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Every Point Matters at B1Gs By James Allan T o be among the discussion in the team race at the 2013 Big Ten Championships, the University of Iowa men���s swimming and diving team knows potential team points can���t be left off the scoreboard. ���Every point will matter to be in the team race,��� said UI head coach Marc Long. ���It is a very competitive meet with six teams among the top 25. We have to be ready to go.��� The Hawkeyes finished the 2012 Big Ten Championships with 395 points en route to a fifthplace finish in Iowa City at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center pool. Five Iowa swimmers earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades, but three of the honorees have used up their eligibility. ���We lost three All-Americans, but this team has come together,��� said Long. ���The confidence-level this team has displayed is even greater than last year���s team.��� Part of the confidence can be attributed to Iowa���s performance at the Hawkeye Invitational in November, where the Hawkeyes went toe-to-toe with Michigan, the second-ranked team in the country ��� and defending Big Ten champion. Iowa will have both experience and youth in Bloomington, Ind., at the 2013 championships. First team All-Big Ten selections Jordan Huff and Gianni Sesto return, while freshman Roman Trussov and David Ernstsson have an international resume that has prepared them for big meets. Huff earned first team honors as a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay that posted a school record time of 2:52.53. The win was the first for the Hawkeyes in the event since 1988. Sesto swam the third leg of the champion 200 free relay that sprinted to a school record in 1:17.61. It was Iowa���s first relay crown since 1995. Trussov enters his first Big Ten Championships with the third-best time in the conference in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. His times of 53.60 and 1:56.76 are both Iowa school records. Ernstsson has the second-best 100 and 200 freestyle times for the Hawkeyes, and his 200 time ranks 14th in the conference. ���Both Roman and David have a great deal of international experience,��� said Long. ���What is unique for them is the team environment and the relays. They���re engrained with our team now, so we���re expecting to see some great results.��� ���It helped us see some of the best competitors in the country,��� said Long. ���To race them in that environment The 2013 Big Ten Men���s Swimming and Diving Championships will be held at the Counsilmancertainly helped in preparation for our championship Billingsley Aquatic Center from Feb. 27-March 2. season.��� Indiana University will stream the entire championship except Saturday���s final, which will be televised on BTN. 15