Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio: ‘Looking Good’ – Excitement Grows for IU’s Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Prospects
2/17/2026 6:30:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Ray Looze leans forward on a couch in his Councilman Billingsley Aquatic Center office contemplating Indiana's Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championship prospects this week in Minneapolis.
"I'm super excited to see how the freshmen do," the veteran IU coach says. "We're slated to get fourth. I'm motivated to not let that happen."
The No. 6-ranked Hoosiers – talented and young and boosted by freshmen such as Liberty Clark, Alex Shackel and Grace Hoeper, and veterans such as Miranda Grana, Mya DeWitt and Kristina Paegle, plus USC transfer Macky Hodges – have a late-January dual-meet victory over then No. 6 Louisville as the most recent example to suggest big things are possible this week.
Looze, set to enter the International Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame in April as part of an acclaimed 30-plus-year career that includes 14 Big Ten championships and 23 NCAA individual or relay titles, mixes perspective with optimism. IU rallied for an improbable Big Ten title two years ago, then finished second to Michigan last year.
Looze sees the No. 4 Wolverines, which have a dual-meet victory over IU on their resume this season, as the Hoosiers' biggest opponent this week. Michigan has depth, while IU has stars. "We're top heavy," he says.
However, in the NCAA meet, set for March 18-21 in Atlanta, the Hoosiers could have the edge. They have placed seventh, seventh and fourth in the last three years.
"We're poised to do pretty well in terms of the NCAA," Looze says. "In the Big Ten, it will be tough to beat Michigan.
"In the NCAA meet, depth is not that big of an issue. We could beat (Michigan) in the NCAA. We lost to Ohio State last year (at Big Tens) and destroyed them in the NCAA meet. That's where we're at again."
Consider Clark, who has made history with her seven Big Ten freshman-of-the-week honors, and nine conference weekly awards overall. The daughter of 2004 Olympic silver medalist Haley Cope, Clark thrives in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and is a key member of the Hoosiers' record-setting 400-yard freestyle relay.
"What has developed since she arrived is her underwaters," Looze says. "That's rapidly developing. She's gotten a lot stronger. She can do all the strokes. That wasn't always the case. She was extremely raw.
"She's an assassin. She's highly competitive and knows how to perform. She has a high pain threshold.
"We're progressing her along. She's not doing all the workouts we offer. She kills herself in every workout. Every race she says, 'why did I hurt myself so much?' I say, 'that's just who you are.' She'll say, 'I went too fast.' I say, 'No you didn't, that's just how you're built.'
"(Former IU swimming Olympic gold medalist) Blake Pieroni was like that -- he would just kill himself in a workout and do it again. It's like (Olympic skier) Lindsey Vonn, who was competing on a completely destroyed ACL. There's a fearlessness to people like that. Liberty is like that. She's not afraid. She might be raw, but she's not afraid of anyone. It's just attack."
Looze calls Anna Peplowski, who graduated last year after winning the NCAA title in the 200-meter freestyle, "arguably the greatest swimmer in our women's history." He says Clark, who has already broken Peplowski's 100 free program record, is on a similar level.
"I thought losing Anna Peplowski would take years to overcome and replace. For her records to be potentially wiped out the very next year (by Clark), I wouldn't have comprehended that. I didn't expect that."
Add Shackell, a multiple state of Indiana champion at Carmel High School who won silver and gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, plus the "rapidly developing" Hoeper, and next year's highly anticipated recruiting class and Looze says, "I think we've reloaded pretty well. Next year we'll take care of that depth. It's on the way, but we don't have it now. We have some holes. We graduated some important people, and sometimes that takes a little while to replenish. We have very little distance swimmers, but we'll have some of the best distance next year."
For now, the power is in the relays, specifically the 400-yard freestyle relay of Clark, Hoeper, Shackell and Paegle that has tied the Big Ten record of 3:08.07.
"We have some positive things happening," Looze says. "Our relays can be very good. We've never won a women's NCAA relay. We've won plenty of individual titles in swimming and diving, but in relays, I think the best we've ever been is second. We have a chance to win."
Beyond that, Looze says IU has "good upper-classmen leadership." He says Grana is "phenomenal, one of the best swimmers in NCAA," and that DeWitt is "great," as is Hodges.
The result – the women's program is positioned to remain a national power for years to come.
"I like our women's future," Looze says. "It looks good."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Ray Looze leans forward on a couch in his Councilman Billingsley Aquatic Center office contemplating Indiana's Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championship prospects this week in Minneapolis.
