Indiana University Athletics
Looze, Hoosier Freshmen Collect Big Ten Postseason Awards
4/2/2026 2:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three members of the Indiana swimming and diving program – head coach Ray Looze and freshmen Josh Bey and Liberty Clark – featured in the Big Ten postseason awards announced by the conference office on Wednesday (April 1).
Big Ten Men's Swim Coach of the Year: Ray Looze
For the fifth consecutive season, IU head swimming coach Ray Looze is the Big Ten Men's Coach of the Year. With this season's honor, Looze now owns the conference records for most men's coach of the year awards (10), women's coach of the year awards (7) and total coach of the year awards (17).
Looze led the men of IU swimming and diving to their fifth straight Big Ten title as well as a fifth straight top five team finish at the NCAA Championships. At the national meet, Looze's Hoosiers repeated as the No. 3 team in the nation despite returning only four individual scorers and graduating three national champions from last year's roster. Ten of Indiana's 15 All-Americans this year were first-time individual point-scorers.
Big Ten Men's Swimmer of the Year: Josh Bey
Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Year: Josh Bey
Josh Bey is the third athlete to win Big Ten Men's Swimmer of the Year and Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Year in the same season (first since Felix Auböck, 2017). An IU athlete has earned the award in five consecutive seasons between Bey, Owen McDonald (2025) and Brendan Burns (2022-24).
As a freshman, Bey set the No. 8 fastest 400 IM (3:34.90) and No. 10 fastest 200-yard breaststroke (1:48.79) in NCAA history.
Bey scored 41 points in his NCAA Championships debut, leading all freshmen and all Big Ten athletes while ranking No. 5 in the country overall. He reached the podium in all three of his events, highlighted by a silver medal finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. With that performance, Bey joined 2025 NCAA Champion Jassen Yep as the only Hoosiers to break the 1:49 barrier in the 200 breaststroke (1:48.79).
Bey's first Big Ten Championships was highlighted by his performance in the 400 IM. His 3:34.90 broke the Big Ten, meet and program records in the event as he claimed his first individual conference title. The freshman was IU's second-highest scoring athlete, contributing 85 points to the team title tally.
Big Ten Women's Freshman of the Year: Liberty Clark (Unanimous)
After breaking seven program records, two Big Ten records, two Big Ten Championship records and two 17-18 National Age Group records during her freshman season, Liberty Clark is the Big Ten Women's Freshman of the Year by unanimous decision.
Clark contributed a team-high 45 points to the Indiana women's program's No. 7 team finish at her first NCAA Championships. That total ranked No. 9 nationally, No. 3 among NCAA freshmen, No. 2 among Big Ten athletes and tops among Big Ten freshmen. The Chico, California, native reached the podium in all seven of her events, highlighted by a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle and bronze in the 200-yard freestyle relay. During the meet, Clark became the fifth woman to break the 1:40 barrier in the 200 freestyle before becoming the second to break it twice, recording times of 1:39.70 and 1:39.88.
At her first Big Ten Championships, Clark won three conference titles and four more silver medals, and her 92 points tied for the most in the field with Michigan junior Bella Sims. During that meet, Clark broke Big Ten meet records in the 100-yard freestyle (46.22) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:07.72).
Over the dual meet season, Clark earned a conference record nine Big Ten women's weekly awards, as she was twice named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors seven times. Clark broke her first program records in the 50-yard freestyle and 100 free at Indiana's midseason meet, the Ohio State Invitational, in November – three months into her collegiate career.
@IndianaSwimDive
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#NeverDaunted
Big Ten Men's Swim Coach of the Year: Ray Looze
For the fifth consecutive season, IU head swimming coach Ray Looze is the Big Ten Men's Coach of the Year. With this season's honor, Looze now owns the conference records for most men's coach of the year awards (10), women's coach of the year awards (7) and total coach of the year awards (17).
Looze led the men of IU swimming and diving to their fifth straight Big Ten title as well as a fifth straight top five team finish at the NCAA Championships. At the national meet, Looze's Hoosiers repeated as the No. 3 team in the nation despite returning only four individual scorers and graduating three national champions from last year's roster. Ten of Indiana's 15 All-Americans this year were first-time individual point-scorers.
Big Ten Men's Swimmer of the Year: Josh Bey
Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Year: Josh Bey
Josh Bey is the third athlete to win Big Ten Men's Swimmer of the Year and Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Year in the same season (first since Felix Auböck, 2017). An IU athlete has earned the award in five consecutive seasons between Bey, Owen McDonald (2025) and Brendan Burns (2022-24).
As a freshman, Bey set the No. 8 fastest 400 IM (3:34.90) and No. 10 fastest 200-yard breaststroke (1:48.79) in NCAA history.
Bey scored 41 points in his NCAA Championships debut, leading all freshmen and all Big Ten athletes while ranking No. 5 in the country overall. He reached the podium in all three of his events, highlighted by a silver medal finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. With that performance, Bey joined 2025 NCAA Champion Jassen Yep as the only Hoosiers to break the 1:49 barrier in the 200 breaststroke (1:48.79).
Bey's first Big Ten Championships was highlighted by his performance in the 400 IM. His 3:34.90 broke the Big Ten, meet and program records in the event as he claimed his first individual conference title. The freshman was IU's second-highest scoring athlete, contributing 85 points to the team title tally.
Big Ten Women's Freshman of the Year: Liberty Clark (Unanimous)
After breaking seven program records, two Big Ten records, two Big Ten Championship records and two 17-18 National Age Group records during her freshman season, Liberty Clark is the Big Ten Women's Freshman of the Year by unanimous decision.
Clark contributed a team-high 45 points to the Indiana women's program's No. 7 team finish at her first NCAA Championships. That total ranked No. 9 nationally, No. 3 among NCAA freshmen, No. 2 among Big Ten athletes and tops among Big Ten freshmen. The Chico, California, native reached the podium in all seven of her events, highlighted by a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle and bronze in the 200-yard freestyle relay. During the meet, Clark became the fifth woman to break the 1:40 barrier in the 200 freestyle before becoming the second to break it twice, recording times of 1:39.70 and 1:39.88.
At her first Big Ten Championships, Clark won three conference titles and four more silver medals, and her 92 points tied for the most in the field with Michigan junior Bella Sims. During that meet, Clark broke Big Ten meet records in the 100-yard freestyle (46.22) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:07.72).
Over the dual meet season, Clark earned a conference record nine Big Ten women's weekly awards, as she was twice named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors seven times. Clark broke her first program records in the 50-yard freestyle and 100 free at Indiana's midseason meet, the Ohio State Invitational, in November – three months into her collegiate career.
@IndianaSwimDive
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
Breaststroke
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Multi
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Breast/IM
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