Weekly Release #9
2/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sat., Feb. 28-March 2 -- at Big Ten Championships (Bloomington, Ind.), 11 a.m./7 p.m.
Friday, March 15 -- at NCAA Diving Zones (West Lafayette, Ind.), 11 a.m.
Thu-Sat., March 28-30 -- at NCAA Championships (Athens, Ga.), 11 a.m./7 p.m.
This Week
No. 10-ranked Michigan will compete at the Big Ten Conference Championships at the Counsilman and Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, Ind. Competition at the Big Ten Championships will begin on Thursday (Feb. 28) and will run through Saturday (March 2). Preliminary events will begin at 11 a.m. and the finals will start at 7 p.m.
Big Ten Schedule of Events
| Thursday, Feb. 28 | 200-yard Freestyle Relay 500-yard Freestyle 200-yard Individual Medley 50-yard Freestyle One-meter Diving 400-yard Medley Relay |
Friday, March 1 | 200-yard Medley Relay 400-yard Individual Medley 100-yard Butterfly 200-yard Freestyle 100-yard Breaststroke 100-yard Backstroke Three-meter Diving 800-yard Freestyle Relay |
Saturday, March 2 | 1,650-yard Freestyle 200-yard Backstroke 100-yard Freestyle 200-yard Breaststroke 200-yard Butterfly Platform Diving (exhibition) 400-yard Freestyle Relay |
Michigan at the Big Ten Championships
Michigan owns 31 Big Ten Conference championships, with the last one coming in 2000 when it was held at Canham Natatorium. Of the 31 titles Michigan has captured, 12 have come under the guidance of head coach Jon Urbanchek, including a run of 10 straight from 1986 through 1995. Only Indiana can come within 10 titles of Michigan as the Hoosiers have won 23 Big Ten Championships, while Ohio State places third all-time with 12 titles. Just as impressive for Michigan is the fact it has produced 267 individual Big Ten champions and 79 relay champions. Indiana is second in terms of individual and relay titles with 191 and 45, respectively.
The 2001 Big Ten Championships
Michigan placed runner-up to Minnesota (797 points) at the 2001 Big Ten Championships, which were held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center. The Wolverines were able to amount 549 points and won four event titles in the 200-yard freestyle, the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley. Senior All-American Tim Siciliano (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS) and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Chris Thompson (1997-2001) were factors in three of the individual races the Wolverines won. Thompson posted the top time in the 500-yard freestyle with a mark of 4:16.22 and then established a University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in the mile with a mark of 14:31.15. The Maize and Blue's other individual wins came from Siciliano and sophomore Dan Ketchum (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) as they won the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle, respectively, with times of 3:42.45 and 1:34.99. Ketchum and Thompson joined with Garrett Mangieri (Closter, N.J./Mercersburg Academy, Pa.) and Jordan Watland (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka HS) to win the 800-yard freestyle with a time of 6:26.33.
Last Meet Recap
In the final regular-season dual meet for legendary diving coach Dick Kimball, the No. 10-ranked Wolverines defeated Michigan State on Feb. 9 at Canham Natatorium by a score of 137-99. The Michigan divers gave Kimball a nice present as sophomore Jason Coben (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown HS) swept the one- and three-meter with scores of 335.10 and 336.67, respectively, while sophomore Dusty Garwood (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) scored a season-best 270.00 to place runner-up on the three-meter. In the swimming events, the Maize and Blue won every event while marking the last time seniors Tim Siciliano, Jordan Watland, Matt Raines (Owosso, Mich./Corunna HS), Jason Mallory (Granger, Ind./Penn HS) and Eric Wilson (Portland, Ore./Sunset HS) would compete at Canham Natatorium as members of the Michigan team.
Returning Big Ten Champions
Michigan returns five members of last year's squad who have combined to win eight Big Ten Championships. Included in that mix is the 800-yard freestyle relay, which returns three of the four members off last year's victorious squad. The only member that will not compete this year is 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Chris Thompson, who exhausted his eligibility last year.
Jeff Hopwood 2000 100-meter Breaststroke 55.01 1999 100-yard Breaststroke 54.64 1999 200-yard Breaststroke 1:58.25 Dan Ketchum 2001 200-yard Freestyle 1:34.99 Tim Siciliano 2001 400-yard Individual Medley 3:42.45 2000 400-meter Individual Medley 3:50.78 1999 400-yard Individual Medley 3:46.23 800-yard Freestyle Relay 2001 800-yard Freestyle Relay 6:26.33 (Jordan Watland, Dan Ketchum, Garrett Mangieri, Chris Thompson)
Kimball's Last Time
The 2002 Big Ten Championships will mark the 43rd and last time legendary diving coach Dick Kimball will guide the Wolverine men's divers in a league championship. Kimball will retire after the year, but will head into the 2002 championships with a good shot of watching one of his divers pull out a title in sophomore Jason Coben. If Coben wins an event, he would become the 10th male diver to win a Big Ten championship under Kimball. On the women's side, Kimball has coached seven Big Ten champions, including three Big Ten Divers of the Year in Diane Dudeck (1984), Mary Fischbach (1988) and Carrie Zarse (1995).