"I'm super excited to see how the freshmen do," the veteran IU coach says. "We're slated to get fourth. I'm motivated to not let that happen."
The No. 6-ranked Hoosiers – talented and young and boosted by freshmen such as Liberty Clark, Alex Shackel and Grace Hoeper, and veterans such as Miranda Grana, Mya DeWitt and Kristina Paegle, plus USC transfer Macky Hodges – have a late-January dual-meet victory over then No. 6 Louisville as the most recent example to suggest big things are possible this week.
Looze, set to enter the International Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame in April as part of an acclaimed 30-plus-year career that includes 14 Big Ten championships and 23 NCAA individual or relay titles, mixes perspective with optimism. IU rallied for an improbable Big Ten title two years ago, then finished second to Michigan last year.
Looze sees the No. 4 Wolverines, which have a dual-meet victory over IU on their resume this season, as the Hoosiers' biggest opponent this week. Michigan has depth, while IU has stars. "We're top heavy," he says.
However, in the NCAA meet, set for March 18-21 in Atlanta, the Hoosiers could have the edge. They have placed seventh, seventh and fourth in the last three years.
"We're poised to do pretty well in terms of the NCAA," Looze says. "In the Big Ten, it will be tough to beat Michigan.
"In the NCAA meet, depth is not that big of an issue. We could beat (Michigan) in the NCAA. We lost to Ohio State last year (at Big Tens) and destroyed them in the NCAA meet. That's where we're at again."
Consider Clark, who has made history with her seven Big Ten freshman-of-the-week honors, and nine conference weekly awards overall. The daughter of 2004 Olympic silver medalist Haley Cope, Clark thrives in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and is a key member of the Hoosiers' record-setting 400-yard freestyle relay.
"What has developed since she arrived is her underwaters," Looze says. "That's rapidly developing. She's gotten a lot stronger. She can do all the strokes. That wasn't always the case. She was extremely raw.
"She's an assassin. She's highly competitive and knows how to perform. She has a high pain threshold.
"We're progressing her along. She's not doing all the workouts we offer. She kills herself in every workout. Every race she says, 'why did I hurt myself so much?' I say, 'that's just who you are.' She'll say, 'I went too fast.' I say, 'No you didn't, that's just how you're built.'
"(Former IU swimming Olympic gold medalist) Blake Pieroni was like that -- he would just kill himself in a workout and do it again. It's like (Olympic skier) Lindsey Vonn, who was competing on a completely destroyed ACL. There's a fearlessness to people like that. Liberty is like that. She's not afraid. She might be raw, but she's not afraid of anyone. It's just attack."
Looze calls Anna Peplowski, who graduated last year after winning the NCAA title in the 200-meter freestyle, "arguably the greatest swimmer in our women's history." He says Clark, who has already broken Peplowski's 100 free program record, is on a similar level.
"I thought losing Anna Peplowski would take years to overcome and replace. For her records to be potentially wiped out the very next year (by Clark), I wouldn't have comprehended that. I didn't expect that."
Add Shackell, a multiple state of Indiana champion at Carmel High School who won silver and gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, plus the "rapidly developing" Hoeper, and next year's highly anticipated recruiting class and Looze says, "I think we've reloaded pretty well. Next year we'll take care of that depth. It's on the way, but we don't have it now. We have some holes. We graduated some important people, and sometimes that takes a little while to replenish. We have very little distance swimmers, but we'll have some of the best distance next year."
For now, the power is in the relays, specifically the 400-yard freestyle relay of Clark, Hoeper, Shackell and Paegle that has tied the Big Ten record of 3:08.07.
"We have some positive things happening," Looze says. "Our relays can be very good. We've never won a women's NCAA relay. We've won plenty of individual titles in swimming and diving, but in relays, I think the best we've ever been is second. We have a chance to win."
Beyond that, Looze says IU has "good upper-classmen leadership." He says Grana is "phenomenal, one of the best swimmers in NCAA," and that DeWitt is "great," as is Hodges.
The result – the women's program is positioned to remain a national power for years to come.
"I like our women's future," Looze says. "It looks good."
Players Mentioned
Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free/Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back/Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free/Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Multi
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free/Back
/ Women's Swimming and DivingIUBB Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, February 15
IUBB Pregame Press Conference
Friday, February 13
IUWBB Postgame at USC
Friday, February 13
Darian DeVries Postgame Press Conference
Tuesday, February 10