Big Ten Network : Swimming & Diving Top Stories

Ohio State wins Big Ten Championships

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:33:00 +0000

FINAL STANDINGS 1. Ohio State 860.50 2. Michigan 715.50 3. Minnesota 497 4. Purdue 417 5. Indiana 283 6. Iowa 223 7. Penn State 219 8. Wisconsin 217 9. Michigan State 205 10. Northwestern 169 DAY 4 COLUMBUS, Ohio – Everybody just have a seat and relax for a moment. Take a deep breath. Something has just happened on the campus of Ohio State University that will make believers out of anyone who doesn't believe that dreams do come true. Ohio State is the 2010 Big Ten swimming and diving champion! Saturday before a raucous and packed McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion crowd, the Buckeyes of swimming coach Bill Wadley and diving coach Vince Panzano captured their first Big Ten championship in 54 years with a stunning and winning total of 860.50 points. Two-time defending champion Michigan was runner-up with 715.50 points with Minnesota third with 497. "I wanted the team to have an open mind about this championship because it is possible to surpass what others think," Wadley, named the 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year, said at the beginning of the meet. "I told the guys to have a better day than they ever dreamed is possible." The year was 1956 and the great Mike Peppe was Ohio State's coach when the Scarlet and Gray last hoisted a Big Ten championship trophy in swimming and diving. That win ended a glorious run of Big Ten – 12 total – and NCAA championships – 11 – for the Peppe-coached Buckeyes and the team has been fighting for a crown since. Not any more. The marvelous – and now magical – McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion gave the Ohio State coaches an incredible foundation for recruiting. And since the facility opened five years ago, the two have brought in not only talented athletes, but remarkable students – the team GPA last year was the best in the nation among all public schools – and selfless young men who this week swam and dove for something much greater than themselves. They competed for their teammates. They competed for their coaches and their parents. They competed with desire and they competed with warrior spirit. And, they competed for the pride of Ohio State University. And, oh my, how they competed…in waves! Ohio State led all schools Saturday and for the meet with 16 more individuals in either a finals or consolation finals, increasing the number to 47 individual event scorers with 33 of those scorers competing in a final. Saturday Ohio State placed 10 in the finals. Fueled by adrenalin and their teammates and the rush of being on the cusp of a championship – because they didn't get much sleep last night; how can one sleep when living a dream anyway? – the team performed magnificently…again. Senior Stefan Sigrist opened the meet with goose-bump inducing and record smashing performance in the 1650 freestyle, winning in an NCAA ""A"" time of 14:50.46 that bested both his own school record and the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion mark. Brent Hitchcock, Mark Nieman and George Markovic were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, for a 62-point event to get things started and increase Ohio State's lead to 98 points, 654.50-556.50. Big Ten 100 backstroke champ Andrew Elliott followed with school record of 1:42.92 to take third in the 200 back. Itai Chammah was eighth and Phil Seleskie and Markus Sievers finished ninth and 12th, respectively. Co-captain Joel Elber went 44.0 to place fifth in the 100 freestyle with Tim Phillips ninth and Andrew Olson 14th. The 26 points they earned kept the Buckeye lead safe at 76 points and pushed them over the 700-point mark for the first time in school history. Junior Elliott Keefer, who already won the 100 breaststroke championship Friday, led the entire way before just getting edged to finish second in the 200 breaststroke. His time of 1:54.13 broke the school record by more than a second and it also went under the NCAA ""A"" standard. Sam Pelkey was third and Daniel Malnik was seventh for a triple treat final. Justin Farra also scored, finishing 10th. Ohio State placed another trio of finalists in the 200 butterfly. Niksa Roki, Quincy Lee and Luke Stirton combined for 38 points with fifth, sixth and eighth-place finishes. Roki set a new school record with his time of 1:45.43. And so heading into the diving competition, Ohio State had its Big Ten title clinched with a commanding 136-point lead. On the platform diving event, senior Wes Wieser finished second to bank 17 more team points. The total gave Panzano's divers 101 points toward the team's championship score. It should be noted that Ryan Jefferson tried to score platform points. The senior exercise science/pre-med major had not dove off the platform – he chose to dive off the five –meter tower – in several years, but he wanted to try and contribute points – any points – to help the Buckeyes' cause. He didn't have to dive, but he did it anyway, for the team. And it didn't matter that he didn't score. Because the fact he tried was a reflection of the effort and the spirit that enveloped this team and enabled Ohio State to win the 2010 championship. The 400 freestyle relay team capped the evening by taking third in a time of 2:54.65, yet another school record for Ohio State, it's fifth of the evening and 11th of the meet. Taking what turned out to be victory laps for the Buckeyes was the team of Elber, Lincoln Fahrbach, Phillips and Olson. ""What has been really special about this meet is we have a great, great group of guys who were clearly competing for each other,"" Wadley said. ""And it gave the guys a great feeling about what they were doing and who they were doing it with. ""There's a saying that a man who stands alone on top of the mountain is alone. But when you are on top of that mountain with friends, then you are celebrating with friends."" Let the party begin. Day 3 Ohio State battled its way to the top of the team leader board on Day Three at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in front of a home crowd at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The Buckeyes will enter the final day of competition with 592.50 team points with Michigan trailing close behind in second place with 512.50 team tallies. The pair of frontrunners distanced themselves from the field by 190 points as Minnesota sits in third with 321 points, The Gophers are followed by Purdue (262) and Indiana (193) rounding out the top five. U-M added three more individual Big Ten titles on Friday to increase its meet total to seven overall. The Buckeyes responded with a trio of top finishes of their own to offset the Wolverine charge. Michigan posted a one-two finish in a pair of events, including the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle. Junior Tyler Clary won the 400-yard individual medley for the second consecutive year, touching the wall in 3:40.27, while senior Andre Schultz (3:44.06) placed second. Later in the evening sophomore Dan Madwed defended his 2009 title in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 1:34.57 to set a new pool record. U-M freshman Hassan Abdel Khalik was right behind him, touching second in 1:34.97. The Wolverines picked up their third individual crown of the evening on the strength of a strong performance from Chris Brady in the 100-yard butterfly. The U-M senior claimed top honors in the event for the second consecutive season, hitting his first NCAA automatic qualifying time of the season (45.92). For the first time at this year's conference championships, Michigan was edged out for the top podium spot in a relay event. Ohio State nabbed the Big Ten title in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:18.30. Minnesota's quartet finished the race in the runner-up position (1:18.37), followed by U-M in third place (1:18.54). Purdue's David Boudia successfully defended his second Big Ten title in as many days with a winning score of 485.35 in three-meter competition. The Big Ten Championships will conclude Saturday with preliminary action beginning at Noon ET. The fourth and final day of competition features finals in seven events including the 1,650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly, platform diving and 400-yard freestyle relay. Day 2 After Day Two at the 2010 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, Michigan and Ohio State sit in a tie atop the team standings with 274.5 points. Minnesota finished the day in third place with 179 team tallies, followed by Purdue (134) and Indiana (119) rounding out the top five. Michigan's Tyler Clary re-set a Big Ten Championships record in the 200 individual medley, touching the wall in 1:42.68, to better his own record set in the prelims earlier today. The Wolverines later returned to the winner's podium after claiming their third Big Ten relay title in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:07.97. The Championships host picked up its first individual title as Buckeye senior George Markovic set a McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion Record of 4:15.35 in the 500 freestyle. The Sydney, Australia, native betterd his time from last year's event by a full two seconds to improve upon his third-place finish in 2009. Minnesota's Michael Richards captured top honors in the 50-yard freestyle, turning in a time of 19.53 to best the field. Purdue's David Colturi continued his dominance in the diving well, setting a McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion record of 442.00 points in the one-meter competition to eclipse the previous mark of 439.10 by Joona Puhakka of Arizona in 2005. Fellow Boilermaker David Boudia took second with a mark of 407.20 off the lower springboard. I'm just ecstatic and proud of myself and my team," Colturi said. "That was the most fun I've ever had." The Big Ten Championships will continue Friday afternoon, with preliminaries beginning at Noon ET and finals at 7 p.m. Friday's final events include the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke three-meter diving and 200-yard freestyle relay. DAY 1 COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team sits in first place after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Championships on Wednesday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. U-M swept both relay events, including a record-setting performance in the 800-yard freestyle relay, on the evening to take the early lead. Michigan, winner of the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay, earned all 80 points up for grabs on day one. No. 9 Ohio State sits in second with 64 points after finishing runner-up to the Wolverines in both relays. In the second and final relay of the evening, the Maize and Blue picked up its first NCAA automatic qualifying time while setting a Big Ten, Big Ten Championships and pool record. The 800-yard freestyle relay team of sophomore Dan Madwed (Stamford, Conn./Towson), senior André Schultz (Sao Paolo, Brazil/Colegio Palmares), senior Charlie Houchin (Raleigh, N.C./William G. Enloe) and Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) finished in 6:15.80, almost eight seconds faster than second-place Ohio State. The Wolverines kicked off the evening with a season-best time in the 200-yard medley relay, touching the wall in 1:25.72. The quartet of Alon Mandel (Netanya, Israel/Eldad), Chris Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant), James Ridgeway (Chicago, Ill./Saint Patrick) and Neal Kennedy (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) combined for the relay win, improving their season-best time by almost three seconds. The Big Ten Championships will continue tomorrow (Feb. 25), with preliminaries beginning at noon and finals at 7 p.m. Tomorrow's events include the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley, 50-yard freestyle, one-meter diving and 400-yard medley relay.

