Now that the 2016 Olympic Games have come to a close, the question isn’t “Did IU’s results in Rio help the future of the swimming program?”

It’s “By how much?” and “How soon until it makes an impact?”

“A lot more people want to talk to us,” IU head coach Ray Looze said. “That’s really, really exciting. We’re probably not going to feel it on the American side until the next cycle because they tend to move a little bit quicker.

“The number of emails and texts and people who want to talk to us now is just so different than it ever was. It started to change having Olympians, but what they did down there, the six Olympic Medals, I don’t think anyone saw that coming.”

What was coming was six total medals between sophomore Lilly King (two Golds), IU grad Cody Miller (Gold and Bronze), junior Kennedy Goss (Bronze) and junior Blake Pieroni (Gold). Each podium finish pushed more and more attention toward Indiana.

Miller has been a posterchild for the program, in a way. Looze said earlier this summer that Miller was one of the first Hoosiers of this current wave to stand out on a national stage and prove that Indiana’s program could prepare Olympic-level talent.

As if the results didn’t clarify that enough, it’s worth pointing out that Miller still trains in Bloomington in part so that he can be around Looze. At this point, the Las Vegas, Nevada, native could have his pick of practicing just about anywhere but doesn't have any intentions of leaving.

“As long as I'm swimming I'll definitely be here with Ray and the IU team for sure," Miller said.

Even before leaving for Rio, Looze talked about the impact of the Games on the program. Recruits who wouldn’t pick up the phone were sending him and his staff emails and voicemails hoping to learn more about the Hoosiers.

Considering the hardware IU athletes brought home, that won’t change any time soon.

So while the Games might be over and the athletes may be getting back to their routines of preparing for class or the next step in their professional careers, the impact from Rio is only just beginning to formulate.

“We’re moving up the food chain, so to speak, in a real positive way,” Looze said. “We had to scratch and claw our way for good people. I think things have changed for the long haul.”