior year to kind of go out with a bang,” Betulius said. “I think if I’m able to do what I’m capable of, there’s a shot.” The more important part of the meet for the senior who will hit the water for those final few races, is to contribute to the team score and be the leader, something he has been quietly
That competitive drive rubs off on teammates. After winning the 400 freestyle relay at the Hawkeye invite to win the meet, sophomore Jackson Halsmer, who was part of the winning relay, called it an honor to swim with Betulius. Then, as it has been throughout his career, Betulius was more concerned about the team outcome than himself.
in and day out, he has been called the hardest worker on the team. Affectionately known as Whitebread by his teammates (for asking for white bread from Jimmy John’s on his road-trip meals), Both Sesto and Huff said Betulius is capable of finding a different level. “There’s a fire inside that boy,” Huff said. “And when he get’s fired up, he get’s toasty.” After redshirting his freshman year, Betulius has been on a tear for the Hawkeyes, breaking records and making the NCAA Championships, all while quietly leading by example. Long noted his team captain does not say much. Allen, who has known Betulius since the swimmer was 9, said Betulius has always been that way. He does not need to, however, Betulius leads by example. He says he is ready for the meet and his final swims at his home pool. “To end it with all my teammates, I’ve been here for five years, and to end it with my last meet as a Hawkeye here is awesome,” Betulius said.
‘When it comes down to a meet, there’s no one grittier than Grant Betulius. He doesn’t care who’s lining up next to him and what they did last week, he’s trying to win.’ — Jordan Huff, former teammate doing for his entire Hawkeye tenure. “He’s the type of swimmer you want to model a team around,” Sesto said. Jordan Huff, another former teammate, had similar sentiments. “When it comes down to a meet, there’s no one grittier than Grant Betulius,” Huff said. “He doesn’t care who’s lining up next to him and what they did last week, he’s trying to win.”
“The most important thing for him is scoring points for the team,” Huff said. Betulius did not make the NCAA Championships his junior year. He says he got complacent in both his training and in the weight room, and as a result missed the meet. However, he returned to form his senior year, pushing himself in the weight room and in his workouts. Day
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