Gophers women to send 12 to NCAA meet

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 11:38:00 +0000

The University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving have 12 swimmers headed to the NCAA Championships, March 18-20 in West Lafayette, Ind., on the Purdue campus. The Golden Gophers have the largest swimming contingent in the Big Ten (not including diving) going to the championships. Big Ten champion, Indiana, had 10 swimmers qualify, while Wisconsin has eight and Michigan and Purdue are sending seven to the national championships. Making the NCAA field for Minnesota is Molly Belk, Loren Brandon, Megan Braun, Marissa Davies, Alison Eggers, Kaylee Jamison, Haley Spencer, Ashley Steenvoorden, Kristen Steenvoorden, Jillian Tyler, Lauren Weis and Hannah Whitehead. Making their third appearance at the NCAA Championships is Braun and Tyler, while making their second NCAA trek is Belk, Davies, Eggers, Jamison, Steenvoorden, Steenvoorden, and Whitehead. Freshmen Brandon, Spencer and Weis are making their NCAA debut. Along with the participants, the psych sheets are also out for NCAAs. The Gophers are ranked high in some of the events, including third in the country. Jillian Tyler, the two-time national runner-up, is seeded third in the 100 breast behind George Mason's Ashley Danner and Auburn's Micah Lawrence. She also enters the championship with the fifth-fastest time in the 200 breast. Ashley Steenvoorden is seeded third in the 1,650 free behind Georgia's Wendy Trott and Chelsea Nauta. Minnesota will compete in the 200 and 400 medley relay, holding a 12th-seeded time entering the championships. Minnesota's 800 free relay will also compete as it is seeded 14th overall. Minnesota will await the NCAA Diving Zones to see if any Gopher divers advance to the NCAA Championships. Minnesota competes in Zone D Diving March 12-14 at Texas A & M.

Indiana wins second straight Championships

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:59:00 +0000

STANDINGS 1. Indiana, 758 2. Minnesota 572.5 3. Michigan, 462.5 4. Purdue, 460 5. Ohio State, 399.5 6. Wisconsin, 384.5 7. Penn State, 333 8. Northwestern, 238 9. Iowa, 120 10. Michigan State, 89 11. Illinois, 51 DAY 4 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With record-setting performances from Kate Fesenko and Donna Smailis highlighting the day, a complete team effort resulted in a second straight conference title for the Indiana women on the final day of competition at the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. Indiana finished with 758 points, outdistancing second-place finisher Minnesota by 185.5 points. Michigan took third with 462.5 points. "From the divers to the swimmers, there was no better team," said head coach Ray Looze. "The worked so hard for this over the course of the season. You always hope your team is going to put together a performance like this." Indiana took home a whopping seven individual Big Ten titles and two relay crowns. Individual honors went to Taylor Wohrley, named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Fesenko, named Swimmer of the Meet and Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. Looking to bounce back from last night's disappointing finish in the 100 backstroke, Fesenko blew away the 200 backstroke field by topping her own Big Ten record with a time of 1:51.32. That was the start of a 1-2-3 sweep for the Hoosiers as Taylor Wohrley posted a new personal best with a time of 1:55.25, and Ashley Jones also set a new PR with a finish of 1:55.44. Kim Tracey finished third in the bonus final and 19th overall with a time of 1:59.61. Fesenko posted the fastest qualifying time in the 200 backstroke by more than three seconds with a 1:52.03. Wohrley cruised to victory in heat five with a time of 1:55.40, second fastest of the morning. Jones also qualified for the championship final with a time of 1:55.56. Tracey posted a career best to finish second in her heat, touching the wall in 1:59.63, just 3/10ths of a second off an NCAA provisional time. "I kind of surprised myself a little bit," Fesenko said. "I didn't expect such good results but I am really happy, especially for the team. Not everyone believed we could do this, but we believed in ourselves." "This was so much fun," Wohrley said. "I went into this meet not focused on myself but on scoring points for the team. I think having so much fun here reflected on how I swam." DAY 3 Indiana resumed its place atop the team standings after claiming three individual titles on Day Three of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. The Hoosiers will enter the fourth and final day of competition with 451 points, 32.5 points ahead of runner-up Minnesota. The Gophers also compiled three conference titles to amass 418.5 points. With seven events remaining, Purdue currently occupies the third spot with 318 team tallies. Behind the Boilermakers, Michigan's 314.5 points and Ohio State's 283.5 total round out the top five. Indiana's Allysa Vavra picked up her first Big Ten title by running away from the field with a time of 4:06.94 in the 400 individual medley. Her mark is the second-fastest time in program history and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA meet. The Hoosiers picked up their second Big Ten title of the evening on the strength of Margaux Farrell's winning performance in the 200 freestyle with a career best time of 1:45.32. Senior Donna Smailis continued the IU winning streak taking the title in the 100 fly. The Highland, Ind., native touched the wall in an NCAA 'B' cut time of 52.66, setting an new career best and school record in the event. Later in the evening, Smailis returned to post a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 52.55 – also a career best. Minnesota earned top-honors in the 400 medley relay, edging Indiana by one second in 3:35.12 for the Big Ten title. Later in the evening, Gopher junior Jillian Tyler returned to the pool to repeat as individual champion in the 100 breaststroke with an NCAA automatic time of 59.35. Already the one-meter champion, Minnesota's Kelci Bryant continued her winning ways on Day Three, sweeping the springboard events with a winning mark of 386.60 in the three-meter competition. Ohio State's diving tandem, Bianca Alvarez and Chelsea Davis rounded out the top three spots in the event, recording scores of 375.0 and 363.05, respectively. Wisconsin junior Maggie Meyer claimed the Badgers' fourth title of this year's Big Ten championships by matching her own school-record time to take the 100-yard backstroke in an NCAA "A" qualifying time of 52.27.The win gives Meyer her fifth career Big Ten title, and her first in an individual event. Prior to the start of the evening session, the conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for women's swimming and diving are Illinois' CeCe Marizu, Indiana's Amilee Smith, Iowa's Caitlin Polz Michigan's Claire Tyler, Michigan State's Kara Wackerle, Minnesota's Megan Braun , Northwestern's Genny Szymanksi, Ohio State's Sara Ratica, Penn State's Daphne Skelos, Purdue's Christine Inman and Wisconsin's Lauren Borja. These 11 student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year. DAY 2 Minnesota surged into first place on the strength of two top finishes during the second day of competition at the Big Ten Championships inside the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Through seven completed events, the Gophers have compiled 204.5 team points and sit just slightly ahead of Michigan (195.5) and Indiana (191) in the team standings. Purdue occupies the fourth place position in the team race while Wisconsin maintained its ground in the top five with 150.5 overall tallies. After entering the day in second place, the Golden Gophers wasted no time in gaining ground as Ashley Steenvoorden claimed top honors in the 500 free (4:39.47). In the last event final of the evening, Kelci Bryant posted a 348.20 mark off the one-meter springboard, besting runner-up Bianca Alvarez of Ohio State by more than 20 points to win the event in convincing fashion. The Badgers also swam away with two conference titles during Thursday competition. Sophomore Becca Thompson was the common denominator in both championships, leading off the Badgers' winning effort in the 200 free relay (1:28.97) before defending her individual crown in the 50 free. Michigan's Margaret Kelly captured the fifth event championship on the day in the 200 individual medley. The victory marked the sixth Big Ten title for the Wolverine senior. Kelly's time of 1:56.01 is a new Big Ten Championships record and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Championships. The time also broke the two-year-old conference championships record, which she owned, of 1:56.80, set at the 2008 Big Ten Championships. DAY 1 A victory in the 800 free relay and a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay kick-started the Hoosiers' run at the 2010 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships. Indiana currently sits in first place with 72 points, followed by Minnesota (64) and a three-way tie for third with Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin with 62 points. "It was a great start for the Hoosiers tonight," said assistant head coach for women's swimming Pam Swander. "We are pleased to have Big Ten champions in the 800 free relay, and the 200 medley relay moved from seventh position to third. It was a big day for us." The first of two events on the day was the 200 medley relay. Senior Kate Fesenko got the Hoosiers started with the backstroke leg, clocking a 24.66 to put the Hoosiers in second. Freshman Ashley Specht went 28.08 on her breaststroke leg as IU fell to third. Senior Donna Smailis went 24.07 in the fly as IU maintained third. Sophomore Margaux Farrell went 22.32 in her 50-yard freestyle as IU finished third with a time of 1:39.13. That is an NCAA provisional time and the fastest time by the Hoosiers this year. Smailis led off for the Hoosiers in the 800 free relay, clocking a time of 1:45.90 over her 200 yards. Brittany Strumbel was next, and pulled IU into the lead. Fesenko took the third leg and maintained a slim margin for White on the anchor leg. The IU record holder in the 200 free, White brought the Hoosiers home for the one-second victory over Purdue with a time 7:06.66. Smailis' leadoff time is an NCAA B cut and the second fastest time in school history. "We are all really excited because we have been working hard on our 200 free," Strumbel said. "It is great to get that win." The action gets underway in earnest on Thursday with the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 1-meter diving and the 200 freestyle relay. Sophomore Nikki White is the defending Big Ten champion in the 500 freestyle.

