When you look at what Lilly King and Jessica Parratto have been able to accomplish while at Indiana, the list is not short.

Those, however, were all individual awards. But with the Big Ten Championships being staged at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center for the first time since 2011, King and Parratto had one last chance to do something they had yet to do in their collegiate careers: win a team award.

And that’s exactly what they did. They may not have been the favorites, (that was the Michigan Wolverines who had won the three previous), but they were able to overcome the odds and win IU’s first women’s Big Ten swimming and diving title since 2011.

“So happy for those girls,” IU swim coach Ray Looze said. “They put in so much time, won so many championships, NCAA titles, Olympic games. But I tell ya, if you ask them, this is probably one of the most meaningful achievements in their athletic careers.”

King once again swept the breaststroke swims with record times and qualified for the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas in March in the process. Parratto took home the platform dive title and also the 1-meter dive, a competition that isn’t necessarily her strong suit. Nonetheless, with both of their contributions, it boosted the Hoosiers to the title.

Along with this being their first team award, it was also their last competitive meet in Bloomington. When you put it all together, emotions were running high for the duo.

“I did my last dive and I did my interview really quick after and she was like ‘does this make you feel emotional?’ and I was like ‘yes,’” Parratto said. “I saw all my girls, my diver girls and I just burst into tears.”

But for King, she knew the Hoosiers would take home the Big Ten title well before they eventually hoisted the trophy, put on their shirts and hats, and jumped in the pool in celebration. She was sitting at Noodles and Company nearly a week before the meet started with her friends.

That’s when she had the thought that her team would get it done, partly led by her efforts.

“I was like, ‘we’re going to do it,’” King said. “They were like, ‘wait, you’ve never actually said that out loud before’ and I said, ‘it’s because you guys are going to do it.’”

Going into the event, Looze said Michgian would have to slip up for Indiana to have a chance and when it did slip, the Hoosiers would have to capitalize. In the end, that’s what happened.

The Hoosiers clinched the title before the final event, the 400-medley relay. It showed just how determined they were to get it done and just how talented the team as a whole really is.

But when it was all set and done, it was King and Parratto who both have led this team during their time in Bloomington. And as Looze said, this title might be sweetest of them all.

Now as they move on to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they will always have this title as the final one they won while a Hoosier.

“I hope we made our mark like we set out to do,” Parratto said. “To do it by her side, as well, has been very special and I think that we’ve definitely set a standard for divers and swimmers to come here.”