Weekly Release #5
12/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., Jan. 3-4 -- at Rainbow Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii), 3 p.m./9:30 a.m. HST
Friday, Jan. 10 -- Toledo (Canham Natatorium), 5 p.m.
This Week: At Rainbow Invitational
The No. 22 University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team will participate in the University of Hawaii's Rainbow Invitational Friday and Saturday (Jan. 3-4) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Wolverines will take to the pool at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex for the event, which concludes the team's winter training trip to the 50th state.
Last Time In the Pool
Four Wolverines competed at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships (Dec. 5-7) at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Junior Anne Weilbacher (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales HS) had a successful meet, earning a U.S. Olympic team tryout and NCAA consideration time with her 1:02.18 performance in the 100-meter butterfly. Kelli Stein (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Waterson HS) qualified for the "A" final in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing eighth with a NCAA consideration time of 2:37.45. Freestylers Amy McCullough (West Bloomfield, Mich./Mercy HS) and Emily-Clare Fenn (Westport, Conn./Staples HS) also had strong showings. McCullough posted the 10th-best time in the preliminary heats of the 400-meter freestyle at 4:20.77. In the final that night, McCullough finished in 14th at 4:24.46. Fenn joined McCullough in the 800-meter freestyle, taking home 44th place with a time of 9:19.01.
Weilbacher at the Open
Junior co-captain Anne Weilbacher participated in two events at the U.S. Open. She earned an NCAA consideration time and an U.S. Olympic team tryout with her result of 1:02.18 in the 100-meter butterfly. Weilbacher placed fourth in the event. She followed up her strong performance in the 200-meter butterfly, taking 30th place with a result of 2:22.97.
Stein at the Open
Junior Kelli Stein competed in both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events at the U.S. Open. Stein earned her first of two top-10 finishes in the 200-meter breaststroke, posting an NCAA consideration time and surpassing the National cut with her result (2:37.45). In the 100, Stein placed 10th with a time of 1:13.31.
McCullough at the Open
With three results at the U.S. Open, sophomore Amy McCullough was one of U-M's busiest swimmers. McCullough swam to the 10th-best time (4:20.77) in the preliminaries of the 400-meter freestyle. Her finals time of 4:24.46 took 14th place. McCullough then placed 33rd and 63rd, respectively, in competitive 800- and 200-meter freestyle events to cap off the weekend.
Fenn at the Open
Junior Emily-Clare Fenn participated in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. Open. Fenn posted a top-50 time in the event at 9:19.01.
Automat-Cullough
Amy McCullough is the first member of the Maize and Blue to achieve an NCAA automatic qualifying time. Her mark of 1:46.89 at the Nike Cup (Nov. 21-23) surpassed the NCAA "A" standard in the 200-freestyle and, as of Dec. 5, is the second fastest time recorded in the nation.
Just Did It
Senior co-captain Erin Abbey (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield HS) had a successful meet at the Nike Cup (Nov. 21-23), setting three season bests and climbing among the nation's fastest swimmers. As of Dec. 5, Abbey has posted the fourth-fastest time in the nation in the 100-yard backstroke (55.17) and also holds the fifth-fastest time 100-yard freestyle (50.04). Her 200-yard backstroke mark of 1:58.42 at the Nike Cup is currently 10th in the nation.
Tracking Times
Anne Weilbacher has two of the nation's top 10 times, as of Dec. 5. The junior swam the third-fastest time in the 100-yard butterfly (54.20) at the Nike Cup (Nov. 21-23). Weilbacher also posted the nation's sixth-best mark in the 200-yard butterfly (1:59.17) at the Nike Cup race.
Win (or Lose), Stein's Money
One of the top breaststrokers in the nation, Kelli Stein has posted the times to back up those claims. Stein's time of 1:02.26 is a top-five time in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her 200-yard mark of 2:17.12 is among the nation's 20 fastest times.
Medley Relay Teams Near Top of Rankings
Michigan's emphasis on its relay teams has paid off, as the Wolverines boast the nation's second fastest times in both the 200- and 400-yard medley relays. The 200 squad has posted a time of 1:41.47, under half a second behind Georgia's top mark. The 400 medley team's time of 3:40.57 is just over a second behind the Bulldogs' pace.
Leaders and Some of the Best
The Wolverines have named two captains for the 2002-03 season, as senior Erin Abbey and junior Anne Weilbacher have been selected to lead the Maize and Blue. Weilbacher is one of the most decorated Wolverines, with four NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions.
Head Coach Jim Richardson
Michigan head coach Jim Richardson is in his 19th season at the helm of the Wolverines. Over that time, his teams have dominated the Big Ten Conference, winning 12 consecutive league titles from 1987-98 and adding the team's 13th in 2001. During the 1998 season, Richardson recorded his 100th career dual-meet victory, against Indiana University on Jan. 30. Since he took over the program in 1985-86, Michigan has finished in the NCAA top 10 all but six years. In 1995, Michigan finished in second place as a team and followed that in 1996 by hosting the NCAA Championships and finishing third.
Let's Look at the Polls
Michigan is ranked No. 22 in the most recent College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division I bi-weekly rankings (Dec. 10). This is the second appearance in the poll this season for the Wolverines, who entered at No. 18 two weeks earlier (Nov. 27).
CSCAA Division I Top 25 (Dec. 10)
Rank, Team (1st-place votes) Pts. Last 1. Auburn (8) 200 1 2. Florida 192 2 3. Georgia 181 3 4. Stanford 175 4 5. Texas 169 7 6. Southern Cal 162 5 7. Southern Methodist 152 6 8. Wisconsin 140 12 9. California 138 9 10. Arizona 129 8 11. North Carolina 119 10 12. Virginia 113 11 13. UCLA 103 T14 14. Indiana 98 13 15. Maryland 89 T14 16. Purdue 71 16 17. Notre Dame 67 17 18. Arizona State 65 20 19. South Carolina 51 T22 20. Florida State 50 24 21. Missouri 45 19 22. MICHIGAN 41 18 23. Texas A&M 23 T22 24. Penn State 15 21 25. Washington 10 25
On the Horizon
The Wolverines return home for their last home meet of the season against Toledo on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Canham Natatorium.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