Purdue men take down rival Indiana, 176-124

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 14:05:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Junior Titus Knight won all three of his individual races and paced the Hoosier 400 freestyle relay team to victory but it was not enough as the Boilermakers came away with a 176-124 dual meet win over Indiana Saturday afternoon at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. Indiana's next competition is the Big Ten Championships, February 24-27, at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. "Today was a mixed bag for us," said head coach Ray Looze. "We had some great performances and on the flip side we left some of our best performances in the pool. We missed some opportunities in the distance and breaststroke events. "But today I saw some of the development of our younger talent. Ryan Downey had a great exhibition mile, and Daniel Kanorr swan well in his 50 free exhibition. It is nice to see some of the younger guys coming around. I was also pleased with the performance of our seniors. They went out with a lot of pride." Purdue entered the meet with a 31-7 lead after the diving competition was held on Jan. 23 in West Lafayette. David Piercy took third in the 1-meter springboard with a score of 342.68. Casey Johnson was fifth (320.25), with Mick Dell'Oroco seventh (265.89) and Zac Nees eighth (264.83). In the 3-meter competition, Piercy finished fifth with 324.75 points, while Johnson was sixth (302.10) and Nees seventh (300.60). Indiana's quartet of Doug Spraul, Brenden Butler, Tim Blue and Sean Ransenberg finished third in a season-best time of 1:32.55. Ante Zoricic, Aaron Opell, Bader Al-Muhana and Bryan Chovanec were fourth in 1:32.79. Kevin Happ, Sam Trahin, Jon Hueni and Daniel Kanorr took sixth in 1:34.66. Alex Kotliarsky took third in the 1,000 freestyle with a season best time of 9:24.57. Illya Larin was fourth in 9:28.95, with Andrew Taylor fifth (9:29.65). Bart Ginocchio touched seventh in 9:34.07. Titus Knight had a full body length on the next-fastest finisher for most of the 200 freestyle, winning in a time of 1:38.05. That is the fourth-fastest time by a Hoosier this year, all of which have come from Knight. John Schnittker was sixth in 1:42.26, a season best, and Mark Wetzel seventh in 1:47.30. Spraul posted his fourth win of the season in the 100 backstroke with a time of 49.89. Austin Steel took third in 51.61, while Kevin Happ was fifth (51.73). Steel's time was a career best, while it was a season best for Happ. Opell touched the wall third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.49, the fifth-fastest time by a Hoosier this season. Butler was fifth in 59.05, followed by Sam Trahin in seventh (1:00.84). That is a season best for Trahin. Tyler Shedron took second in the 200 butterfly in 1:49.25, the third fastest IU time this season. Shedron owns the Hoosiers nine fastest times in the race this year. Hueni was fifth in 1:52.39 (season best), with Christopher Head sixth (1:52.83-season best) and Blue seventh (1:53.06). In the all-out sprint to the wall, Chovanec raced to his then-fastest time of the season with a winning mark of 20.70. Zoricic was third in 20.81, while Sean Ransenberg was sixth (21.33-season best) and Wetzel eighth (21.55-season best). Competing in an exhibition heat, Daniel Kanorr went a lifetime best of 20.90. Later in the meet Chovanec swam a time trial of the 50 free, bettering his time with a 20.55. In an exhibition heat of the mile, freshman Ryan Downey took nearly a full minute off his career best with a time of 15:47.13. Sean Brown finished in 16:37.04, with John Kuhlke touching in 16:53.27. Knight picked up his second win of the day with a season best of 44.71 in the 100 free. That is the fastest time by a Hoosier this year. Zoricic was second in 45.92, with Shedron fifth (46.56-season best) and Kanorr eighth (47.11-season best). Spraul made it an event sweep in the backstroke, taking the 200 back in 1:47.33, a season best. Happ was fourth in 1:53.12, with Steel fifth (1:53.48). Both times were season bests. Butler took third in the 200 breaststroke in 2:05.50, with Opell fifth (2:08.54). Trahin closed out the IU contingent in seventh (2:10.85). Butler's mark was a season best. In the 500 free, Knight surged to the lead on the bell lap, finishing in 4:29.36 for his third win of the meet. Kotliarsky was fifth in 4:34.71, seven seconds faster than his previous season best. Larin took seventh in 4:38.30, with Bryant Honsa eighth (4:43.34). Competing in an exhibition heat, Taylor posted a season best of 4:34.59, as did John Schnittker (4:36.52), Ryan Downey (4:49.29) and Kuhlke (4:54.60). Blue was the top Hoosier finisher in the 100 butterfly, taking fifth in a time of 50.48. Shedron was sixth in 50.72, with Hueni seventh (50.99) and Al-Muhana eighth (51.06). Blue, Hueni and Al-Muhana all posted season bests. In the 200 individual medley, Butler was just of his season best, finishing second in 1:54.37. Trahin was third in 1:55.05, nearly three seconds faster than his previous best. Happ took fourth in 1:56.00, also his fastest swim of the season. Opell finished seventh in 1:58.43. In an exhibition, Steel posted a season best of 1:53.66. Indiana and Purdue were neck-in neck in the final event of the day the 400 free relay. After a fast start by Zoricic, Knight extended Indiana's lead on the second leg, with Shedron maintaining the advantage on the third leg. Honsa held on and brought the Hoosiers home for the win in 3:02.12. That is the Hoosiers' fastest time of the season by exactly a second. The team of Ransenberg, Wetzel, Kanorr and Taylor took third in 3:07.94, with Chovanec, Hueni, Blue and Schnittker fifth (3:10.82). "We have not yet had the comprehensive meet we need to be successful," Looze said. "Our goal over the next few weeks is to prepare mentally. The challenges we face are our confidence and mental toughness. We need to work at performing consistently."