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Michigan head coach Jon Urbanchek will be more than happy if sophomore Dan Ketchum can carry over his performance from last year's Big Ten Championships into the meet this week in Bloomington, Ind. Ketchum was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year after winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:34.99) and placing runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle (4:17.65). In the mile Ketchum added another top-10 finish as he placed sixth with a mark of 15:05.77 before joining the victorious 800-yard freestyle relay team that posted a time of 6:26.33.
Freshman of the Year Continued
Michigan will have a good shot at having the Big Ten Freshman of the Year again in 2002 after sophomore Dan Ketchum earned the honor last year. Leading the list of candidates for the Wolverines in 2002 will be Brendan Neligan (Briarwood, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy HS), Andrew Hurd (Oakville Ontario/Oakville Trafalger HS) and Chuck Sayao (Mississauga, Ontario/Cawthra Park HS). All three have international experience as Neligan and Sayao medaled at the World University Games last summer and Hurd was a member of the 2000 Canadian Olympic Team. The trio has also made an impact on the college level this season as Neligan and Hurd have been fixtures in Michigan's distance freestyle lineup, while Sayao's main events have been the backstroke and the individual medley. Michigan also has recent history on its side as it has three members on the team that have won the award as Ketchum gained the honor last year, while Tim Siciliano and Jeff Hopwood split the award in 1999.
Hopwood's Back in the Breast
Junior All-American Jeff Hopwood (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto HS) will have lofty expectations heading into the 2002 Big Ten Championships based on how he performed during his freshman and sophomore years. After redshirting last year with an injury, Hopwood is looking to win his third Big Ten title in the 100-yard breaststroke. During his freshman season, Hopwood won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.64 and then followed that with a win in the same event during his sophomore campaign of 1999-2000 with a mark of 55.01. Hopwood's performance in the 200-yard breaststroke hasn't been too shabby either considering he won the event in his freshman year with a time of 1:58.25 and then placed third during his sophomore season (1:58.12).
Perfect 200
Michigan has won every 200-yard freestyle race in a dual meet this season as Dan Ketchum has been the top performer in seven of those 10 races. So far in the 2001-02 season, the only person that has been able to beat Ketchum in the event is teammate Garrett Mangieri. Mangieri was the top performer in the 200-yard freestyle against Stanford (Jan. 12) and Arizona (Jan. 4), while Ketchum placed second in both of those races. Freshman Brendan Neligan got into the mix in Michigan's last dual meet as he won the event with a mark of 1:39.12 against Michigan State (Feb. 9).
Friendly Rivalry
After the conclusion of the dual meet season, junior Garrett Mangieri led the team in individual events won. Mangieri has excelled in the freestyle events, most notably the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, as he has won 13 individual events this season. Sophomore Dan Ketchum (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) has posted the second most wins on the team with 11 overall, including seven in the 200-yard freestyle. Rounding out the top three is freshman Brendan Neligan, who has won the 1,000-yard freestyle four times this season en route to posting 10 wins on the year.
Coben Top Returner on the Boards
Sophomore diver Jason Coben will be one of the favorites in the diving events this week at the Big Ten Championships. Last year Coben posted a score of 320.75 on the one-meter at the Big Ten Championships to place third in the event. The two competitors that placed higher than Coben were both seniors in Thomas Davidson of Indiana (369.60) and Dan Croaston of Minnesota (357.80). Of the top eight finishers on the one-meter, only four will return for this year's championships. Joining Coben on that list is Heath Knowling and Chris Monson of Ohio State and Ben Herdt of Wisconsin. Coben should also be a contender on the three-meter after finishing fifth last year with a mark of 514.30.
Big Ten Honors
Two Michigan swimmers and one diver combined to earn four Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors during the 2001-02 season. Sophomore diver Jason Coben was responsible for two of the awards as he was named Big Ten Diver of the Week after sweeping the one- and three-meter against Michigan State (Feb. 9) and in a tri-meet against Penn State and Purdue (Jan. 19). The same week Coben was named diver of the week for his performance against the Boilermakers and Nittany Lions, sophomore Dan Ketchum earned Swimmer of the Week honors after establishing a McCoy Natatorium pool record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:37.22, while also posting the top time in the 200-yard butterfly with a mark of 1:48.06. The first of Michigan's honors came from junior Garrett Mangieri as he earned Swimmer of the Week honors after winning four events in home dual meets against Georgia (Nov. 2) and Indiana (Nov. 3).
