David Woods

david.woods@indystar.com

RIO DE JANEIRO – Hoosier Nation is not merely a designation for those following Indiana University sports. At the Olympic Games, Hoosier Nation is a nation.

Heading into Thursday night’s swimming finals, the Hoosiers would have ranked 14th on the medals table if they were a separate country.

Their five medals in swimming and diving are a higher total than giants such as South Africa (four) or Spain (three). More than host Brazil (three). Nearly as many as Canada (six).

“To be able to come here and have what happened transpire, I almost have to pinch myself,” Indiana coach Ray Looze said.

The rush on medals goes beyond Monday’s gold by Lilly King in the 100-meter breaststroke. Also reaching the podium were Blake Pieroni, gold in 400 freestyle relay; Michael Hixon, silver in synchronized 3-meter diving; Cody Miller, bronze in 100 breaststroke; and Kennedy Goss, bronze in 800 freestyle relay for Canada.

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Looze, 49, is an assistant coach for Team USA, something he said is a “huge advantage” at an Olympics.

“There are so many things that come up unexpectedly,” he said. “We’ve been adjusting day by day, from a training standpoint to race strategy. Things pop up that you don’t know you’d have to do.”

He said the Hoosiers’ success ultimately will help recruiting in the United States but in the short term it has attracted foreign swimmers. High school swimmers commit so early, Looze said, that there has not been enough time to influence them.

An Egyptian, Marwan El Kamash, is transferring from South Carolina to Indiana. In Rio, he was 16th in the 400 freestyle in relay, setting a national record of 3:47.43 — faster than the IU record.

The Hoosiers’ Ali Khalafalla, also an Egyptian, was 23rd Thursday in preliminaries of the 50 freestyle. His time of 22.25, tying his national and IU record, was 0.15 from the cut to 16 semifinalists.

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“This is my first Olympics, and I’ve had a great season,” Khalafalla said. “I’m not sad by it at all. I think I can do better.”

Pieroni, Khalafalla and another Olympian, Slovenia’s Anze Tavcar, make Indiana a contender to win the NCAA title in the 400-yard freestyle relay in next March’s NCAA Championships at Indianapolis. The Hoosiers could climb as high as fourth or fifth in team standings.

Other foreign swimmers in the recruiting class: Croatia’s Bruno Blaskovic, silver medalist in the 50 freestyle at the European Junior Championships in 22.25, equaling Khalafalla’s record; Mohamed Samy, also of Egypt, and Tennessee transfer Joshua Romany, of Trinidad and Tobago.

Such recruiting is not new at Indiana. Longtime coach Doc Counsilman consistently sent foreign swimmers to the Olympics, including medalists Mark Kerry of Australia, Djan Madruga of Brazil and Sergio Lopez of Spain.

“We’re trending in the right direction,” Looze said. “I’m just so happy for all the kids, that their Olympic dreams are being realized.”

The Hoosiers’ other medal possibilities in swimming and diving include King and Miller in Saturday’s 400 medley relays, Hixon in 3-meter diving and Jessica Parratto in 10-meter diving. Away from the pool, former IU high jumper Derek Drouin of Canada is reigning world champion and a 2012 bronze medalist.

The highest medal hauls for Indiana swimming and diving during the Counsilman/Hobie Billingsley era are 16 in 1972 (featuring seven by Mark Spitz), 15 in 1968 and 10 in 1964. The 2016 total equals 1976 for fourth-highest.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

Miller is Hoosiers' first U.S. swim medalist in 40 years

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Rio medals table

(Not including results Thursday night)

Total/Country/G-S-B

35 United States, 13-12-10

26 China, 10-7-9

19 Japan, 6-1-2

17 Russia, 4-7-6

16 Great Britain, 4-6-6

14 Australia, 5-3-6

12 Italy, 3-6-3

11 South Korea, 5-2-4

11 France, 2-4-5

8 Germany, 4-3-1

7 Hungary, 5-1-1

7 Kazakhstan, 2-2-3

6 Canada, 0-1-5

5 INDIANA U., 2-1-2

5 New Zealand, 1-4-0

5 Netherlands, 1-2-2