Illinois' Fisher wins three-meter dive

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 10:46:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS – The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team concluded competition at the Minnesota Challenge on a high note, highlighted by Britni Fisher, who moved up to third in school history in the three-meter dive with a first-place score of 297.60. "This was a very nice weekend," diving coach Chris Waters said. "People let their training come through and didn't stress. They just competed and had fun. It was the best I have seen Britni (Fisher) compete in a bigger meet and that experience will help in the coming weeks." Also on the boards, Tessa Adams earned a second-place finish in the one-meter dive with a score of 249.20. Courtney Spivak led the way for the swimmers, setting lifetime bests in the 200 fly (2:14.38) and 200 free (2:00.30), while Morgan Gilman was the top finisher for the Illini in the 100 fly (59.24), 100 back (1:01.01), and 200 back (2:11.44), and Sara Stoneburg was the top finisher for the team in the 100 free (53.66) and 200 free (1:58.38). "I thought overall we came back and competed well today," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "I asked them to do a lot of races in two days and they were up to the challenge. Courtney continued to have an outstanding meet and all of her swims, except for one, were lifetime-best times. Morgan Gilman competed in a full slate and registered some lifetime best swims and stayed strong and determined the whole weekend. The weekend was full of good racing and it was satisfying to see them carry over many of the details that we have been working on into a competition." The Orange and Blue will take a week off before heading to West Lafayette, Ind., for the Big Ten Championships, Feb. 17-20.

Gopher men cruise to Minnesota Challenge title

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:46:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The No. 10 Minnesota men's swimming and diving team won 11 of the 12 events on the final day of the Minnesota Challenge at University Aquatic Center. Senior Ivan Gutesa and Kristoffer Jorgensen led the Gophers with two individual event victories. The meet was the Gophers' final tuneup for the Big Ten Championships in three weeks in Columbus, Ohio. Gutesa won the 100 breaststroke during the afternoon session with a time of 55.78. Freshman Evan Lee-To posted a career-best 55.88 to take runner-up honors while freshman Josh Hall was third in 56.53. Freshman Jared Anderson was fourth in 56.94. During the night session, Gutesa took first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:00.44. Senior Rob Schaefer was second in 2:03.88 while Lee-To was third in 2:04.17. Hall was fourth in 2:04.18 and Richard Hills was fifth in 2:05.66. Schaefer won the 400 individual medley during the afternoon with a time of 4:00.06 and Hills was second in 4:01.96. Junior Curt Carlson touched the wall first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.49 while junior Nadav Kochavi was second in 50.49. Junior Phil Greenberg was third in a career-low 50.69. Freshman diver Kristoffer Jorgensen dominated the diving events, winning the 3-meter title with a score of 336.20 and the 1-meter crown with 342.55 points. Senior Tyler Jepsen was second on the 3-meter and third on the 1-meter. Sophomore Matt Papenfuss picked up a victory in the 200 freestyle with a career-best time of 1:39.24. Alex Wold placed second in 1:39.68 and senior Jake Kittilstad was third in 1:40.86. Overall, the Gophers took the top 10 spots in the 200 free. Sean Nesheim was fourth (1:40.87) and Kevin Baseheart was fifth (1:41.63). The Gophers took the top five slots in the 1650 freestyle, led by freshman Michael McBroom with a time of 15:16.21. Nico Zebley was second in 15:40.20 and Matt Benecki was third in 15:54.54. In the 200 backstroke, freshman Sean Nesheim placed first with a time of 1:51.06 while Carlson was third in 1:52.40. The Gophers took the top five again in the 200 butterfly with Baseheart touching first in 1:49.94 and Kochavi taking second in 1:50.78. He was followed by Greenberg in third (1:52.95), Jack Poletto in fourth (1:54.32) and Larry Formosa in fifth (1:55.56). The only event the Gophers did not win was the 100 backstroke where St. Thomas senior Peter Mullee took first in 51.00 and Minnesota junior Goran Majlat was second in 52.02. Freshman Ben Griggs was third in 52.52. The Gophers' 400 free relay team of Papenfuss, Conor Murphy, Lee-To and Nesheim took first place in 3:05.37. Minnesota's team of Carlson, Baseheart, Wold and Betuzzi won the 800 freestyle relay easily with a time of 6:59.30.

IU's Korthauer makes 2010 World Cup

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 15:32:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio– Indiana University senior Amy Korthauer will represent the United States at the 2010 World Cup after her second-place finish on the platform at the USA Diving Winter National Championships. "It is an unbelievable accomplishment for an unknown walk-on who never dived three-meter springboard let alone 10-meter platform before she came to IU," said head coach Dr. Jeff Huber. "She is one of the toughest athletes I have ever coached and she earned this berth on the world team by coming in everyday and working hard and fearlessly. She is one of the most resilient divers I have had the privilege of coaching." The FINA World Cup will be held June 2-6 in Changzhou, China and is the premier international diving competition in this non-Olympic year. Korthauer tallied 355.40 points in today's final and that score was added to her semifinal total of 321.95 for a score of 677.35. She was trailing Katie Bell by 8/10ths of a point heading into today but outscored Bell by 5.7 points in the final to secure her spot. Haley Ishimatsu led the competition from start to finish, winning with 721.40 points. Junior Heidi Mahnken also advanced to the finals, where she finished 10th with 527.15 points. The Hoosiers will look to place yet another diver on the World Cup team as 2009 NCAA Champion and 2008 Olympian Christina Loukas competes in the three-meter springboard final on Sunday. Loukas is currently leading the competition with 371.45 points.

Gopher women kick off Minnesota Challenge

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:50:00 +0000

The No. 10 University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team earned four of five event wins to kick off the first day of the two-day Minnesota Challenge, tonight at the University Aquatic Center. No teams scores were kept through the Challenge. Minnesota started the night with a win in the 200 free relay. Melissa Nelson, Meghan Weiss, Brianna Chu and Natalie Herrild earned a win when the foursome combined for a winning time of 1:36.23. Minnesota's B relay of Madeline Takaki, Corina Hopkins-Vacca, Cory Miller and Stephanie Solfelt placed fourth in 1:40.73. The Gophers then took the top five spots in the 500 freestyle. Hannah Whitehead won the event in a time of 4:49.59, while Marissa Davies was second in 4:54.42. Amy Funk followed in third (4:58.34), while Eleanor Prewitt-Thomas was fourth (5:04.81). Andrea Hanson closed out the top five with a time of 5:07.37. Although the Gophers didn't take the top spot on the 200 individual medley, the Gophers took the next four spots. Cory Miller led the Gophers with a second-place time of 2:06.70, while Lauren Greenburg was third (2:07.50) and Avery Michienzi was fourth (2:09.05). Hopkins-Vacca was fifth in 2:09.49. Nelson won her second event of the night, this time individually in the 50 freestyle. Nelson touched the wall in a winning time of 23.67, while Weiss was fourth overall in 24.44 and Herrild was seventh in 24.64. The Gophers concluded the evening with a win in the 400 medley relay. Miller, Hopkins-Vacca, Nelson and Weiss combined for a time of 3:49.36 to win the event.