How Michigan's Times Stack Up
Michigan has posted some of the fastest times in the nation this season in certain events. According to the College Quick 50 released by Taper & Shave, the Wolverines have swimmers with top 10 times in the 200-yard freestyle, the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 800-yard freestyle relay. The following is a list of Michigan's top swimmers in each event and where there time stands nationally as well as who has posted the fastest time in the event this season. All times are current through Feb. 13.
100-yard Freestyle (43.64 auto/44.94 consideration) 1. Duje Draganja, California 42.58* 23. Garrett Mangieri, U-M 44.75# 200-yard Freestyle (1:36.39/1:39.28) 1. Chris Kemp, Texas 1:36.02* 7. Dan Ketchum, U-M 1:37.22# 8. Garrett Mangieri, U-M 1:37.28# 500-yard Freestyle (4:19.72/4:27.51) 1. Klete Keller, Southern Cal 4:19.80# 3. Andrew Hurd, U-M 4:21.81# 14. Dan Ketchum, U-M 4:24.50# 16. Brendan Neligan, U-M 4:25.25# 28. Jason Mallory, U-M 4:26.58# 30. Garrett Mangieri, U-M 4:26.69# 1,000-yard Freestyle (Not held at Big Ten or NCAA meets) 1. Erik Vendt, Southern Cal 8:49.59 4. Brendan Neligan, U-M 9:00.41 5. Andrew Hurd, U-M 9:01.97 22. Justin Drake, U-M 9:19.12 100-yard Backstroke (47.74/49.17) 1. Peter Marshall, Stanford 46.55* 48. Jordan Watland, U-M 49.93 200-yard Backstroke (1:44.30/1:47.42) 1. Markus Rogan, Stanford 1:43.42* 29. Ryan Earhart, U-M 1:47.33# 100-yard Breaststroke (54.31/55.93) 1. Brendan Hansen, Texas 53.57* 29. Jeff Hopwood, U-M 55.91# 200-yard Breaststroke (1:57.68/2:01.21) 1. Brendan Hansen, Texas 1:56.09* 12. Jeff Hopwood, U-M 1:59.74# 37. Jason Mallory, U-M 2:01.70 100-yard Butterfly (47.34/48.76) 1. Zsolt Gaspar, South Carolina 46.60* 40. Tony Kurth, U-M 49.17 200-yard Butterfly (1:44.93/1:48.07) 1. Zsolt Gaspar, South Carolina 1:43.38* 12. Dan Ketchum, U-M 1:46.62# 200-yard Individual Medley (1:47.13/1:50.34) 1. Tamas Kerekjarto, Southern Cal 1:45.74* 19. Tim Siciliano, U-M 1:49.53# 50. Jason Mallory, U-M 1:51.16 400-yard Individual Medley (3:47.29//3:54.10) 1. Markus Rogan, Stanford 3:45.57* 27. Jason Mallory, U-M 3:54.70 29. Chuck Sayao, U-M 3:54.96 31. Tim Siciliano, U-M 3:55.28 39. Brendan Neligan, U-M 3:56.76 200-yard Freestyle Relay (1:18.47/1:20.82) 1. Arizona 1:18.57 23. Michigan 1:21.99 400-yard Freestyle Relay (2:55.06/3:00.31) 1. Arizona 2:55.05 13. Michigan 2:58.37 800-yard Freestyle Relay (6:26.26/6:38.21) 1. Southern California 6:25.02* 6. Michigan 6:33.19# 200-yard Medley Relay (1:27.49/1:30.11) 1. Texas 1:27.69 17. Michigan 1:30.78 400-yard Medley Relay (3:12.44/3:18.21) 1. Texas 3:12.03* 20. Michigan 3:19.48
In the Polls
Michigan moved up from No. 11 to No. 10 in the latest CSCAA Top 25 poll that was released on Jan. 30. Michigan's strongest competition for the Big Ten Conference championship likely will come from Minnesota, which is ranked No. 6. Other Big Ten teams to crack the top 25 include No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 20 Penn State and No. 21 Purdue.
CSCAA Top 25 Poll (1/30/02)
Rank, Team Points 1. Stanford (8) 200 2. Auburn 192 3. Texas 184 4. California 174 5. Tennessee 168 6. Minnesota 159 7. Arizona State 155 8. Arizona 138 Southern Cal 138 10. MICHIGAN 128 11. Florida 113 12. Virginia 111 13. Georgia 101 14. South Carolina 98 15. Southern Methodist 86 16. Wisconsin 83 17. Pittsburgh 68 18. Alabama 64 19. Texas A&M 63 20. Penn State 44 21. Purdue 34 22. Georgia Tech 29 23. North Carolina 19 24. Washington 13 25. Clemson 10
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