Hawkeyes crush Western Illinois

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:41:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, IA- The University of Iowa men's swimming and diving team hosted Western Illinois for the final dual meet to take place in the historical Field House Pool. The pool has been around for 83 years so it was a bittersweet night as the team ended an era. The Hawkeyes honored nine seniors at the event as they ended their dual meet careers as Hawkeyes. The team had a great crowd cheering them on and came out with a big victory over Western Illinois (162-52). ""It is bittersweet,"" said Head Coach Marc Long. "" Personally I competed here and there are a lot of memories and history just from the butterfly being invented here. Our team gets it and its emotional. I'm still trying to say that the Alumni Meet is the final meet but it's starting to get to me in the end. We had a great crowd tonight and it was a lot of fun."" The Hawkeyes swam unique events at the meet instead of their regular event format. The team swam 50-yards of all four strokes and swam a few races that are normally swum at dual meets. It was a fun and energetic meet as the team and the fans cheered on one final dual meet at the Field House Pool. The Hawks must of been excited and pumped up because they won all 10 events plus diving. The Hawkeyes started off the meet by blowing away the competition in the 400 medley relay. The team of freshman Byron Butler, senior Matt Ryan, sophomore Paul Gordon and freshman Jordan Huff teamed up and posted a time of 3:25.62, which was almost 20–seconds faster than Western Illinois second-place finishing time (3:46.63). Iowa finished in the top four places in almost every single event. Senior Brian Farris placed first in the 200 free with a season best time of 1:42.89. Gordon swam in the 50 fly and swam a quick time of 22.60. Ryan won his last individual race as a Hawkeye in the 50 breast. He recorded a time of 26.86. There was a 10-mintue break before the last event of the night. Head Coach Marc Long had the team huddle together during the break to take a moment and remember the historical pool where they all made some many memories. The 200 free relay was the last event of the night but the men had the honor of being the last heat to take place in the Field House Pool. The whole crowd stood up for the race and chanted ""field house"" with the swimmers as the meet came to a close. Sophomores Ryan Phelan and Duncan Partridge teamed up with Huff and Junior Sean Hagan for the 200 free relay. The Hawkeyes once again blew away the competition, winning the event by over 10-seconds with a time of 1:22.05. Iowa's divers Frank Van Dijkhuizen and Mike Gilligan are both seniors and competed in their last dual meet as a Hawkeye. Gilligan placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. He received a score of 300.75 in the 1-meter and 331.05 in the 3-meter. Van Dijkhuizen placed second in both of the events, earning a score of 289.20 in the 1-meter and 315.80 in the 3-meter. ""The dual meet season went great for men and women,"" added Coach Long. ""We are excited we got to see what we need to see. Men finished up 10-1, which really is one of the best dual meet records the program has seen in history. However, now we go on to the championship season meets. That is what we have been gearing up for and training for. Now its fine tuning time of year, a lot of people call it the taper time but we prefer to use the term fine tuning. We just need work on perfecting things we have been working on all year and work on strength and endurance as we enter the championship season.""

Iowa tops UNI, Western Illinois

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:34:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, IA- The University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team hosted Northern Iowa and Western Illinois for the final meet in the historical Field House Pool. The Hawkeyes recognized eight seniors at the meet as they ended their dual meet careers as Hawkeyes. It was a bittersweet night as the team closed out an 83 year old tradition at the Field House Pool with a Victory of Northern Iowa and Western Illinois. The Hawkeyes beat UNI 160-60 and Western Illinois 168-60. ""It is bittersweet,"" said Head Coach Marc Long. "" Personally I competed here and there are a lot of memories and history just from the butterfly being invented here. Our team gets its and its emotional. I'm still trying to say that the Alumni Meet is the final meet but it's starting to get to me in the end. We had a great crowd tonight and it was a lot of fun."" The Hawkeyes swam unique events at the meet instead of their regular event format. The team swam 50-yards of all four strokes and swam a few races that are normally swum at dual meets. It was a fun and energetic meet as the team and the fans cheered on one final dual meet at the Field House Pool. The Hawks must of been excited and pumped up because they won all 10 events plus diving. Iowa started off the meet with the 400 medley relay. The team of sophomore Daniela Cubelic, seniors Stacia Johns and Julie DeBruin and junior Caitlin Polz posted a first-place time of 3:54.05 in the event. The team beat Northern Iowa's second-place team by over 10 seconds. Junior Katarina Tour had two individual first-place finishes in the 100 IM and 50 breast. She recorded a time of 58.24 in the 100 IM and 30.28 in the 50 breast. Senior Christine Kuczek won her final individual race at the Field House Pool with a time of 23.93. The Hawkeyes had four swimmers in the 100 free that all placed in the top four spots. Junior Verity Hicks won the event with a time of 52.46. Sophomore Danielle Carty came in behind Hicks for second-place with a time if 53.52. The 100 free was not the only event that the Hawkeyes swept the top four places. There was a 10-mintue break before the last event of the night. Head Coach Marc Long had the team huddle together during the break to take a moment and remember the historical pool where they all made so many memories. Tour, Cubelicm DeBruin and Kuczek teamed up for their final race and finished in first-place. The team posted a time of 1:35.78. ""The dual meet season went great for men and women,"" added Coach Long. ""We are excited we got to see what we needed to see. However, now we go on to the championship season meets. That is what we have been gearing up for and training for. We are excited for both the men and women. Now its fine tuning time of year, a lot of people call it the taper time but we prefer to use the term fine tuning. We just need to work on perfecting things we have been working on all year and work on strength and endurance as we enter the championship season."" Junior Iowa diver, Veronica Rydze placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. She earned a score of 270.95 in the 1-meter and 278.20 in the 3-meter. Freshman Mary Sue Lemay placed third in the 1-meter (242.60) and fourth in the 3-meter (197.90). Senior Brittany Logan placed fourth in the 1-meter (202.00) and fifth in the 3-meter (189.55).

Gophers sweep at Day One of Minnesota Challenge

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:10:00 +0000

February 5, 2010, Minneapolis, Minn. — The No. 10 Minnesota men's swimming and diving team swept all four events it entered this evening in the first session of the Minnesota Challenge at University Aquatic Center. The Gophers received individual victories from Matt Benecki, Alex Wold and Curt Carlson. The meet continues tomorrow with sessions at noon and 6 p.m. The Gophers began the night with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay. Goran Majlat, Carlson, Kevin Baseheart and Michael Richards turned in a time of 1:21.31 to capture first place. The Gophers' B team of Ben Griggs, Zach Bolin, Larry Formosa and Evan Lee-To placed second in 1:23.54. In the 500 free, Benecki had a season best time of 4:29.01 to take first place, easily beating teammate Sean Nesheim, who was second in 4:31.86. Nico Zebley was third in 4:32.98 and Ray Betuzzi was fourth in 4:34.00. Jacob Kittilstad rounded out the top five in 4:34.79. Minnesota took the top seven places in the 200 individual medley with Wold touching first in 1:50.96. Richard Hills was second in 1:52.75 and Rob Schaefer was third in 1:53.13. Ivan Gutesa was fourth in 1:53.89 and Andrew Knaak was fifth in 1:54.09. Carlson turned in a time of 20.15 to win the 50 free, just ahead of teammate Richards, who finished second in 20.37 while Baseheart was third in 20.97. Matt Papenfuss also placed fifth in 21.14 and Bolin was sixth in 21.19. The Gophers did not enter a team in the 400 medley relay that was won by St. Thomas in 3:30.36.

Penn State swims past Buffalo

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:07:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's swimming & diving team had no problem in dispatching Buffalo on snowy Friday night at McCoy Natatorium, defeating the Bulls, 132-102. The Nittany Lions took first in every single swimming en route to an easy victory in the final dual meet of the year. Penn State (5-5) opened the day by taking the first two spots in the 400-yard Medley Relay. The ""A"" team of Dan Fimbianti (Mahwah, N.J.), Mitch Scherer (Pottstown, Pa.), Basil Kaaki (Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia) and Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.) swam a time of 3:19.07. The team of Jeffrey Gomez (Morristown, N.J.), Brent Sanderson (Chadds Ford, Pa.), Scott Marino (Scotch Plains, N.J.), and John Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.) followed the ""A"" squad up with a time of 3:27.12. From there, Penn State would go on to win 10 more swimming events. Kaaki backed that performance up with the best time of the year by any PSU athlete in the 50 freestyle, swimming a time of 20.38. He was followed by Jamie Grennan (Milford, Pa.) in third (21.66) and Austin (21.76) in fourth. Senior Jon Cochrane (Boalsburg, Pa.) also posted the season's best time in the 200 freestyle, touching the wall in 1:39.53. Ben Ryan (State College, Pa.) and Graham Risley (Riverside, Ill.) swam 1:41.38 and 1:42.65, respectively, taking the next two scoring spots. Luke Bushman (Green Bay, Wis.) posted a quality time of 1:42.45 in the event as well. Alden won his only individual event in the 100 free when he swam 44.93, followed by Risley (third) in 47.19 and Austin (sixth) in 48.07. Bushman took top honors in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:51.92 and Josh Wakeley (Egg Harbor, N.J.) and Matt Cox (Radnor, Pa.) finishing second and third, respectively, with time of 1:55.12 and 1:57.18. Scherer won the 200 breaststroke, posting another top time of the season, posting a 2:05.51. Marino and James Capparell (Bridgewater, N.J.) finished second and third, respectively. Marino won the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.99 and Ryan garnered the top spot in the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:35.67. Senior Colin Quirk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) captured the 1,000 freestyle event with a time of 9:32.66 and the day was capped with a victory in the 400 Freestyle Relay. The team of Kaaki, Alden, Risley and Cochrane swam a time of 3:03.41. In the diving competitions, Alex Marchinski (Shillington, Pa.) and Nick McLain (York, Pa.) took third and fourth, respectively, in both the 1- and 3-Meter diving events. Friday served as an impromptu Senior Day, which was scheduled for Saturday in a dual meet against Lehigh. Due to inclement weather, Saturday's meet was cancelled and the Nittany Lions' seven seniors—Max Ettore (Medford, N.J.), Mike Kaiserian (Radnor, Pa.), Cochrane, Fimbianti, Kaaki, Quirk and Ryan—were presented with traditional senior letter blankets and escorted by friends and family during a break in the competition.

Iowa men dominate foes at Shamrock Invite

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:38:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The University of Iowa men's swimming and diving team (9-1) swept all three teams at the Shamrock Invite. The Hawkeyes beat Notre Dame (197-171), Missouri (184.5-183.5) and Denver (236-125). Notre Dame and Missouri have been receiving votes for Division I swimming and diving rankings along with the Iowa. Iowa stepped up when they needed to race hard and came out on top with three victories. The Hawkeyes started off the second day of competition with the 200 medley relay. Juniors Max Dittmer, Sean Hagan, and sophomores Paul Gordon and Ryan Phelan teamed up for a second-place finish in the event. The team recorded a time of 1:32.28, which was Iowa's fastest time of the season. Iowa's ""B"" team came in fourth (1:33.92). Freshman Donny Warren swam the 400 IM and placed fourth in the event. He posted a time of 4:04.81. Gordon kept the momentum going in the 100 fly. He placed second with a time of 49.44. Teammate freshman Byron Butler also swam the event finishing in sixth-place (50.76). Iowa had the top three finishers in 200 free. Freshman Jordan Huff took the top spot with a time of 1:39.65. Gordon had his second individual second-place finish (1:40.04) and sophomore Duncan Partridge claimed third-place with a time of 1:40.64. The relay team of Huff, Partridge, senior Brian Farris and Gordon earned a first-place finish in the 800 free relay. The team posted a time of 6:42.22. Sophomore Patrick Weigand swam the 1650 free event, which is the longest event of the competition. He put together a solid race and placed third in the event (16:00.22). Butler had a second-place finish in the 200 back with a collegiate best time of 1:49.23. Not long after Butler's strong finish in the 200 back, Gordon walked away with first-place and a collegiate best time in the 100 free. Hagan finished up his individual races with a second-place finish in the 200 breast. The Hawkeyes really needed to step it up for the last event of the night, which was the 400 free relay. The team needed to beat Missouri in the relay in order to beat them overall and walk away with three victories. The team of Huff, Phelan, Partridge and Gordon knew what was at stake and ultimately walked away with a first-place finish. The team recorded an excellent time of 2:59.68, almost beating the pool record of 2:58.09. "We swept the meet," said Head Coach Marc Long. "We beat all three teams. We really had to race hard and we were confident with the relays especially when it came down to the last relay. Sure enough it came down to having to beat Missouri in the last relay and the guys stepped up and got the victory. I'm rellay proud of the team and how they stepped up and with their victories." Senior diver Mike Gilligan was the only male diver competing for Iowa. He placed third in the 1-meter diving event with a score of 323.40.

Iowa women go 1-2 at Shamrock Invite

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:35:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team wrapped up its final day of competition at the Shamrock Invite. The Hawkeyes had two solid days of swimming against Notre Dame, Denver and 21st-ranked Missouri. After the two days of competition, Iowa beat Denver 225-143 but lost to Notre Dame (260-110) and Missouri (269-101). The second day of competition was split into two final sessions, one in the morning and the other in the evening. The Hawkeyes started off the morning session with the 200 medley relay. The team of sophomore Danielle Carty, senior Julie Feingold, junior Katarina Tour and sophomore Daniela Cubelic started off the day with a third-place finish in the event. The team recorded a time of 1:44.80. Iowa's "B" relay finished eighth (1:48.97). Tour had strong races in the 100 fly, breast and free. She had the highest finishes in the three races for the Hawkeyes. Tour placed fourth in the 100 fly with a time of 56.67. She went on to earn sixth place in both the 100 breast (1:05.93) and 100 free (52.41). Her 100 free time was a season best time and was not far off her collegiate best time (52.30). Carty and Cubelic both swam the 100 and 200 back. Carty posted a third-place time of 56.73 in the 100 back, and Cubelic came in seventh at 57.36. Later on in the competition they returned to the pool to swim the 200 back. Cubelic had a great swim in the event and finished in fourth- place with a season best time of 2:01.98, while Carty placed 12th (2:06.96). Continuing the competition, Feingold swam the 200 breast and placed seventh (2:23.59). Finishing right behind Feingold for eighth-place was teammate, sophomore Dana Davidsen, with a time of 2:24.17. Senior Laura Mozdzen swam the last individual race of the competition. She placed fifth in the 200 fly with a time of 2:05.61. Teammate senior Katie Michelau also swam the event and placed 11th (2:09.55). The Hawkeyes ended the first session of the day with 800 free relay. Hicks, Cubelic, freshman Sarah Galvin, and senior Christine Kuczek teamed up and placed fourth in the event. The team posted a time of 7:34.96. Iowa concluded the entire competition with the 400 free relay. The team of Cubelic, Carty, Kuczek and Tour stepped up and placed third in the event with a time of 3:27.06. "We got what we were looking for, an opportunity to race against good swim teams in a championship style meet," said Head Coach Marc Long. "We had some great races and it was a great preparation for the Big Ten Championships coming up. I'm really proud of the team and how they stepped up against some strong teams." The lady divers competed in the 3-meter diving event. Junior Veronica Rydze placed sixth in the event with a score of 268.80. Teammates freshman Mary Sue Lemay finished 10th in the event (219.05), followed by senior Brittany Logan finishing 11th (203.65).

Penn St. women knock No. 28 Ohio State

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:11:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Penn State women's swimming & diving team wrapped up an impressive showing at Ohio State on Saturday with a 176-158 win over the No. 28 Buckeyes. Senior Lyndsey Smith (Westminster, Md.) posted two "NCAA B" times for the second straight day to up her weekend (and season) total to four. The Nittany Lions improve to 6-2 on the season while ending Ohio State's bid for its first undefeated dual season in program history. The Buckeyes entered their senior meet with a 6-0 record, with Penn State as the only hurdle in between them and school history. The Lions enjoyed one of their most impressive meets of the season, with three "NCAA B" times on Saturday to finish the weekend with seven, this coming after nine the entire season entering the meet. For the second straight day, Smith swam to season-best and "NCAA B" times in each of her two individual races. One came in the 100 breaststroke, where her time of 1:02.92 is among the top 10 marks in Penn State history. The other was in the 200 IM (2:01.48). The Nittany Lions finished 1-2-3-4 in that race, with freshmen Amy Modglin (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas) along with senior Daphne Skelos (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) right behind Smith. Modglin narrowly missed a B time as well, finishing in 2:02.49. A day after posting an "NCAA B" mark in the 400 freestyle relay, the team of Michelle Myers (Boalsburg, Pa.), Samantha Palser (Chester Springs, Pa.), Lindsey DeForrest (Wycombe, Pa.) and Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) did the same on Saturday, but in the 200 freestyle relay. They finished in first with a time of 1:32.42. A number of other second place finishes included Palser in the 100 freestyle (51.01), senior Stephanie Roop (Dowingtown, Pa.) in the 500 freestyle (4:54.00), Myers in the 100 backstroke (56.09) and junior Alexandra Young (Carmel, Ind.) in the 100 butterfly (56.28). Sophomore Meg Alderman (Arlington, Va.) had a strong showing in three-meter diving, posting the Lions' top score of 237.70. Penn State returns home for its final dual meet of the season next Saturday against Lehigh. The meet will start at 1 p.m. with a brief ceremony beforehand to honor the seven Nittany Lion seniors.

Wisconsin women dominate Big Ten Quad Duals

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:53:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Two more pool records fell on Saturday afternoon at the UW Natatorium as the No. 17 Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team completed its sweep of Big Ten foes Illinois, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 22 Purdue on day two of the Big Ten Quad Duals. The Badgers downed Illinois 228-102, while also defeating Minnesota, 179-151, and Purdue, 190-130. After the team set four pool records on Friday night, sophomore Ashley Wanland was the first to knock off another on Saturday, as she swam the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:12.15, bettering the mark of 2:12.80 set by Yi Ting Siow in 2007. The win also gave Wanland a new season-best mark, as well as an NCAA consideration time. Wisconsin's second pool record came in the final event of the day, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Junior Maggie Meyer, sophomore Beckie Thompson and freshmen Laura Miller and Ruby Martin combined to swim the event in an NCAA ""B"" time of 3:21.64, breaking the mark of 3:23.16 that had stood since 2003. Thompson almost added a third pool record on her own as she won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 22.89, just .03 seconds off the record she had previously set earlier this year. The time was still good for an NCAA ""B"" mark, though. In all, Meyer was a part of five school records on the weekend, something that head coach Eric Hansen took note of. "I think from this two-session meet, with five pool records, Maggie Meyer has to be at the top of the list," Hansen said of performances that impressed him on the weekend. "I was really pleased with that."" Meyer wasn't the only swimmer that Hansen thought had a solid day, though. "I also thought Beckie Thompson had a great meet," he said. "And Ruby Martin, to anchor that relay and have the fastest split in a pool record relay says a lot about her. "Also, Laura Miller, to be on that relay and step up and get 50 points as well, that says a lot about our depth going into the NCAAs, to have two freshmen go third and fourth on our relay." The afternoon started strong for Wisconsin as it scored a win in the opening event, the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Meyer, Wanland, junior Karlyn Hougan and Thompson finished in an NCAA consideration time of 1:40.77, a season-best for Wisconsin in the event. Meyer added her own individual consideration time later in the day as she won the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 54.50. That came on the heels of the pool-record swim in the 100 back she recorded Friday by going 54.16 as the lead leg on UW's winning 400 medley relay. The Badgers got another win in the 400-yard individual medley, as freshman Monika Stitski won the event in a time of 4:24.36. Stitski's season-best in the event is the fastest by a Badgers swimmer this year. Hansen thought his team's performance on the weekend was a good precursor to the upcoming Big Ten and NCAA championship meets. "It tells us where we're at," he said. "We'll also study film and look at the other details that we need to work on. "Other than that, we'll have them take care of themselves and focus on the things that can help us. One of them is rest, and two is to work on details." The Wisconsin men's team dropped both its dual-meet matchups, losing 209-121 to Minnesota and 185-145 to Purdue. Individually, the team earned top-three finishes in six events Saturday. "Even though [the men] didn't win, I was really pleased with the progress a lot of our guys made," Hansen said. "They showed some maturity and they're starting to come around and that's what we're looking for; versatility and the ability to correct mistakes and set the races up the right way." Freshman Dan Lester had two of those top-three finishes as he placed second in the 400-yard IM and third in the 100-yard butterfly. In the medley, Lester finished with a time of 4:00.09, while the butterfly, he finished in a personal-best time of 49.68. Fellow freshman Marcus Guttmann shattered his own personal best in the 1,000-yard freestyle. His previous fastest mark came at the Minnesota dual this year when he swam it in a time of 9:57.71. Saturday, though, Guttmann grabbed a second-place finish with a time of 9:16.08. "I was pleased with Marcus Guttmann who came from nowhere and really helped us out," Hansen said. "Dan Lester has also proven that he's one of our leaders, and he just joined us in December." Senior Derrick O'Donnell earned a second-place finish of his own in the 100-yard backstroke. He swam the event in at time of 51.05. Sophomore Chris Nemeth rounded out the individual top-three finishes for UW with by swimming to third place in the 200-yard freestyle. His time of 1:41.76 was his second-best of the season. As a team, the Badgers grabbed another second-place finish in the final event of the day, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Senior Phil Davies, sophomore Wes Lagerhausen, Nemeth and sophomore Cole Scarbrough swam it in a time of 3:03.50, the third-best time for Wisconsin this season. "I really saw signs of what we got accomplished in Hawaii and that's always nice," Hansen added, referring to the team's annual winter training trip. "We looked really fit, but we don't have all of our speed yet. It's coming." Up next for both teams are the Big Ten championships. The women have two weeks off to prepare before heading to West Lafayette, Ind., to compete from Feb. 17-20. The men's team has three weeks off from competition before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, from Feb. 24-27.

Illini women struggle at Big Ten Quad Drills

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:31:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team closed out competition at the Big Ten Quad Duals Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 10 Minnesota, 235-95, No. 22 Purdue, 198-122 and host No. 17 Wisconsin, 228-102. The Illini are now 7-6 on the year in dual-meet action. Freshman Erin Rodriguez was again a top finisher for the Illini, setting a new season-best time of 4:27.31 in the 400 IM, while the 400 free relay team consisting of Kristen Manias, Meghan Mason, Erin Lamb and Brittany McGowan posted a season-best time of 3:29.36 in the event. "We were a little sluggish today," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "After the accumulation of four weeks of racing, we're ready to rest and get more life back into our legs so we can be ready to swim fast and compete well in a couple of weeks." The Illini return to action next Friday, Feb. 5 to compete at the two-day Minnesota Challenge in Minneapolis, Minn., which is their final meet before the Big Ten Championships.

Gopher women win 2, lose 1 at Quad Duals

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:04:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 10 University of Minnesota earned a win over Purdue and Illinois, but fell to Wisconsin as the Quad Duals, which concluded Saturday. The Golden Gophers earned a score of 235-95 over Illinois and a 173-147 win over Purdue, but fell, 179-151 to the Badgers. The Gophers started the day with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Hannah Whitehead, Jillian Tyler, Kaylee Jamison and Meagan Radecke combined for a time of 1:43.43. Minnesota's B relay of Castina Wabeke, Haley Spencer, Megan Braun and Alison Eggers clocked a time of 1:46.54 for fifth overall. Twins Ashley and Kristen Steenvoorden provided a one-two punch in the 1,000 freestyle event. Ashley won the event in a time of 9:57.21, while Kristen placed second in 9:58.15. Meagan Radecke led the Gophers in the 50 free with a fourth-place finish of 23.81, while Alison Eggers was sixth in 23.88. Whitehead placed fourth in the 100 back (56.99), while Andrea Hanson was eighth in 58.59. Jillian Tyler placed second in the 200 breaststroke. Tyler clocked a provisional and pool record time of 2:12.24, but Wisconsin's Ashley Wanland touched the wall just ahead of Tyler in 2:12.15 to win the event. Spencer rounded out the top three with a time of 2:16.96. Minnesota took the next two spots in the 100 fly. Jamison won it in 54.96, just ahead of teammate Braun, who clocked a time of 57.19. Whitehead and Lauren Weis led the Gopher contingent with a fourth and fifth-place finish in the 200 free. Whitehead held a time of 1:51.52, while Weis placed sixth in 1:51.77. The next event up today was the 400 IM in which Kristen Steenvoorden placed second in 4:26.29. Molly Belk added a third-place time of 4:27.18, while Elizabeth Weitz was fifth in 4:29.14. The Gophers closed out the event with a third-place finish in the 400 free relay. Radecke, Davies, Jamison and Eggers combined for a time of 3:26.64. Minnesota hosts its only home event of the second semester next weekend at the University Aquatic Center in the Minnesota Challenge. Friday's action starts at 6 p.m. and continues at noon on Feb. 6 and again at 6 p.m. The Gophers then take time off to prepare for the Big Ten Championships, held in West Lafayette, Ind., Feb. 17-20. Team Scores - Women: Minnesota 235, Illinois 95 Purdue 198, Illinois 122 Wisconsin 228, Illinois 102 Minnesota 173, Purdue 147 Wisconsin 179, Minnesota 151 Wisconsin 190, Purdue 130

Ohio State men, women suffer first defeats

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:48:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State could not overcome a first-day lead by a strong, No. 7-ranked Michigan team and dropped its first dual meet season Saturday in a four-team quadrangular meet at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The Buckeyes, ranked ninth nationally, did defeat both Penn State and Northwestern and enters its final dual of the season next week with an 8-1 record. The defending Big Ten Champion Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes, 197.5-135.5. Ohio State outscored Penn State and Northwestern by scores of 263-70 and 263-67, respectively. "Overall, there wasn't a guy out here who didn't give his very best today," Ohio State coach Bill Wadley said. "We are just a step behind Michigan. They won Big Ten's by 300 points last year. I feel good about the effort our guys gave. And I think in time we'll close the gap." Ohio State closed Friday with a thrilling win in the 400 freestyle relay. Saturday, it opened the meet with a thrilling win, this time in the 200 medley relay. The team of sophomore Andrew Elliott, junior Elliott Keefer, freshman Tim Phillips and senior co-captain Joel Elber won in an NCAA ""B"" consideration time of 1:28.86. Michigan was able to keep the Buckeyes in its rear view by sweeping the top three places in the second event of the day – the 500 freestyle – and going one-two in the 100 butterfly on top of four more individual event wins. Ohio State swam well, though. Andrew Elliott continued his fine weekend of swims by winning the 100 backstroke in 47.92. Keefer did, too. After winning the 200 breaststroke on Friday, he was second in the 100 breaststroke Saturday. Justin Farra took third in the 200 individual medley. Phillips was third in the 100 butterfly. Elliott, Farra and Phillips each swam NCAA ""B"" cut times in their respective events. "We swam really well," Elliott said. "Michigan is one of the top teams in the nation. We swam fast. Our ultimate goal is Big Ten's, though." Senior Wes Wieser added a win for Ohio State on the three-meter springboard with 404.00 points. Senior Ryan Jefferson was second. Next up: Ohio State closes out its dual meet season with a 5 p.m. meet Friday, Feb. 5 vs. Eastern Michigan. It will be senior day at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Final Team Scores: Michigan 197.5, Ohio State 135.5 Ohio State 263, Northwestern 67 Ohio State 263, Penn State 70 OHIO STATE WOMEN SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women's swimming and diving team fell just short of clinching an unbeaten dual meet season (and a seventh consecutive win) Saturday following a two-day meet against Penn State at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The Nittany Lions topped the Buckeyes in a final tally of 176-158. "We dug ourselves a bit of a hole Friday and it was going to be really, really difficult for us to come back and win this meet," Ohio State coach Bill Dorenkott said. "We would have had to swim a flawless meet to overtake Penn State." The Buckeyes gave it their best effort. A young 200 medley relay team composed of freshmen Kelsey Moran, Shannon Draves, Megan Detro and sophomore Catherine Eitel scored the first points of the day for the Ohio State swimmers, clocking in with a winning time of 1:43.89. Junior Samantha Cheverton was a triple-winner on the day, coming up big in the 500 freestyle (4:50.34), 100 butterfly (55.52) and 100 backstroke (55.85). Freshman Megan Detro also claimed the 100 freestyle in 50.97. "Overall, I was pleased with our performance," Dorenkott said. "Our relays were strong – we won three out of four – and I thought we rebounded well from yesterday." Eight Ohio State seniors were honored prior to their last competition in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion: Megan Alexander, Farriss Blaskovits, Chelsea Davis, Jill Lockhart, Haley Mitchell, Sarah Ratica, Colleen Schweitzer and Mary Ann Weiser. "It has been a really good group of seniors," Dorenkott said before the meet. "They have really grown in terms of willingness to accept change and willingness to really work hard. They have done a nice job." Sophomore Bianca Alvarez closed out the competition by earning first in the 3-meter dive, scoring a total of 372.40 points for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes will spend the next two-plus weeks concentrating and preparing for the Big The Conference championships, Feb. 17-20 in West Lafayette, Ind. Team Scores: 1. Penn State 176; 2. Ohio State 158 Ohio State Event Winners: 200 medley relay – Moran, Eitel, Draves, Detro (1:43.89); 500 freestyle – Sam Cheverton (4:50.34); 100 butterfly – Sam Cheverton (55.52); 100 backstroke – Sam Cheverton (55.85); 100 freestyle – Megan Detro (50.97). 3-meter diving – Bianca Alvarez (372.40 points)

Spartan swimmers fall at Michigan

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Michigan State women's swimming and diving team dropped a dual meet to Michigan, 127-82, on Friday (Jan. 29) evening in Ann Arbor. MSU will be back in action on Saturday (Jan. 20) at McCaffree Pool at IM West at 2 p.m. against Oakland. "I thought our relays did well today, but we're going to have to be a lot better tomorrow, and I hope we will be," said MSU head coach Matt Gianiodis. "Michigan is a very good team but I know we can perform better." The Spartans' 200 medley relay team of Stephanie Fisher, Kerry Sodonis, Erinn Wertz and Jenny Rusch turned in a 1:46.92 which was good for third place. In the 200 freestyle relay, Fisher, Wertz, Rusch and Kelsie Schooley posted a 1:35.58. Wertz also added a fourth-place finish in thh 50 freestyle with a 24.68. Sarah Clay and Kayla Kalmbach led the Spartan diving corps as each posted a second-place finish. Clay posted a 311.48 on the three-meter board and Kalmbach posted a 289.05 on the one-meter board.